Have you changed your life/consumption habits due to the oil spill?
Sun Jun 6, 2010 2:20 PM EDT
Live Poll
Have you changed your life/consumption habits due to the oil spill?
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We need to somehow convert more of our energy needs to natural gas use. I understand that we have such a quantity of natural gas that we could meet virtually all or our energy needs and then have some for export. This would enable us to pull the petroleum IV from the Middle East. This may buy time for development of new energy sources that could eliminate our need for fossil fuels. If this can be done the entire geopolitical face of the world would be changed forever and for the better. I believe that this nation has the resources in research capability if we set our minds to it. Unfortunately, the power of the energy companies defies such a desire since this would radically alter their prospects for monetary gain and profit. With the Gulf Coast devastated by the oil and most likely devastated for many years, we would have a labor pool for building infrastructure for natural gas conversion. This might take some of the economic sting off the Gulf Coast if monies can be found to convert to natural gas use. This is our opportunity for a radical change for the betterment of our environment, economic, and political lives. Let's not miss it!
It's awesome to hear people suggest a difficult to acquire, finite resource as a viable alternative to other difficult to acquire, finite resources.
Also, do you think that the evil energy companies will be circumvented by asking consumers to use natural gas? Do you think that there's no money in natural gas?
These complex problems have pretty simple solutions. People need to behave better. We consume SO MUCH! SUV's, giant TV's, houses that could shelter entire villages are built for a family of 3. You want to stop giving money to the evil energy companies? Don't promote switching to another finite resource that has to be extracted (hurts the environment) and then burned (hurts the environment.) Instead, use less energy. Get off the grid. Walk or bike. Louisiana is the 4th fattest state in the union. If they would walk more and drive less, deepwater drilling wouldn't be necessary.
Concerned citizens like you should be better informed. Natural gas is not the answer, it is part of the problem. You should be ashamed at writing this comment.
Concerned citizen-1864965 - natural gas is a derivative of drilling for oil. Though some is obtained in a separate process, the two processes are often closely tied together. In addition, natural gas energy production has killed more people than everything but coal and hydro-electric production. (See wikipedia topic on Three Mile Island accident that covers energy production safety records.)
Even before this massive oil spill I never bought gas from BP - I remember what they did to Iran in 1953.
Yes, you have purchased gas from BP. Just because you didnt purchase it from a BP station doesn't mean that BP did not produce the fuel. Nice try. Educate yourself before you make an independent storeowner pay for the actions of a large corporation.
True - oil is fungible, but that doesn't remove the moral responsibility of a franchise owner who chooses to wear the BP/Anglo-Iranian logo. Not that any of the oil companies are pillars of responsibility or icons of moral virtue, but I'd rather my tiny share of that franchise fee went to anyone but BP.
Along with the Americans. e.g. CIA backed.
The funny part is that just 5 years after the coup it was US oil companies which controlled the majority of the Iranian oil contracts, when they had none before. BP lost big time by refusing to negotiate with Iran and by promoting a violent coup.
I don't think it was ever a question with the oil spill having to due with an abundance of oil or not; instead, it was the cost (not monetary, but enviornmentally) of pursuing oil. This oil spill is just a glaring example of the disasters caused by oil, and when there are other sources with are less dangerous/hazardous, it is ridiculous not to pursue other avenues. If nothing else, it's incredibly easy to buy more fuel/energy efficient products, which alone can severely cut down on oil consumption, and there's really no reason not to.
a reasonable reply...how dare you :)
Our generations will be saddled with an oil addiction we will never get rid of. Somehow it became a right to consume geologic carbon almost regardless of the ecological and social/polictal costs (which are not reflected at the pump)...even with my preaching all I have done is drop to a 4 cyl engine...I love driving around. But, I am willing to pay 5-10 bucks if the additional money goes into funding low carbon alternatives (not some general funding pot of money)
Five dollar gas would destroy our economy, let alone $10. We've seen what happened to the economy with just $4 gas and we are way too fragile now.
I haven't changed my habits at all and don't expect to. BP has learned their lesson big time. Instead of making millions off that welll, they are losing billions. I don't expect them to be that stupid again.
