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June 5th, 2010
07:54 AM ET
BP's online efforts
While BP has an extensive website about the oil spill, packed with links, videos, pictures, and more, in some ways the critics have an even bigger presence online. One example: the fake Twitter account skewering BP. What do you think of the oil giant's online efforts throughout this crisis?
On Twitter
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I think BP has and is making every effort possible to stop the gushing flow of oil in the Gulf. This accident has caused the death of employees, ruined the company's reputation and will cost them billions. Clearly, BP made serious mistakes in the set up of this overly deep well but stopping the flow of oil is in their best interests.
B.P.'s brain washing efforts are not working the leak is worst now then it was before they cut the pipe to collect oil for a profit and not to slow down the leak and Tony Hayward still walk's free .
Good Morning Mr. Levs, I love watching you guys on CNN, but this morning 6/5/2010 I missed the address for facebook to put/send my opion about this BP crisis going on. I live in Ft. Laud,Fla. but I was born in San Antonio, Texas. You can imagine how this is effecting me and those around me. I would love to be able to submit a letter somewhat of a chain letter, which I dont like to do, but I believe this one is worth it. A quick brief about it is that If I send someone this note asking to send it to 3-5 friends and so on asking we stop buying BP gas it would hit them where it hurts, their Pockets. I think maybe this would really get them to do what should have been done along time ago. I would appreciate having you or one of your staff sending me the correct address so that I can proceed with this. Thank you for the opportunity offered us to take part in this horrific ordeal,sincerly, Mario A Trevino
I've sent this suggestion to CNN & my congressmen and gotten no response. Oakum has been used for centuries as a sealant in wooden sailing ships because of its property of swelling up to ten times in the presence of water. My idea is to insert a large plug of dry oakum that is sealed in a plastic tube, and slightly smaller than the inside diameter of the pipe. Once in place, the undersea robot will puncture the plastic tube causing water and oil to saturate the oakum causing it to swell and seal the pipe. Once done, other means, such as concrete can permanently seal the end of the pipe. Have scientists and engineers check out my theory.
BP continue's to fail time and time again, watching the news this morning and seeing how much more oil into spilling into our ocean is frightening!
Its time to get with explosive experts and demolishion experts and control the blast and shut it in. I have worked in the oil field from 79-2004 on and off and this could be the only way to stop this. Why is this not an option to BP, its because they dont want to lose the oil.
The company man knew about the seals in the preventer being damaged and should be in jail for 11 counts of murder.
Everyone needs to boycott BP stations thru out the country.
To all my friends down on the bayou, my heart and thoughts go out to you.
A possible GREEN solution to help oil clean up using hay
watch these 2 farmers for yourself.... it works!
http://www.wimp.com/solutionoil
BP didn't take the precautions that a responsible company needed to take to maintain safe operations. They cut corners, from the look of it, they used their lobby cash to get things approved in Washington. They literally made the US Government complicit in this misadventure.
Post spill they decided to completely take control of the situation and in doing so, screwed up again. The problem is that the people they are abusing are the same people who buy their gasoline. They are killing sea life by the millions and the American public knows they will get off easy and probably escape without a great deal of harm.
The earth doesn't need this abuse. We are destroying our environment and the creatures that inhabit it. All in the name of the dollar bill. Somewhere, somebody needs to step in and say enough. Our President is "Furious" but anemic and weak. He needs to be replaced just over this issue alone, he has showed his total inability to deal with the job. It's sad but BP will get away with this and probably get US Aid to help rebuild. I guess we are the fools in all this ...
We need to stop whining, finger-pointing, etc. and get proactive on this issue. Why BP waited so long to use any of these solutions is beyond me. Let's get going.
