Michael J. Evans
Oil Spill Suggestion – Dear President Obama: please take over the oil spill cleanup, and send BP the bill.
Updated oil spill suggestion June 7, 2010: BP has paid only $48 million to 18,000 of the 37,000 who have filed oil spill claims. About 90% of the oil spill claims have been paid to individuals, reported the Wall Street Journal. Compare this to the amount BP television ad campaign, plus an unknown amount being spent on pay-per-click Google ads.
Oil Spill Suggestion Updated June-2-2010 – B.P has been, at best, ineffective in running the Gulf oil spill cleanup, and here at BP Oil News, we’ve published over 800 oil spill suggestions. (As of June 7, 2010, we’ve published over 1,400 oil spill suggestions). We’ve had suggestions for plugging BP’s oil leak, and for reducing damage from the Gulf oil spill. Now I want to make a suggestion of my own. No, I don’t have an idea for plugging the hole. But I do think I have a common-sense suggestion for cleaning it up in a way that also minimizes economic losses to people and businesses on the Gulf Coast.
One of the first things to recognize is that BP has the financial ability, and the legal obligation, to pay the federal government a large amount of money because of this spill. Any money the federal government spends on my plan will be recovered in fines and penalties from BP. (Calculations are explained in a paragraph at the end of this article).
When oil hits the beach, tourism takes a nosedive. The federal government should rent those vacant hotel rooms (fines and damages from BP should easily cover the cost of the rooms). Then fill those hotel rooms with volunteers and unemployed workers who are willing to travel to the beach to help in the oil spill cleanup effort. Additionally, hire fishermen and other Gulf Coast residents who are out of work due to the oil spill. The government could either rent hotel rooms and hire workers directly, or it could contract with private companies/individuals who would rent hotel rooms and supervise workers. Or, perhaps even better, let the government give the money to state and local governments, and let people like Gov. Bobby Jindal and Billy Nungesser make the decisions about how to deal with BP’s oil spill.
The payments to hotels will help them stay in business, and the money will circulate through the community, helping offset the economic damages caused by the spill. The payments to local fishermen and other out-of-work Gulf coast residents will reduce the economic loss they suffer due to BP’s oil spill. The payments to out-of-town unemployed people will get them off the unemployment rolls, and some of their wages will be spent in Gulf Coast restaurants, gas stations, and other businesses. Workers and businesses will be able to make loan payments so local banks aren’t crushed under a mountain of unpaid loans.
One of the main complaints of workers and businesses on the Gulf coast is that, although BP has paid some claims, BP has left people in a condition of economic uncertainty. BP says it will pay claims in the future, but it won’t tell anyone how much it will pay, or when it will pay. People don’t know if they will be able to pay their utility bills, or buy food for their families. The federal government could hire people for a fixed term, which could be extended if necessary. By giving people certainty about future employment and income, if only for a month, the government would bring a little certainty back into the lives of our Gulf coast neighbors.
We should not leave it up to BP to hire and manage crews to handle the cleanup. BP has already proven, more than once, that it cannot be trusted. Also, the interests of the federal government and BP are not aligned here. The federal government has an interest in seeing that the natural resources of the Gulf are damaged as little as possible, and that the Gulf Coast is restored as quickly and completely as possible to the beautiful, vibrant national treasure that it was before the oil spill. The federal government also has an interest in the economic welfare of its citizens and businesses on the Gulf Coast. BP, a for-profit British corporation, is interested only in money. It wants to handle this disaster in a way that minimizes its costs and its liability for damages. For example, instead of renting hotel rooms for workers hired to clean up the Gulf oil spill, BP is putting workers in corrugated metal “flotels.”
If BP can’t safely drill the well, or cap the leak, or protect the beach at Grande Isle. Louisiana, why should we believe they can protect the other beaches on our Gulf coast? The federal government may not have the technology to take over the leak-plugging operation from BP, but the federal government certainly has more experience than BP in conducting massive public-works projects. That has been a governmental function since George Washington’s administration began its first road-building program.
The oil spill cleanup effort should be handled by the federal government, which can target cleanup efforts and the expenditure of funds in a way that is most effective in meeting the twin goals of restoring the habitat and minimizing the disruption of life for citizens on the Gulf.
