‘Hands Across the Sand’ offshore-drilling protest includes Alki

| Environment | West Seattle beaches | West Seattle news

Anybody else old enough to remember Hands Across America (May 25, 1986)? Next Saturday, Hands Across the Sand is planned nationwide, to show opposition to offshore oil drilling – with on-the-beach handclasping if you are somewhere that happens to have a beach. In our case, Alki is on the list. Gather at 11 am by the bathhouse, demonstrate at noon. (Somewhat spooky to see that there were protests like these in Florida back in February – including along the Gulf of Mexico – months before the BP disaster.)

M June 20, 2010 (7:29 am)

Just watched Meet the Press this am, the people of the gulf coast don’t want the industry to leave as they provide alot of jobs. An oil industry person said that if offshore drilling is banned here they will just move the rigs to West Africa and Brazil where there is little or no oversight. Be carfeul what you wish for.

Smitty June 20, 2010 (8:22 am)

Have to agree with M. Until we change our oil consuming behavior we have no right to demand that our shorelines stay clean and safe and make all the other countries take the risk associated with drilling. Typically American.

I also assume most people will drive to this event.

Dale June 20, 2010 (9:13 am)

It really is to bad that the industry may get shut down because of BP’s recklessness. Here is an excerpt of an e-mail I received this week.

“Besides what you’ve already heard, I’ll tell you what I’ve heard 2nd hand from someone who was working on the rig.

BP did/did not do the following:
1. they disconnected the lines from the BOP’s before they should have
2. The BOP’s needed to be serviced but they didn’t want any downtime – 2 days
3. An employee brought to his supervisor chunks of rubber – I thought from hydril at the time
4. They only ran 6 centralizers, therefore the pipe would have lain against the wall causing the poor cement job and channel
5. The didn’t circulate bottoms up, that is left a large volume of gas in the wellbore when tripping out.
6. attempts to spot a pill failed, for every 2 barrels pumped in, 5 barrels were coming out. The two mud engineers died.
7. They didn’t alert through the proper channels as it was early morning – wasted about 3 hours at the first sign of trouble
8. BP drilling engineers get a nice bonus for finishing the job under budget and under time. (I have been discounted to death on their bonus scheme over the last 20 years, yes we work for scraps at times)
9. BP is known for not checking the quality of the cement job, they want to get the rig off the hole in a hurry in order to save money. This time is no different (I have done hundreds of cement bond/evaluation logs and I don’t know how they get away with leaving wells in this condition)
10. I heard rumor that they can’t close the vents as it’ll blow the casing out. Why are these details about the casing,etc so vague?
10. BP was 54 days behind on this well, paying 1/2 million a day in penalties (the amount could be wrong)”

Granted I don’t understand all of this but most of it. Poor choices. Beyond negligence.

newnative June 20, 2010 (9:47 am)

As someone who walks, bikes and busses most everywhere, I have to agree with the comments here. This protest seems unrealistic. Hands Across The Freeways ought to come first.

Beth June 20, 2010 (10:42 am)

Here’s what they say on the website…it’s not just about offshore drilling…it’s also about moving towards clean energy….

“Hands Across the Sand is a movement made of people of all walks of life and crosses political affiliations. This movement is not about politics; it is about protection of our coastal economies, oceans, marine wildlife, and… fishing industry. Let us share our knowledge, energies and passion for protecting all of the above from the devastating effects of oil drilling. The image is powerful, the message is simple. NO to Offshore Oil Drilling, YES to Clean Energy.”

I agree that we are currently dependent on oil AND I have hope and am making choices daily (however small or large) to change that and I hope to see a major switch to alternative energy in my lifetime.

Angelique June 24, 2010 (6:14 pm)

I decided to search to see what people were saying about this here before I head to the beach on Saturday – and I was disappointed to find the same I see elsewhere.

Cynicism and complacency.

To fuel your complacency – you choose to believe that people unrealistically advocate for stopping oil overnight. You choose to believe that every prominent figure that advocates for clean energy and/or energy independence is doing so for some solely self interest (promoting their product, new album, movie, getting votes), so you condemn it so you can use it as an excuse continue to sit on your haunches.

No one is advocating that we can instantly stop using oil. You can pretend people are, and you can keep it up until America falls behind the rest of the world. Because all you’re doing, is making sure we do *NOTHING*. You are lazy. Get off your cheap energy welfare.

We are a great country, but we will fall behind if we don’t step up and be the innovators in this. Whether or not we work hard enough for sustainable energy is a turning point that will decide our fate.

The right wingers need to start applying their “sense of entitlement” rants to our sense of entitlement to corporations spending their money to do the research and shape our future. We need to take responsibility and shape our own future. Period.

Stacia Jenkins June 25, 2010 (2:12 pm)

I signed up to organize the Hands Across the Sand event at Alki as soon as I heard about the organization, though I moved from the neighborhood 5 years ago. I spent 7 years living on Alki Ave. and still miss it very much. It’s where my babies played, where they learned to ride their bikes, where I rediscovered running – too many wonderful memories to count, of early morning salty breezes, sunset picnics and walks, sunny days with other families. I can’t imagine losing something so precious – the beaches, the water, the wildlife, and the beautiful West Seattle views as those in the Gulf have.

We may not have near-shore drilling in Elliot Bay, or off-shore along the Washington coast, but with 4 huge oil refineries in the Strait of Juan de Fuca and 15 billion gallons of oil moving in tankers through the Strait and Puget Sound every year, we face the threat of a major spill every single day.

The preservation of our water, our beaches, our air – the health and quality of life of ourselves and our children DEPENDS on converting to clean energy. Obviously, none of us are oil-independent in this country now, but every one of us can do something to get us there. Reducing the oil supply and the risks of off-shore drilling is one step, but it goes hand in hand with mindfully choosing to reduce our oil usage. I’m proud to be helping to gather people who are committed to doing both. I hope everyone who loves our West Seattle beaches will join us!

Sorry, comment time is over.