I'm outraged this is a disaster some might even say its the preperation for the end of the world as it said in the bible that he will not cleanse the earth with water again but fire. Not only that the company thats making the decisions is the company that caused it in the first place and thats unacceptable. The gov't is doing a hell of a job painful as it is for me to say. also when they capped this thing why didnt they use a remote connection for the vents and a pipe warmer temporarily to keep the crystalization down they could have used a heating coil seperated by a thick wall off pipe then thats the new cap idea and it wouldn't have been taking until this weekend to close the gap i am extremely heated on this matter and expect many more comments on facebook and twitter on this subject
It’s hard to see so much oil still gushing from the well after BP placed that cap a day ago when, in theory, it seams so easy to just vacuum the oil directly from the well. Does anyone now if BP is in fact using any vacuum system or are they just relying on the oil pressure from the well? It would be very immature of them but wouldn't surprise me if they weren’t using any vacuum system. Bus if so, what kind of system are they using? Does anyone have that information? It would take about a couple of days, maybe 3 days to assemble a system that would be effective in vacuuming 94% to 99% of that oil gushing from the well. I, with all my years of experience, would be able to accomplish that! I wish i was on the BP crew to make it happen!
Hey Josh,
It is unfortunate that many of your viewers ignore the fact that BP and other oil companies work in an extremely dangerous and difficult environment to provide products (like gasoline) at an affordable price. BP was ill prepared for this disaster and will pay the price, but our consumption of these goods, without thought to how we get them is siily. Let's allow BP to plug the leak and clean up the mess, while we and our government focus on alternative energy sources that do not produce the damage oil does.It is our reliance on oil, not BP's willingness to sell it to us, that has created this situation.
Thanks
What about using the many deep sea exploration robotic vehicles that are owned by exploration companies and used every day by the ocean exploration scientific community? These robots are so highly advanced maybe they could perfom more precise work and get a repair done on this busted pipe spewing out our living nightmare??
"Smoke and Mirrors" by consumate liars.
No more new oil rigs anywhere without permanent and extensive safety hardware as part of the design plan and verified by the high standards that other countries employ before ever going on line. Force BP not to pay its shareholders until BP makes good on its promises to make the public, infrastructure and the environment whole again. Let the public know the truth that Republicans are working hard to let the oil company off the hook and making us, (all the taxpayers), pay for this disaster. Explain the evidence and point out by name who they are. The obstructionists must go, one way or the other. They are corrupt.
People are blind, In my own opinion this was sabotage to discredit the President. maybe Haliburton and Chenney had this all planed.
I am just shocked at the numbers and numbers you related concerning emails: is this all the world has to do.....doesn"st anyone work anymore or are they on computers all day twittering/facebooking and emailing. The scary part is that these same folks are the ones who I and many others need to answer and help us with insurance issues/medical etc
This social networking is the biggest bane on productive time at work, and I do not suspect this is being all done at 2/3 in the morning..
I am confused by the BP information on line. I live in Destin, FL. I have been trying to find out when the training classes will be held in our area. Without taking the BP class, I can't volunteer for my city. I've been to their website and you would think I could find a schedule for volunteer training. Training people to help is far more important than image. Their image is already lost.
Imagine finally being retired 68 years old. Sitting on your porch and your morning coffee mixing with the smell of oil in West Mobile, Alabama!! Literally nauseated, emotionally sick!
It is time that the congress and senate realized a few things from the BP disaster coupled with financial crisis, etc.
1) Self regulation is a myth. You need strong government regulation that is equitably applied.
2) We need to make the investment (which is very different from just spending since investments deliver returns later) in a new energy infrastructure including nuclear, solar and wind.
3) We need to become more energy efficient,
4) We need to control both campaign finance and the revolving door to lobbying. When you raise your hand to be sworn into Congress you should by law give up any future lobbying of any kind. When you take a paying non-elected job in the government, you have a 7 year moratorium on any lobbying.
5) We need to lead and not follow. America plateaued in the quarter century after WWII in many, but not all, ways. We simply rested on our laurels. If we cannot protect our own citizens and rebuild the WTC, New Orleans, etc. ; What does that say about us?
Why couldn't whomever was incharge from the beginning put a giant tarp down there and block off the pipe, then tie the tarp so it would make the pipe float to the top.. problem solved. Probably only less than $5000. Slowing down the oil isn't going to solve anything, its just going to spread slower and longer.
Hi Josh, personaly what i think about this hole oil spill ordeal people are gonna think am crazy. I mean come on, they have been drilling oil off shore for god knows how long, BP had to have know that sometime one day that one of these pips might break. After all the ocean is one of mother natures most dangerious territories. The world has to many great minds for BP not to have come up with a plan by now to stop this oil spill.