The oil spill cleanup job is too important to be left to British Petroleum, which has spent the last 40 days proving, over and over, that the American people cannot trust BP to protect our beautiful Gulf Coast.
CALCULATIONS OF BP’S CIVIL PENALTIES: In civil penalties alone, BP owes $1,100 per barrel spilled, and if gross negligence is proven (and it seems likely that it can be proven) BP will owe $4,300 per barrel. According to a May 28 Reuters article, a federal scientific panel just released estimates that the well is leaking from 12,000 to 19,000 barrels per day. Using the minimum 12,000 barrel per day estimate, the accumulated fine at $1,100 per barrel would be $488.4 million. Once again, using the 12,000 barrel per day estimate, if BP pays $4,300 per barrel due to gross negligence, the total accumulated fines would be almost $2 billion. Going forward, fines would range from $13.2 million to $51.6 million. And remember, these estimates are based on the minimum estimated flow of 12,000 barrels per day. The numbers would be substantially higher if it is determined that the well is leaking 19,000 barrels per day.
UPDATE 6/1/2010: Retired Army General Russel Honore has made the argument on CNN that the federal government should use the Stafford Act to fund the states so they can protect their shoreline. And former Secretary of Labor (under Pres. Bill Clinton) Robert Reich has argued that “it’s time to put BP under temporary receivership, which gives the government authority to take over BP’s operations in the Gulf of Mexico until the gusher is stopped.” Sadly, in the four days since this article was originally posted, BP has done nothing to lead me to believe that it can be trusted to protect our environment, or the health or financial well-being of our citizens, as it cleans up the Gulf oil spill. I hope those who agree will join with me to call upon President Obama to federalize the oil spill clean up.
Update: June 7, 2010: Local government officials in Florida and Alabama have expressed exasperation with BP’s oil spill cleanup efforts. Florida officials said they want to run the oil spill cleanup with BP’s money.
If you agree that President Obama should take over the oil spill cleanup from BP and put federal, state, and/or local government officials in charge (while sending the bill to BP) please join our Facebook group “Dear Pres. Obama: Please take over the Gulf oil clean up & send BP the bill.”
{ 56 comments… read them below or add one }
What about the health care costs of everyone in the gulf, beginning with the workers?
All those toxins are going to leave a legacy similar to the risks faced by WTC emergency responders…
You’re right about health care. And those unemployed workers aren’t likely to be able to pay their health insurance premiums, making matters worse.
So if BP added to their signup paperwork “free healthcare”, they would reduce “frivolous lawsuits” while insuring everyone who helps.
How long should the insurance last? And what about local residents who don’t sign up?
I doubt that the eleven families who lost workers and the businesses and workers on the coast who aren’t being paid would consider their claims to be “frivolous lawsuits.” I certainly wouldn’t. It’s been my experience that most people who talk of frivolous lawsuits have been fortunate enough to avoid catastrophic injury caused by the negligence or wrongdoing of another. I’m much more worried about families being housed and fed after being put out of work–through no fault of their own–than I am about figuring out a ploy to let BP avoid what some may consider “frivolous lawsuits.”
The CEO of BP used the term, regarding the spill, hence the quotes.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/may/28/bp-gulf-oil-spill-pollution
Gulf oil spill is public health risk, environmental scientists warn
Environmentalists and fishing groups in Louisiana say prolonged exposure
to the oil, in the form of tiny airborne particles as well as
dispersants, could be wreaking devastating damage on public health.
…
Wilma Subra, a chemist who has served as a consultant to the
Environmental Protection Agency, said there was growing anecdotal
evidence that locals were falling ill after exposure to tiny airborne
particles of crude. Air quality data released earlier by the EPA
suggested the presence of chemicals that – while still within legal
limits – could be dangerous. But Subra complained that the EPA was not
releasing all data it had gathered from BP.
…
Clint Guidry, of the Louisiana Shrimp Association, has accused BP of
threatening to sack workers who turn up wearing respirators.
