Drain Baby, Drain! Chevron Tanks Will Be Drained.
This is very good news, indeed.
The 6.3 million gallons of crude oil that sits, as I type, between the pristine waters of Cook Inlet and Mt. Redoubt, an actively erupting volcano, will now be drained, if it can be done safely. The project is set to begin on Saturday according to Capt. Mark Hamilton of the U.S. Coast Guard.
Crews will have to be on hand at the terminal and platform to perform the operations. The facility was evacuated after Redoubt began erupting 10 days ago, but they’ve returned during the day when it’s been safe to do so. Pumps and the terminal’s power plant appear to operating normally, and the pipelines connecting it with the other facilities and the offshore shipping dock will be tested before loading operations begin, said Hamilton and Rod Ficken, vice president of Cook Inlet Pipeline Co., which owns the facility.
Deep thanks to all in Alaska, and out of state who contacted the powers that be with emails and phone calls. We never know exactly what effect we have, and sometimes we may feel like a drop in the bucket. But enough drops in a bucket can be a powerful thing. Just ask the 6.3 million gallons of oil sitting at the Drift River terminal.
And a huge thank you, and cheers to Cook Inletkeeper and its Executive Director Bob Shavelson who has been beating this drum for months. As an Alaskan, I feel better knowing that the eyes of that organization are on the Inlet, and out there doing their part to preserve the things that make it so amazing to live in this great land.
If you want to join Cook Inletkeeper, or drop them a little donation to say thank you, and enable them to continue their good work, you can find them HERE. I doubt this would have happened without them.
And best of luck and safety to those who will be engaged in the potentially dangerous process of draining these tanks. Our thoughts and prayers are with you.
Don’t know if my email helped, but I’m glad there getting drained
Excellent news!
Good news–this is like what my 3rd and 4th grade teacher used to say:
“You don’t need a tree to fall on your head to know it’s going to hurt.”
She also said “Don’t sit there like a bump on a log!” Good things to keep in mind….
I’m glad they are finally doing something about this, since they are just down hill from an erupting volcano…
AKM and Mudflatters, we do make a difference!!!
OMG, this is wonderful news. Hopefully — a horrendous calamity has been averted in time. Well done, AKM, and everyone who has contributed a thought, word or deed to getting the tanks emptied. Well done!
Almost 1.7 million gallons would remain in tanks near Redoubt Volcano afterward. – adn.com
Glad to see them drained, tanks to people like you! (Ok, that wasn’t very puny).
And on another OT note, I just saw this posted on adn’s comment boards. It is one of the best posts I have seen in a long time and I thought I would share it here (I didn’t write it, unfortunately).
” maxnenator wrote on 04/02/2009 04:54:46 PM:
Governor Palin, the spotlight has dimmed leaving you pining for past glory? Is life on the last frontier too pedestrian for you now that you’ve injected the heroin of national attention? Do you have advisors that are worth the powder to blow them to hades? Comments like this shine light on the now clear fact that the national theatre is not your best venue nor is it in the nations interest. Do you realize how silly you will appear on the national stage when they bring up the fact that you have supported having a special election to overturn an election that your administration certified? For a man who was not aquitted nor absolved of wrong-doing? It appears that you are having a crisis from where I sit. You might want to get some help.”
Finally some good news and some common sense!
Yayyyy for the Inletkeeper….Is he related to the Tavernkeeper? Just wonderin’…. we love them both now!
I did send an email to the Captain who ( I believe) definitely did not want things to go wrong on his watch or anyone else’s. I was not optimistic-so I am super overjoyed!! It does show we all can make a difference!!
Once again-hooray for AKM-you have made a great difference. You brought this to our attention and we all did something about it.
@antiAnti: It would seem that 1.7 million gallons could still do a lot damage to the environment, don’t you think? They need some sea water ballast so as to “completely” rid the area of oil. The residue stuck to the tanks and lines can’t be 1.7 million can it?
Well, better than 6.3 million. We’re getting there, I suppose.
Thanks to all who took action.
