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Politics : Foreign Affairs Discussion Group -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Hawkmoon who wrote (196102)	8/8/2006 2:31:46 PM
From: jttmab	Respond to of 281500

I wonder if they can be sued for failing to properly carry out their leasing obligations. Certainly the folks in Alaska, who each directly benefit from oil royalties from the Alaska fields should have some recourse. What is contained in their leasing agreement that they have failed to meet? While Alaska directly benefits from revenue, it would only have recourse if some minimum royalty was not satisfied. That's a BP problem if they don't pay the minimum, but it's hard to imagine that BP or any other company isn't allowed to shut down a pipeline for maintenance. What Alaska receives is a tax from BP, if BP doesn't generate the revenue because the pipeline shuts down, there's no tax for idle time. If I'm employed and lose my job does the Federal Government sue me because they were expecting a certain tax revenue from me? jttmab

To: Hawkmoon who wrote (196102)	8/9/2006 8:00:03 AM
From: jttmab	Respond to of 281500

Bacteria may have eaten through Alaskan oil pipe * 12:20 09 August 2006 * NewScientist.com news service * Kurt Kleiner The unexpected prime suspects for the corrosion that threatens to cut off 8% of US oil production are bacteria that colonise the sludge that collects in pipes. The affected five kilometre stretch of pipeline carries oil from BP's Prudhoe Bay oilfield in Alaska to the Trans-Alaska Pipeline, which connects all of Alaska's oilfields to seaports. On Sunday, BP announced plans to begin shutting down its 400,000-barrel-a-day Prudhoe operations while it replaces 25 kilometres of suspect piping. BP officials say the best guess so far is that bacteria colonised part of the pipe and corroded the metal. A similar problem probably led to a 750,000-litre oil spill in another part of BP's Alaska pipeline in March 2006. But BP had not expected similar corrosion in the 29-year-old Prudhoe pipe, since it transported relatively clean oil, with little of the water and other impurities that promote corrosion. "Clearly, that was a false assumption that we need to re-investigate," said Bill Hedges, a corrosion expert with BP. Smart pig Corrosion is a common problem in ageing oil pipelines. Sulphate-reducing bacteria can colonise sludge that collects at the bottom of a pipe, eventually corroding the metal. The pipe that leaked in March carried viscous oil, which has a high level of impurities and is known to make pipes more prone to corrosion. After that leak, regulators ordered BP to conduct inspections on all 35 kilometres of its Prudhoe Bay pipes. In late July the company sent a sensing device called "smart pig" through the five-kilometre-long stretch of pipe at its Flow Station 2 operation. The smart pig is pushed through the pipe by the oil flow and takes measurements using either ultrasound or a technique called magnetic flux leakage, in which a magnetic field is produced in the pipe and then measured. Five barrels Although the 75-cm-wide pipe, which is above ground, had been inspected routinely from the outside using ultrasound equipment, July was the first time a smart pig had been run through since 1992, BP officials say. The analysis recorded 16 anomalies in 12 different spots. When crews went out to inspect the pipe, they found the most recent leak, which had spilled about five barrels of oil. "We thought there was a low probability of concern," Daren Beaudo an official at BP's Anchorage office told New Scientist. "That's a dry oil line, without carbon dioxide and water. We didn't anticipate a corrosive environment." J Kyle Keith, director of operations for the Canadian Energy Pipeline Association, says corrosion is a constant problem for pipeline operators, but maintenance and inspection usually keeps the problem in check. "Pipeline systems rarely fail," he says. But environmental groups say BP's image will be damaged by the Prudhoe Bay leak. "Their reputation will suffer, perhaps justifiably," Athan Manuel of the Arctic Wilderness Campaign told the BBC. "They have earned their green reputation but their image will take a hit." newscientisttech.com

To: Hawkmoon who wrote (196102)	8/9/2006 8:09:06 AM
From: jttmab	Respond to of 281500

Science offers some hope for you... Scientist Tests 'Anti-Stupidity' Pill Created:8/8/2006 6:34:16 AM Last Updated:8/8/2006 12:30:56 PM BERLIN (Reuters) - A German scientist has been testing an "anti-stupidity" pill with encouraging results on mice and fruit flies, Bild newspaper reported Saturday. It said Hans-Hilger Ropers, director at Max-Planck-Institute for Molecular Genetics in Berlin, has tested a pill thwarting hyperactivity in certain brain nerve cells, helping stabilize short-term memory and improve attentiveness. "With mice and fruit flies we were able to eliminate the loss of short-term memory," Ropers, 62, is quoted saying in the German newspaper, which has dubbed it the "world's first anti-stupidity pill." wusatv9.com It's not a complete cure, but at least you'll be able to remember what was in the previous post you wrote. You might be able to convince them of that your mental capabilities are so similar to a fruit fly that you could be in the current testing program now. If you need a reference, I'd be more than happy to provide one. jttmab