Gulf Coast Oil Leak: Environmental Catastrophe vs. U.S. Independence
by Tim Fausch
May 28, 2010
Photo Credit: Eric Gay, AP from MSNBC.
I’m an ardent fan of the great outdoors. I run and bike on
nature trails. I’m the family recycling nut. My favorite vacation destinations
are Zion National Park, The Grand Canyon, Glacier National Park, and Bryce
Canyon. I love lakes, rivers and the ocean.
Career wise, my first job with BNP Media was as an editor on
Solar Engineering &
Contracting magazine. I am a big fan of our two all green brands,
Environmental Design +
Construction and Sustainable
Facility.
So you can appreciate why I was distressed to learn via
MSNBC that the oil spill in the Gulf Coast is bigger than the slick caused by
the Exxon Valdez (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/37353392/ns/gulf_oil_spill/?GT1=43001)
and is now the worst in U.S. history.
At first, media coverage focused on the fiery accident and
tragic death of the oil workers. Soon after, coverage shifted to the ongoing
environmental impact, accusations of poor emergency response, and who is to
blame. Federal support of offshore drilling has turned into efforts to curtail
offshore drilling.
I certainly understand why environmentalists are outraged.
No one wants to see such damage, some of which might take decades to reverse.
Fisherman, shrimpers, and resorts are being severely impacted.
Clearly, this oil spill is a mega disaster.
And yet, I am hoping that our righteous anger doesn’t cause
elected officials to make emotional or political decisions that could hurt the U.S. in other
ways. Banning offshore drilling would lead to greater dependence on foreign
sources and higher prices for gas and oil products, thus increasing the cost of
doing business in the U.S.
A good first step is to take an analytical approach to this
mess. So I was encouraged when I read this oil leak analysis (http://www.economist.com/science-technology/displaystory.cfm?story_id=16160853&source=features_box_main)
published by The Economist
and the steps BP Oil is taking to fix it. It was good to see coverage that
focused on cause-and-effect, rather than name-calling and finger-pointing.
I know what some of you are thinking. Why not simply ramp up
our energy conservation efforts and develop alternative energy sources so we
can be done with off shore drilling?
This approach was popular in the early 1980s when the Carter
administration set a goal of generating 20% of the country’s energy through
renewable sources. Unfortunately, the conversation rates of those sources were
not cost-competitive then, and as far as I can tell, most are not competitive
on a major scale today. I wish they were.
This blog reaches engineers, designers, manufacturers,
architects, consultants, contractors and many other pros who are all smarter
and more technically savvy than me. I would love to hear your reactions to the
oil spill and how we should move forward.
Post your comments to this blog or email me at fauscht@bnpmedia.com.
Tim Fausch
fauscht@bnpmedia.com
Tim Fausch is publishing director of BNP Media’s
Architecture, Engineering & Construction and Mechanical Systems Groups, a
collection of more than 20 trade titles.
During the last 27 years, Tim has viewed the construction field as an
editor, circulation manager, marketing manager and publisher. Contact him at fauscht@bnpmedia.com or at 248-244-6448.
Comments (1)Post a Comment
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Title: I disagree
By: Robert Brown
Posted: May 29, 2010 1:26 PM
Current statistics put the price of renewably generated electricity at barely over 0.20/kwh (industrial size PV arrays: other forms are less). Some areas of america already pay more than that, that's not a show stopper.
that leaves time shifting demands, as well as transmissions as problems... though distributed PV can largely bypass transmission problems.
Time of use metering could be deployed with current technology using wireless internet plug adapters for things like washing machines, dryers (dumb, on/off devices).. and yes, electric car batteries. Electric thermal storage units are available now and allow for heating in cold climates with electric energy whenever it's available.
There are technical hurdles. but the biggest one, is simply accepting a higher price for energy, now, instead of continually pursuing whatever form can be made to look artificially cheaper by ignoring the externalities involved.... such as the utter destruction of the gulf of mexico.... which are impossible to quantify until it's far too late.
But we do know solar and wind "catastrophes"... i.e., brownouts... would be far less devastating than anything coal, oil, or nuclear have to offer for worst case scenarios.
I submit the solution is to stop expanding our search for oil. Add a gas tax to fuel the transition to green energy. AND, critically, at whatever we add for taxes on whatever imports we bring in that come from countries without such taxation to level the paying field.
the time has come to stop our religious devotion to open markets and to recognize that the pursuit of the lowest possible cost for energy must end. Sustainability is far, far more important.