O T
The Daily Kos reports that the Budget passed.
“House approves budget plan, every GOPer votes ‘no’ ” The vote was 233 – 196
http://www.dailykos.com/
Although it would be best if all of it weren’t there, I think there are issues about keeping tanks from floating away. Also, the oil spill response capacity in Cook Inlet is 3 million gallons, so at least the 1.7 million gallons “could” be addressed.
TO: Ashkee Colorado April 2nd, 2009 at 5:14 PM
YES! It’s great news whenever a gallon gets further from the lahars.
So glad the oil will be removed…….. I wrote Chevron…never heard back from them but this is good enough. I’m worried about the remaining oil but hope there is a plan for that also.
Did anyone of you catch this story……..re Native groups should get stimulus aid if state declines it Sarah is gonna have a cow!
There you go! Bloggers helping making good things happen—-again! : )
This has probably already been mentioned, but how about actual legislation that states if the volcano is at yellow alert equipment must be on hand to drain the tanks, and if it goes to red the tanks must be drained. It seems a no brainer of course, but it would have saved all of this back and forth, and inaction on behalf of our numbnuts Gov.
As I live across the inlet from Redoubt I’m glad to hear this good bit of news today.
Doing a happy dance, thank you, thank you, thank you one and all who are coming together to make this happen. Good people can do good things, I’m so wanting to support those who are making this possible, thank, AKM for pointing us in that direction. You rock n roll.
Great !!
I feel renewed again…… This is a big win!
My heart has been very heavy after the,” outing” of last week.
Drain baby Drain, is down right uplifting!! What a positive!
AKM, my heart is bright tonight! You have created a place for my soul to roam, my mind to learn, and my voice to be heard.
califpatNo Gravatar Says:
April 2nd, 2009 at 4:44 PM
AKM and Mudflatters, we do make a difference!!!
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
Amen to that….and Hallelujah Lord!
I too add my prayers for the great state of Alaska ~ and her “change-agents” too!
And thank you to you, AKM, for bringing this to everyone’s attention. Seems like leadership is residing in the anonymoose blogosphere.
A Nonny Moose, also. Too.
Hooray! Nice to know that Chevron’s committed to defusing the dirty bomb.
Meanwhile, RE: Palin et al whining that Begich should resign, John Cole has the perfect response to the WATB in the AK GOP:
“Gary Condit called. He said to SUCK. ON. THIS.”
Oh, and he then passed the phone to Gray Davis, Don Seligman and Eliot Spitzer, who said much the same thing.
Well we know who NOT TO THANK! GINO, since the volcano has been erupting not a peep from her….?
But hey if your filing a “Bogus, frivolous” complaint against her she shoots it right to the SOA website!!!!
Same with do-do.
WHATS WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE?????
Alaska you’ve been thrown under the bus…..!
Good news on the draining of the tanks – let’s not forget to send our thanks!
OT: Sorry, but seems to be a BIG ELEPHANT in the room and I see nothing about it on the blogs or news sites: Isn’t tomorrow the deadline for Palin to accept or deny the stimulus funds? Isn’t it all or none? Isn’t it true that the Legislator CANNOT override her decision? Yikes, this is major – anyone know what GINO is planning to do? Can someone call Meg or John Coale to find out?
This is very good news. It is time for the whales to make their trip back to Alaska, and it is good to know they will not be killed in an oil spill upon their return.
Good job to all who helped make this possible.
To cook Inlet Pipeline.
Doing the right thing. Priceless!
Drain, baby drain!
And ship the stuff to where it can do the most good.
Could it possibly be 1.7million gallons left when they’re done?
