Coast Guard seeking new ideas on dealing with oil disaster

[gateley]

Washington (CNN) -- The Coast Guard has started an initiative separate from BP to seek the best ideas that industry, universities, researchers, scientists and the public have to offer to try to contain the oil spill from the Deepwater Horizon in the Gulf of Mexico.

The Coast Guard has published details of its efforts to solicit ideas to show the public it wants to hear from them separately from any ideas submitted to the oil giant.

"Our intent is to provide a process totally divorced from BP," Lt. Cmdr. Chris O'Neil said. He said there had been "some feedback" from the public that BP was not responding to ideas being offered, but he did not have any details.

The Coast Guard specifically wants the best ideas for improving the response and detection of oil spills, control of oil wellheads, how to deal with submerged oil spills, traditional and alternative oil spill technologies, and assessment of oil spills and environmental restoration.

The ideas will be looked at by the Coast Guard and a new panel of experts known as the Interagency Alternative Technology Assessment Program working group. That group includes experts from the Coast Guard, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Departments of Interior and Agriculture and the Environmental Protection Agency.

O'Neil says the submissions will be screened and put into three categories: those with the potential to immediately help the current oil spill response effort, those that need more evaluation by government experts and those that cannot be of help.

One of the benefits of the entire effort may be a better understanding of whether technologies to respond to oil spills have kept up with offshore oil drilling and production technology.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/06/07/oil.disaster.new.ideas/


NOTE: For those of you who aren't aware, the Coast Guard is also now solely in charge of determining flow rate - they've pulled BP off the job.

My guess is that they have been planning this, but needed to get everything in place so they could begin implementing immediately when they made the announcement.

[Oregone]

1. Stupid humans

All possible ideas should of been researched and establish before one drop was sucked out of the gulf.

[gateley]

2. They don't do that when $$$ is involved. I actually doubt that if

they weren't going to be held responsible, BP would just sail away from this and sink a new well somewhere else.

It's always the money. Always. :grr:

[JuniperLea]

5. Logic like that doesn't make billions for shareholders...

You've clearly taken your eye off the prize! What kind of lunacy is that? Responsible behavior can't possibly be expected to create wealth. Pft.

[HCE SuiGeneris]

3. 45 days in. Great.

Let's talk about cleaning it up sometime too.

[gateley]

6. Listen to Allen's press conference this morning - they're doing more

than we think they are. And....it's not as simple as it would seem to us. :shrug:

[aquart]

4. I want BP's money to sponsor contests in the brainy colleges.

Let's have major money competitions for wetland renewal, oil leak stopping, getting oil out of every damn thing. Put the young and hungry brains on it.

I'm glad the Coast Guard thought of it. But it's just insane that BP's PR morons didn't.

[gateley]

7. That's a great idea! nt