I mean, things are already been as bad as it can get regarding the economy. This is just another plan to kill america's spirit and to destroy the U.S dollar.
if i sound crazy let me please ill be watching CNN.
I think BP is doing a good job with handling its PR, but it seems too many people like to joke around almost to the point of slander on tweeter, so the fault is tweeter for not monitoring their content. Same goes with CNN. Their forums are not much better. People need to stop goofing around and step away from the keyboard.
Is this fiasco aka protecting LA a reminder of our govts response to Katrina. The gap between the White House and my house is widening at jet speed. Does LA have to prove worthiness to exist. My heroes are the residents not the presidents. Mr Nungesser,Mary Matalin &James Carville "get it"as well as Anderson,Sanjay & Gary.
I am wondering why BP isn't using peat moss to soak up the oil? It works as well if not better than anything they have tried so far and it is organic. It is also cheaper than the other options and harvesting a continuous supply of it would put Americans to work. But what do I know, I'm not as scientifically educated as the BP so called specialists. It would even be of some help in the marsh land where nothing else is. Maybe some one of influence out there could pass this along to the powers that be. Thanks for letting me have a say.
I have just watched Adm. Allen news conference. He is BPs PR man paid by us. How can this man tell us without blushing that this cap is good news when in fcat it is a relief vavle to allow BP to adjust the flow upwards which he repeatedly called PRODUCTION while two thirds still goes into the ocean. With the four openings they are now regulating the PRODUCTIO to suit their capture capacity. If they would close it now they could reduce the amount that flows into the ocean considerably. But the extra pressure created may blow the cap off.
To tell us that the four openings have to be closed slowly to avoid forming hydrates is such nonsense that should not be tolerated by the regulators. What's the differeence between oil spilling into saltwarer at the four openings or when it leaks through under the cap. This is all about PRODUCTION. Reducing pollution by 33% and pulling the wool over the publics eyes is disgusting.
How distracting to try to focus on the President of the US when CNN is splitting the screen to show the admiral is having a live press conference at the same time. Picture the admiral's face to learn you cut off the President to go live to the his conference at midstream! You guys can do better. You were waiting for both so you could have had a plan in place to tape one if not both and play them one at a time. Both are significant breaking news but get organized. This mess was not typical of CNN coverage.
Well, the truth is how can we have the facts or even an honest opinion with so many conflicting stories. Even CNNs reports don't agree with each other. Anderson Cooper all week has been blasting BP for not letting the people know anything, but then you post that they are explaining even with graphics on their web site. I watch the news every day and I still don't understand why the orginal failsafe of a lost connection didn't work or why the robots couldn't turn it off at the bottom. If they didn't even have a way to turn it off down there, that is total ignorance on their part and the regulators who should have required it. Since most companies will get away with whatever they can, even paying bribes, I put most of the blame on the federal government incompetence, and they should be held criminally liable if BP is endured.
It's sort of like the cop on the street who takes a bribe from a driver to get out of a ticket. We typically would blame the cop rather than the driver. But in this case we are doing the opposite.
Kyra...Great reports... and reporting with Adm. Allen...esp. out at sea...and the summaries on shore of the 11 who died, and the mood of the north Gulf communities...keep up the good work! Much needed and admired from here in southwest coastal Florida. We watch and wait. I was remembering this morning your reports from Iraq...one terrific reporter.
Josh...Thanks so much, too, for your insightful work...slow down just a little and not let voice drop at end so we can get every word! Too valuable to miss. I appreciate your work!
My brother is an unemployed certified marine outboard motor mechanic living in Florida. He is looking for a job possibly maintaining the boats cleaning the oil. How would he go about sending his resume to someone who will consider him for a job?
how we not see the earth has blowen a head gasket an now we have oil in our radiator an we all kows what happens then,this will be a global disaster,wake up people we,ve distroyed our begainning of all life
tell the people that are blaming the gov yes they may in part responsible but bp executive &supervisor are the ones that cut corner stop the blame game & get the minds in the world involved and get a solution before you ruin our way of life on the culf coast. i'm not the biggest fan of obama but he is doing the best he can. think back who was in charge of our gov in the past texas oil mogul bush lets just get a solution please and hurry
please do something besides blame
signed worried on the coast
tim b.
