On Colbert the other day, they mentioned ExxonMobil has (though local law I guess?) have been arresting photogs around the Arkansas oil spill. Not only that, they successfully petitioned, and this has already been agreed on by several outlets, the FAA to put a no fly zone over the spill area.
I've been on the fence on a lot of oil discussions. My take has always been, the world needs oil, there are good ways to do it. But incidents like this, continue to prove, that big business does not care.
Guess, what I'm saying is, what have you heard or learned, what do you want to share, and why am I wrong?
I got a bit more on this discussion, but I'm holding till it gets going. Like any good politician.
That or they are just sick and tired of dealing with American media trying to get the scoop and end up interfering with the cleanup or causing safety concerns.
On Colbert the other day, they mentioned ExxonMobil has (though local law I guess?) have been arresting photogs around the Arkansas oil spill. Not only that, they successfully petitioned, and this has already been agreed on by several outlets, the FAA to put a no fly zone over the spill area.
I've been on the fence on a lot of oil discussions. My take has always been, the world needs oil, there are good ways to do it. But incidents like this, continue to prove, that big business does not care.
Guess, what I'm saying is, what have you heard or learned, what do you want to share, and why am I wrong?
I got a bit more on this discussion, but I'm holding till it gets going. Like any good politician.
No fly zone is to allow better access for the Black Helicopters
__________________
Captain James P. DeCOSTE, CD, 18 Sep 1993
That or they are just sick and tired of dealing with American media trying to get the scoop and end up interfering with the cleanup or causing safety concerns.
In the forceable absence of media, the problem is bigger than a hampered clean up
Sorry never an excuse to not allow media into a disaster area like that, its a spill and oil companies are exerting their financial power to keep this as quiet as possible.
Its working.
__________________ Allskonar fyrir Aumingja!!
The Following 6 Users Say Thank You to Thor For This Useful Post:
That pipeline was apparently built in the 1940's that stuff needs to be replaced to better prevent these accidents - but hey some people should continue to protest against new infrastructure
That pipeline was apparently built in the 1940's that stuff needs to be replaced to better prevent these accidents - but hey some people should continue to protest against new infrastructure
I was just thinking the same thing. All this "look at what happens when oil pipelines are built!" is just nonsense for not building new ones. If there are no new pipelines (Keystone XL), these old ones will continue to have issues. Some are 60 - 70 years old!
Seeing this spill should really be insentive to build new pipelines. All people see is "OIL = SPILLS = BAD!"
__________________
Much like a sports ticker, you may feel obligated to read this
I was just thinking the same thing. All this "look at what happens when oil pipelines are built!" is just nonsense for not building new ones. If there are no new pipelines (Keystone XL), these old ones will continue to have issues. Some are 60 - 70 years old!
Seeing this spill should really be insentive to build new pipelines. All people see is "OIL = SPILLS = BAD!"
Actually...Like everything in this world nothing is black and white. I worked closely with a PLM group last year and I was told that some of the 50's vintage in the US is more reliable than the 90's vintage. Not huge, but still would surprise you. Lots of factors, but the 50's stuff was built to last, and the new stuff with new grade materials wasn't holding up as well as thought. Still very safe in overall picture.
Now let's also get to the facts, that pipeline is the safest way to ship oil by a mile. I've seen the control and integrity systems in place, and they are quite impressive. I think the stat is something like 99.9999% of all oil gets from one end to the other.
Now lets talk about how blocking this pipeline will be all sunshine and rainbows for the environment. In fact, it will do completely the opposite. Not only will it cause our country to be economically weaker, but it will cause producers to start shipping by rail. Which in fact they already have, I encourage you to read up on how some of these guys are shipping to the Gulf using train and barge. Using rail is on the order of 30x more likely to spill than pipe. Then factor in the barge, rivers, the gulf, hurricanes..yikes. It is already happening as we speak and the Oil companies are lining up to get these barges built.
So hate on pipe all you want. Oil will be the main energy source for years to come, and pipe is proven safest by a mile for transport. If anyone saw what I have seen, there would be no question left, put in world class controls, but build the dang pipe.
The FAA announced a temporary no-fly zone would be enacted indefinitely over the Arkansas oil spill. With word that an Exxon employee was controlling the airspace, though, speculation pointed to the idea the oil company was trying to keep the media away.
The Federal Aviation Administration announced Monday that until further notice, no aircraft will be allowed to operate over the Mayflower oil spill in Conway, Arkansas. While there was scant explanation for the mandate, it was “effective immediately” - and ordered to stay in place “until further notice.”
It's quite clear that if this was a "coverup" and being controlled by Exxon, they would restrict the airspace to a much higher altitute so photos could not be taken. If I had to guess, I'm sure they don't want media helicopters hovering close to the ground hampering cleanup and possibly posing a threat to their own helicopter crews that could be working as well.
Quote:
Issue Date : April 01, 2013 at 1412
UTC Location : MAYFLOWER, Arkansas near LITTLE ROCK VORTAC (LIT)
Beginning Date and Time : Effective Immediately
Ending Date and Time : Until further notice
Reason for NOTAM : Temporary flight restrictions
Type : Hazards
Replaced NOTAM(s) : N/A Pilots May Contact : MEMPHIS (ZME) Center, 901-368-8234
Airspace Definition: Center: On the LITTLE ROCK VORTAC (LIT) 319 degree radial at 22.4 nautical miles. (Latitude: 34º58'55"N, Longitude: 92º26'42"W) Radius: 5 nautical miles Altitude: From the surface up to and including 1000 feet AGL
Effective Date(s): From April 01, 2013 at 1412 UTC Until further notice
Operating Restrictions and Requirements
No pilots may operate an aircraft in the areas covered by this NOTAM (except as described).
Looks like this is gaining steam by a smear campaign by those against the new pipeline.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Thor
Sorry never an excuse to not allow media into a disaster area like that, its a spill and oil companies are exerting their financial power to keep this as quiet as possible.
Its working.
Bull crap, there's always an excuse. Priority #1 after a disaster is to contain and make the area safe. Then cleanup. Priority to allow news helicopters within a disaster zone is always low. Enabling a restriction as a precaution allows the crews to heli in clean up booms, generators and other equipment if needed. The Exxon aviation guy who would control that support aircraft is the one who requested this, not a marketing or PR person. Now, if they had just enacted this restriction today, weeks after the accident, then I could see a reason why there would be suspicion. But that's not the case here.
__________________
Last edited by BlackArcher101; 04-12-2013 at 02:03 PM.
Media blackout, no fly zone?