I’m a chemist, retired emeritus prof. A potentially simple solution for the oil spill is LN2 pumped into the flow near the holes. The evaporation of the LN2 would cause the oil to nearly solidify, or at least become quite thicksotropic (think catsup), thus slowing the flow enough to get a handle on a permanent cap. It would take tons of LN2. Placing apparatus to produce LN2 on ships at the site is a simple continuous supply solution.
Secondly, the Liq O2 can be used in clean up by bubbling it through the plumes of oil, saturating the light fraction (supplying aquatic life simultaneously). Escape of the gaseous O2 produces a volatile mixture which can be ignited (Heck of boom!) . This produce heat to steam distill more light fraction into the ignition zone for disposal. The heavy fractions don’t flow very well, and can be scoped up more easily, due to increased viscosity. May not a complete ssolution, but maybe one to buy some time.
Thank you! Dilution is not the pollution solution. I hate the idea of dispersents. I don’t know much about LN2 but I like the concept.
I am not a scientist or an enginere, I am actually a dissable plumber, I watch the leak in the Gulf floor and I wonder why we could not get some kind of a semi ridged tube with an inflatable bag with some kind of abrasive surface inserted into a smaller leaking hole in the pipe, sent in a short distance and then inflated to stop the flow,It seems it would be the same idea as the mud only we would have more control over it and it would give a clean oppertunity to cut the pipe above the seal and place a valve. Thanks Richard Cypher
I think this is a great idea Michael. I think BP realy owes alot to the American people affected but their catastrophy. By the way****Here’s my idea as a solution to the leak, Cut of the ruptured pipe, lower a cone coated with gasket rubber on to the top of the metal opening where the oil is spewing out. The cone could be attatched to an apperatus that could be attatched to the well head. Think of the way a c clamp turns closed. The cone would be attatched to the end of the “thread bolt part of the C clamp”. A motor would screw the cone down on to the opening.
i have work on tapping into high pressure steam and water i can help b p to cap your problem in the goulf it can be stoped from inside or outside may i help
Would it be possible. to place a large lead disk, 50 ft in diameter or more and a foot or more thick, on the top of the hole. I know this is a simplistic approach, but difficult problems don’t always require a difficult solution. Make it similar to a top for a jar so that it encompasses the area.
A common method to stop flooding in tunneling is to freeze the soil around the problem area. I suggest that liquid nitrogen be injected around the well, to make a temporary ice / oil sludge plug. One could try a direct injection of liquid nitrogen into the well with a steel probe 10m long or if this fails I would drill 16 small holes about 10m deep around the well, provide liquid nitrogen tanks to supply sufficient freeze capacity for a 72 hour freeze. Once the flow is stopped concrete can be placed over the well.
I contacted BP weeks ago about a L.nitrogen concept (I’m sure I wasn’t the only one), as well as using LHydrogen and a new ductile type push plug. I own a mechanical contracting business in South Louisiana and I’ve used, many times, LCO2 and LNitrogen jackets on piping over 12″ to create long ice plugs that will hold up to 20,000 psi of oil or water, and the ice plug will stay iced for as long as you pump in the liquid. It’s not new technology.
International Flow Technologies is one of the companies that can do this. See their web site: http://www.pipefreeze.com/contact.php BP could not tell me why they were not able to do this. I’ve contacted them many times, left phone and email messages for engineers to return my calls + used their submission form three times on this and two other novel caps. No one responds, except low level personnel. Are they really processing these ideas???? I doubt it.
Sounds like NIH, not invented here! Their Pride will be their downfall. Revelations 11:18 talks about those who ruin the earth. Check it out.
pull all drilling permits for bp until this is taken care of, see how quickly this problem is solved. i hate the people that run this country. this slow response is all about money, and its bullshit!!!!!
