Not looking back at the past is a problem for the future

Wednesday, July 7th, 2010 at 12:14 pm

The BP oil leak incident which is still ongoing has opened up to a lot more issues that have been previously ignored by the government and the oil companies. Of course, the people has usual are left out of the loop. There are more than 27,000 abandoned oil and gas wells in the Gulf of Mexico which has been ignored. For how long has this wells been ignored? Well the oldest one is abandoned since the late 1940s. The problem is that the seals made for the wells will also deteriorate. Water can easily corrode the pipes and weaken the cementing for seal. The wells can become pressurized again possible leading to an explosion. The seals that are made for land based oil wells even leak. So what can you expect of the seals deep in the sea?

The government does have regulations for such things. The problem is that they do not abide by it. Oil companies have to either reuse or permanently plug up the wells they want to abandon within a year. As expected many of the oil wells have not been completely sealed and were given a confirmation on reusing them. This incomplete work has lasted for more than a year without any government intervention. We are talking from the late 1940s till now. Imagine what could happen or what will happen.

So far some of the oil companies have claimed that the seal on a properly plugged offshore will last forever. Is that the truth? We will never know but there is something we have to consider. That so far oil companies have been lying and have been taking unethical methods for cost cutting. For all we know many of these could have leaks on minute level. To be honest, there are so many numbers and information based on these oil wells but there is no point as such information could have been altered. Considering the timeline, the number of oil wells and the way oil companies behave there is a high chance for many more leaks to occur.

Why such things occur and how oil companies exploit? The major part is the responsible agencies for ensuring that the abandon wells are properly sealed depend on the paperwork provided by the oil companies. The agencies doesn`t typically inspect the job. What it means is that the oil companies could have done the seal but it might not be up to expectations. All in all everything is done on assumption. Despite the studies showing that leaks can occur the government has not taken steps to assess the problem and look for solutions. Hopefully, there will be pressure from the public and organizations that will force the government regulators to take action.

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