Resulting Oil Leaks

Initial reports said that the pipes were leaking oil at around 1,000 bbl per day. The oil is currently pooling off of the Gulf of Louisiana, but wind and water currents may push it into the coast within the next few days. The potential biological hazard increases exponentially as the oil slick moves into waters closer to the coast where wildlife tends to live and breed. A large section of the oil slick has drifted within 16 miles of the Mississippi River Delta, where it could also do a great deal of damage.

A new leak was discovered within the last 24 hours that is spilling almost five times as much oil as the first leaks. It is now estimated that the rig, which is resting on the floor of the Gulf, is spilling an average of 5 bbl of oil every day. At this rate, the recent disaster could become one of the worst oil spills in the history of offshore drilling.

Oil Spill Containment Efforts Intensify

Cleanup crews have begun performing in-situ burning to try to eliminate the oil that is on top of the water. The burns are carefully controlled, and is expected to dissipate a fraction of the spill. The majority of the spill is still floating in the Gulf of Mexico unimpeded. Officials on the coast of Louisiana have begun firing cannons to frighten away birds and other wildlife that may be in the path of the oil slick. Fishermen are running booms across large areas of the coast to stop the slick from coming too close in to the shore.

President Barack Obama has stated that the National Guard will be available to help in cleanup efforts if needed. The White House is monitoring the situation very closely, and intends to do whatever necessary to protect as much of the coastline as possible. Baton Rouge, Louisiana, has declared a state of emergency as the slick continues to move toward the coastline.

In advance of the election, some of Washington’s most influential national security thinkers have argued for a dramatic shift in U.S. policy, to actively pursue the eventual elimination of all nuclear weapons from the Earth.

Many dismiss this goal as a dream, given the lack of trust among the nuclear weapons powers and the entrenched role that atomic weapons have in the global balance of power.

But Democratic front-runner Obama, who is leading in polls before Tuesday’s election, endorsed it and his Republican rival John McCain said he hopes to move to “the lowest possible number” of U.S. nuclear weapons.

Source: Reuters