Use a dome that has several flanges about twice the size of the pipe diameter that is spewing the oil. To each flange attach a y fitting flanged all three sides with the single flange attached to the flange on the dome, the other sides of the y flange should have a valve on each outlet – one open and one closed — use the closed valve flange to attach a pipe that will take it up to the surface where the oil can be harvested. Once this is in place open the valve feeding the pipe and close the other valve — use this same process for all openings on the dome so there is some redundancy – this suggestion is not meant to plug the leaking oil – only to direct it harmlessly to the surface where it can be dealt with safely
install a large air bag inside the oil leak and have the bag deployed making sure the bag is larger than the hole. the bag should rise to the top of the leak stopping the oil leak.
my friend has an idea to stop the oil leak, send down an electro-magnetic plate like in the metal wrecking yard, and introduce filing and pieces of metal, I say round ball bearings to stop the flow, the metal ball bearings will stick to the side of the pipe and then introduce metal filings? to seal the final layer. Cut repair the pipe, then they can continue to suck their damn oil out???? everyone WINS
Dear Sir,
Would it be possible to use the GLOMAR EXPLORER (ie; Howard Hughes or Hughes Tool Co), to position itself over the leak. If hard hat diving can be done at 500′ below the sea, and/or manned or ROV’s maybe like the MIR could handle what BP’s remote robots cannot. Also obtain the services of probably the greatest deep sea expert, Dr. Robert Ballard at Woods Hole to take charge of the cutting and capping of the pipe. Any man who recovered the Titantic plus other top secret deep sea projects for the US Gov. could , in my opinion, solve this problem. I am not saying that the US or BP could not do the job, but they just do not have the experience as Dr. Ballard, nor access to the equiptment to successfully bring this to an end. I truly believe if in conjunction with the fabulous GLOMAR EXPRESS that this would solve the problem. Please give this some thought. With Regards “e pluribus unum”. Tommy H.
Although they (BP)have tried to cover the leak . I wonder if a different approach to that could work.
First figuring ;(as an example)Figure out the amount of pressure coming out of the hole , then how flat the ocean bottom is: Then using a LARGE rectangle piece of steel (again as an example ) say 10 to 15 inches thick (tall)say 30 feet wide x 20 feet wide . Then make a lip around it to dig into the sand so many inches to protect most Leak from the sides. It could have a built in valve on the top to turn off or on at the proper time.Please pass this suggestion on to the proper people with knowledge to modify and try.
Although I am not an engineer, I would like to inquire if this idea was ever considered as a solution to capping the deepwater oil well: Drill a parallel well and use the equivalent of a circular saw to cut through the existing pipe below the bedrock. The saw could then be weighted down/sealed through the broken wellhead. The water pressure at that depth might make a good seal possible. Cutting through the intact pipe from the side would also minimize the surface area that needs to be capped. I believe, at this point, any tactic to cap this wellhead should be considered.
Thank you,
Gina Richardson
Mr. Michael J. Evans
My son was shot in the back by a mugger yesterday morning in New Orleans. He is in the hospital in stable condition after an exploratory lap to make sure he didn’t have any bullets lodged anywhere.
Brandon had been on the job for 2 days as a safety manager for clean-up workers sent to the Chandeleur Island area. He had been out of work and chose not to accept welfare, but work for an honest wage to support his wife, twin 3-yr old daughters and 8 month old baby boy. He was required to pay for his own hazwoper training and purchase his own required safety clothing: steel toed shoes, hard hat, etc. He was told he would not receive a wage or perdiem for food, lodging, etc. for 3 weeks, so would have to front the cost to accept the job. He had no money and borrowed from friends and family so he could accept the job. Now he’ll be out of a job recovering from surgery for 6-8 weeks (with no insurance to pay the bill), because some low-life scumball would rather steal and kill than do what God put us all on this earth to do. And then there is the fact that there are contractors who are raping and stealing from the very people that are willing to risk lives to clean up this horrific mess.
I’m not sure what BP is going to pay for the oil spill clean-up, but Brandon was willing to risk his life to feed his family for $18.00 an hour, and no insurance. Go figure this out and I’ll be waiting for your suggestions…
Kathleen Kirby
Hamilton, Illinois
Ms. Kirby,
I am so very sorry that your son was shot. Our prayers are with him and his family. I do not believe that BP can be trusted to deal fairly with our citizens on the Gulf Coast or the workers they bring in to clean up the mess. That is one reason I have posted an article on this site calling for President Obama to get the government to take over the oil spill clean up efforts. The government could treat the employees fairly and provide housing for them in now-vacant hotels. BP’s only interest is keeping their losses as low as possible. Our government should be interested in cleaning up the coast and preventing loss of fish and wildlife, as well as the well-being of our citizens. Once again, my heart goes out to your son and all who love him. It’s tragic that he was shot while trying to clean up our coast and provide for his family.