Here’s a rough estimate
Looking at that terminal from Google Earth, it looks like there are 7 tanks. The resolution is horrible (must be a homeland security issue because the resolution at Mount Redoubt is great), but it looks like 4 tanks are about 280-300 Ft in diameter and 3 are about 240′ dia. That is just an estimate. I’d assume these tanks are at a minimum 40′ tall. If these numbers are in the ball park, then the smaller tanks are capable of holding about 13 million gallons each while the larger tanks could hold 18 – 20 million gallons each. That means this terminal holds between 100 and 125 million gallons when full – so 6 million gallons means it is almost empty to start with. 1.7 million gallons would be an average of 6″ – 7″ left in each tank – if the sizes are right. A tank that big – if designed very well might drain down to 6″ or even 4″ by just normal emptying (it is tough to get thick oil to drain from the far side of a tank to the pump).
I would say 1.7million gallons left when empty is a reasonable number because those tanks may even be larger than that – just hard to tell. To get more out, they’d likely pump sea water into the tanks to try to float the last of the oil up to the suction of the pumps to pump it off. That’s probably difficult to do – just pumping cold water on top of thick oil is not going to float it easily – I suspect it sticks to the bottom a bit and you might have to mix it or heat it to get it to move – that’s just a guess, I don’t have experience with crude oil in tanks.
However, with that low of a level in the tanks, I think the likelihood that it would somehow get out of the tanks, even if they were crushed or washed may not be that high. I’m sure you’d lose some, and over time, maybe all and you’d probably have a local mess, but it seems to me it might stay contained for a while.
Take this all with a grain of salt – I really do know how easily those last few inches would come out of the tanks – but this is my gut feel. One of you people who deals with crude – how easy does that heel come out of the tank?
Good news. OT here, but according to immoral minority, Palin emailed Begich and told him he should resign so there can be a special election. Any confirmation on this?
The good news part was about the draining, NOT the Palin part.
OT ~ Lori: I believe you are right, according to new rules from the feds, only the governor can accept money appropriated for education (not sure about other areas)
This makes it so that the offending guvs can’t deny it, then let their respective legislatures take the money, like Palin, and a few other GOP guvs are doing.
So, Palin will have to decide now. I think she thought she was going to be able to sidestep it but cash in on the political points with her party by initially denying it.
Palin asks Begich to step down
http://hotair.com/archives/2009/04/02/palin-to-begich-resign-and-face-stevens-again-in-a-new-election/
Good news finally..Best of luck to those that will be responsible for draining all that oil…WTG AKM & Mudppupies…:)
Waxman: John Cole had the best response to that demand:
“Gary Condit called. He said to SUCK. ON. THIS.”
Oh, and Gray Davis, Don Siegelman and Eliot Spitzer seconded him.
Sorry, OT again.
I just returned from the adn’s story on the whole Begich resignation brewhaha.
and all the freepers are saying that, and I quote, “Begich to be recalled” like mindless parrots.
Their ignorance in this matter is simply stunning. Actually, no it isn’t, they’re freepers.
In any case, there is simply no legal basis for Begich to be recalled. They are going to be really disappointed.
Hi…things on here look a little bit different to me. My computer took ill and had to be in the ‘hospital’ for over a week. No comments…just have to catch up.
Cook Inlet Keeper and all keepers of wild fish stocks, healthy watersheds, and clean oceans–we honor you.
LaineyNo Gravatar Says:
April 2nd, 2009 at 7:36 PM
Hi…things on here look a little bit different to me. My computer took ill and had to be in the ‘hospital’ for over a week. No comments…just have to catch up.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Lainey, hey that happened to me too last month, I had to get mine wiped
But now good as new, Wow, you got lots to catch up on
Hi crystalwolf aka caligrl…….yes lots to catch up on. My goodness, stay away a week and all hell breaks loose! Pesky virus…trouble to remove, but now good as new,,,,, also too.
Did Mudflats change the cosmetics of the layout? …the format? It doesn’t look the exact same.
Laniney Yes! Over the weekend the server got overloaded thanks to Mike doogan (the idiot) and AKM & co had to get a new server!
I named my virus, sarah. HA
Oh, OK…thanks for clearing my confusion.
LaineyNo Gravatar Says:
April 2nd, 2009 at 7:49 PM
I named my virus, sarah. HA
~~~~~~~~~~~
Mine was a trojan! Ha I’ll name it GINO!
lol
at least there’s something she’s good for
Did you read what happened to AKM? It was last friday! AssHat doogan
Jealous piss ant b/c AKM writes better than he can ever dream….!
