Oil’s Well That Ends Well

Please excuse the hackneyed title, but it conveys a measure of the truth. The lead article in today’s New York Times, “U.S. Report Says Oil That Remains is Scant Risk,” describes the effective end of the danger the BP oil spill poses to the Gulf region. The article notes that most of the oil has now either been captured, evaporated and dispersed and provides hard statistics to back up its claim.

According to the article, 25 percent of the chemicals have evaporated or dissolved, “in the same way that sugar dissolves in tea,” 5 percent was burned at the surface, 3 percent was skimmed, 8 percent was broken up by chemical dispersants, 16 percent dispersed naturally and 17 percent was captured by containment mechanisms. The remaining 26 percent is either a light sheen on the water or weathered tar balls.

Gulf residents seem unwilling to believe these facts and who can blame them after what they’ve been through, especially all the falsely optimistic reports. But this report is coming from the government, not BP, and it seems to be supported by scientific observation. Sometimes, you just have to accept good news for what it is, good news.

Meanwhile, BP seems to be moving forward successfully with its “static kill” with the relief well ready to provide backup assistance when required. “Oil’s well, that ends well.”