Off shore drilling will start again, if not here then off Brazil or Mexico, etc. Nat gas is a non starter. Electric cars will be viable before the infrastructure could be built out. Electric/plug in hybrid cars are the future. It will just take us a while to get there. Meanwhile, we need cheap oil because out economy depends on it.
Neither questions make any sense imo. It cannot be one or the other.
It would be nice to not have to be dependent on fossil fuel even although it may appear to be abundant at this time, but on the other hand when other forms of fuel are not made readily available what is a consumer supposed to do?
If congress have no will to require the auto companies to increase the milage of vehicles to over 50 mph city, or to increase funding for high speed rail, trams and other fuel efficient means of public transportation, or pushing green technology and making it more affordable etc then folks are going to do what they must.
It is always so easy to blame the people/masses .........
BZe1:
It is not the government's duty to decide. So many here speak so freely about the government as if it was something unto itself. It is not. Congress reponds to what the voters request. If the public elects Congressional people who support these things, we would be better off. Don't expect Congress to make any bold moves if their heads are cut off whenever they support these things.
Voters should be screaming for better mileage, high speed rail, no plastic bottles, reduced packaging, more solar and wind power, more pellet burning heat generation (used in the Northwest some, and Canada a lot), burning garbage (done cleanly already in Europe), requiring better thermal windows and better insulation in all new structures, switching the financing of school busses for public transit that benefit all-not just kids, stop using plastic wrap and vinyl siding, and block products with lead-based paint and toxoc sheetrock imported from Asia.
You and I can change what we do - in small ways. Think - if 300 million people do the same, that a lot of changes that can make a difference.
Stop using the government as a scapegoat for your and other voters' inaction. If you are not vocal and promoting your views, nothing changes in a way you prefer.
Personally I'd like the government to get the hell out of the way and let the free market decide. Gas prices will creep up over time and battery car prices will creep down. If you want to use incentives to speed up the transition, I guess I could live with that but I agree, let the people decide. Their pocket books will inform their decision.
This heartbreaking oil spill has really opened my eyes to the drawbacks of mass consumption of fossil fuels like oil. I'm not really an "eco-freak", but I will do my best to use less oil (along with boycotting all BP gas stations). I hope punishment comes down hard for all the executives who care more about money and reputation than the destruction of animal and sea life.
I look at the pictures of the wildlife covered in this oil. And realize this is killing off not only birds but fish, dalphines,crustations. And thats not to mention the plants , planton and only God knows what else. And all this is during the breeding season. We will really never know the true destruction and harm this has caused not only to an entire ecosystem. But to the humans that live and depend on this area. I firmly belive our chilfrens children will hold us accountable for this lack of proper stewardship of resources. And much may never recover fully as well as this could lead to damage to DNA not only of the ecosystem but humans. This has truley broken my heart. And I feel partly responsable. As one of the gluttonious consumers. I have sold my car and will never own another gasoline burning vehical, or item. I will walk. Take public tranportation. Ride a bike. and If I need to go a long way and haul my property I will use a horse and wagon or a fully electric car. I have switched my utlities. And will live the rest of my life with shame and remorse over the destruction and loss of life. All life; animal, vegitable ,aquatic. I am ashamed of the rapeing of our resources with such blantant disreguard for anything but a dollar in the pocket. I am not a treehugging , save the whales person. Never have been. But the shame is unbearable. And now I feel a developing rage of hate for these companies and people in washington that put us in wars over this minerals. And do all they can to keep the status-quo of oil consumption. It will be the item that causes the downfall of society as we know it in the end. Unless we as a world body; us people. Have an awakening. And do what ever we can to preserve and be good stewards of our resources. And use our energies to travel beyound this planet to seek other knowledges and resources.
are you out of your mind ,or just simple. our world as we know it has been "propogated" by our use of ,and ability to use fossil fuels. Without them we would be in the stone age ,like Africa,Iran ,Iraq parts of Mexico and all of South America.We have given away more technology in the last 50 years to the above than they have been able to develop on their own in over 5000 years . Downfall of society, that is people like you who wear their hearts on their sleeves and think every "new" idea is better than the last one ,no matter how idiotic. I don't feel guilty because i was born smarter than the above......and you certainly shouldn't because you weren't. i'll bet you areeither female or want to be.
