The Costs of Drilling

"Drill, Baby, Drill!" This has been the cry of those who profess to be concerned about the price of oil but who usually happen to reside in petroleum laden areas. Discounting any concerns of safety and disregarding the increased costs of off-shore drilling, there have been fervent efforts to open new areas for oceanic exploration. What could go wrong?

What has gone wrong is the well operated by BP that sank on Earth Day. Estimated to be pouring 5000 barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico each day, the spill has been reported to be at least 600 miles in circumference, or around the size of the state of Ohio. Fishermen in the area are concerned that oil is going to completely wipe out the commercial shrimp harvest. Wildlife officials have noted that is is mating season for many animals in the wetlands and that if the slick comes inland it could prove devastating.

The slick, now about 100 miles wide, made landfall Thursday night in the Mississippi delta region. Homeland Security Secretary Napolitano has designated the disaster a "spill of national significance," and stated that the military may need to be used to help contain the problem.

Wednesday, BP did a "controlled burn" of some of the oil that they had corralled using booms. So far, around 175,000 feet (30-35 miles) of booms have been deployed and the problem continues to grow. Numerous efforts to engage the shut off valves have proven unsuccessful. Some methods to stop the leak are estimated to take months to complete.

Eleven workers were killed in the initial explosion that eventually toppled the oil platform. Add to their deaths the recent deaths of coal miners in West Virginia and Kentucky and the true costs of these sources of fuel become staggering.

That allegedly cheap oil is costing lives and wrecking havoc on the environment. Enjoy your shrimp substitute.