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First rig sails away over drilling ban

You're over aggsagerating things here. Nobody's claiming a complete pull-out from the GOM.



And nobody's saying we should stop using petroleum based fuels right now or anytime soon. We has been advocated by myself and others is that this nation recognizes that unless we reduce our dependence on fossil fuels there is bound to be another Exxon Valdez, another BP, another war for some sort of natural resource. I mean, the world hated when Germany invaded Poland for this very reason.

I'm not over exaggerating the fallout from the moratorium.
 
Your one source trumps our five? Puh-leeeezzze!!

Only one of your five links says how much oil comes from natural seepage. And guess what? Somehow your link also covered my link but came to a conclusion without the story backing it up. They prefaced and title the story with unsupported conclusions.

Exactly how much oil naturally seeps out of the seafloor is unknown, and most estimates are very crude because there has never been a proper global survey made for the public record. Researchers identified the natural seepage rate as a critical unanswered question when the National Academy of Sciences compiled its third Oil in the Sea report in 2003.Oil In Ocean Shows Up On NASA Images: Half Of The Oil In The Ocean Bubbles Up Naturally From Seafloor

Your source editorialized in the first paragraph:

About half of the oil in the ocean bubbles up naturally from the seafloor, with Earth giving it up freely like it was of no value. Likewise, NASA satellites collect thousands of images and 1.5 terrabytes of data every year, but some of it gets passed over because no one thinks there is a use for it.

and the title:

Oil In Ocean Shows Up On NASA Images: Half Of The Oil In The Ocean Bubbles Up Naturally From Seafloor

From the page:

Story Source:

The above story is reprinted (with editorial adaptations by ScienceDaily staff) from materials provided by NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center.
 
Yeah, we realize that. Do you realize that most of the people who buy that seafood work in the oilfield? Gotta have customers to sell your product.

That's flat-out false. Who is the major consumer of seafood in the gulf region? Tourist areas. Trust me, the tourists don't enjoy the oil fields, or the areas that are being despoiled by the oil leak.
 
You've done nothing but that this entire thread. Thousands of jobs from 33 wells. Hilarious.

According to the Louisiana Mid-Continent Oil and Gas Association:

Each drilling platform averages 90 to 140 employees at any one time (2 shifts per day), and 180 to 280 for 2 2-week shifts. Each E&P job supports 4 other positions. Therefore, 800 to 1400 jobs per idle rig platform are at risk. Wages for those jobs average $1,804/weekly; potential for lost wages is huge, over $5 to $10 million for 1 month – per platform. Wages lost could be over $165 to $330 million/month for all 33 platforms
 
CPD continues to show her ignorance of the oil and gas industry.
 
You might be pleasantly surprised. Want to put your money where your mouth is? Check out this website!

Still Made in USA.com - American-Made Products for Home and Family

I still don't see the link between wanting to pay the lowest price for a t-shirt and someone losing their oil platform job to a gov't induced drilling moratorium. If you could do me a favor and link them together, I'd appreciate it. Otherwise your argument makes no sense, at least to me.

I was just babbling as usual. That's what I do when I'm not piddling, or being in the way.
Thanks for the link though. Now to do some interwebz shopping!
 
A small portion? There will be a million jobs lost, along with a trillion dollars of investments in this country in the next five years, if the oil and gas industry is run out of the GOM.

The tragedy, is that people actually think we are ready to stop using petroleum based fuels within the next few years. That's rediculous. However, politicians are going to push that agenda, no matter how much damage it does to the economy and the job market.

I'm not over exaggerating the fallout from the moratorium.

Let me put it another way...

You're over exaggerating the situation as it is presently in the GOM or what myself and others are saying who are in favor of maintaining the 6-month moriturium on deep water drilling.

Nobody is saying we should stop ALL oil drilling in the GOM. That would be foolish! What we ARE saying is stop deep water drilling long enough to get a handle on our regulatory and engineering situations because clearly BOTH are so far out of wack it's ridiculous!!

As we're seeing and as what has been reported via Congressional hearings, no major U.S. oil company is prepared to handle a major oil spill of this magnitude no matter where it occurs in deep waters off our nation's coasts. Moreover, our government bureacrats who were suppose to be looking out for our national and environmental interests in this matter dropped the ball by turning a blind eye on enforcing regulations. So, IMO, it just makes sense to take a pause, re-evaluate, and then come back when all the "T's" are crossed and the "I's" are dotted.

As to the reality of the number of oil rig jobs that are being affected by the current oil spill...

According to the Louisiana Mid-Continent Oil and Gas Association:

Each drilling platform averages 90 to 140 employees at any one time (2 shifts per day), and 180 to 280 for 2 2-week shifts. Each E&P job supports 4 other positions. Therefore, 800 to 1400 jobs per idle rig platform are at risk. Wages for those jobs average $1,804/weekly; potential for lost wages is huge, over $5 to $10 million for 1 month – per platform. Wages lost could be over $165 to $330 million/month for all 33 platforms.