Jerry, this response makes you look like you are out of your mind. Fossil fuels was the way to produce energy in the past, but you must learn from your past to prevent from making the same mistakes in the future. And your comment about his gender is really just plain stupid. Grow up Jerry.
we need to boycott bp. people dont buy gas from bp. they need to pay for what they have done.
Why boycott BP. The rig was leased from an AMERICAN company(who for tax reasons claim to be Swiss based),staffed and run by AMERICANS,that had been checked passed by AMERICAN safety oficials the week before. BP owned the exploration rights and used so called AMERICAN expertise to do the drilling. At least they have the honesty to put their hands up and say"yep at games end the buck is in BP`s name and they will foot each and every bill to fix the problems that have resulted." (Incidentaly Transocean are also in deep doo doo with the Indian Government with a current similar event) The level of BP bashing is currently nothing short the usual pathetic jingoism to be expected from ill informed halfwits. Did you experience similar from the UK when an American owned rig that had been tinkered with against regulations killed 187 people in the North Sea in 1987? OR, when Union Carbide managed to kill thousands and thousands in Bhopal? I also notice every claims/litgation lawyer in the US thinks every birthday and Christmas has just arrived. Parasites one and all.
This poll is badly written. It shows the bias of the authors. I have not changed my habbits on driving and use of fossile fuels because I have no choice. It has nothing to do with the abundance of fossile fuels in the world today. How else am I supposed to get to work or air condition my home. I consume what I consume due to necessity. If fossile fuels were much less abundant I would still have to fill my tank so that I could get to work. I am not going to buy a horse and ride to work. There is no mass transit of any kind available. It is my car or nothing. This is the plight of many Americans. When gas was $4 a gallon my wife and I had to spend nearly $900 a month on gas. Again, we had no choice. There are simply no alternatives that are economically viable at this time. The Chevy Volt would be a great alternative if it was itself not so expensive.
I agree on the bias of the poll. I changed my habits as soon as I learned about peak oil - the end of cheap oil - a couple of years ago. The poll didn't account for people who were already conserving and making better environmental decisions.
I agree, I also used my vehicles due to necessity. Yes vehicles. I am a single mother and must rely on my vehicles to use on my farm and also to get to work. I also live on the Gulf Coast. The tragedy her is not the spill itself, but the length of time that it is occurring. Spills have happened in the Gulf for as long as I can remember. Never has there been one of this magnitude, but there have been plenty. Immediately after this spill occurred people began screaming anti-BP bs and the rash decision was made to place a moritorium on drilling. When one of Boeing's jets crashed, was there a ban on flying. No the planes are inspected and business continues. When Jet Blue crashed, same scenario. There has never been a ban on flying, unless you're a terrorist. Yes this oil spill has been allowed to flow for too long and I do think that there should have been technology in place in the event of a spill. This is not the first time we are drilling in deep water now. We need help down here and we need more suction barges and skimmers to pick up as much as possible. These items will help. However at this point the only thing we can do is pray we don't have a hurricane enter the Gulf. Should this happen our situation will be much, much worse. Regardless of all this, the use of fossil fuels will continue. Our fisherman are irrepairably damaged for many years to come. There is no reason why our oil field workers should also suffer.
I for one am seriously tired of hearing about this spill. it seems everyone is so tied up looking for the hard solution no one has spent time looking at what should be the easy and obvious one. Think about it, how do they close off the open end in a Window Air Conditioner High Pressure line? They Crimp it off. If you don't have the ability to solder a broken water pipe and must have the water back on for something what do you do? You take a pair of Pliers, Flatten a section and crimp it over. I know I know, this is not copper pipe we are talking about down there. It is still metal and it was almost crimped in the section they cut off. Why don't you reverse the movement of a deep water Jaws of life rig, clamp down on that sucker and bend a coupe of pieces over to form a simple but effect flow reduction or stop. It certainly isn't a permanent solution but 2 gallons a day is certainly better that 100, 000 or 600,000 a day that it is losing now. The truth is BP doesn't want to because at least with this latest effort they are able to recover some oil and make money. I'm no engineer but it doesn't seem to take a rocket Scientist to figure out how to block a pipe. I mean if they really wanted to stop this thing the cap they lowered would have had an expandable seal on it to expand and lock down on that pipe end and seal up the end, Think about it.
