Nov 29, 2010

Gulf oil spill: Was better cleanup technology ignored to boost BP profits?


When the Deepwater Horizon began gushing into the Gulf of Mexico, BP chose to sink the oil with chemical dispersants. But there are other, cleaner ways to deal with oil spills.

Dan Parker, CEO and Founder of Louisville, Ky-based C.I.Agent Solutions, believes “traditional oil spill cleanup methods such as vacuum trucks and skimmers are very expensive and require a lot of manpower. The cleanup process is often slow, and transporting water for processing is often needed.”

Scientist’s claim that the long-term effects of the oil spilled into the Gulf of Mexico is only part of the environmental and human health problem. Reports by whistleblowers in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency suggest that the 2 million gallons of dispersant BP poured into the Gulf was as deadly as the spilled oil.

Parker claims, “Solidified oil does not need any processing afterwards. It can be recycled, reused in various industrial applications, or disposed of in landfills depending on local regulations. Solidifiers are non-toxic and float on water. They are not harmful to animals, humans or the environment. They are very cost effective, up to 80% compared to traditional cleanup methods.”

On a spill as massive as the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster, no single clean up method could have contained the disaster. But according to Parker, “alternative technology products are just another tool in the response tool box. We can’t be used on every oil spill, but the ones we can be used on we can save the responsible party time, money, and help the environment. 

Unfortunately a majority of response companies are only interested in billing for time (labor) and materials. They make a huge profit using 50 year old technology.”

At some point, governments around the world may recognize the need modernize oil spill clean up methods, because an oil company’s desire for profits can never repair what took an ecosystem thousands of years to create.

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