That monster oil spill — perhaps better called an oil “spew” — appears to be heading toward some of the best of the resort beaches along Florida’s west coast, from what they’re reporting on the news today. Just one more example of the horrific impact this mess is going to have on our world before it’s over.
As I sit here writing this, I’m actually hearing a news report that states further back from the Gulf Coast may actually see their summer vacation and tourism revenues improve, stoked by tourists forced to avoid the coastal oil regions. Ironic, isn’t it?
Too bad there’s not some sort of gigantic acne scar removal procedure to wipe this undersea scar clean and seal it shut. But the sealing it shut part, of course, is the rub: The monster’s hiding under a mile of ocean water and multiple numbers of atmospheric pressure. We can’t just send down a worker — human or robotic — to put a plug in it.
On a slightly positive note, BP announced they cut the top off that one pipe they were struggling with. Of course, a less positive side of that news is this — the cut was jagged and may really not work for putting a cap on it. This is starting to look like they won’t even slow the flow significantly for another two or three months when they’re predicting the two new wells will be done tapping into the bad well to shut it down.
Maybe.