A good friend and former senior government official sent me this inquiry today. I’m just not an environment/oil industry expert, but the way this person frames the question certainly puts me on edge:
Steve,
Are you following the oil spill?
I have had several scientists and engineers — not the alarmist types — e-mail me in the last 48 hours that this is a catastrophe of unimaginable proportions. One engineer suggested the USG use a small yield nuclear device to try to seal the leak.
Another said that every ocean on earth is threatened — and not in a long time but a relatively short time. He also suggested there was no way to seal the leak due to the depth, high pressure with which the oil is being released — compared it to Krakatoa — and the fact that the heavy rig sunk and now lies on the site of the leak.
I have no way of evaluating the leak but find these scientists’ and engineers’ fears of deep concern — particularly when I know somewhat the track record of the WH, BP, Haliburton, et al with regard to these sorts of crises.
Are you hearing anything remotely like what I’m hearing?
It would be useful for knowledgeable commentators to share what they know or think in Comments.
— Steve Clemons
51 comments on “The Gulf Oil Spill Disaster: On the Scale of Krakatoa?”