See this article for what happened or go to last friday…
http://www.anchoragepress.com/articles/2009/04/01/news/doc49d40092327b0587295589.txt
That actually isn’t a very good article, just google Mudflats/blogger!
don’t know about that…will read up on it
your GINO was a trojan, my sarah was a worm…kept replicating…wouldn’t go away….kinda like the real sarah
LaineyNo Gravatar Says:
April 2nd, 2009 at 8:00 PM
don’t know about that…will read up on it
your GINO was a trojan, my sarah was a worm…kept replicating…wouldn’t go away….kinda like the real sarah
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Yeah, mine kept doing that ? Maybe GINO needs to be “Wiped” lol! Looks like GOP’rs are on their way to doing that lol!
lol…I’m for seeing her ‘wiped’.
I’d like to see the entire GOP ‘wiped’….they ALL scare me with their common craziness!
O/T
I just saw this article on Huffington Post:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bruce-wilson/media-gives-palins-strang_b_182295.html
Media Gives Palin’s Strange New Global Christianity a Pass (by: Bruce Wilson)
Another O T
Gov Sanford from S. Carolina just caved in and accepted the Stimulus money before the Friday midnight deadline. (Huffpo)
What will GINO do…. what will GINO do…? Hmmm
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/04/02/sanford-gives-in-on-stimu_n_182631.html
Better late than never – but what a pathetic display of negligence that they left it until there was a great hue and cry from the public. Alaskaguy is absolutely right when he said:
17AlaskaGuy Says:
April 2nd, 2009 at 5:43 PM
This has probably already been mentioned, but how about actual legislation that states if the volcano is at yellow alert equipment must be on hand to drain the tanks, and if it goes to red the tanks must be drained. It seems a no brainer of course, but it would have saved all of this back and forth, and inaction on behalf of our numbnuts Gov.
Look for MORE asinine political grandstanding…another dumb @$$ press release – full of excuses
The House and the Senate have passed Obama’s budget.
All Rethugs voted no.
20 Dems no in House.
2 Dems no in Senate. (Senate vote 55-43)
Begich voted “Yes!”
…press release on how she ‘had’ to take the money because thats the way the evil DC People are against her….
One thing about GINO, she ‘don’t’ mind using the State of Alaska web site to itch & moan about things/stuff that she’s gotten all emotional about…
I’m just wondering how long it would take GINO to take credit for all of this and then post it on her website located next to her “All Me Photo Album”. Would be just like a GINO to do that.
I’ll be praying for you.
I’ll be praying nothing happens to prevent this in the next 24 hours.
I’ll be praying whoever doesn’t find an excuse to delay the draining.
I’ll be praying there is no spill or other incidence during the draining.
I’ll be praying that after the oil is on tankers, that those captains are sober and those ships are seaworthy.
I just went to Shannyn Moore’s page. There was no update. Wasn’t there supposed to be audio or video of her chasing Doogan in Juneau..? At least a little story…?
If it was video it could be put on YouTube… that would spread his shame.
honestyinGovNo Gravatar Says:
April 2nd, 2009 at 8:54 PM
I just went to Shannyn Moore’s page. There was no update. Wasn’t there supposed to be audio or video of her chasing Doogan in Juneau..? At least a little story…?
If it was video it could be put on YouTube… that would spread his shame.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Maybe she’s saving it for tomorrow?
Please don’t shoot me, or yell at me. I’ve been emailing and calling people for days now about the Inlet and the environmental damage if that crude doesn’t get removed.
In answer to the questions asked by waxman… I pulled the specs (I do environmental and safety inspections so we have, or can get, specifications on most facilities) and the tanks hold a combined total of 130 Million Gallons when filled to “maximum” capacity, however it is rare for any storage facility to be allowed to become filled to “maximum” capacity.
