This post originally appeared on Orphan Road.
And they might set the thing on fire, to curb the environmental impact. I wonder if this kind of thing was anywhere in the spreadsheet WSDOT used to determine how many lanes 520 needs, or whether we can get along without a new viaduct.
Didn’t they originally plan to do the same with the Exxon Valdez spill, or at least use some kind of dispersant, but it did not work? THis may be on the scale with the Santa Barbara spill of 1969. Energy drilling is a dangerous business, and sadly, with coal and oil, we have learned it comes with a price in lives. We have made the tankers as safe as they can be, with the retirement of the Sea River Long Beach, the US-tanker fleet, mainly the Jones Act fleet, is now double-hulled. Notice the ban on offshore drilling that was being relaxed, exempted the West Coast? Probably because of the Santa Barbara disaster. Although the Gulf saw a lot of rigs get damaged by Katrina.