How many catastrophes on the scale of Deepwater Horizon oil spill can the planet take? Will this be the last time? We recently learned that "Right now at Venice, the state and federal agencies are training literally hundreds of shrimpers and other fisherman on the proper techniques for boom deployment in hopes that, when the seas subside, these volunteers can start to work." [Here] Once again, too little too late.
Here is a simple list of planning for the next oil spill that should be considered:
1. All oil rigs should be premanently enclosed with an inner and outer ring of inflatables to contain leakage. These inflatables would automatically inflate at the first warning sign.
2. Located close to oil rigs would be a first responder team that would have engineers, robots, explosives, chemicals, etc. available to fight the leakage, depending on the cause. These first responders would be able to arrive in less than 30 minutes.
3. All oil companies would be required to have pre-approved emergency plans in place to address the emergency. These plans would be open to public scrutiny.
4. The National Guard would be trained in maritime actions and would be on stand by for emergencies of this magnitude and would be able to deploy in less than 24 hours.
(This, of course, would mean an additional step: All national guard units would be prohibited from engaging in foreign adventures / deployments and would, instead, be strictly trained and focused on supporting first responders). Learn more about current guard role in the oil spill here
5. All fishermen would undergo yearly training to learn how to assist.
The best prevention, though, is for us to get off oil.
Discover the environment on Earth or on Pandora
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