The problem with BP is they, and probably other oil companies as well, did/do not have enough satisfactory disaster response methods in place before being given access to the Gulf floor. Having the means readily available to properly respond to disasters like this should first have to be proven before any oil company is given access to our gulf and ocean floors. The other oil companies still drilling into our shorelines should be scrambling now to ensure they could react better than BP. The U.S. Gov't also should have responded by now - we can give BP the bill later, just get in there and be proactive! BP needs to focus on the problem at hand - they can work on cleaning up their reputation after they clean up the problem!
Why don't they replace the plate below the riser and then attached pipe to surface. No leaks and 100% recovery.
Here is a sampling of Republican and BP PR talking points, feel free to add your own:
BP CEO Tony (soon to resign in disgrace) Hayward, 'The Oil spill was 'tiny' compared with the volume of water in the Gulf of Mexico'.
The Republican darling and Queen of the Tea Potty movement Sarah (Drill baby Drill) Palin, '"Radical environmentalists: you are damaging the planet with your efforts to lock up safer drilling areas. There's nothing clean and green about your misguided, nonsensical radicalism, and Americans are on to you as we question your true motives."
Fox News entertainers and king of psycho babblers Rush Limbaugh and Brit Hume, 'More oil is spilled every year in Africa, and in Nigeria than so far in the Gulf. So it's not unique, its not exceptional'.
Fox News entertainers and king of psycho babblers Rush Limbaugh and Brit Hume,'The Gulf of Mexico annually absorbs crude Oil equivalent to twice the Exxon Valdez spill, the current crisis is overblown'
Fox News entertainers and king of psycho babblers Rush Limbaugh and Micheal (Heckva Job) Brown,'They played politics with this crisis, This is exactly what they want, because now President Obama can pander to the environmentalists and say 'I'm going to shut this down because it's too dangerous'
Surprisingly compared with the previous pin and bobble heads, the most sobering comment comes from Fidel Castro on the Oil Spill:
Fidel Castro on the Gulf of Mexico Gusher, 'The Oil Spill shows how little governments can do against those who control the capital and money'
Josh, those rakes and other tools used to pick up the oil on the beaches seem so clumsy. It seems to me that large kitty litter scoops would do a better job since the tar is sticking to the sand anyway. It would work just like you were cleaning up a kitty's litter box. Also, Josh, your in-depth stuff is great. Thanks. I also enjoyed the model you people used earlier. Nicely done.
Hey Guys–what is the scoop about the tankers that can suck up the oil? Why aren't we demanding they are deployed? Apparently they have worked before.
I can't stand it that this situation is just getting worse every day.
The recent ad campaign is over the top. How does BP dare to put it on
the air? The crisis is hard to watch and the inability to cap the well is incredible. All equipment used should have been tested prior to installation and checked as it was installed.
If it had been, this would not have happened. We were in Marathon FL
in March and I dread what could happen to the Keys. I expect we will
see the results here by July 4th, just in time for my daughter and
grandson's visit. If you live on the east coast, we will all have to beware.
To me, the oil giant, BP, is only capable to make money and not prepared to deal with any disaster like this. BP has now become like a confused-scientist in the middle of jungle. Sad!!!!
The extensive website about the oil spill, links, videos, pictures, and more, in some ways does not prepare us for what exactly we need to do after they close this leak? What it is needed to be done to clean the area? How many years will pass until we can eat food from the sea? Since the Federal Government was not ready for this calamity. The critics need to be big because we do not know what will happen. Having Alaska with a Gag order does not help to prepare America for a disaster. This will be the equivalent to Gag order to New York and its citizens on a Terrorist Act to another State. In my opinion, BP has it all. They will certainly provide the chemicals for the cleanup and they will not be free. I think that we really are not ready for what is about to start. This incompetence cannot be allowed ever to happen again.
The cutting of the metal increased flow by 20%. So that is 120% of initial flow. The cap on well reduces flow by about 1/3. If you now decrease flow by 1/3 (120%- 1/3 *120%) you get a flow of about 80% of the precutting flow. PB has helped wit the cap. Please do the math. People trust CNN, and they usually can. Not this time though.
