According to this there are 1600 skimmers in the US, 850 of them in the southeast, and we are using 433 in the Gulf. Apparently the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 says that different areas in the country have to have so many skimmers on hand in case of emergency, and sending more to the Gulf would drop other areas below their mandated levels. So they are just sitting there waiting for a spill in their own back yard. Hey how about we waive the mandates for now and send 'em all to the Gulf! Bureaucracy, blech.
On the Senate floor last week, Sen. George LeMieux, R-Fla., pointed to a Coast Guard map detailing more than 850 skimmers available in the southeastern United States -- and more than 1,600 available in the continental United States.
"We are literally talking about more than a thousand skimmers that are available, but we only have 400 - if this number is correct -- at work," LeMieux said. "It is hard to believe that the response is this anemic; it is hard to believe that there is this lack of urgency or sense of purpose in getting this done."
The Oil Pollution Act of 1990 requires regions to have minimum levels of equipment such as boom and skimmers, making it difficult for every oil-fighting resource to be directed to the Gulf of Mexico.
Allen acknowledged the hurdle last week, saying that there are "discussions we're having across the entire country where we have equipment that's out there as a requirement -- legal requirement to cover spill response of those areas -- and how we might free those up. That's a work in progress inside the administration right now."
hmmm, K1vsk... you know if they have studies done on dispersants products mixed with oil? just curious....
I can't recall any but doubt it as it would be meaningless as it applies to the Gulf spill (or any other spill) in that:
the ratio of oil:dispersant varies widely,
there are a myriad of crude oils from which to choose for testing,
aquatic species varies by region (which would someone select for testing in the abstract?),
concentration of dispersant varies with dispersion of the dispersant,
temperature varies with region, depth, etc all of which can affect toxicity,
oxygen content,
nutrient content, etc...
If I infer correctly, and you are questioning why the EPA tox testing was done absent oil, the number of variables are too numerous to replicate in the real world. These tests are done solely to form a comparison between dispersants; not to quantify tox of the mix in the Gulf which is a moving target.
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Telstar 28
New England
You know what the first rule of sailing is? ...Love. You can learn all the math in the 'verse, but you take
a boat to the sea you don't love, she'll shake you off just as sure as the turning of the worlds. Love keeps
her going when she oughta fall down, tells you she's hurting 'fore she keens. Makes her a home.
—Cpt. Mal Reynolds, Serenity (edited)
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Looks about as well organized as a typical Chinese Fire Drill.
Looks more like a Cluster F^&* to me. All this for a 8 or 12 inch hole in the earth. Amazing isn't it.
I find it astounding that the head guy for the gulf spill thinks the dispersents are no more toxic then dish soap. Maybe we should make him bath in it after work every night when he gets home.
Looks more like a Cluster F^&* to me. All this for a 8 or 12 inch hole in the earth. Amazing isn't it.
I find it astounding that the head guy for the gulf spill thinks the dispersents are no more toxic then dish soap. Maybe we should make him bath in it after work every night when he gets home.
Actually, making him drink it and breathe it would be far more appropriate, that is what the fish are doing with it.
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Telstar 28
New England
You know what the first rule of sailing is? ...Love. You can learn all the math in the 'verse, but you take
a boat to the sea you don't love, she'll shake you off just as sure as the turning of the worlds. Love keeps
her going when she oughta fall down, tells you she's hurting 'fore she keens. Makes her a home.
—Cpt. Mal Reynolds, Serenity (edited)
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Looks more like a Cluster F^&* to me. All this for a 8 or 12 inch hole in the earth. Amazing isn't it.
I find it astounding that the head guy for the gulf spill thinks the dispersents are no more toxic then dish soap. Maybe we should make him bath in it after work every night when he gets home.
Actually, that is precisely what dispersants are comprised of - surfactants just like Dawn dish detergent. Neither is good for you but logic and science are irrelevant in this debate.
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