Here we go.... New Orleans ad pulled, called 'anti-British' | wwltv.com | WWLTV.com News Sorry we accidentally insulted the Brits....us small people really didn't mean to...we hope you Brits get your lives back soon.
That's something that I haven't heard, but makes sense. This talk that it failed because it bit on a pipe shoulder connection never made sense. They would have been designed to handle something with that high a probability. I suspect everybody from the mud supplier, the cement supplier, the toolmakers, to the damned food caterer is going to be jumping through hoops in the next couple of years as the finger-pointing continues.
I don't know what's up with the MMS. I worked on a production platform for a smaller company, not deepwater, and I can tell you that the MMS are tough bastards. Even though we'd do things the right way, we'd still put on a show for them so we wouldn't get inked. I know it's only slightly relevant because I didn't work for an oil giant, but those dudes take their job seriously. I was hearing rumors at the time of the explosions that the MMS had inspected the deepwater horizon rig four months in a row without a single reprimand, and that's where I start scratching my head.
I've done several research and mapping contracts with MMS and one thing is for sure--it's a huge agency with a byzantine organization and the people there turn over quite a bit. Competence there ranges from excellent to miserable. Some of the scientists and engineers I worked with are top-notch, but some of the contracts people and administrative policy wonks make you want to scream. I have little doubt that they have been too cozy with the oil industry. People move back and forth between industry and MMS. Republican administrations have pushed them to lease, baby lease and make more opportunities for industry. Democratic administrations halt drilling in national parks and wildlife refuges but are still greedy for cheap and plentiful Texas and Louisiana offshore oil where they are not seen by people. MMS is overdue for a major house cleaning, total streamlining, and some serious ethical standards.
Definitely agree. I'm just curious to see what their influence was in this case. Either way, it was inevitable that the MMS shortcomings were surely going to be thrust into the spotlight.
I don't know if any of this is true, but it is interesting in a bad way. Obama Boss George Soros Ready To Profit From Oil Disaster, page 1
oh, you bet your ass that anyone who so much as sent a peper clip to that rig will be mentioned in lawsuits. my guess is that at the end of the day, BP will shoulder 95% (mabe more) of the blame in this one.