might want to look into this a bit more before commenting...... this is roughly a 22" pipe with about 13,000 psi pushing that oil out!!! A bit more needed than just 'crimping' the pipe to slow it down.... come on, really??? And BP doesn't want to stop the leak!!!??? sheesh... the amount they recover is NOTHING compared to what they have to spend to clean up and payout for claims. Idiotic!! I'm sure all of the engineers from all the oil companies, professors and others never thought of a "cap lowered with an expandable seal on it".....dang, you need to call their hotline!! you'll be rich! THINK ABOUT IT.
Reality folks:
Fossil fuels will be around until they run out. For some reason, people continually associate oil with gasoline only. We use oil extensively in everything from plastic to cosmetics to lubricants. Even if, in 50 years, oil as a source for gasoline goes away, we will still use it for everything else.
Clean energy, specifically biofuel is not that clean when you look at the whole process of manufacturing and the efficiency of ethanol.
Alternative energy is not supported (wind, solar, nuclear).
The government can spew it's garbage all they want. Dependence on fossil fuel is a given, it will never go away completely. They don't care to support alternative fuel ventures, despite what they proport in the news.
It is the nature of man to find the quickest and cheapest of anything. Unless the technology comes around, the quickest and cheapest is fossil fuel.
Give BP a break, people. Boycotting them will not help anything. They have been working to resolve this since day one. If you want to boycott someone, boycott the man in the oval office for sitting on his butt for weeks on end doing nothing. Help them out, give them resources and send them a bill. This happened in the Persian Gulf many years ago at a much larger scale, why aren't we looking at what they did?
My heart goes out to the eleven men that perished as a result of the blow out. I am also sadened by the impact on the eco-system. These are tragic results of an accident, which has many to blame including the current administration. Let's stop pointing fingers. Let's get the hole plugged. Let's get it cleaned up. Then look into what happened, why it happened and where responsibilty falls.
Sure, Give them a break like they gave US. The oil companies and all the BUSHIES have been screwing us for YEARS!!!!!!!!!!!!
LETS GIVE THEM THE SAME BREAK!!!!!!!!
Anybody been watching what looks like some kind of a face or face mask or robot with a face behind the well head on the left side on the live feed video of the leak?
It moves around over a period of time.
I thought it was too deep for any human even in a suit?
Perhaps I am just seeing things because I have oil in my eyes :o(
Obama has no responsibility for cleaning up the spill, it's BP's fault. They should have had a plan for this before it happened.
I agree with you 100%
In your opinion ,did Bush have any resonsibilty for cleaning up after Katrina,or owe any handouts to the idiots that wouldn't leave N.O when told what was coming???
I think they should use the same idea the military uses to fuel there planes and helicopters while in flight. Instead of trying to cap it maybe they could insert a tube in it that has a seal around it to capture the oil. If the oil escapes the cap do to the uneven break then sealing it from the inside past the break might be better
This sounds like the best solution yet...I don't know the dynamics of this action, referring to the techinicalities to do this job, but Ii a large heavy inflatable tube, much like ones like plummers use to blow up inside a sewer pipe and inflated to seal off a stopped up sewer, I would think that a similar one inflated well above the break could be inserted and expanded to stop the flow of oil would work... However there would be no escape valve on the inflated balloon to let oil out or in. Simply be a giant well enforced stopper... Then a closed valve could be tapped into the oil pipe well infront of the break and stopper unit to devert oil to a tanker at the surfas of the Gulf.
Tony hayward said he wanted his life back? what about the workers on the rig that died or all the wildlife he killed? I would guess they would want there life back also. He should be fired and drowned in his own oil.
I haven't heard the mention of Petroleum Remediation Product (PRP) being used on the spill. This is suppose to be the latest and greatest from NASA. Does anyone know of it's use in the gulf spill?
bp supports your congressmen your congressmen support bp.they both #@%&*^%the people.it s pure its time to replace both. WAKE UP PEOPLE.
