Should EU countries send oil aid relief to the US?

[Menydh]

I am all in favour of sending humanitarian aid to any country to help relief on a catastrophe. Medicines, doctors, food, water, tents, technical experts, ...

... But, is it right that European countries have to send part of their oil reserves to the richest country in the world, which also has the largest oil reserves?

Germany Offers Oil Reserves, Supplies to US

Deutsche Welle
September 2, 2005

Chancellor Gerhard Schröder announced he would help the United States deal with fuel disruptions and also offered emergency supplies and support to hurricane-struck regions in what has become a German campaign issue.

After canceling meetings on Friday to focus on relief proposals, Schröder said Germany would dip into its oil reserves to help avoid shortages in the United States in the wake of hurricane Katrina. He did not specify how much of Germany's oil reserves of some 23 million tons of fuel he would offer.

The French government announced on Friday that the 26 members of the International Energy Agency (IEA) unanimously support measures calling for member states to release 60 million barrels of oil per day from their strategic reserves for one month in order to counter fuel disruptions caused by the hurricane.

In addition to calling on oil companies to lower prices, Schröder also offered help in the form of drinking water, medicine and emergency personnel.

"We can help to accommodate those left destitute. We can help purify water, send medicines like antibiotics and vaccines. We have experts who can help restore water and electricity supply," he said in a press conference. "These are all things that we can supply at short notice."

Many nations including France, Belgium, Australia, Japan and Venezuela have also offered aid to the United States.

[source]

Spain to send 70,000 barrels of oil daily to US

The Spain Herald
September 9, 2005

The Spanish cabinet yesterday approved the shipment of 70,000 barrels of crude oil a day to the US during the next 30 days at the request of the International Energy Agency (IEA), of which Spain is a member, to help the US overcome its supply problems after Hurricane Katrina. This amount is 5% of Spain's daily consumption and 1.8% of its petroleum reserves.
Vicepremier Maria Teresa Fernández de la Vega said at a press conference, "With this decision we are fulfilling the request made by the IAE," and added that Katrina has paralyzed oil production in the Gulf of Mexico and has damaged 14 refineries.

Katrina caused the US oil supply to decline by 10%, and its effects may cause a decline of 38 million barrels of petroleum products and 33 million barrels of crude oil during October.

On September 2 the IEA decided to release 60 million barrels of crude oil belonging to its members' strategic reserves at the rate of 2 million barrels a day. This decision will be revised October 15.

As a member of the IEA, Spain is required to maintain and be able to supply to other countries a quantity of oil equal to 90 days' worth of its own consumption. As Spain consumes 1.6 million barrels of petroleum a day, 90 days' reserves are 144 million barrels.

[source]

Finland to dip into state oil reserves to ease US shortage

Helsingin Sanomat
September 9, 2005

Finland is to begin selling oil from the emergency stockpiles held by the state. The move is prompted by the shortage of gasoline in the United States resulting from the damage caused to the US oil industry by Hurricane Katrina. It is the first time that Finland uses its strategic oil reserves to help another country.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) decided last week to take the stockpiles into use. Finland is one of the 26 member states of the IEA. The move is not expected to have an immediate effect on petrol prices for individual consumers.

The IEA proposed on Friday that its 26 member states should dip into their reserves and sell a total of two million barrels of refined fuels each day for the next month. Finland’s share would be 40,000 tonnes, which is one half of a percent of the total amount.

Mika Purhonen, director-general of Finland’s National Emergency Supply Agency, says that the amount of fuel to be released is considerable. "Two million barrels is the equivalent of the daily output of an average-sized oil producing country, such as Iraq", he explains.

The emergency stockpiles have previously been used only to meet domestic needs, such as covering for shortfalls of fuel during oil refinery shutdowns, or when there are interruptions in oil deliveries.

The move is exceptional for the IEA as well. During the war in Iraq, the agency was prepared to dip into reserves, but an increase in output by Saudi Arabia made intervention unnecessary.

[source]

[Corvin]

The fairy tale of the black over-weight man, and of the thin white guy
Once upon a time, in a 5 room house, they were living 5 guys, one of which was overweight. He was big, fat, something like black in colour, and one day went to the toilet. There, he messed it up (as he used to do everytime and let the other people to clean it up, the other people even they had a protocol for the cleaning of the toilet and the house, that in any case the big fat black guy he did not gave a damn about it) and essentially stacked at the toilet due to the enormous weight and also incapability to move properly. He was also rich this guy, and since once upon a time used to be the terror of the room and used to get money from the rest (you see he was having an enormous collection of rats that were making mess the house and many conflicts arised because of these rats and finally the fat guy prevailed of the conflicts). Anyway, he called for help, that is , somebody to bring him food, because , he started to get hungry all this time in the toilet. When the white guy came (the others they were having problems of their own in any case ), the fat guy told him that now that he cannot move, the rest of the mess the white guy should take care (also the rats), and finally the only help that he needed was some food, since the toilet finally was a nice place, with many entairtainment (rats, roaches, magazines etc).

[Carnyx]

A double no. No to aid and no to oil.

