Deepwater
Horizon: This photo taken by a robot submarine is of the
Well
head at the ill-fated oil platform. An estimated 800,000 gallons
of
heavy crude oil a day is being released into the Gulf of Mexico.
Der Tagesspiegel, Germany
Nothing Will Stop Americans
from Drilling Offshore
"One
suspects that the consequences won’t be nearly as drastic as might be assumes today.
… The shock is already subsiding. In
general, Americans are far less inclined to drama and see a future that is brighter
than Germans. They even tend to be annoyed should they feel that dangers are
being exaggerated."
Non-stop, the oil spills into
the Gulf of Mexico. A natural disaster - but the consequences will turn out to
be not quite as drastic as one might assume today. The U.S. will not abandon
offshore drilling.
Is this the shock that will
bring Americans to abandon their dependence on oil? Shouldn’t this
environmental disaster off the southern coast force the U.S. to follow Europe’s
energy policy and to switch to renewable energy? These are typical expectations
in Germany, after the explosion on an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico. In fact,
hundreds of thousands of gallons of oil are gushing out on a daily basis,
threatening the environment and the livelihoods of people living along the
coast. Such questions are justified and in the face of such a catastrophe, are
even being asked in America. Yet one suspects that the consequences won’t be nearly
as drastic as might be assumed today.
The reasons for this are
many. They range from weather conditions, which have so far prevented the
catastrophic predictions from coming true, to the differences in temperament
between Americans and Germans, to the persistence of human nature. In
the years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, sociologist Wolf Lepenies spoke of
the "inconsequence of an incredible event." In 1989, it was thought
that everything would change. In fact, West Germany continued to live as before
- apart from the solidarity
tax surcharge.
Bombarded by public attention
and the anger of local fishermen in Louisiana and Mississippi, if the U.S.
Congress had to enact new energy legislation, it would undoubtedly further
restrict offshore exploration. But at least for now, the spill has had the
opposite effect. The Energy Act that Obama was hoping for this summer has been
postponed pending investigations and awaiting implications. But in 2011, the
congressional balance of power will probably be even less favorable.
The shock is already
subsiding. In general, Americans are far less inclined to drama and see a future
that is brighter than Germans. They even tend to be annoyed should they feel that
dangers are being exaggerated. For days now, the U.S. and European media have
reported that the contamination of the Mississippi Delta is imminent. The pattern
of the expected images that lay ahead is the accident of the Exxon Valdez off the
coast of Alaska in 1989: countless animals dead and black, sticky mud inundating
the coast. But the demise of an oil rig 60 miles off the coast at a depth of 5,000
feet obviously has different implications than a tanker accident - or an
accident with an oil rig in the North Sea, which is no deeper than 230-390 feet.
Up to now, wind and waves
have prevented the oil spill from polluting large areas of land. In addition, this
has allowed the oil to mix with seawater, so by the time it reaches shore it's
no longer as concentrated. The downside: bad weather has hampered attempts to close
the leak on the seabed floor. At some point, the consequences will become
visible. But in the meantime, other unsettling news like the attack in New York
keeps people preoccupied.
The U.S. will not abandon drilling
off of its coast. This reduces dependence on imports from Islamic countries,
where petrodollars fund repression and terror. Even today, the U.S. is less
dependent on this than Germany. The U.S. can produce half of its oil and gas domestically.
Regulations for safety valves and corporate liability may well be adjusted. And
renewable energy sources are being developed: a wind farm off the coast of
Massachusetts is now under construction. The oil spill remains an unprecedented
drama - but with limited consequences.
