Angler's Smilin' At YOU: Gulf spill: Many Americans currently don't really mind

Sunday, May 9, 2010

Gulf spill: Many Americans currently don't really mind

Commentary: Of course there are some who do.....especially those on the shores of the Gulf of Mexico states soon to be dealing with the massive - and still unabated - Deepwater Horizon drilling well blowout. (And likely for years to come....No one seems to precisely know (or will say yet), but the type of oil from this disaster may not be "lighter" (i.e., easier to disburse, biodegrade, etc.); as is hinted via articles linked here and here.)

5/15/10 update: NYT (article link): Gulf oil gusher appears worse than estimated; much larger

Update: Link from MSNBC to an interactive, animated spill trajectory map covering a number of days: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/37133684/ns/gulf_oil_spill/ns/gulf_oil_spill/

(Earlier posted info.:) Results from an 'Economist/YouGov' poll reported on 4/30/10:

" Thousands of barrels of oil have spilled into the sea as a result of the devastating explosion on an exploratory rig in the Gulf of Mexico last week. But who cares about that? In this week's poll, 63% favoured increased offshore drilling for oil and natural gas. In a poll conducted two weeks before the explosion, 63% favoured increased offshore drilling for oil and natural gas. Perhaps that will change if/when the oil starts washing up on shore, leading to photos like this. The White House, which has pushed for more drilling, seems prepared for a change in mood.

Drill, baby, drill: 66% of Republicans "strongly support" offshore drilling, compared with 21% of Democrats (still, more Democrats favour drilling than oppose it)."

Those poll results currently mirror a few others that I've seen. (The 'natural gas' portion of drilling questions (above) may have affected results, however.) And although this recent article (link follows) accentuates percentages who (say they) are concerned about the spill/environment in general, what is striking is that they seem to be in the minorities of all respondents. 5/6/10 article link: http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/may2010/2010-05-06-091.html

Update: This newer poll still shows that a majority supports offshore drilling (link). Read on as to a big (ass) reason why....

As long as (numerous) Americans can drive their silly SUVs/pickup trucks solo and often empty of significant cargo -- as much as they damn please, who cares about: some turtles, shrimp, fish, dolphins, whales, birds, beaches, entire eco-systems -- now and for your children's future, etc., etc. "Grandpa gets to drive his SUV around....that's all that matters." What a responsible, caring legacy to leave....

For a few reasons, offshore oil drilling in United States ocean waters will NOT substantially reduce dependence upon foreign sources of oil (link to Scientific American 2008 article). Retail gasoline prices will not go down. Conservation, combined with newer, cleaner technologies WILL reduce demand. The U.S. public must get behind a paradigm change.
Perhaps there may be some hope of this...(link to one recent opinion article): http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/editorial/outlook/6996414.html

Update (link): "How can a device that has 260 failure modes be considered fail-safe?"

At this moment, this link describes a likely cause of the exploration rig explosion. Many of us (i.e., consumers) have a small and distant connection to this latest oil-related catastrophe. How many ecological disasters will it take? The time to begin significantly reducing that connection is now. Offshore oil exploration and production is not "safe".