Arkansas learns about the price of oil

[Mindcrime]

Hmm, look over there...another failed pipeline...

Good thing we're fining these multi-billion-dollar companies thousands of dollars per spill.

Thousands of gallons of oil have spilled from a pipeline in Texas, the third accident of its kind in only a week.

Shell Pipeline, a unit of Royal Dutch Shell Plc, shut down their West Columbia, Texas, pipeline last Friday after electronic calculations conducted by the US National Response Center showed that upwards of 700 barrels had been lost, amounting to almost 30,000 gallons of crude oil.

By Monday, Shell spokespeople said inspectors found “no evidence” of an oil leak, but days later it was revealed that a breach did occur. Representatives with the US Coast Guard confirmed to Dow Jones on Thursday that roughly 50 barrels of oil spilled from a pipe near Houston, Texas and entered a waterway that connects to the Gulf of Mexico.

Coast Guard Petty Officer Steven Lehman said that Shell had dispatched clean-up crews that were working hard to correct any damage to Vince Bayou, a small waterway that runs for less than 20 miles from the Houston area into a shipping channel that opens into the Gulf. Source

[Genoobie]

That is nasty but as a nation we need oil.

No, you have to define "need". If we used our resources more sensibly (and efficiently) we would "need" a lot less oil. I've done my part. I've taken a car off the road and started biking / public transportation to work. If overland shipping were changed to primarily rail and goods were delivered more efficiently (as rail is much more efficient that trucking) millions of gallons of crude could be saved. But, I guess the problem is that scenario doesn't fit well with the model of selling more crap that most Americans don't need.

[Mindcrime]

Aaaaaaand right on cue, Exxon-Mobil was just awarded the Green Cross for Safety medal, for "excellence in safety, security, health and environmental performance." I guess since they had the government institute a no-fly-zone over the affected area, and impose a media blackout, there have been no air fatalities over the area, a 100% safety rating.

Itasca, IL –The National Safety Council presented Exxon Mobil Corporation with the Green Cross for Safety medal at its annual fundraising dinner in Houston last night. The dinner honored ExxonMobil for its leadership and comprehensive commitment to safety excellence.

“It is an honor to receive this medal on behalf of the men and women of ExxonMobil,” said Rex W. Tillerson, ExxonMobil chairman and chief executive officer. “We hold this award in high esteem because it recognizes the deep commitment of our company and our people to a culture of safety.”

NSC Chairman of the Board of Directors, Kent McElhattan and Janet Froetscher, NSC president and CEO, presented the Green Cross for Safety medal to Mr. Tillerson.

“It is evident that ExxonMobil is committed to excellence in safety, security, health and environmental performance,” said Froetscher. “The Council is honored to recognize ExxonMobil with the Green Cross for Safety medal. This organization is a wonderful example of the role corporations can play in preventing injuries and saving lives.”

Source

[FMD]

Oil is a huge part of life. Oil, used primarily as an energy source is also used in human food in the form of coloring.. Among other things... Paints, medicines, consumer products such as plastic, rubber, sealants, lubrication for motors and engines, clothing, roads, roofing materials...

We are not running out of oil. Instead the US became an OPEC country, for the irst time in 2011. Number one consumer of oil is china!


The majority of the oil we ue is produced locally, with some from Mexico, and some from Canada. We get zero oil from the middle east or elsewhere for American consumption.

Our refineries are at 100% because 30+% of our capacity is used to refine product that gets sold on the open market.

But do your part to save oil! Lol


It's interesting, cars from the 1950s 60's and 70's weighed 2-3x as much as they do now, with big v8s and they got roughly the same mpg as today's plastic econoboxes. Interesting... But let's not think about that!