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BP Oil Spill/Offshore Drilling Answers

Before and during the BP oil spill, I answered questions about offshore drilling in general and then this oil spill in particular.  Hopefully this page will help you find the answers to your questions more quickly.

Below is a list of questions I have answered on this site and links to the appropriate post.  I hope this is helpful and I will update this page as I continue to add more answers.

Offshore Drilling Answers:

• Can offshore drilling lower our oil or gas prices?
• Do we have enough offshore oil to make a difference?
• Is offshore drilling safe? (I suppose this question has been answered.)
• Is more drilling a short-term energy solution? (i.e. “Drill now”)
• Is there a difference between American oil and Saudi oil?
• What’s wrong with an “All of the above” solution?
• Why did Obama agree to more offshore drilling?
• Do oil companies want lower prices?

Peak Oil:

• Why do we drill ultra-deepwater wells?
• What is Peak Oil?
• Are we running out of oil?
• Can America drill its way to energy independence?
• Isn’t there still a lot of oil underground?

Natural Oil Seeps vs. Oil Spills:

• What is an oil seep?
• Do they really release more oil than oil spills?
• Why isn’t the Gulf always an oil slick?
• Is natural oil less dangerous?
• Can animals adapt to oil?

Anatomy of an Oil Plume:

• What is an oil plume?
• Doesn’t oil always rise in water?
• Is there a lot of oil still underwater?  Will it surface eventually?
• Why is the surface spill smaller than most estimates say it should be?
• Are underwater oil plumes common?

Why Judge Feldman Was Wrong to Lift the Drilling Ban:

• Does Judge Feldman have ties to the oil industry?
• Why did he decide to lift the ban?  Does it make sense?

Why the Drilling Moratorium Makes Sense:

• Is a deepwater drilling moratorium appropriate?
• Does it punish oil industry workers?
• What will the economic impacts be?

The Case Against Sand Berms:

• What is a sand berm?
• What is Gov. Jindal’s proposal to protect Louisiana?  Will it work?
• Do sand berms cause environmental damage too?
• Is this like rebuilding the barrier islands?

Oil Dispersants:

• What do dispersants do?
• What is Corexit 9500?  How does it work?
• Are there alternatives?
• Do dispersants help protect the environment?
• Why is BP’s spill estimate so much lower than everyone else’s?

Send BP’s Spokespeople Home:

• Is BP telling the truth?
• Does their PR campaign conflict with their cleanup responsibilities?
• Should the administration take control of the information flow?

Administration Takeover of Spill Response:

• Is Obama going to push BP aside?
• Why hasn’t he done so already?
• What does that say about the spill?

2010 Oil Spill Answers (Pt. 1):

• What was the oil rig doing?
• What caused the explosion?
• How much oil is spilling?
• Where is the oil spilling from?
• Can we stop the spill?  How?
• Could the spill get any worse?

2010 Oil SPill Answers (Pt. 2):

• What does this mean for people who live along the Gulf?
• What does this mean for the wildlife in the Gulf?
• How does this compare to the Exxon Valdez spill?
• How is Halliburton involved? Who is to blame for this?

Why BP Deserves This:

• Why is this spill BP’s fault?
• What could have been done to prevent this?
• What is a Blowout Preventer?
• Do Blowout Preventers work?
• How could we make drilling safer?

Previous Blowout Oil Spills:

• Is this really a new, unprecedented type of oil spill?
• When and where have blowouts like this happened before?
• How were previous blowouts stopped?
• Did those areas recover?  What were some of the lasting effects?
• Is Halliburton really implicated in numerous disasters like this?

Newer Proposed Oil Spill Legislation (6/22):

• What bills have been proposed since the post below?

New Proposed Oil Spill Legislation:

• What bills have been proposed since the oil spill?
• What do they do?  Who introduced them?

BP’s Dome Failed:

• What is the worst oil spill in American history?
• Did BP’s containment dome work?  Why not?
• What are methane hydrates?  What role have they played here?
• What options does BP have left to stop this spill?
• How fast is the oil spilling?  How much has spilled?

Big Oil Testifies Before Congress on May 11, 2010:

• Highlights of what Big Oil execs said
• Highlights of what senators said

Exxon Valdez Spill Info:

• What caused the Exxon Valdez spill?
• What is a double-hulled tanker?
• Do any oil companies still use single-hulled tankers?  Why?
• How much money did the Valdez spill cost Exxon?
• Why were their fines reduced?
• Is the Prince William Sound oil-free today?
• Did the wildlife recover?
• Is offshore drilling a net economic benefit?

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