Consult and /or hire the Russian scientists who nuked their broken
wells to stop our leak in the same method….that worked four times!
Stop wasting time and give the bill to BP!
If bp had wanted to stop the oil spill they could have the first day. THey do not want to cause they would not be able to continue to drill. They are drilling at 27 sites right now in the gulf.They are greedy people and want to be able to cont. drilling for this so called relief well. Obama should have taken this over from day one. NO he did not because he is to busy having his picture made with basketball teams or having a cold one. The clean up should have started day one and instead he socall let bp do it cause they know it better. GO FIGURE that and the goverment would be having to pay. Duh he is the president so maybe he should try and act like it. He could have taken over and made bp, scientists, enviromental,etc in one room day one and started clean up with about 1000 barges ,ships out there cleaning the water with the vacume method not disperants. I hope everyone saw the fish gassing for air in that water in louisianna and suffacating. The water should have been cleaned with vacum this whole time. Way before the oil got into that marsh and killed precious animals. I really believe someone needs to take over and do this work now and shut down bp. Clean up this mess BEFORE it gets to anymore areas. Bp eeds to be arrested and put there greedy buts in jail for a long time and have to watch that video over again and again of the fish jumping out of water to get some form of air. This is uncalled for. It should have never happened but because of greedy oil people who already rip us off it did. I can see something really bad happening because of this. Esp if it gets in to anymore shores and beach ares. WHY DON”T YOU CLEAN THE WATER BEFORE IT GETS IN TO THESE AREAS> THINK, REALLY THINK, WAKE UP . I hope Obama and everyone involved in this need to quit playing basketball and fooling around and see this as TOP PRIORITY FIRST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
please have the oil company pull all gearoff of the well pull all the pipe and the well should cave in on it self. then if still leaking ,approach with oil field tools to force into the well.thank you for listening.
Just saying that this well should be capped pretty easy i would think , But not experienced in this type of stuff . It just seems that you could take something and slid it over the gusher thats open on the other end thats has some type of closing device , once in place and secured slid or just simply close off !
Please someone get back with me on this idea !
I want to see transparancy. I want to see, know, hear everything you are doing or attempting to do. Otherwise it looks like you are not doing a darn thing. I voted for you. I believed in you and you are letting me down. Let everyone jump in and help. Let’s get it going.
This already exists commercially.
Expanding Water-proof foam sealent that basically explodes once it is shot out of hose and it expands itself 100 times! It may take 50-100 feet of properly placed sealent (yes they have underwater type in existance) before any results but rough calculations put the foam can be delivered hundreds of feet into the pipe. This will give them time to actually thread & cap the iron properly without fighting the BP….Blow Pole (blow hole). This is serious as they have used this foam in the Arctic & Alaska!
Earl, combine our two theories & you may have a winner! Fill the bag with foam expanding sealent once the rigid delivery hose gets to the bottom.
A friend of mine has a business importing coco coir for mulch and industrial uses – coco coir is a natural biodegradable, non-polluting substance and comes from the husk of the coconut. He says that it is also a natural way to clean up terrestrial oil spills and that it absorbs more than typical soakers. He is trying to come up with some test “booms” as he calls them, to see how it might work best on water. I have suggested that he get in touch with BP to discuss it with them and he is reluctant to do so until he knows if it will work. But I think if the government and the oil company knew the things he knows about it – he believes that they might also be able to recapture the oil after it is absorbed, or at least burn it and capture the energy, that they would be interested. Perhaps you have some contacts that might be open to new suggestions? If so, please post them online (or email me directly) and I will suggest he contacts them.
FREEZE – Compress liquid nitrogen and inject through a pipe inserted deep into the broken pipe. As the compressed liquid nitrogen is released under pressure it should refrigerate the oil to a solid state.
