This is not to minimize the tragedy that is unfolding daily in the Gulf of Mexico. Especially tragic is the loss of 11 lives in this accident. My thoughts and prayers go out to the families of these hard-working men.
What is appalling is the media hysteria surrounding this entire mess.
Best estimates say that the spill could rival the magnitude of the infamous Exxon Valdez incident in Alaska in 1989. That accident resulted in releasing 11 million gallons of crude oil into Prince William’s Sound. Current estimates of the BP spill run between 5k to 10k barrels per day with BP announcing today that they are successfully recovering about 20% with a siphon pipe inserted yesterday. BP also says that further efforts to plug the leak are ongoing and, failing that, a relief well could be completed in 60 t0 90 days.
But that’s not good enough for the environmentalist alarmists and the politicians who pander to them. They want BP’s head on a pike to display to the evil oil industry. As the media desperately scramble to photograph an egret with oily feet, politicians rant and rave about new, tougher regulations and want to raise the monetary damage limits to BP. To listen to them, one would believe the the Gulf will soon become one big La Brea Tar Pit.
But, like too many voters, the media and politicos have short and selective memories.
Likewise I have to admit that, until my memory was prodded today by Rush Limbaugh, the IXTOC I incident of 1979 did not come to mind. Don’t remember IXTOC I?
IXTOC I - 1979
On June 3, 1979 in Mexican waters 500 mi. south of Texas a 2 mile deep exploratory well had an almost identical accident. The IXTOC I, a Pemex platform, exploded and subsequently sank. Initially the well gushed 30,000 barrels of crude per day. Efforts to plug the well reduced the output to 20,000 bbls per day. Further endeavors stemmed the leak to 10,000 bbls per day. The leak was finally stopped on March 23, 1980…9 months and 20 days later. In total an estimated 130 million gallons of oil flowed into the waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Next to what was spilled by Saddam Hussein in the first Gulf War, this is the largest oil spill in history.
Still don’t remember IXTOC I? Why do you think that is so? It is because the resulting environmental damage was not catastrophic. Incidentally, a hurricane helped to disperse the spill and the US stopped the use of chemical dispersants in US waters. Neither Pemex nor Mexico reimbursed the US for any damages.
All of what I have related here is on the previously offered link. If you follow the links on that page, details are given. Here it is again: IXTOC I
Again I do not want to trivialize what has happened but can we please stop the hysteria?
The Virtual Wall
