I have nothing to do with this and do not benefit from any of this.  I wanted to see for myself what I’m not hearing in the news.  I know that it easy to obtain a Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) for any chemical describing the expected hazards of any product.

Here are some websites to review from Nalco, the company making Corexit(r):

This shows a number of press releases since the spill: http://www.nalco.com/applications/corexit-technology.htm

FAQ - http://www.nalco.com/news-and-events/4255.htm

The MSDS - http://www.nalco.com/documents/Corexit_EC9500A_MSDS.pdf

Yesterday (5/24) EPA Admin Lisa Jackson released this statement about dispersant use in the spill:  See this page on EPA’s site for a more general listing of releases.

It seems as though they are now agreeing that using this product is the best available method to get rid of the spilled oil.  None of this takes away from the bigger issue that the flow needs to stop.

As someone with an engineering background and supportive of industry, I am very disheartened by this accident.  How could the platform and systems be designed to allow this to happen?  Those of us in the industry talk about designing equipment to “fail-safe”, preventing injuries and disasters like this.  I know nothing about this particular incident, but I’d bet that the investigation will find that there were insufficient protections, an insufficient hazards analysis, and insufficient training all contributing to this accident.  I would like to hear what The Responsible Care organization says about all of this.

Unfortunately, I think if the industry cannot protect itself, it must be more highly regulated.  We cannot allow safety and the environment to be compromised by accidents like this.  They must be prevented.

Tom Smith – tom@fsgnj.com
Focused Solutions Group

We started developing most of these “green” technologies many decades and centuries ago.  When did we start recycling in our towns?  Decades ago.  The History of waste production shows dates going back thousands of years with some crude attempts at recycling.  The EPA was established in 1970.  The Silicon-based solar cell was developed in 1941.  Alternative fuels have been discussed since the 19th century where diesel oil was considered along with peanut and vegetable oils for Rudolf Diesel’s new engine design.  Water purification dates back thousands of years.

Okay, I think we’ve established that these “green” technologies are not new.  So what’s all the fuss?  Well, let’s assume that you do not agree with former VP Gore that global warming is coming, and I don’t, but that’s another discussion.  At the same time, most people realize that crude oil will not last forever and we generally need to clean up after ourselves better than we have in the past in order to become better stewards of the planet. People also know that renewable and sustainable sources of energy are better for the overall environment.  But let’s not delude ourselves into thinking that making solar panels or wind turbines does not consume energy or use materials from the earth.  They certainly do.  It’s the overall impact of the construction and operation of these devices that is important.  In a similar way, the refining (cleaning) of various types of alternative fuels such as coal, tar sands, nuclear, ethanol, vegetable oils, sugars, etc. all have some level of environmental impact.  None have zero impact.  Materials and energy are needed to plant, harvest, refine and deliver.

The reason these are all “hot” topics today is because the world is awakening to these technologies, and development money is flowing into them at ever increasing rates. Smart business people, scientists, and engineers are dusting off and improving these old methods to more effectively compete with existing “legacy” equipment and processes.  That’s all good.  I’m lucky because the businesses I worked for were early adopters of many of these improving technologies, so Focused Solutions Group can leverage that experience to help support these changes in a cost effective way.

These changes are real and will not go away.  As the price of oil fluctuates the investments may ebb and flow, but they will continue.  For those looking to capitalize on this movement, look for any training opportunity you can get and do your due diligence on potential investments.  Like the Gold Rush days there will be a lot of fly-by-nighters who are looking to take your money and run.  But this sector will become an increasingly active sector and one you should consider, for your career and your investments.

Tom Smith
Focused Solutions Group
www.fsgnj.com