While the tanks are “bottom drained” there is typically roughly 4 inches of crude left in the bottom of the tanks even when they are “empty” because of the way that they are piped. It would make more sense to make them so that they drained from the center of the bottom but the trade off is that they would cost more to build and we ALL know that for the petroleum industry it’s ALL about costs with very little common sense involved. (I have also long said that storage tanks should have 4 inches of gravel in the bottom of them… but hey I’m just the engineer… what do I know?)
As any first grader can tell you water weighs more than oil so if the “issue” for Chevron really IS wanting to have something in the tanks “in case” the worst happens, even though it would be an expensive proposition to scrub the tanks so that they could be used for crude again it makes FAR more sense from both an environmental and an economic standpoint to fill them with water than it does oil. In the first place IF that volcano starts spewing lava the LAST thing that you want in those tanks down the “hill” from it is combustible material. The environmental damage that leaving oil in the tanks would CAUSE far outstrips the cost of scrubbing the tanks so that they can be used again. In the second place, as I pointed out already, water weighs more than oil does and IF the issue is concerns over possible flooding then the reality is that the BEST choice for “ballast” to hopefully prevent the tanks from moving really IS water… unless of course they prefer filling them with cement or rocks.
A final note… I am far more tickled than you can imagine that the oil is, for the most part, being removed to a safer location. I may be a petroleum engineer but my JOB hinges on my ability to tell oil companies “NO” and stick to that “NO” until they mitigate the possible damage to the environment. I’m uniquely qualified for the job… I’m a MOM and I graduated top of my class at “mean mom school” so I KNOW how to say “NO” and mean it.
OT:Sevants 4 pee want all the minion to vote for Beigh be recalled~
http://www.ktuu.com/Global/category.asp?C=81466#poll82200
Can’t wait for that to be national news cw aka caligrl
caligrl…. thanks for the KTUU link. I browsed some of the stories there.
One points out the 6 blunders GINO has has this week.
Her response was she thought she had a ‘good ‘ week. Does she make and drink her own moonshine in the basement…? How many disasters or News reports does GINO need to make it a bad week.
If somebody (unmarried )in the family got pregnant… it would still be a good week.
BTW… is caligrl still in CA…?… ..I’m here in SacTown… with the Terminator
I wish I could be as optimistic as AKM – I am not. There are too many inconsistencies in the reports that are being issued (something is not right). Here are a few points to consider:
How much will be left after the tanks are “drawn down?” What’s in the tanks has not been reported and there is little information about their contents available to the public. It has been reported that keeping oil in the tanks, about 1.6 million gallons (the ballast argument used by the Coast Guard), presumably in 2 tanks (nobody has really said0 would keep them from floating away (Katrina was the example the “joint task force used.) Some reports have claimed that because of the location of the “valves” the tanks can’t be drained below the 6 foot mark and it might be too dangerous to remove the rest. But there is, according to Alaska DEC at least one empty and dirty tank at Drift River that nobody is talking about and APRN after the March 31 press conference failed to mention what’s up with two of the tanks – APRN’s report ignored, missed, lost, whatever, 30% of the capacity at Drift River . Other news sources have reported that all of the tanks are clean and scrubbed – but of course that is at odds with reports from DEC. The reports issued by the Joint Task Force fail to mention the status of the tanks at Drift River thought they do go on in great detail about lots of other stuff . Early reports about Drift River suggested that by keeping oil in the tanks (the ballast argument) Chevron could start up the facility much quicker – I assume this is because the won’t have to bleed the pipeline. Oh, and speaking of the pipeline – I think it’s 42 miles long and filled with oil, it has gotten little public attention. AKM – I hope like hell your optimism outweighs my pessimism; but then history is on my side, not yours. I’ll try to update the links at http://www.ptarmigannest.net later tonight.
When this is all over, it is imperative to investigate how it was allowed to happen, and to point fingers at those who saddled up with Chevron. Chevron, the oil pipeline folks and their supporters have tried to use the issue of protecting workers in their propaganda. The realty is that Chevron, by not shutting down Drift River when Redoubt became active is endangering the lives of all the folks who must now work on getting the oil out of the tanks. It’s classic propaganda from the oil companies. Had Chevron shut down the facility early on, before Redoubt blew on the 22 the risk to workers would have been much, much lower – don’t let a big corporation pull the wool over your eyes.