Sure, Obama is going to hold those responsible for the oil spill accountable. BP, Haliburton and other companies will be given stiff fines to pacify the public and those companies will increase the price of fuel to offset the fines, but NO INDIVIDUAL will be held accountable. Investors may lose some money, but not those who make the decisions. CEO’s are paid hundreds of millions a year and they emphasize that they earn it because of the tremendous responsibilities they have. OK – since they make so much for being responsible, hold them INDIVIDUALLY responsible for the tremendous damage they have done to Planet Earth and the destruction they have caused to wildlife and our total environment. Take their MILLIONS of $$$$$ to help repair their damage, don’t make the working American pay while they are off cruising on their multimillion dollar yachts(bought as business TAX Writeoffs). Companies don’t make mistakes, People do!!!
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I used to be in the oil field business in acidizing and fracturing I wonder why BP or Haliburton can’t pump a blocking agent like rock salt and ball sealers down the well to create a bridge down hole to stop or slow the flow enough to pump cement and plug the well. ground telephone poles were once used to plug the formation in a well when circulation was lost while drilling . It might help in sealing the well bore as the wood would swell down hole and help plug any holes in the casing that might be leaking. just some simple ideas that might possibly help
Yes i think the well could have been capped in the first week here’s how i would’ve approached this problem.First thread the top of the existing pipe one with the oil coming out and thread a coupler the same size as the pipe or weld the coupler on the other end, the coupler must be bigger to fit a bigger pipe so the pressure of oil is not so bad that they can’t weld or thread the coupler then put a bigger pipe on with valves already installed but let them open untill the coupler and pipe are threaded or welded then shut the valves or put a y on the existing pipe and put 2 pipes on with 2 valves then repeat this untill they can shut the oil off this would work but now i hear they cut the pipe off i really hope they did’nt destroy there chance of shutting this off this suggestion i really think would work just keep ying off with valves it would have to stop it after so many the hardest step would be to get the first pipe or y on then its all down hill.Or put hose couplers on the pipe and run it to tankers on the surface.This is my opionion and i really think it would solve this major problem…
First of all to give some background of my position on these forums, I have not experienced first hand the effects of this disaster. I don’t have any friends or family living in the affected areas to make this a personal cause. I am concerned over the environmental impact, as well as the commercial impact of the oil spill, but I admit a sense of detachment from the situation, since I am not, and have not been to the affected areas since. I’m not affiliated with any party related, I just want the discussion to be somewhat balanced.
That said, I have to disagree with one contention that’s made in your article, and it’s that British Petroleum is not putting their best effort into resolving this situation. Even if their primary focus is in preserving shareholder value and not in preserving the environment, I think it’s unreasonable to assume that this is not priority one on their list. Every second that this disaster is not resolved, they lose significant amounts of money, and as well as something much more important and valuable which is their reputation/image.
I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that they’ve handled the corporate responsibility portion of this catastrophy admirably from the start. Transocean was running the rig, Halliburton was the contractor, and Cameron International designed the blowout preventor that failed… they had their share of scapegoats, and they stepped up and took the blame because they owned the well. That said, the most constructive thing to do right now is to talk about solutions since, regardless of who’s fault it was, the disaster happened.
As for the cleanup and repair efforts, you have to remember that this has never happened before at this depth. If the government has the expertise and capacity to deal with this, I absolutely agree with you in having them take over and having BP foot the bill. BP’s probably more than happy to let it happen if the government’s capable because this spill is killing them every second it continues. The problem is, the government spokesperson has already stated that the government would have to rely on the private sector regardless. On top of that, the relief wells that are being constructed right now are scheduled for completion by August, so unless we have organizations ready to design, finance, and implement an alternate solution at an unprecedented depth within a month or two, this isn’t a viable solution. I don’t think anyone else is organized enough at the moment to do that.
I’m all in support of all the people here making constructive ideas; submit those to the government and to BP. If the government has the capacity to take over and get the job done I’m sure they will. Until then, I say provide BP with your support and your ideas because, as controversial as it is, they’re the ones who are handling this.
