The continued leaking should tell you BP has no idea how to stop it

[sixmile]

Every report smuggled out of the BP-controlled disaster portends very bad things and clearly shows we have reached our collective Peter Principle.

We have (to paraphrase Ned Beatty) messed with the primal forces of nature. And we must atone.

The entire worldwide force of Big Oil should be helping in the Gulf right NOW. I want to know why they are not.

Beaches turn black in AL
http://blog.al.com/live/2010/06/beaches_turn_black_in_baldwin.html

[gateley]

1. They've pretty much admitted they don't know how to stop it until

they get the relief wells up and running (which has been successful in previous incidents). That's why they're trying so many things in the interim - hoping something will work, but really flying by the seat of their pants.

And some Big Oil brains have been on the scene since it happened, but they, like BP, really don't know what to do either. I'm not sure they'd be willing to give up their ships or equipment to help if it meant losing income. It's always about the fucking money.

[murray hill farm]

2. That we all will choose to live in denial...

is the present way of dealing with this situation. Tourism trying to get their last millions for their business until it is just not possible on their beaches and waters any longer, the angry demand for clean up or stopping it now or both. It is all the same denial that got us here in the first place. Denial of climate change, denial of peak oil, denial that the age of running things with oil is over, denial that we must change, etc. We will all continue in denial until we are forced to face it. The oil continues to flow, continues to damage and it will not really stop until does..until it runs out...and all of this cap or fill or whatever, including the relief wells will only slow it and allow for the capture of a small percent of it. But mainly what all this does is allow us all to stay in denial for as long as possible before the ecological and economic horror must be faced. This will then, as it must turn from denial and anger and bargaining and depression into final acceptance. It will not be accepted easily or quickly. In the mean time, though...for the economy, for employment numbers, for businesses in the areas hit, etc. , denial is allowed and encouraged.

[marions ghost]

8. I understand it

but it's kind of creepy to see people acting like it's all gonna be okay... when it's not.

But I do understand how denial works as a way to insulate until one has to deal with it.

And the people who act like 'drill baby drill' after seeing this are the most deluded.

[proud2BlibKansan]

3. I don't think they want to stop it

That's been my hunch all along.

[gateley]

4. Why wouldn't they? How does not stopping it benefit them? nt

[sabrina 1]

6. It would turn the Gulf into a gold mine for Big Oil

where they would not have to worry about 'whining Americans' or 'Greeniacs' as that other environmental criminal Coal Mine CEO Blankenstein, calls them anymore.

If you know anything about BP's criminal, brutal history, nothing would surprise you. I'm just wondering why that history is not being talked about on our media. Imho, they are a huge threat to this country and they don't care. Not only that, but just like the governments of other countries where they raped and pillaged the environment and the people, it looks like our government is pretty much under their control also.

And we slam the only people in the world who stood up to them, Chavez and a few other new South American leaders, because Americans stupidly fall for the demonizing propaganda funded by these corporations. So while I can't say for sure that they don't want to stop it, I would not be surprised. These are people we fight wars for, destroy environments (Iraq, Afghanistan etc.) for with our WMD and kill as many people as needed to get those oil fields for them. So what's a dead zone where there is clearly an awful lot of what they care most about, even if it is right off America's coast? America has been sold off to corporations for a long time.

What we need right now is a Hugo Chavez to kick them out of this country. What we have a government that is in collusion with them, just like Colombia's government, another of our criminal allies.

[proud2BlibKansan]

7. Bingo

[Catherina]

10. Sad but true. Look at their history in Iran to understand the depravity n/t

[Statistical]

5. Sadly the only proven method of large scale blowout is a relief well.

There have been 4 giant underwater blowouts in modern history. In each instance the interested parties tried various methods to slow, contain, and stop the gusher. Everything failed or was marginal at best.

The Australians only stopped their blowout by relief well after 4 months.
The Mexicans only stopped their blowout by relief well after 10 months.
The Iranians only stopped their blowout by relief well after 26 months.
The Americans only stopped their blowout by relief well after ??? months.

[4_TN_TITANS]

9. Back before the top cap, junk shot attempts

the Magistrate posted that it was all attempts to look busy. He said that the relief wells were the only tried and true method to stop it, and it wouldn't be stopped until August.

[wiggs]

11. Could be really bad...leaks down inside the well etc. It might be that this is

one reason why the feds have been reluctant to take over or to promise a fix or to demand better efforts from BP to stop the leak: there is no way to stop it and it's going to get worse. There is no upside to taking charge. There is no hope until August. Total disaster.

See dougr's post at 3:17 am on June 13 (as posted on DU earlier) http://www.theoildrum.com/node/6593#comment-648967

And in terms of cleanup, it might be that they've known there's no point in cleaning booms, cleaning birds, picking up tar, etc....BP may be saying that they won't pay for that since it's right now a drop in the bucket compared to what it's going to be. At TOD they're speculating that the reservoir (billions of barrels) may bleed out.

[NightWatcher]

12. watch the meme shift from "stopping it" to "capturing as much oil coming out"

they know there is no stopping it. We broke the sea floor