Is the BP Spill the Chernobyl of Our Time?

(Aired on May 7, 2010)

With the occurrence of the Three Mile Island accident in 1979 - and the subsequent Chernobyl meltdown in 1986 - the nuclear energy debate was never the same.  In fact, the potential inherent in nuclear energy has been sullied ever since.  It will be interesting to see if the current disaster unfolding off the Gulf Coast of Louisiana will have the same effect on offshore drilling for oil.

Crews are trying to position what's best described as a contraption atop the spill to siphon some of it off into a tanker.  But this is the first time it's ever been tried, and there are no guarantees as to its success.  The sad thing about this whole mess is that it could have been prevented, and pretty cheaply.  British Petroleum chose not install a device called an "acoustic switch" on the wellhead deep beneath the surface.  An acoustic switch is a backup safety device that would have allowed officials to have relieved the pressure remotely.  As it is now, thousands of barrels of oil are flowing into the Gulf of Mexico every day.  Had the switch been in place, much of the damage could have prevented.

And here's the kicker; an acoustic switch costs approximately $500,000.  That's absolutely a pittance for a company like B.P., and pales in comparison to the cost of the damage that this disaster has caused.  It likely would not have prevented the explosion and the loss of 11 lives, but it could have prevented what may turn out to be one of the worst environmental disasters of our time. 

If Canada and British Columbia ever pursue drilling off our Pacific coastline, we can't leave it up to companies to make their own safety rules.  This disaster in particular should prove that any and all safety devices need to be installed and maintained in large scale drilling operations.  The nuclear debate hasn't recovered since Chernobyl, and offshore oil drilling may never recover from this.