That's the reality we're facing today*. Imagine how much worse things would be if two oil rigs suffered the same fate as Deepwater Horizon? How about three? Four? And not one of them is prepared to handle such a tragedy according to Congressional testimony by at least one major oil U.S. company executive, ExxonMobile CEO Rex Tillerson. Not one!

The only good news that will come out of this tragic event is the efforts made by BP will go towards educating the (U.S.) oil industry on how to handle oil spills in deep water. I just hope neither the oil industry nor the federal goverment returns to being complacent on the matter. Otherwise, history WILL repeat itself. Remember: This isn't the first major oil spill to happen in the GOM. It just took 30 years before the next one occurred.

*Note: The figures NolaMan quoted for jobs lost from idle oil drilling rigs is over blown. The 2-week shift numbers still equate to 240 jobs because no matter how long the rigs operate they still employ the same people over an extended period of time. That's just like people being critical of the Obama Administration for tabulating "temporary" workers or those who were "rehired" as "new employees" when, in fact, they are the same people...they just got re-hired.

2 shifts employ 280 oil rig workers (140 per shift) X 33 idle deepwater oil rigs = 9240 total employees

Thousands of jobs lost, yes. But even that figure is based on ALL 33 deepwater oil rigs being active! I doubt that many oil rigs are sitting idle in the GOM right now from this moritorium, but those who think otherwise you're free to state your case.
 
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2 shifts employ 280 oil rig workers (140 per shift) X 33 idle deepwater oil rigs = 9240 total employees

I wonder how many employees in tourist-related businesses in Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, and Florida have been put out of work because of the effects of deepwater? Just to put things in perspective...
 
Well, clearly, their jobs don't matter as much as oil industry jobs. :roll:

They matter just as much, but the questions stands: How is unemploying all the oilfield hands going to get them their jobs back? Where are the tourist industry folks and the fishermen to turn for employment?

Louisiana has a five pronged economy: tourism, fishing, oil & gas, agriculture and forestry. The slick killed two, the government killed one; what are we to do go back to sawing logs and choppin' cotton for a living?

Killing the oilfield jobs left the tourism folks and the fishermen nothing to fall back on.
 
They matter just as much, but the questions stands: How is unemploying all the oilfield hands going to get them their jobs back? Where are the tourist industry folks and the fishermen to turn for employment?

Louisiana has a five pronged economy: tourism, fishing, oil & gas, agriculture and forestry. The slick killed two, the government killed one; what are we to do go back to sawing logs and choppin' cotton for a living?

Killing the oilfield jobs left the tourism folks and the fishermen nothing to fall back on.

La. needs to have a dem gov. and vote for Obama in 2012. Until that happens, no deep water drilling in the gulf!!
 
La. needs to have a dem gov. and vote for Obama in 2012. Until that happens, no deep water drilling in the gulf!!

So, you admit that we're just being punished? How awesome is that?

BTW, most of the state legislature is Democrat.
 
They matter just as much, but the question stands: How is unemploying all the oilfield hands going to get them their jobs back? Where are the tourist industry folks and the fishermen to turn for employment?
That's such a weak argument. The people in the tourism and fishing industries along the Louisianna Gulf Coast have "temporary" jobs as a result of the very disaster the oil industry caused!
Louisiana has a five pronged economy: tourism, fishing, oil & gas, agriculture and forestry. The slick killed two, the government killed one; what are we to do go back to sawing logs and choppin' cotton for a living?

And all but three of them - tourism, fishing, and oil and gas - have been severely impacted as a result of the carelessness of one oil company - BP. Do you honestly think that tourism and fishing would not have been adversely affected even if the moritorium hadn't been in place? C'mon...let's be honest concerning the matter. This isn't the government's fault. This is BP's fault.

Killing the oilfield jobs left the tourism folks and the fishermen nothing to fall back on.

WRONG!!! The oil spill caused by BP left those in tourism and fishing nothing else to fall back on. Don't get it twisted. No one from the government was out making the calls on the Deepwater Horizon prior to it bursting into flames and sinking to the bottom of the GOM. That was all on the people calling the shots on that rig along w/the oil company that leased it - BP! Again, don't get it twisted!!
 
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That's such a weak argument. The people in the tourism and fishing industries along the Louisianna Gulf Coast have "temporary" jobs as a result of the very disaster the oil industry caused!

What temp jobs are you talking about?

And all but three of them - tourism, fishing, and oil and gas - have been severely impacted as a result of the carelessness of one oil company - BP. Do you honestly think that tourism and fishing would not have been adversely affected even if the moritorium hadn't been in place? C'mon...let's be honest concerning the matter. This isn't the government's fault. This is BP's fault.

Tourism and fishing are no better, nor worse with, or without a drilling moratorium. What the mortorium did do, is take away billions in tax revenue that could be used to help with the clean up and to support tourism and fishing, until the those industries are able to recover.



WRONG!!! The oil spill caused by BP left those in tourism and w/fishing jobs nothing else to fall back on. Don't get it twisted. No one from the government was out making the calls on the Deepwater Horizon prior to it bursting into flames and sinking to the bottom of the GOM. That was all on the people calling the shots on that rig along w/the oil company that leased it - BP! Again, don't get it twisted!!