I’ll try to update my links at http://www.ptarmigannest.net/?p=1324 later tonight.
OOps, sorry for 2 postings – the spam filter said I had been denied. Guess the spam filter lied.
honestyinGov…maybe she found a new coffee buddy?
CitykId said –
OOps, sorry for 2 postings – the spam filter said I had been denied. Guess the spam filter lied.
No, it didn’t lie. You were in there. I pulled you out.
If you end up in there, please don’t post it a second time – we will pull you out when we spot you in there.
http://www.themudflats.net/faq/
I was about to delete the second one but the phone rang, I reloaded the page once I got off the phone and I saw your new comment. Normally the second post won’t be on the page very long, sorry!
The reason we have to pull the comment out and delete it is, if we delete you while you’re in the spam bin, you’ll keep ending up back in there – I will delete it now to keep the comments area neat.
Thanks Snoskred – what about all the links I had in the original post; they all vanished?
I only saw one link in there? If you have more links, try posting them one at a time in separate comments, more than one link will usually put you in the spam bin..
OK, I’ll start with the link to the “Joint Task Force.” This is the group that is tasked with drawing down the tanks. It’s worth noting that all of the agencies and corporations that are members of the “Joint Task Force” represent entities that could have called for the Drift River OIL Terminal (they like to call it the Drift River Facility) to be drained when Redoubt “woke up.” The task force issues new reports at about 1600 daily. Their reports sometime contain new information, but you’ve got to look for it. The task force reports have yet to report any detail on what the status of individual tanks is – so I suspect that this website is primarily for public consumption. So is the fox in the chicken coup?
http://www.dec.state.ak.us/spar/perp/response/sum_fy09/090324201/090324201_index.htm
What a dangerous job! Hope everything will go well and the tanks are emptied properly, as the Engineer suggests. I´ll try not to think about why this did not happen weeks ago FOR NOW.
More links:
Here’s the link to the letter from several AK State Reps (you’ll recognize all of the names) sent to DEC and Fish and Game on Friday, March 27:
http://www.ptarmigannest.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/3-27-09-to-dec-and-fg-re-drift-river.pdf
and here is the response, later in the day from DEC. DECs response BTW contains the only mention I’ve seen regarding the status of individual tanks (aside from a newspaper/blog story that claimed 2 tanks contained oil and the rest were clean and empty):
http://www.ptarmigannest.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/090328_dec.txt
and more….
Here’s a link to the APRN story (commentator Lori Townsend and reporter Annie Feidt) that I mentioned in my original comment. The story was, I assume, gathered in part at the first press conference held by the “Joint Task Force,” earlier the same day at the Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) in the day just up the hill from the APRN studios on the Alaska Pacific University campus (APU). The story mentions only 5 of the 7 tanks at the Drift River Oil Terminal and thus ignores 30% of Drift Rivers’ capacity – APRN is aware of the omission, but has not issued any clarifications or corrections to the story.
http://aprn.org/2009/03/31/plan-to-remove-oil-from-tanks-near-mount-redoubt/
CityKid: thanks for the link(s), I’m looking forward to your updates. I learn so much here in Mudflats. It would take me weeks to research what pops up on the blog daily. And find myself checking in here often to get the latest info on so many things that I would never find else where, or that would take me months to figure out.
AKM thanks for hanging in here and thanks to all the loyal commenters, the behind the curtain (web) crew and Snoskred for pulling it all together for us.
OK – that’s it for now. Off to my nest. I apologize for all the “raw source” stuff, but I think it’s important AND where the power of The Internet lies. I remember watching a documentary film about I.F. Stone many years ago. Stone gleaned most of the material for his now famous news letters and reports from the main stream press (salted I suspect with bits and pieces from inside sources that contradicted the main stream press.) good luck to us all.
