BP pursues Beaufort Sea drilling that critics call risky

[Ed Barrow]

Source: Anchorage Daily News

BP's Liberty project in Alaska's North Slope oil fields is exempt from the Obama administration's suspension of Arctic offshore drilling, even though it's about 3 miles off the Beaufort Sea coastline. That's because the drilling rig will sit on an artificial island linked to the mainland by a causeway. The New York Times, quoting unnamed federal scientists, says BP essentially wrote its own environmental assessment for the project, taking advantage of lax oversight by the U.S. Minerals Management Service.

"The whole process for approving Liberty was bizarre," one of the federal scientists said.

The scientists and other critics say they are worried about a replay of the disaster in the Gulf of Mexico because the Liberty project involves a method of drilling called extended reach that experts say is more prone to the types of gas kicks that triggered the explosion on the Deepwater Horizon.

BP and other oil companies build Arctic islands in shallow water in part to prevent ice floes from damaging rigs, and in part to contain crude in the event of a spill. But critics say the islands, and their incorporated berms, could quickly be overwhelmed by a well blowout, spilling oil onto the ice or into the sea.


Read more: http://www.adn.com/2010/06/24/1338994/bp-pursues-beaufort-sea-drilling.html

[Angry Dragon]

1. I do not understand why people are worried about this

bp says they have everything under control and they would never lie to us.

bp and the republicans have your best interests at heart
Trust us they say....... nothing to worry about.

[LawnKorn]

5. But BP has the most experience in underwater oil leaks of any of the oil producing companies

If a leak occurs, they have a tremendous amount of recent experience in oil leaks.

They could get any foreseeable leak stopped in no time

Just like the one in the Gulf of ... oh wait ...

[indepat]

2. If only the president had the authority to quash drilling at this rig based on the forgoing

et al. :P

Edited to add to

[dipsydoodle]

3. And Al ?

Alabama ?

[mbperrin]

4. Oh, who are these pesky "critics" who know nothing about the oil

drilling business??!! I mean, like what the hell could possibly go wrong that a giant like BP couldn't handle, eh?

Eh?



Eh?



















Eh?

[LawnKorn]

6. Drill Baby Drill, Spill Baby Spill, Kill Baby Kill

That's our BP, bringing crude to shores of America!

[Psephos]

7. It takes a spillage...

...to raise a responsible oil industry.

That, plus a good measure of ass kickage.