BP Oil spill (2) Questions: 1) Can't BP use a drill enclosed in tubing below the opening in the pipe to create a syphon-similar to a plumber running a pipe from a hot water tank in a basement home to a 3 way joiner pipe going to a washer- to draw the oil up to a tanker on the water? They can also try to cap the well leak at the same time. 2) Are there other offshore oil wells in the gulf like BP (chevron,shell,esso, etc..) with the same potential for disaster with no "back-up" plan?
Question: It is interesting that they (BP) are quoting the amount of oil being captured via the cap in gallons when we have been talking about barrels. Is that because the number in gallons sound better? What is the expected leakage now?
I saw a report on CNN that someone from BP claimed that the over 500 dead birds were probably not all because of the oil. Seriously? What did they say? Can you play that quote? I'm guessing maybe a few birds die every day naturally, but nothing like this. Just curious if what they said here is like what that idiot Hayward said about food poisoning being the likely cause of the Gulf spill cleanup workers, when they were having symptoms like shortness of breath and nasal bleeding (not at all food poisoning symptoms). Ant improvement in the lack of masks and ripped Haz-Mat suits as reported by Dr. Gupta?
Why are there not more press questions to Allen and BP about the lack of clean-up and BP not following up on the berms and such?
Hi Josh,
Using simple geometry and information provided by BP, it is possible to determine the minimum amount of oil that has been and is being released into the Gulf.
BP has stated that they are presently collecting 200,000 gallons of oil using the newly inserted "siphon"; and that this siphon has a diameter of 4 inches. We also know that the pipe that this siphon has been inserted into has a diameter of 21 inches. Therefore, the area (A=πr^2 ) of the 4 inch pipe is 12.6 square inches while the area of the 21 inch pipe is 346.4 square inches. Or 27.6 times larger area. If BP is correct and they are collecting 200,000 gallons of oil a day from this one leak (2 more leaks have been reported) than 200,000 X 27.6 = 5,512,500 gallons/day of oil that is presently not being captured and is entering the Gulf; which means that prior to the siphon being inserted in this pipe over 5,700,000 gallons/day has been dumped into the water. Therefore, over a 30 day period approximately 170 million gallons of oil has flowed out of this well. In comparison the Exon Valdez spilled 11 million gallons. Remember this calculation is an under estimation of the leak.
In case no one has noticed these warm waters not only support a tremendous amount of the Eastern Seaboard’s ecological environment but they just happen to pass close to Iceland and some of the richest fishing grounds in the world (for a map please Google: Map of Gulf Stream). Ironically the Gulf Stream ends in the North Sea.
It is possible that if the leak is not stopped immediately that its effects will be far reaching, from the Gulf to the Eastern Seaboard and soon the North Atlantic and North Sea. The environmental effects could be catastrophic.
These numbers seem so large and the possible effects of this amount of oil so disastrous that I have trouble wrapping my mind around them, however the math is simple and the data was obtained from published BP news releases.
I believe it is time that the US gov’t collects the data and directs the plugging of the well. If we have to wait until August for the well to be plugged than the very real possibility of over 500 million gallons of oil will enter the environment. As a scientist I do not see how we can avoid a catastrophic collapse of a large part of the US coastal environment.
Please pass this on to your scientific advisors to check my calculations. I hope I am wrong.
Wishing you luck,
Barry E. Rothenberg, Ph.D.
For the people who create the fake twitter accounts, don't you have anything better to do – like going to the Gulf Coast and actually helping rather than being a bunch of lazy-ass whiners. Sure BP really messed up- but what are you doing about it?????
Why can't the oil be burned off???
Good evening Don,
Why is BP continually trying to cap the well versus just destroying the well and filling it in? All of their failed measures involve siphoning as much oil off of the leak as they can while waiting for the relief well to be drilled. By then, countless more barrels will be in the Gulf.
I understand that by doing so, BP will miss out on the future profits, but aren't we past that point? It is time for BP to destroy the well and make good on their promise by putting a 100% effort in to cleaning up their mess.
