Surfing Waves

I was a UCSB freshman in 1969 and remember the last time this was considered a good idea.





http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-santa-barbara-spill-20170428-htmlstory.html

Here's a better idea.

https://www.boem.gov/Offshore-Wind-Energy/

Oils UP! (instead of surf's up) I notice there are no waves where the wind turbines are.... interesting. What is going to keep boats from running into them? I am also skeptical of them causing less harmful pollution than the occasional oil spill.

I almost feel like a discussion about issues like oil drilling is really a sublimated desire to return to political normalcy. Unfortunately, political normalcy is gone. If democracy still functioned in the US, a discussion concerning oil drilling would be entirely appropriate. The reality TV show that the White House has become, however, makes normal political debate more of a distraction from the most important issue: the lunacy of Donald Trump.

There's no reason to pretend there are other issues to focus on. The only relevant question is what kind of insanity are we likely to see from the GOP establishment when or if the rule of law attempts to assert itself and hold elites accountable. These days it's not hard to see that the President gets crazier and crazier as the investigation into his administration begins to close in on criminal activities (money laundering for sleazy Russian oligarchs I'm speculating) that the Trumpsters likely engaged in. The only issue I worry about these days is what will Trump do when indictments start coming down. Will he start a war? Invade Tonga? Who knows where the crazy will take us? I don't have much faith in the GOP to help maintain the rule of law or the use of common sense.

You're right though, Boman, it's incredibly important to continue safeguarding the coasts. I suggest Americans try and remember the companies, for example a British Petroleum or a Unocal, that will no doubt attempt to exploit the rotten policies of the Trump administration and line our coasts with oil rigs.

oldmansurfer wrote:Oils UP! (instead of surf's up) I notice there are no waves where the wind turbines are.... interesting. What is going to keep boats from running into them? I am also skeptical of them causing less harmful pollution than the occasional oil spill.

Oil doesn't cause pollution just through spills, it pollutes through its very usage.
We don't know much about the effects of wind turbines in the ocean, but we have to try to wean ourselves of proven bad technologies, like oil platforms.

In fact I can see offshore wind farms providing habitats for coral maybe, like when they sink ships to make coral reefs, maybe they can make the base of the windmill rougher to provide places for coral to anchor and other more mobile species to hide.

RinkyDink wrote: The only issue I worry about these days is what will Trump do when indictments start coming down. Will he start a war?

I wish there are indictments on Trump and his family, but I feel the GOP will at some point succeed in stopping the investigation.

pmcaero wrote:

oldmansurfer wrote:Oils UP! (instead of surf's up) I notice there are no waves where the wind turbines are.... interesting. What is going to keep boats from running into them? I am also skeptical of them causing less harmful pollution than the occasional oil spill.

Oil doesn't cause pollution just through spills, it pollutes through its very usage.
We don't know much about the effects of wind turbines in the ocean, but we have to try to wean ourselves of proven bad technologies, like oil platforms.

In fact I can see offshore wind farms providing habitats for coral maybe, like when they sink ships to make coral reefs, maybe they can make the base of the windmill rougher to provide places for coral to anchor and other more mobile species to hide.

There were wind turbines that over heated and resulted in significant pollution. They need to be built and placed in the ocean which initially will disrupt ocean life. They need to be able to withstand hurricanes and waves and whatever weather is present in the area and time in the ocean. They need to not be protected from boats for the safety of boaters as well as for the safety of the wind farm. Access will have to be by floating vehicles which will increase the operating cost and safety for them. While placing them in the ocean keeps land from being occupied by wind farms the ocean presents a more difficult challenge. Perhaps once they abandon wind farms for something more cost effective they can become a healthy part of the ecology as long as they aren't made from materials that would present problems for the marine life.

oldmansurfer wrote:There were wind turbines that over heated and resulted in significant pollution. They need to be built and placed in the ocean which initially will disrupt ocean life. They need to be able to withstand hurricanes and waves and whatever weather is present in the area and time in the ocean. They need to not be protected from boats for the safety of boaters as well as for the safety of the wind farm. Access will have to be by floating vehicles which will increase the operating cost and safety for them. While placing them in the ocean keeps land from being occupied by wind farms the ocean presents a more difficult challenge. Perhaps once they abandon wind farms for something more cost effective they can become a healthy part of the ecology as long as they aren't made from materials that would present problems for the marine life.

Everything you said can apply to offshore drilling platforms too. I think even the mobile ones have to sink pylons to the bottom to anchor, so they would disrupt multiple locations instead of just one.

That’s true I don’t think either of them have a place in the future but we need a different president before we can make progress

pmcaero wrote:I wish there are indictments on Trump and his family, but I feel the GOP will at some point succeed in stopping the investigation.

The mangling of the law and the manufacturing of a BS narrative is already being carried out by GOP representatives. Listen to the following interview starting at 18:20
https://www.npr.org/programs/fresh-air/ ... 2018-01-04. The thwarting of justice is already underway, the question is what should people do about it, particularly if the GOP continues to cover up the truth.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/02/opin ... n-gps.html

RinkyDink wrote:The thwarting of justice is already underway, the question is what should people do about it, particularly if the GOP continues to cover up the truth.

Maybe voting for another party? That is the advantage of Democracy.

Oldie wrote:Maybe voting for another party? That is the advantage of Democracy.

I was thinking more along the lines of joining a good old fashioned protest. Voting your conscience helps too.