Time to rethink oil drilling in The Bahamas

Time to rethink oil drilling in Bahamas
tribune242 editorial:


WORLD WAR I was supposed to have been the "war to end all wars," until 21 years later the mistakes made around the negotiating table of that war spawned World War II. Since then the world has been involved in many skirmishes of varying proportions.

A few minutes past midnight on March 24, 1989 the oil tanker Exxon Valdez struck a reef in Alaska's Prince William Sound, spilling 11 million gallons of crude oil over 470 miles, leaving behind an environmental nightmare that the world had never seen before -- and hoped it would never see again. The initial cleanup took three years and cost more than $2.1 billion. The deadly toll on wildlife will never be known.

As a result of the Valdez accident an unsuspecting public would no longer believe a corporation's word that its operations are completely safe.

The Alaskan disaster resulted in tighter environmental regulations being imposed on various industries. "The most important regulation attempting to protect against a repeat of the spill," said one report after the accident, "is the modern standard for tanker ships, which now must be built with double hulls, so that if the outer skin is punctured, no oil will leak."

Ostensibly the Valdez was an oil spill -- like World War I -- that was to end all oil spills of such magnitude. But then there was April 22 -- just 11 days ago -- when BP's oil rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico, spewing out an estimated 200,000 gallons of oil a day, with still no sign of letting up. Eleven persons were killed. Ironically, the chaos erupted as the world celebrated Earth Day.

According to reports BP hopes to deploy a giant, 40-foot steel funnel within the next few days to attempt to trap much of the leaking oil at source. However, while the technique has worked in shallow water, it has never been done under a mile of ocean.

It is forecast that this spill will be far worse than the Exxon Valdez tragedy and will threaten even more extensive areas, killing wildlife, destroying beaches, and annihilating the livelihood of hundreds of fishermen, and allied businesses. Bahamians are holding their collective breath that the wind currents don't shift, sending the oil splashing on our shores.

Although, now is not the time for fingerpointing as every resource is being used to stop the flow and spread of the life threatening oil, shortly after the explosion it was suggested that BP's oil rig did not have what is known as a blow-out preventer. It was claimed that cost was a consideration. However, as the news continued to flow as fast as the oil, it was reported that although BP had the preventer, the equipment had malfunctioned.

Apparently, blow out preventers, which would have capped the spill, are mandatory in Norwegian and Brazilian offshore oil drills, but not in oil drills off the United States. It was claimed that regulation of these drills are not sufficiently strict.

This was a spill that after the Valdez was not meant to have happened. But it did.

In May last year it was predicted -- almost jubilantly -- that the Bahamas could be an oil producing company within 10 years. As far back as we can remember oil companies have been poking around in our waters prospecting for oil. So far nothing has been found. In view of what is now happening in the Gulf, it is probably a blessing, and could be a warning that fate should not be tempted.

In March, when asked about the two companies that have raised £2.4 million to increase working capital to invest in deep water drilling in the Bahamas, Phenton Neymour, minister of state for the environment, said the government was "proceeding cautiously."

In view of what is happening in the Gulf, we suggest that government turn its back on oil and think in terms of more environmentally sustainable methods to provide our needs.

Remember there has never -- and will never be a war -- to end all wars, unless it is the final war. Nor will there be an oil drilling accident that will end all such accidents. But if we don't take heed and realise that no matter what proud Man believes, it is Nature that has the last word, an oil drilling accident in these waters could be the final curtain on a Bahamas that we once knew.

It is true, that an oil find in our waters would mean tremendous wealth, but it could also mean tremendous tragedy.

And as we should all know by now, money is not everything -- as a matter of fact one wise man warned that it is "the root of all evil."

May 04, 2010

tribune242

Bahamas Blog International