BP has not tried everything possible.Their is technology to unbolt the flange and install a manual shut off valve. Then connect a reducer pipe on top of that to a 10" pipe all the way to the surfuce, leaving the valve open until the 10" pipe is in a tanker ship.When the oil is going in the tanker they can slowly shut the valve down 100%, if the pressure is to high for the pipe below the BOP valve they can shut it down 75% to 85%. The main thing is total containment, no more oil leaking into the gulf. If this was done from the first day, their would be a lot less oil in the gulf. The real probolem is hurricanes, when a storm comes in the gulf BP will evacuate all equipment and person from the sight, leaving the oil gushing 100% in the gulf once again.
Just a quick comment, why BP did not contain the spill within a 10 mile radius using booms?
Where are all the musicians creating songs for the Gulf's benefit? Where are the TV benefits
w/ celebrities and musicians giving heart felt speeches on the poor
fisherman, wildlife, beaches, loss of income and sabotaged gulf economy?
When we have to move because of our loss of income, we should all move to Washington and camp out in front of the White House.
Musicians, celebrities and our OWN government are so quick to help HAITI and other countries but......."WE ARE THE WORLD, WE ARE THE PEOPLE". What about us. Where are they....
I think we need to get on track–and quit all this nonsense –we need businesses and we need the oil–what went wrong is congress let the oil company get by with out protecting our environment and let the guard down on safety measures–there was legislation that got bought off–and Halliburton and the oil companies were able to use drilling structures inadequate to safeguard the system–it wasn’t that they couldn’t plug up the leak–it was they could not hold the pressure that would be caused by holding back the flow–the structure was inadequate for the original well. Congress need to pass strong legislation that would make sure that the oil companies can shut off and hold the pressure of any drilling operation and remove the cap on fines and restitutions –say up to 30 present of a companies worth–the incentive to protect our environment need to be ensured.
Oil disaster law suits- unbelievable.
Thirty-seven of the 64 active or senior judges in key Gulf Coast districts in Louisiana, Texas, Alabama, Mississippi and Florida have links to oil, gas and related energy industries, including some who own stocks or bonds in BP PLC, Halliburton or Transocean — and others who regularly list receiving royalties from oil and gas production wells, according to the reports judges must file each year. The AP reviewed 2008 disclosure forms, the most recent available.
Those three companies are named as defendants in virtually all of the 150-plus lawsuits seeking damages, mainly for economic losses in the fishing, seafood, tourism and related industries, that have been filed over the growing oil spill since the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig exploded April 20, killing 11 workers. Attorneys for the companies and those suing them are pushing for consolidation of the cases in one court, with BP recommending Texas and others advocating for Louisiana and other states.
If it ends up in Texas, Texas Governor, Rick Perry, said that this is "an act of God" therefore not punishable. You can already see how BP is trying to get out of paying damages.
You need to ask a plumber, like me, what clogs up pipes fast. The answer plumbers know the best are: rice, tampons, and nylons. these are found clogging pipes all over the nation! So, they should take panty hose and fill them with half-cooked instant rice, and cheap tampons. Stuff these panty hose, and then they will grow to many,many times the original size by the time they get to the end of the pipe. If they do not clog it up, they sure will soak up a lot of oil and then they will float in the gulf to be picked out, and/or they will bio-degrade if not scooped out, causing no more harm than if the plan was not tried.
I think it will work. The rice and tampons will soak up, as well as clog up, and grow in huge proportions! The nylons will stretch as the stuff grows inside them. Seriously.
The BP leak could have been fixed by using reverse oilcapturing containment quickly. oil is captured in Super Tankers. A Super tanker with sides welded to the bottom to anchor into the sand and then sunk over the area with an electronic door in the bottom opened once the ship was over the spill would be opened and the oil would have flowed into the Super tanker compartments as they were opened. Hoses attached to pumps on the top of the tanker would have pumped the oil to the surface to another waiting tanker. To fill the tanker on the bottom of the ocean alone would have taken days and bought precious time to begin bringing the oil to the surface. Almost all of the oil would have been contained once the ship sank into the sand around the leak. They are fixing this on way too small a scale. The ship could have been guided slowly over the leak.
A pipe less in diamater then the leaking pipe filled with lead and a weight lenght of 1/3 of a mile could have been lowered and guided into the gushing oil. The weight of the pipe would have far surpassed the pressure of the oil coming out as the pipe sank into the leaking pipe-stemming the leak and pressure considerably giving the opportunity to cap the leak easily.
A crane and robots from the surface could have made this happen.