Oil Hogs
For some anecdotal evidence that we 1) need to find some alternate sources of energy and 2) might want to continue being cautious about the whole idea of drilling in ANWR, check out this article on BP and the Prudhoe Bay pipeline. Apparently BP had not been particularly diligent in its upkeep of the pipeline, failing to regularly perform a procedure known as “pgging” (check out the article for a fuller explanation) in favor of cheaper means of checking on the pipeline. Federal regulators finally forced BP to do the more thorough check after they had a spill elsewhere that left hundreds of thousands of gallons of oil on the tundra. They discovered that there was significant corrosion i nthe line – in two places, the steel was only seven hundredths of an inch thick.
That’s a big reason to be concerned about the push for more drilling. You have to take the possibility – maybe even the probability – of an accident into account. One solution might be to have stricter environmental regulations and a rigorous inspection scheme as a safeguard – but then, most of the folks arguing for more drilling are the ones arguing against tougher regulations and enforcement. Doesn’t exactly fill me with confidence.
About Dave Thomer
Born and raised in Philadelphia. Studied philosophy at Fordham University in the Bronx, where I made many great friends and met my wonderful wife. We moved back to Philadelphia, where I studied philosophy some more and became a teacher. Online and off, I'm looking for ways that we can be better citizens and build stronger communities.