When will the leaking gusher of oil in the gulf be "under control"?

[bighart]

Poll question: When will the leaking gusher of oil in the gulf be "under control"?

How long do you think this nightmare is going to continue uncontrolled? It's been a MONTH since the rig caught fire and we are no closer to containing this then they were to containing the fire.

[jtrockville]

1. 2 years (until the well is dry)

[DURHAM D]

2. Why do you think the well will be dry in 2 years?

Since they don't know how big the field is how could anyone make an estimate.

Two centuries is just as good a guess.

[jtrockville]

3. I thought I read "2 years" somewhere, but don't have a link.

I suppose two centuries is just a good a guess.

My revised response is: whenever the well runs dry.

[revolution breeze]

4. Never!

The oil may quit spewing from the ocean floor, but it will never ever be the same along our coastline. My heart is broken, I am furious!

[ixion]

5. Other: When the pressure equalizes

[bighart]

6. I take it you have little hope that any of the "fixes" will be successful.

I am furious at this whole mess, the response to it and the cavalier attitude of the oil industry.

[ixion]

15. Nope, I don't think so

We humans like to think we're in control of our environment, but we're not.

And I agree with you completely.

[SidDithers]

7. Work on the first relief well began May 2...

work on the second began May 16. Each is expected to take approx 3 months to complete.

So "we're" 18 days worth of relief well drilling closer to containing this than "we" were when the rig blew.

Sid

[bighart]

14. Why the sarcasm?

This issue is, or should be, a concern to every one of us. This will have a long lasting negative impact on the ecology and economy of the gulf coast. Look at the impact of the Exxon spill on the impacted areas in Alaska. Now multiply that impact across several states. Very bad news.

[SidDithers]

17. Apologies...

I didn't intend to be sarcastic. However I don't feel right using "we" because I've personally got nothing to do with this spill clean-up.

Sid

[BeFree]

21. You use oil?

Oil users will be paying for the cleanup. The costs will be placed on every barrel henceforth produced. They already do an 8 cent fee. That will probably have to go to $2... maybe more.

BP will go bankrupt over this. It is the only way out for BP. Everyone else will end up paying for this fix. It is socialism at its worst: fixing a private failure.

[BeFree]

8. By this weekend

I think they are just waiting until the shit hits the fan and they'll close it off. I think the shit is beginning to hit the fan. Even DUers are finally nearly unanimous in being pissed off. Sure, there are a few stragglers here still, being nice to BP, but they are less and less.

[Cetacea]

13. I 'm fairly sure that BP gave August 14th as an absolute date

"DUers are finally nearly unanimous in being pissed off.."
Good to see.

[damntexdem]

9. No suitable answer. It MIGHT stop when a relief well is drilled.

But the success of that endeavor is hardly assured.

[Junkdrawer]

10. When new wells into the same field are safely in production...n/t

[SammyWinstonJack]

23. ...

:thumbsup:

[WeDidIt]

11. Other

Approximately three to four more months. Even the relief well will not stop the gusher entirely and a new strategy will ahve to be taken.

This will become the worst oil spill disaster in human history, affecting the entire globe.

[katzenjammers]

16. Not sure how to respond to this 'sky is falling' post. Yes, it is a huge mess, and no

it is not anything like a global disaster. I know somebody will chime in here accusing me of being a BP apologist, I've been reading posts here long enough to realize that's inevitable, but the planet is in no danger from this little incident...not even if it keeps going on for a thousand years. It might impact a few oyster eaters and some wild critters but in the big scheme of things, it's a paltry gnat on the elephant's ass. That doesn't mean I APPROVE of it, but let's not go nuts over something that is virtually insignificant compared to the impact of Mt. St Helens, or Pinatubo.

[Sebastian Doyle]

12. Probably the same day that ski season begins

....in Hell :evilfrown:

[gleaner]

18. I picked "doesn't matter,"

because I think they have already damaged the Gulf of Mexico beyond repair. I am waiting to see what happens when it gets into the gulf stream. Also, I don't know how they would stop it. It is a mile down, gushing at great force, mingled with methane and emitting toxic fumes that are sickening people who inhale them and probably shortening their lives. Besides, Obama is just sitting on his hands doing nothing to stop it and issuing more permits without proper certification. And while he is doing that other leaks are developing along the pipeline which are small but will grow if the pressure continues. The question is more how can they stop it.

[Duer 157099]

19. This reminds me of "if a tree falls in a forest..."

I bet that by the time the oil stops flowing, there won't be anyone around to observe it happening, so will it ever really happen then?

[scheming daemons]

20. Nothing on this planet is ever completely "beyond repair"

The earth will heal itself. It always does. Might take decades, but it will heal.


Hiroshima is a thriving city.

Things are growing near Chernobyl again.

New Orleans is recovering.



It sometimes takes a long time.... but the earth will heal itself. We might not be here when it does, though.

[bighart]

22. Thanks for the feedback everyone.

This whole mess has just been rather disheartening for me to watch. It's hard for me to see such a ho-hum attitude on the part of the people who caused this mess and not be indignant about it. And the response thus far by the governmental agencies charged with overseeing the industry and protecting the environment have been akin to a kick in the stomach as well. Such a waste of the environment, even if it is short-term on a geological scale. If this were a "natural disaster" I would fell differently about the damage being done, but only marginally so. I get sad at the loss of natural beauty when a volcano, a hurricane or any other natural phenomenon causes destruction, it is just so much worse when "we" do it.

[Lorien]

24. Other

end of the year, end of next year,...impossible to say, but no time soon. The government isn't making it a priority and BP is too corrupt and/ or incompetent to deal with it.