Quoting that great contemporary American Philosopher, Larry the Cable Guy, "Git 'er done." Yes "git 'er done." That's all that matters right now as an oil platform explosion has opened up an oil well 5,000 feet beneath the Gulf of Mexico's surface approximately forty miles south by southwest of the tip of the Mississippi River.
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The platform is leased by BP/Amoco. The Federal government has its resources. Both must commit ALL IT TAKES to solve the problem NOW. Get it done. Do what has to happen. Sort out the blame and responsibility later.
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It seems like Louisiana Governor, Bobby Jindall, is the only person who is acting in a deliberate, forceful manner. It seems the Federal response was slow to get started. When the initial report of fire on the platform and loss of life was issued, it was time to mobilize to the highest order. It's easier to scale back if the response is excessive than to try to play catch up once things have gotten out of hand.
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The possible damage is huge. The gulf has a rich seafood industry where much of the marketable domestic shrimp and crab harvests come from. The tourist and water sports industries are threatened. The lower Mississippi Delta is a very complex and fragile ecosystem that could be damaged for decades. Given 795,000 liters of oil are spewing into the water each day as weather conditions change tremendous expanses of shore line and water could be in harm's way. Estimates speak of up to 5000 barrels of marketable oil being lost daily.We mustn't forget decades later, the Exxon-Valdez disaster still leaves behind lasting harm in Alaska.
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We've heard reports that some safety features were not installed on this rig. If so BP/Amoco has some serious explaining to do. So far, BP/Amoco's response has been less than "take charge" and seems to be looking for the proverbially loophole.
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What cannot be tolerated but is almost inevitable will be those who try to score politically from this. This is no time for talk of "BIG OIL" or sweeping statements of condemnation. What is in focus is this particular episode, its problems, and what caused it.
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Meanwhile, we expect all Federal departments to do their job to enforce environmental and safety regulations and investigate all aspects of this horror. They must do so professionally and responsibly.
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As the lessons of this disaster are learned, we must look at our energy needs of the future and be prepared to deal with them. We know from the last few weeks that fossil fuel, carbon based fuel sources, coal and oil, can have dangerous consequences. We need those products today, but what are we doing to be ready for tomorrow?
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