If there were oilfield jobs, at least displaced fishing and tourism folks could look for work in the oil and gas industry. Now, there is nowhere for them to look for work, within the state.

The killing of hundreds of thousands of oilfield jobs rests squarely upon Barack's shoulders. He'll take that disgrace to his grave. He's done more to kill jobs than any other president in history.
 
So, you admit that we're just being punished? How awesome is that?

BTW, most of the state legislature is Democrat.

Washington does not care about state government. Vote for Obama in 2012 and we will see if the moritorium can be lifted.
 
Washington does not care about state government. Vote for Obama in 2012 and we will see if the moritorium can be lifted.

OMG!!! Please, make that talking point popular among Leftist politicos. Send that to every Democrat politician you know and get them onboard! :rofl
 
What temp jobs are you talking about?
That's a rather stupid question...The jobs the fisherman now have using thier fishing boats to skim oil, of course. You don't think those folks will still have those jobs when this mess is finally over, do you? :duh:


Tourism and fishing are no better, nor worse with, or without a drilling moratorium.
Right...that would explain why every seafood restaurant along the Gulf Coast AREN'T selling seafood right now. Would explain why there AREN'T ANY fishermen out...well, fishing!!! :duh:

What the mortorium did do, is take away billions in tax revenue that could be used to help with the clean up and to support tourism and fishing, until the those industries are able to recover.
I won't deny that the moritorium isn't having an economic impact, BUT anyone who's making the argument that it's the moritorium and NOT the oil spill and it's effect on the waters, the Gulf Coast inlets and the beaches aren't having a far worse impact is simply...

D-E-L-U-S-I-O-N-A-L!!!

If there were oilfield jobs, at least displaced fishing and tourism folks could look for work in the oil and gas industry. Now, there is nowhere for them to look for work, within the state.

The killing of hundreds of thousands of oilfield jobs rests squarely upon Barack's shoulders. He'll take that disgrace to his grave. He's done more to kill jobs than any other president in history.

Way overblown hyper-partisianship. Look, if the Gulf Coast is of such mega importance to the oil industry then the major U.S. oil companies WILL return once the moraturium is over. The argument that oil jobs will leave forever is just way overblown, IMO. Oil companies know what they have out there. They'll come back. Regardless, you can't win here; you're arguments just keep turning back on themselves.
 
The killing of hundreds of thousands of oilfield jobs rests squarely upon Barack's shoulders. He'll take that disgrace to his grave. He's done more to kill jobs than any other president in history.

THis is a flat out lie, and we've already discussed it. There AREN'T hundreds of thousands of oil field jobs that have been killed.
 
*Note: The figures NolaMan quoted for jobs lost from idle oil drilling rigs is over blown. The 2-week shift numbers still equate to 240 jobs because no matter how long the rigs operate they still employ the same people over an extended period of time. That's just like people being critical of the Obama Administration for tabulating "temporary" workers or those who were "rehired" as "new employees" when, in fact, they are the same people...they just got re-hired.

2 shifts employ 280 oil rig workers (140 per shift) X 33 idle deepwater oil rigs = 9240 total employees

Thousands of jobs lost, yes. But even that figure is based on ALL 33 deepwater oil rigs being active! I doubt that many oil rigs are sitting idle in the GOM right now from this moritorium, but those who think otherwise you're free to state your case.

Your numbers though completely discount oil service workers that rely on these rigs being up and running for them to service as well. Given that, I do not think the numbers are quite as overblown as you are arguing.

I believe that there were 29 active deepwater exploratory rigs actively working at the time of the moratorium. The moratorium has absolutely shut them down and some are now even leaving the area, basically eliminating those jobs in the region all together.
 
I believe that there were 29 active deepwater exploratory rigs actively working at the time of the moratorium. The moratorium has absolutely shut them down and some are now even leaving the area, basically eliminating those jobs in the region all together.

Given that we know now that those rigs were not safe, and could have created a similar blowout, forgive me for not shedding any tears about the jobs. The jobs on those 29 rigs are the least of our concern right now.

If other countries are willing to take the risk, that's on them, but as a country, for us to continue to take what we now know is an inordinate risk would be truly stupid. The fact that you and others continue to wish this on us is ridiculous.
 
Given that we know now that those rigs were not safe, and could have created a similar blowout, forgive me for not shedding any tears about the jobs. The jobs on those 29 rigs are the least of our concern right now.

Every single one of those rigs was reinspecting by the Department of the Interior following the BP blowout, and they all passed. If passing government safety inspections following the BP disaster does not make you "safe", then what does?


If other countries are willing to take the risk, that's on them, but as a country, for us to continue to take what we now know is an inordinate risk would be truly stupid. The fact that you and others continue to wish this on us is ridiculous.

It is going to have a major economic impact on the area, that is just a fact. All of those rigs have since passed safety inspections, that is another fact. I do not feel that another incident like this is likely to occur. Sure it is possible, but what else do you want them to do to get back to work?
 
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