The Oil Spill in the Gulf

The turn of events that has allowed oil to wash up on the shores of our country has left me sadden, angry, and in disbelief.  How this has been handled is completely mind numbing to me.  Some of the action that BP has taken concerning the containment of the spreading oil slick has left me dumbfounded.

BP has been spraying "dispersants" on to the ever growing oil slick for close to a month now and has used an estimated 655,000 barrels so far.  This amazes me for several reasons .... but let explain a few things to you the readers of my blog.  First, I work in the oil industry and I am very reluctant to criticize my industry.  I have worked for a sub-contractor to BP, Chevron, Sunoco, and a host of other oil companies.  I am regulated by the USGC and the EPA and it absolutely blows my mind that BP is allowed to use dispersants on this oil spill.

I am not allowed to use dispersants and in fact if I were to use them I could very well find myself in jail.  You see, it is against the law to use a dispersant on an oil spill on any body of water.  Now, to let you know what a dispersant is or better yet what it does .... a dispersant breaks the tension of the water and allows the oil to drop into the water column.  It is not some magical chemical that makes the oil disappear, it just allows the water to float on top of the oil.

This is utterly devastating to marine wildlife .... I can't even imagine what damage has been done to the Gulf.  It is bad enough to have the oil on top of the water, but at least there is the possibility to remove the oil.  Once it is in the water column ... there is no removing it.

Sic Semper Tyrannis