OIL PIPELINE
Ian
There is an issue burning at the moment about the oil pipelines off of the West coast. Protestors are bravely taking on the multinationals and are hopefully making people realise that there are alternatives. There is a theory about how large decisions can easily be made that are not in the best interests of the public such as the onshore pipeline. It is about how you can go in to a board of directors of a multinational company and get approval for building something immense such as a multi-million or even billion euro pipeline, or anything that is on a large scale, but if you want to build a shed in the garden you will be tangled up in endless discussions with people about what colour you can paint it. This is because an oil rig is so vast, so expensive and so complicated that people cannot grasp the complete concept, and rather than try, they fall back on the assumption that somebody else checked all the details before it gets made into a reality. A shed on the other hand can be built over a weekend. So no matter how well prepared, no matter how reasonable you are with your plans, somebody could seize the chance to show that he or she are doing their job by objecting to the colour. In Denmark this cause of action is called "setting your fingerprint". It is about personal pride and prestige. It is about being able to point somewhere and say “There, I did that!” It is a strong trait in politicians. So issues are left far too long before solutions are found and they escalate into the turmoil that is happening with the pipelines on the west coast. A couple of issues in Buncrana feel like this as well. The shore front development for one looks like an instance where assumptions have been made that the proposed development is worthwhile because of decisions made by apparent “professionals”. An old employer once told me to never assume anything and in cases such as this they are wise words.
Regards T.K. Buncrana.
Environmental.
Ian
There is an issue burning at the moment about the oil pipelines off of the West coast. Protestors are bravely taking on the multinationals and are hopefully making people realise that there are alternatives. There is a theory about how large decisions can easily be made that are not in the best interests of the public such as the onshore pipeline. It is about how you can go in to a board of directors of a multinational company and get approval for building something immense such as a multi-million or even billion euro pipeline, or anything that is on a large scale, but if you want to build a shed in the garden you will be tangled up in endless discussions with people about what colour you can paint it. This is because an oil rig is so vast, so expensive and so complicated that people cannot grasp the complete concept, and rather than try, they fall back on the assumption that somebody else checked all the details before it gets made into a reality. A shed on the other hand can be built over a weekend. So no matter how well prepared, no matter how reasonable you are with your plans, somebody could seize the chance to show that he or she are doing their job by objecting to the colour. In Denmark this cause of action is called "setting your fingerprint". It is about personal pride and prestige. It is about being able to point somewhere and say “There, I did that!” It is a strong trait in politicians. So issues are left far too long before solutions are found and they escalate into the turmoil that is happening with the pipelines on the west coast. A couple of issues in Buncrana feel like this as well. The shore front development for one looks like an instance where assumptions have been made that the proposed development is worthwhile because of decisions made by apparent “professionals”. An old employer once told me to never assume anything and in cases such as this they are wise words.
Regards T.K. Buncrana.
Environmental.
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