There is no good news coming from the Gulf of Mexico

BP engineers tried fitting a top hat over one oil leak last week. They’re sucking up some oil. But most is still gushing into the Gulf.

Engineers would like to start a procedure known as a top kill on Sunday. If it works it should stop the oil (leaking since April 20, over a month ago). From both leaks? I don’t know. But I do know a top kill has never been done at a depth of 5,000 feet.

U.S. State Dept. officials are worried that oil could hit The Loop current and reach the Florida Keys and Cuba.


["More than dolphins will not survive": photo link]

While BP is capturing some oil with the help of a mile-long tube and claiming some success (though more is escaping than being captured, so another claim might be that they’re experiencing more failure), real time images reveal evidence of what might be “the greatest environmental catastrophe” (says Rep. E.J. Markey, D-Mass.) in US history.

G. Barisich, president of the United Commercial Fisherman’s Association said the following recently:

“This is going to keep killing stuff and it will make whole areas incapable of supporting marine life.” (‘BP accused of coverup over spill,’ May 22 issue of the London Free Press)

Though the price of a barrel of oil has dropped $15 in the last few weeks, the cost to livelihoods and the environment has grown astronomically.

Think how much cheaper our future would be if we simply conserved energy in simple, manageable ways.

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