You learn the darndest things on the internets: Drilling In A Mine Field

[kpete]

Drilling In A Mine Field

May 7th, 2010 at 1:29 pm by susie

You learn the darndest things on the internets. For example, I just found out that the Gulf of Mexico is the primary disposal site for unexploded military munitions http://www.charts.noaa.gov/OnLineViewer/411.shtml – over 30 million pounds of bombs, projectiles and chemical ordnance.

And because records are spotty and incomplete, we don’t know exactly where these dumps are.

(Are you following me?)

Many of these bombs are unstable. Just about anything could detonate them – say, an oil rig that’s digging deeper than what owners noted on their permit application. So we’re leasing offshore drilling rights to oil companies IN A FRICKIN’ MINE FIELD. (You’ll notice this NY Times piece on the problems of offshore drilling doesn’t even mention it.)

Drill, baby, drill!

There is technology available to carefully map underwater hazards like UXO but so far, I haven’t found anything that indicates offshore drilling lessees are required to do so. I have to assume that a company will try to protect their investment, but you never know.

But isn’t is reasonable that this information be part of the public debate on offshore drilling?

more:
http://susiemadrak.com/?p=2287
http://www.scribd.com/doc/30861969/OTC-18844-MS-P

[Greyskye]

1. Why the un-recs?

:shrug:

[havocmom]

3. There are some who unrec EVERY new post, regardless of topic

AND profitable industries have minions on the inter-webs ;)

[havocmom]

2. Lotta crap

in the Gulf from all the shit from pig farms and fertilizer run-off

Oh, and :kick: because shit, shitty lying oil companies, and unexploded ordinance probably should be considered more fully

[Voice for Peace]

4. yes. k/r nt