The immediate response to the massive oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico is, understandably, that everybody wants to help. And you would think another place that has experienced the devastation of an oil spill, like Alaska, would want to help the most, being able to identify with the outcome and the issues that the Gulf coast must be experiencing. To a certain point, that’s the case. But on the other hand, Alaska is now thinking a little harder about sending further supplies to support the cleanup effort. Are they less sympathetic? Not at all. They are thinking- what if we have another disaster? How prepared will we be? And that makes sense.

And it makes me think that we have hit a point where so many people have experienced this kind of a disaster that we should start getting to know better- you know what I mean?

After oil spills in the last few decades, Alaska requires a certain amount of cleanup gear to be kept in places where they might need it- a prudent policy that no one can argue with.

“Anything that goes out decreases your readiness to a certain degree," said Larry Hartig, Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner.

So what is there to be done? The Gulf needs a lot of supplies to keep cleaning up. The @BPGlobalPR account can only raise so much money selling t-shirts. And Alaska cannot, in their right mind, send all of their supplies over to the Gulf.

Now, with the BP Plc spill in its 64th day, pressure from the federal government to keep contributing equipment is intense, state officials say.

The U.S. Coast Guard, Environmental Protection Agency and the state are reviewing available supplies and deciding what can be safely sent away.

This all underscores what the Exxon Mobil CEO said- the oil industry is simply not ready to deal with a disaster in the deepwater drilling sector. And this is coming blunt from an engineer, not a politician or life-long businessman. He is speaking the truth, from assessing the situation.

And the fact that government resources are being stretched so as to question whether or not they can keep them up? Well, that shows you that BP, and probably other oil companies, don’t have anywhere near the amount of cleanup gear they need.

And it’s not like Alaska isn’t using their equipment- a team in Juneau did a two-month cleanup at a sunken cruise ship of over 146,000 U.S. gallons of fuel.

Point is, Alaska is running out. Obviously, all the states around the Gulf don’t have enough to do it on their own. BP obviously, more than obviously, has little to no idea what to do to clean up this disaster. Is it their fault. Yes and no. The backup valves didn’t work, so yes. Not being able to clean it up after a string of backup safety systems don’t work? Well, you never think that’s going to happen.

That’s the common string here, that no length of boom will stop floatin ashore- you never think that’s going to happen.  

Photo Credit: U.S. Army Environmental Command