The Meeting at Manteo | Eastern North Carolina Now

    I attended the meeting yesterday at Manteo of (BOEM), Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. It was at the Ramada Inn, 4th floor conference room. I thought it was a meeting to receive input and questions about the proposal to drill offshore of NC and SC. Instead, I found it to be a cheering session for Big Oil.

    My first observation is that this government agency should actually be named Brotherhood of Ocean Energy Manipulation. I went to a hearing supposed to be held 3:00-7:00. INSTEAD, it was a fancy promotion for drilling --- replete with cute girls / video PR / men in expensive suits which did not cover their ignorance / coffee

    they should have provided expensive booze to lure us into submission!!! They DID NOT.

    The cute girl was the first to greet me and my wife. Every question I asked got a "this is an initial meeting just to inform the public, sir" answer. I drove from Bath to Manteo on my dime because I am concerned our River will be polluted between Offshore Oil Rigs and Fracking Inland. Now, they are "just passing out information."

    OK --- then what do you know about the oil sediment props are kicking up in the Gulf that coats the bottom and is possibly causing lesions on fish?

    Answer: "I didn't see that show. We are here to take questions right now."

    "What is going to happen if we had a blow out like the Deep Water Horizon that polluted the Gulf of Mexico?"

    Answer: "That gentleman in the dark suit over there---either of the 2 will be able to answer that. Now the video next to us will give you the basic information you need. Free coffee is over there in the corner . . ."

    "You may be a bit cute, blond, and young; but baby, you ain't a cheerleader and your skirt isn't short enough for me to waste any more time here . . ."

    The video was a glorious commercial. Nothing else on the BS pamphlets was any better. It was time to talk with the guy in the dark suit. It was pinstripe / nice tie / expensive shoes / he seemed to be educated / his hair is turning gray like mine / let's sees what he says about the Deep Water Explorer disaster . . .

    Question: Why was there no containment dome as required?

    Answer: "It is an option that was not needed and seldom used. The problem was an off-center wellhead and shut off valve that failed. You see, they were so deep a diver could not get to it. The concrete poured to stabilize the well head and secure the cut-off valve made it malfunction so it could not do as designed by the drilling company."

    Question: Just how deep was that well?

    Answer: "UMMMM, let me see . . ."

    I'm not interested in exact figures. Just tell me more or less what was the depth . . . it becomes clear the well was far below the surface only a remote operated vehicles (ROV) with cameras to see into the murky depths of drilling could work. He says nothing about the crud stirred into the ocean currents as drilling took place for months on end to get the hole in place---much less the off-center well head.

    Question: The disbursement chemicals are now doing some strange things to the aquatic plants and animals of the Gulf. What about that . . . A propeller made mud surface. It is black goo that smells awful . . .

    Answer: "Sir, the Coast Guard is responsible for that and we do not know anything about it . . ."

    THE HELL YOU SAY???? You guys are supposed to help us have safety in drilling and environmental protection . . . and YOU DON'T KNOW, IT IS SOMEBODY ELSE'S FIELD . . . THE DOUBLE HELL YOU SAY . . .

    Comment: This is sounding more like promotional BS to me, sir. Why would you not know all parts of this??? I graduated from Emory in 1970. They required me to know both sides of any issue and give my rational for where I stood to get an "A." I first got "C" or less for Bullshit answers on tests!

    Answer: "I graduated from William and Mary myself."

    His eyes were getting a bit wider and his face was beginning to get red. His slight shake let me know I had touched a nerve. My wife's back was starting to ache from standing around so long. I had a PR / BS expert and his position is "that's my story and I'm sticking to it. . .

    I chatted with a guy listening to our conversation. Another man with expertise in marine biology told me the mess generated in drilling was going into the water column and it is still unknown what is the long term result. He went over to further question the "suit guy."

    I had reached the point of rolling on the floor / my son was expecting us at Elizabeth City / it was clear that the only other thing to do was go next door where the Oceana folks were holding a press conference and making far more sense about the danger of Offshore Drilling. 20 or so years ago they got the mess stopped.

    Like racial issues and taxes, it seems we do good things and then in 20-50 years it is as if it never happened! GREED is a serious driving force for Big Oil . . .