I make a distinction between the government taking over the cleanup and the government taking over the job of plugging the leak. I believe the government when it says it does not have the technology to plug the leak, and I don’t advocate the government taking over that job. What I believe the government should take over is the containment and clean up of oil that has leaked. As someone who has watched far too many hours of oil spill coverage on CNN, I can say that you don’t see much on-the-ground effort from BP unless President Obama is on the beach. Last Thursday, the day before President Obama visited, Anderson Cooper spent a day traveling around the oily beach and oil-soaked marshes, and they only saw one person who may have been affiliated with BP, and that was an aircraft that appeared to be tracking and photographing them. The next day, there were 300 people on the ground at Grande Isle while President Obama was there, but they left shortly after President Obama left. BP claimed that the worker were sent home because it was the “heat of the day.” Puhleeze! I would wager that you could interview all of BP’s employees and, if they answered truthfully, you wouldn’t find any of them sent home because it was the “heat of the day.” That’s not how you get oil out of the ground. In fact, BP operates wells 24 hours a day, including the “heat of the day.” I tend to agree with your premise that BP wants to stop the leak as quickly as possible. I don’t believe that BP wants to save the ecosystem and preserve the Gulf Coast residents’ health and finances as badly as the U.S. does. They are putting men in corrugated steel “flotels” for pete’s sake. If it were my call, I would say that whoever is in charge should rent hotel rooms that are vacant due to the oil spill, and fill them with unemployed workers. You see, BP wants to house the men as cheaply as possible. The U.S. has broader interests which would justify paying slightly more to house the employees in vacant hotel rooms so that the hotels won’t go bankrupt, and so the hotels can circulate the money through the local economy.
Michael,
I believe that the federal government should provide some oversight of the oil spill clean up with state and local governments having most of the power to make sure that the BP is getting the job done. With the exception of the military most federal government involvement causes inefficiency and ineffectiveness. I experience this first hand everyday at my present job. Politics is the number one priority. You have mentioned the “flotels” that men are stay in and I can tell you that I know a few people who are staying in them. They live there because they are working on the boats and it is more effective to have them on “flotels” because they are working 10 to 12 hour shifts rather than taking back to shore. The guys have no problem staying on them. I agree that if someone is working on the shore they should utilize hotels and when my friends have been ashore that has been the case.
Based on what I learned as a civil engineering student in Portugal, I have a very solid idea in how to stop the oil and prepare for future ones.
Have tried to get through. Nobody cares
DEAR FOX NEWS
How could you talk about BP like that if you were trapped in the oil spill that BP did not cause and a BP trasport boat were to see u they would save you not leave you the only reason you say its BP that caused the spill is cause u cant afford to pick on someone else thats just sad.Im going start telling people not to watch your show cause your going against my father.
To whom should we send our ideas. Nothing happens at the WH if you send them there, and BP has no well publicised locations for receiving them either.
KRF
BP has a telephone number to call in your ideas. That number is (281)-366-5511. If you would like, you can post your idea here and then tell BP that your idea is posted here and give them your username so they can come here and read it instead of having to write it down while you’re on the phone.
Put a upside down funnel over the pipe and funnel it up tithe surface and cap it .
Dear Mr. Evans,
This is the most level headed published statement I have seen yet. I wrote something similar on May 26th (A.C. 360), regarding using the same program as the WPA and the CCC to clean up this spill. The housing, just as you mentioned could be the vacant hotel rooms. In addition, any health related issues would be covered by the Federal Government WHEN, not if, they arise.
A month ago, when I heard reference to BP employing workers to clean up the spill, I had a hunch I would see temp services getting involved. Not that the temporary workers don’t need jobs, but this environment is RIPE for abuse by the employer. I did a search on an employment website and ten popped up. Again that was a month ago and it was not in Louisiana, but Mississippi, Alabama and Florida. Well before any news of oil reaching the beaches was received. I feel these temporary services are exploiting a catastrophe. Then I read of requiring workers to pay in advance for hazmat training that should be free. Sure enough, I find websites asking for money for training up front.
You know Mr. Evans, I am not a rocket scientist and it sure doesn’t take one to see what is going on here. Do a few simple searches, read some newspapers, use some common sense. I am insulted to no end at how BP, Big Oil, and even some members of our Government think we are. Seriously, this is a highly educated nation, with or without degrees. The days of thinking we all follow blindly are gone. This is the ‘information age’ for gosh sakes. If we don’t know about something, we sure as heck will find out.
Thanks again Mr. Evans!
Thanks for your comment. We see eye-to-eye on this one. Please join the new Facebook group I started last night, entitled “Dear Pres. Obama: Please take over the Gulf oil cleanup & send BP the bill.” And invite your friends to join. I would love to see how many Americans agree with us.
