The Diane Rehm Show

I would be interested in a discussion of banning drilling versus pumping as I understand existing wells if producing are unaffected. Can the guests quantify the impact of a deep-water drilling ban: number of wells, number of workers...

Also I understand the administration has basically instituted a work slowdown when it comes to approving new leases on both shallow and deep water drilling. What is the economic impact of this de-facto moratorium?

It continues to feel like this administration has no coordinated energy policy and is more reactionary than proactive.

Comparing aircraft to oil wells is similar. I remember when an entire fleet of DC 10's were grounded when a structural problem was discovered in one plane. The oil industry just failed spectacularly in the case of the deep water horizon and has admitted that in all of the other deep water wells they have no way to guarantee safety. They should drill at least one relief well in advance with every deep water well.

I don't understand why with the technology available today in everything from mini vans to space craft, that there is not some kind of sensor in the off shore rigs that says "this is the high/low safe psi for these lines. then when the psi varies the whole system shuts down pumping etc., until the problem is located. One would assume that with something as vital as our oceans that there would be such a simple thing in place. Why is it not.

In 1963 while I was a geology major at a major Midwest university, one of my frat brother's father worked for a major oil company. He was driving a new Ford full-size sedan which had been converted to LPG as a test car for the company. The conversion cost about $200-$300 (in 1963) about 10% of a new car price. The car did have smaller trunk because of the conversion. There is plenty LPG and natural gas, if we were forced to use other source we wouldn't need oil from a mile deep in the Gulf.

I would like to note that, in my opinion, the moratorium is to broad. Do you think the government is overstepping their bounds? And what are the odds of it being taken to court and overridden again?

The gentleman from Texas who touted his credentials as an oil lawyer showed bias in his comments, saying (cannot remember the exact quote but the gist is) "Obama administration has been telling people not to come down here or eat food from the gulf." In fact, the exact opposite is the reality. President Obama has made repeated visits to survey the needs of the region, specifically ate seafood from the gulf and encouraged others to do so, and the First Lady has aired public service announcements encouraging people to take their tourism dollars to the gulf area (similar to when President Bush 43 told people to go shopping after 9-11).
There are facts and there are beliefs, and sometimes people say things that aren't true to support their perspective.

My first impression of the recovery from the IXTOC blowout was that things were back to normal in two years. But I've been told that species still haven't returned and that fishing is still depressed in the Bay of Campeche three decades later. Whats the truth?

The only source of comfort I can find about this horrifying event, is that President Obama and his administration are thinking long term, taking no chances and working hard to direct our country toward clean energy. This to me is a responsible and sustainable integrity that is starting to change communities all over America. In regard to job loss while the moratorium stays in effect, is that not BP's responsibility to compensate those people?

Many Thanks,
Susan Coppens
Orlando, Florida

Subsidence issues?

I haven't heard anyone addressing the issue of what effect this leak is having on the underlying geological structure of the sea floor. With the loss of these millions of gallons of pressurized volume from the structure beneath, is the strata at risk for subsidence? And could this have a seismic impact on the geological structure of the gulf? Shouldn't someone be exploring this risk?