I hate to say “I told you so” but Palin isn’t taking Grussendorf lying down
http://www.adn.com/news/politics/aksenate/story/746578.html
Good grief!! Aussie Blue Sky.
She is quite the little tin pot dictator isn’t she. Surely she cannot get away with this atrocious behaviour?
Have the dems no power in Alaska?
GINO and WAR think they have it all sewn up!
I see on CNN they are only going to drain 75% of the oil.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/04/03/alaska.volcano.oil.tanks/index.html .
?
I was about to relax until I saw Citykld’s post… now I’m still in worry mode.
Then I realized Palin will be there with Samaritan Purse, a batch of cookies, and a doting press team soon to make all the nastybad stuff go away!
But seriously, better to be informed than not. Thanks for the good work, Citykld!
The image at the top of AKM’s post tells a lot about the physical setting. Zooming in on Google tells even more – any fool who’s played with meandering rivulets enough to understand, on a small scale, the evolving nature of braided rivers, could see the stupidity of the tank farm location! It sits between the current channel and several old ones, which makes it higher ground, relatively speaking – It must be…5 or 10 feet above the river, or at least it was before the last load of debris. On http://www.mapper.acme.com‘s USGS maps you can see how close the tanks are to the river (just like in the photos).
honestyinGovNo Gravatar Says:
April 2nd, 2009 at 9:56 PM
caligrl…. thanks for the KTUU link. I browsed some of the stories there.
One points out the 6 blunders GINO has has this week.
Her response was she thought she had a ‘good ‘ week. Does she make and drink her own moonshine in the basement…? How many disasters or News reports does GINO need to make it a bad week.
If somebody (unmarried )in the family got pregnant… it would still be a good week.
BTW… is caligrl still in CA…?… ..I’m here in SacTown… with the Terminator
~~~~~~~~~~
((waves Hi!}} Yes in Cali by SFO…
I think she’s on worse than moonshine! JMO of course
I feel strange giving a “good on ya mate” for doing what should have been done
in the first place but what the heck! We are living in strange times indeed.
Hello Chevron? You might want to rethink the location of your tank farm.
Erupting volcanoes are usually a bad thing. Just sayin’.
DD
Seems crazy to store oil that close to an active volcano!
When I’d first heard of these crude oil storage tanks, I thought to myself: “They got what? Where? Are they stupid or something?”
(admittedly I have not researched this)
I am curious just who is the brilliant soul that thought putting millions of gallons of crude at the base of an active volcano was a really good idea in the first place? My second question is this: Once Redoubt settles down, as most volcanoes usually do, are they going to put the crude back at the base of an active, living volcano?
daMamma…
back in the early 70s when the facilities were built there was an oil embargo and as a result of that embargo and the resulting gas shortages (mostly manufactured) there was a rush to “decrease our dependence on foreign oil” (sound familiar? ) by drilling in Alaska and placing storage facilities in places where they were “accessible” to tankers coming to collect said oil. There were NO environmental impact studies done mainly because they weren’t required back then and the facilities were placed “willy-nilly” wherever there was access with little cost to the oil companies.
THAT is how the storage facility got built at the base of Mount Redoubt.
I am far less certain why the facility wasn’t moved in the 1990s when Redoubt blew the last time… most likely because the danger was thought to be “minimal” and that people really wouldn’t complain too much about the possible extremely negative effects of leaving it there. Whether or not Chevron will move it is anyone’s guess but there are those of us in the business who are working to get them to move it to a more safe location and to use a different design of storage facility which doesn’t leave so much crude in the tanks. Whether we will be successful in the endeavor or not remains to be seen. HOPEFULLY this time around Chevron pulls their collective craniums out of their collective rectums and MOVES the facility to a safer location with a safer design.
Curious to find what other SP sites are saying, I did the following search results for palin websites:
Results 1 – 10 of about 7,380,000 for palin websites. (0.18 seconds)
WOW! But my favorite line was this one right under the results:
“Did you mean: plain websites”