Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by S.H.M. on June 13, 2010 at 9:42

Let markets regulate offshore oil industry

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THAT is a perfect solution!!!!

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Permalink Reply by Martin on June 13, 2010 at 16:25

GD --
Points well made. How about flying on a completely unregulated airline? Medicine before FDA?

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Permalink Reply by Two Dogs, Pirate on June 13, 2010 at 11:44

The federal government is too stupid to regulate oil and gas. They need to completely revamp the way they do things. If they would examine the way things are done in Louisiana, they might get an idea of how things are done the right way. The markets look for profits and that fact may be something that contributed to this disaster. Look what the markets did to oil and gas in the summer of 2008.

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Permalink Reply by Two Dogs, Pirate on June 13, 2010 at 13:05

If BP would have been running under Louisiana regulations this mess wouldn't have happened. Louisiana has the best mineral law in the nation. It wasn't LA regulating, it was the feds. It is my understanding that the BOP under LA regulation would have had to have a remote trigger and be tested once a week.

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Permalink Reply by Two Dogs, Pirate on June 13, 2010 at 13:47

I pay too much tax. The government spend too much money. I don't vote for tax increases. If the gov would use what is has to make more money, then I would vote for that. For instance, Found a fed gov tract in a hot area of DeSoto Parish, checked and found where BLM had leased the 40 acre tract for 10 years for $150.00 and If I remember correctly the royalty was 1/8. The $150 was not per acre it was for the whole 40 acres. That is one reason I say that are stupid or corrupt. Louisiana gets screwed for anything out just a short distance because of past politicians.

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Permalink Reply by Two Dogs, Pirate on June 13, 2010 at 14:54

I wasn't taught, as a child, that everyone wants a free lunch. I was taught that you have to work to make a living. I trained to be an electrician from the age of 10. Guess I was a brat, at ten years old I could rewire a floor lamp in less than 30 minutes and would get about $3.00. That was around 1960. I had both pockets full of money at 10 yrs. GD, have you ever crawled under a house in the quarters in the early 60's, no plumbing, outhouses, and other things that would make the experience undesirable, spiders, snakes and the like.

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Permalink Reply by Martin on June 13, 2010 at 16:20

Gosh Darn --

That would be in an ideal world, unfortunately....

For my two bits, I think we should bring back the draft. Make it universal, no exemptions. There's nothing like a drill instructor waking you up at 5:00 am, and running you a mile or two in the dark before breakfast, six days a week that brings reality home. Your time is not your own, you learn very quickly that there are things that you must do -- right now -- or things will get much worse. No helicopter parents, nothing but the drill sergeants and your fellow recruits...

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Permalink Reply by Pipeliner on June 13, 2010 at 13:40

Rigs taking drilling, jobs abroad in wake of moratorium:

http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2010/06/04/rigs-taking-drilling-jobs-abro...

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Permalink Reply by drilltheshale on June 14, 2010 at 10:04

I'm with you to a point, but is there no price we will pay for jobs? Do we have a line we won't cross to pay tribute? I believe there is a matter of degree, but I think we'll get back on track with safe drilling in the not-to-distant future. And if our gulf wasn't good, they would have already ignored it for those abroad finds anyway.

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Permalink Reply by drilltheshale on June 14, 2010 at 9:59

That would be a ridiculous statement before the spill, but is just stupid and irresponsible for this Chronicle writer to make. O&G should no more be free from oversight than any other industry or commercial enterprise. Insurance has an indirect role in regulation, but remember AIG was insuring derivatives and that didn't help much (since they were insuring them with air).

And remember, Oil and Gas companies don't "really" pay taxes on offshore petroleum. That oil and gas are the "commons", as in we (all Americans) own them, not the oil companies. They are paying us (very little) for the right to take and sell OUR oil and gas. We can certainly (in a reasonable manner) tell them how we think they should behave.

Everybody in this life gets to follow rules--you, me, players in a football game, little old ladies playing bingo, our children at the kindergarten--and yes big oil companies. We all have to make nice on the playground.

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