Hooray for Hollywood!

BP has given the greenlight for funding of a device that can separate oil from water! YAY some good news finally, God I hope it does some good...they say it works, so here we go!

  Development of the machine, which uses a centrifuge to separate the fluids, has been backed by actor Kevin Costner to the tune of $25 million.

John Houghtaling, Costner's chief partner in the project, told WWL First News that the oil company has ordered 32 of the devices for use in the Gulf of Mexico. 

"In a matter of weeks, we can be manufacturing ten of these a week," Houghtaling said.  "So we're hoping by the first of August to have all 32 of these things in the Gulf."

Listen to Houtaling talk about the deployment of the device:


According to Houtaling, the machines cost roughly half a million dollars to build, but also require the hiring of vessels to take them out onto the water.

Though the world-famous actor and Houtaling are both pleased that BP has now agreed to deploy the devices, Costner told members of Congress earlier this week. that he'd had a hard time getting an opportunity to try out his centrifuge for the Coast Guard.

"We would offer to take our machines out there but we couldn't get onto the spots because the Coast Guard would regulate that we couldn't get there," Costner testified.

Houghtaling said that in addition to providing clean-up duty in the gulf, deployment of even more of the devices could aid in shortening the six-month moratorium on deep-water drilling.

He said that he'd like to see the government use the machines as a safety measure to keep the deep-water drilling rigs in operation as safety procedures are reviewed.

"By the end of August...our company can have thirty-three of the machines around the rigs.  If there's a spill, we can deploy," Houtaling said.

To view an animation of how the device works, click the window below:

Meanwhile Costner's company is moving toward leasing 16 more oil sucking and separating machines to Plaquemines Parish officials directly.  They say if BP won't pay for that, they may sell the oil local officials pull from the water and fund the machines that way.

So good, maybe this will work in the short term but what about long term and our dependence on oil? Are we ever going to reduce our dependence and is that realistic? Here's some of the reasons why I don't think it's realistic...

Graphic shows products made from a barrel of crude oil, including household products

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- So the Gulf oil spill has you ready to quit petroleum cold turkey? Louisiana's brown pelicans have more of a chance of avoiding Big Oil than you do.
Merely parking the car and riding a bike won't cut it. Your sneakers and bike have petroleum products in them. Sure, you can shut off the AC, but the electric fans you switch to have plastic from oil and gas in them. And the insulation to keep your home cool, also started as oil and gas. Without all that, you will sweat and it'll be all too noticeable because deodorant comes from oil and gas too.
You can't even escape petroleum products with a nice cool fast-food milkshake -- which probably has a petrochemical-based thickener.
Oil is everywhere. It permeates our daily lives in ways we never think about. It's in carpeting, furniture, computers and clothing. It's in the most personal of products like toothpaste, shaving cream, lipstick and vitamin capsules. Petrochemicals are the glue of our modern lives and even in glue, too.


Sickening isn't it....Looks like drilling is here to stay but that doesn't mean it can't be done safely. Looks like that is up to you Mr. President. There MUST be safety before profits...