I decided to LEASE a hybrid auto!!!! My son told me to look at an American made car, the Ford Fusion Hybrid. I am an old man and I decided that before I depart this planet I wanted to do something (even if only .05CENTS) to SCREW the oil cartel! So after much deliberation with a local Ford dealer, the sales manager came and told me that FORD will NOT not lease a HYBRID car !!!! Soooooooo, I went to a LEXUS (Japanese!!!!) dealer. I was welcomed and treated like a KING. I leased a HYBRID. I do not know what Ford is pulling, but their attitude is still the same old way of doing business. I wanted to lease AMERICAN but couldn't get the car that I wanted.
I am really upset about this, and hope that Ford never gets any of taxpayers money to keep them in business! It was really unbelievable that an American Car Mfg. would turn down business, given the shape of our economy. I also paid the total amount of the lease (3 years) UP FRONT with Lexus!!!!!
I'm not happy with Ford either. I've had a 98 Ranger since it was new. When I get parts for it some salesman tries to get me to upgrade (they will actually come running across the lot). I have told them time and time again, when ford make a Ranger in a Diesel I will consider. They then try talking me into an F150, and its like talking to a wall, when I tell them I do not need anything that big. Check out Mahindra pickups. They are supposed to launch in fall 2010.
You can also check out Biodiesel and making it from pond algae. There is a certain algae that can be used to make up to 20,000 gallons of biodiesel off of 1 acre of pond water. Why is there no money going to this?
All I can say is that I'm happy we wasted the money so the big three can have washed up entertainers (athletes,actors, and musicians) endorsing crap that they most likely know nothing about. The only good thing that ever came is GM's CEO had to resign. It was about time.
Deisel stinks and pollutes more than gasoline!!
Mans a filthy creature, raping the land and water and the air. Tomorow may be too late-- Now's the time that you must be aware. Natures Disappearing.... Poluted Death is coming ..Do you care? Garbage going nowhere...Soon the dumps will spread to your front door. Lakes and rivers stagnant, nothing lives or grows like years before. Natures Disappearing. The world you take for granted soon no more. Read about pollution, make manufacturers uncomfortable. Boycott at the market, containers that are non-returnable. Aluminum,glass and plastic--eternal waste that's not destructible. Were of a generation; That may live out our natural time. But as for all our children---- Born to suffocate in human slime. Natures Disappearing; And we are allguilty of this massive crime.
The gulf oil spill lasted longer and effected people lives longer, because BP did not want to stop the leaks right now. BP tried to collect oils instead. BP used the "Cut & Collect" method instead of "Cut & Stop" method. After stopping the leak, then used a secondary procedure to collect the oils.
Bao tran, PE
Not impacted by the spill, but am furious
Once again federal oversight agencies have failed us. The purpose of the agencies is to protect the people from corporate abuses. Obviously special interests won out again and we the people have once more lost.
First it was the housing bubble, then the credit crises, and now an unprecedented environmental disaster.
Where are these oversight agencies employees? Oh yeah, I almost forgot, they’re watching porn on the web.
my 2002 VW Jetta TDI diesel gets 52 MPG driving 65 and no A/C
Where are they? Focusing hard on their self serving interests, losing site of what really matters and why they were elected to office (our "representatives")--when they aren't "watching porn". It's why so many major issues, not just this oil spill, are not getting action merely lip service--it isn't popular with those who have the money and the power to evoke change . Insurance companies, banks, oil companies..like one other commenter stated, these organizations support our Congress and our Congress supports them. Corporate abuses continue as greed and the " all about me syndrome" runs unchecked. Our representatives aren't hurting financially or any other way and they are still in office. Unfortunately, I wouldn't expect any change to major issues demanding action until the political self serving folks feel their seats are threatened and then only the minimal. "Business as usual..." isn't working anymore. They just keep saying what they think we want to hear to hopefully squelch the anger for awhile--still no action and more suffering. People are justifiably fed up with that old tactic. Where is the accountability, responsibility and INTEGRITY we depended on? Oh yeah, lost in self serving interests and greed.