Plans to nuke BP oil spill gathers steam

[Canid117]

Perhaps this is why you should have, oh whats the word... a contingency plan for this kind of thing!

Does no one have any foresight?

The contingency plan was there it just happened to fail.

 

[Judgement101]

I still think this article is complete BS

 

[Danzaivar]

Do we really want a horde of Godzillarish Zombie Dinosaurs spilling out of the Gulf of Mexico?

You know, it almost reads like you're implying the answer to this question is a no. Which is just insanity.

 

[ssgt splatter]

Nothing else seems to be working so why not.

 

[dashiz94]

Right! So we solve the oil pollution, which you can have a decent control over, by nuking it! Because, you know, fallout fixes everything! And it's not like the fallout can't be controlled at all and won't have environmental issues of its own that could, you know, do more damage than the oil ever could. Yeah! Let's go with it!

(Total sarcasm to anyone who didn't get it.)

 

[Irridium]

Perhaps this is why you should have, oh whats the word... a contingency plan for this kind of thing!

Does no one have any foresight?

The contingency plan was there it just happened to fail.

And what was this contingency?

 

[jimmy509]

I'd like to hear more about the Russian's attempts to do this. Did it work perfectly? Are there any side effects? Maybe this isn't as batshit insane as it sounds.

 

[dashiz94]

My dad works for Total oil company, he knows what he's talking about when he says that that oil well will continue spewing oil at that rate for YEARS.

How comfortable are you with that? The entire Gulf coast will turn into a passive tar pit.

I already knew that, and I never said I was comfortable with it.

Look, the nuclear option should not be Plan B, hell they should try plans B through Plan Z before they actually attempt the nuke but you have to realise almost all the other plans have very little chance of success. I mean they tried the most likely solutions already and they've all failed.

If the nuclear option is a last resort, those in charge STILL have to start preparing for it now. Politicians need to get talking about how this IS a possibility and make sure it doesn't jeopardise any arms agreements and the need to start NOW.

Not entirely true. The BP did successfully attach the cap to leak, which shows that they are making some progress. And I said in my post that a nuke should be low on the list of possible solutions. So while I wouldn't necessarily object to them discussing it, that should be a low priority compared to other, safer methods that could potentially be successful. It's not like this idea is guaranteed to work.

I think we would all be much more comfortable with a contained underground nuclear detonation than the high likelihood of an unending tide of oil sludge.

BTW: the well is not capped till it is capped, there is no "50% done" it is done or it isn't and I'm hearing the same guarded optimism as from the past 45 days and no overall picture of progress.

Well the problem is the environmentalists are in fiendish dilemma, a challenge between their "no nukes" policy and their "evil oil must be stopped" stance. We need to face up to the fact that we are running out of options, discussions would be pointless if every sentenced ended with "oh, but this is low priority".

And what do you mean by low priority? Like if the team running Operation: Unthinkable inquired about what diameter hole could be drilled, would the response be:

"What? I can't waste my time giving you detains, you're planning to SET OFF A NUCLEAR BOMB! That's a low priority don't you know, I have better things to do like fill out insurance forms for the failed operations we've already attempted"

When it comes to operations involving nuclear detonations low priority = no priority.

The United States has conducted thousands of underground nuclear tests, right up till 1992, they are very good at almost completely containing all nuclear fallout. Radioactive fallout is not much distinct from the poisons in crude oil, like the highly carcinogenic Benzene.

Look, people are paranoid about nuclear power, and the media is almost entirely to blame as painting it as some mystical "god-like" power from nuclear blasts, then drawing on instinctive neurosis of infection, nuclear fallout is treated like the Black Death was treated in the Dark Ages. And because it is fairly new and very unfamiliar the tempting response is just to say, no, don't want to ever have to deal with it nor even think about it again.

The thing is this technique has proven to work in the most extreme of circumstances, where all else has failed. Obama needs to realise that if all else fails he will have to consider this option.

It really does seem that this is the lesser evil.

But again, no one has any idea how the fallout will affect the environment, or if it may actually do more harm.

 

[Tharwen]

No! All the fish would mutate and stuffs! Shouldn't they be waiting until December 2012 to do this?

 

[superbatranger]

I think Michael bay just had an orgasm.

Anyways, I heard on the Colbert Report that the russians did suggest this, and I wasn't too sure I believed it but now it looks like we might have a lot of mutant crabs/sea life in the gulf real soon. Also, how many people would go see the nuclear explosion?!

Hell, if there was no chance of me going blind or dying of fallout, I'd go see it. I do live in Texas, so it's close enough. I'd just have to buy a plane ticket to get to Houston, then drive down to Galveston for the show.

But, am I the only one who is severely facepalming over the fact that this guy is from Houston?

 

[Canid117]

Perhaps this is why you should have, oh whats the word... a contingency plan for this kind of thing!

Does no one have any foresight?

The contingency plan was there it just happened to fail.

And what was this contingency?

A special device was supposed to cap off the leak but it broke. That was the contingency... they just didn't have a back up for their back up.

 

[Irridium]

Perhaps this is why you should have, oh whats the word... a contingency plan for this kind of thing!

Does no one have any foresight?

The contingency plan was there it just happened to fail.

And what was this contingency?

A special device was supposed to cap off the leak but it broke. That was the contingency... they just didn't have a back up for their back up.

Uh-huh...

Is it wrong that I consider that plan, and the fact that they have no "plan C" completely in utterly stupid?

I mean really, please tell me that Penny Arcade strip above is just a funny exaggeration and not what basically happened.

 

[Canid117]

Perhaps this is why you should have, oh whats the word... a contingency plan for this kind of thing!

Does no one have any foresight?

The contingency plan was there it just happened to fail.

And what was this contingency?

A special device was supposed to cap off the leak but it broke. That was the contingency... they just didn't have a back up for their back up.

Uh-huh...

Is it wrong that I consider that plan, and the fact that they have no "plan C" completely in utterly stupid?

I mean really, please tell me that Penny Arcade strip above is just a funny exaggeration and not what basically happened.

Well they did think they could go down and repair it if this happened but the leak was far to extreme for this to be a viable option. And before you go on saying "Well where was plan D?" answer me this. Do you come up with five different plans on how to eat breakfast in the morning? Yes BP fucked up and were extremely incompetent but there is a big difference between two horribly shitty plans and a decent one, and no plans at all.

 

[Nalesnik]

Oh, how I would LOVE to have been a fly on the wall during that meeting. I can just picture it now; the scientists and execs gathered around a table all depressed, and in silence, when suddenly the nuclear guy blurts out "Let's just nuke that shit"

 

[Paksenarrion]

YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES!

That'd be awesome! And you yanks'd finally use your nukes instead of just letting them sit and collect cobwebs.

Who knows what other issues can be solved with nukes?

*Cough* Climate Change *Cough*

This is scientifically sound. After this, let's tackle AIDS and cancer.

 

[Lord_Panzer]

If it's worked for the Russians 80% of the time, I think you guys should try it...

Unless you guys think the Ruskies are better at it than you.