Best regards,
Mike
Ms. Kirby,
I am so sorry about your son. My prayers go out to you. You might have already investigated this, but I understand that a couple of the Parish Presidents in Louisiana that are investigating the fraud involved in Contractors and/or Temp Services requiring money up front from oil spill workers. Stay strong!
It seems that the people currently working on the well are trying to insert a
plug of some sort INTO the pipe. This, as you know will never work because the pipe is under pressure.
My suggestion: I know that there is a 21 inch main down there. What I propose to do, would be to instead take a 36 inch pipe and overlap the existing pipe thus reducing the working pressure at the site. NOW, before sending the 36 in pipe down, a series of “inner tube” shaped inflatable rings would be inserted into the larger pipe and collapsed to the wall. Once the larger pipe is OVER the smaller pipe, the “inner tubes”can be inflated to seal and grip the inner pipe. Being round in shape should provide adequate support around the pipe being that the pressure is equal in 1 of the 2 planes. NOW, bear in mind that the “inner tubes” should be made of something on the order of kevlar and should have a gritty texture to “grab” the inside and outside of the respective pipes. By laying several “inner tubes” for the seal, that should ensure a good seal and little or no travel.Once the outermost tubes are filled, the remaining tubes in the center can be filled with expanding resin to make the seal permenant. Depending on the angle of the existing pipe and the distance sleeved, the weight of the pipe itself should keep it down.(tis’ a shame the flange has been cut off…it would have held the donut shaped inner tube much more easily)
Submitted by: Joseph from Ventura, Ca.
Make a market for recovered oil and price it high, maybe around $125 a barrel and watch as scavengers rush in to suck it out of the water. BP could even make the market itself and position small tankers close enough for smaller boats to offload. Some of the fishing boats are already skimming, but I do not know what they are doing with the recovered oil.
That’s an interesting idea. Corexit dispersant has made it more difficult by breaking up the oil, but it would be interesting to see how well this would work.
I like the comment posted by Stephanie Sneed On May 30, 2010 at 8:02 pm. In a nutshell Stephanie stated that a simple solution is needed. At the depth that the “fix” must take place, a simple solution will for obvious reasons have a greater chance of being more successful. If I were to use lead to block or slow down the flow of oil. I’d drop a large, loose fitting, lead slug into the hole. The end of this slug would have extrusions on it similar to those that hold a bullet into its casing. These extrusions would gently compress against the sides of the well and seat/seal themselves within the well. For obvious reason this approach would not seal the well 100 percent…but one might imagine that it would certainly have the potential to restrict the flow.
I posted an idea to YouTube that is much different than a “lead approach.” Brief Description: Place what resembles “a large hollowed out car piston” into the very top of the well. Have a couple of temporary servo motors turn screws that push wedges forwards and cause the rings to expand. Now you have a part that will both seal and firmly seat itself into the well. One could then attach firmly attach additional hardware to this fitting. This idea posted on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdjMVqDRyA8
Link correction. Previous link posted was incorrect/broken.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdJMVqDRyA8
Here is the problem – BP is incompetent, but the U.S. under Obama is even more incompetent. There are a lot of experts who could help and really reduce the problem, but they are are in private industry. Obama only believes in Academics, government employees and union leaders (not members – just leaders). Its is his basic belief and as long as he is in charge, the U.S. will do worse that BP. Think about this – we need an group who are expects in emergency management, under war like conditions, who really know the oil industry and can call in any expert and is big enough to handle it. That is an exact description of Haliburton. I am sure there are others – but would Obama ever in a million years ask them? No. Mayor LaGuardia once said that there is no Republican or Democratic way to clean the streets. I did not like him, but if Bill Clinton were the president, he would call on anyone regardless of industry, county, etc to help in this crisis. If Haliburton was the best for the job – he would ask them or whoever else. So asking for the U.S. to take over is a bad solution as long as the man in charge and everyone he has appointed has no (that is zero – nada) experience. Those who can do – those who cannot do teach or become members of Obama’s staff. But when something needs to be actually done – they have no idea.
suggestion methods and tools kit that used to clean-up oil spills on the surface of water and land.
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