[Menydh]

Well, I support sending humanitarian aid to the area, just as I would support it anywhere else in the world. Probably partly due to my Spanish Catholic upbringing.

There is nothing wrong with helping people in distress, regardless their nationality and even race. In that I believe that Europe must keep stressing the difference with America. Non-interested help.

It is not a weakness, but a sign of a strong character, and definitely a part of the European spirituality that we not only have to preserve, but at this point even to regain. Look at missionaries and volunteers around the world who provide for humanitarian aid. No Chinese or Arabs, virtually only Europeans. And I believe that it is particularly good, because for people who live in a materialist society it points to a spirit of abnegation and rejection to materialism.

[Nerthus]

Even non-EU countries are sending their aid. I too agree with this, it's the right thing to do. European countries should send them medical assistance, food, clothes, etc. etc. But their oil reserves? Smells like politics to me. Not to mention that some of these countries had to cope with their own floods. Where was the American aid then?

[Dr. Solar Wolff]

Gasoline prices are higher in Europe than in the USA so offering the oil reserves is nice, thank you, but probably not practical. What is practical is putting pressure on Bush and Cheney, oil men, through the "threat" of European assistance. This may push them to release more of our reserves or drop federal taxes on gasoline and so push down the price of petroleum products.

But besides oil, European countries and other countries around the world have offered other forms of aid. This has been widely reported in the USA and noticed here by our citizens. For instance, today Marines arrived in southern New Orleans from ships from Mexico and Belgium. The Canadian Red Cross arrived in Mississippi today, ahead of any assistance from FEMA, the US Federal agency in charge of disasters. Britain and France have already sent medical supplies. Thailand and Sri Lanka have offered help---imagine those people who have so little compared with Americans offering help. Germany has offered high-speed water pumps which I know we need. Almost all the European countries as well as the Russians have offered help. As reported, even Fidel Castro has offered to help us.

Yes, America is a rich country but our government is not helping the victims of hurricane Katrina to the full extent of its ability. Private aid organizations have done a great deal and recently the US military has come in and is doing good work but FEMA, Homeland Security--the agencies we dump billions of dollars into have done little or nothing. This is why your offers of help are resonating with Americans.

I can't speak for all Americans or our government but I do thank you all for your help!

[Nerthus]

Just imagine...

BERLIN - A German military plane carrying 15 tons of military rations for survivors of Hurricane Katrina was sent back by U.S. authorities, officials said Saturday.

The plane was turned away Thursday because it did not have the required authorization, a German government spokesman said.

The spokesman, speaking on customary condition of anonymity, declined to comment on a report in the German news magazine Der Spiegel that U.S. authorities refused the delivery on the grounds that the
NATO military rations could carry mad cow disease

[...]

A U.S. Embassy official, who agreed to discuss the matter only if not quoted by name, blamed the German flight's rejection on temporary technical and logistical problems that have accompanied recovery operations in the devastated region

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050910/...NlYwMlJVRPUCUl

[Carnyx]

Originally Posted by Aeternitas

Just imagine...

See... Why should we help them ? ... They treat all of us (european nations) like their slaves and like to humiliate Germany (are we looking in the same direction?). It's not worth it, especially when it concerns their "afro-american" burden. Just deal with your own problem guys, but don't expect make us cry with your ridiculous loss.

[Siegmund]

No to oil, given the points about US wealth and US hypocrisy with respect to the European floods. But also no given the suffocating greed, opportunism and incompetence of the government and its contractors in dealing with the catastrophe.

Waste, American style:

What to Do about New Orleans
September 10, 2005

The bill to resurrect New Orleans is now estimated at $200 billion. Best guesses are that it will take between 5 and 15 years to regain any sort of normalcy in the area.

There are about 484,000 people who live(d) there, or 1.3 million people if you include the greater New Orleans territory. Some quick math tells us this:

If $200 billion were distributed to all New Orleans residents, that’s $413,000 per person. For a family of six on welfare, that’s $2.4 million. If we include the greater New Orleans area, it’s $154,000 per person and $923,000 for a family of six.

And all this assumes the bill stays at $200 billion. Many think the real number will be well north of this. $300 billion or more.

http://www.mikeindustries.com/blog/

[Nerthus]

I feel sorry for what happened in the USA, be the victims mostly black or white, they are all people. But I still don't see why European countries should send their oil reserves over there.

And this turndown is certainly insulting, especially having in matter Germany had to cope with floods itself. Not to mention many European countries face problems still...

Anyway here is a recent article where Bush takes responsibility for the way the hurricane was handled:

WASHINGTON - President Bush said Tuesday that "I take responsibility" for failures in dealing with Hurricane Katrina and said the disaster raised broader questions about the government's ability to respond to natural disasters as well as terror attacks.

[...]

"To the extent the federal government didn't fully do its job right, I take responsibility," Bush said.

[...]

The president was asked whether people should be worried about the government's ability to handle another terrorist attack given failures in responding to Katrina.

"Are we capable of dealing with a severe attack? That's a very important question and it's in the national interest that we find out what went on so we can better respond," Bush replied.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050913/...NlYwMlJVRPUCUl

[Perun]

Originally Posted by Aeternitas

I feel sorry for what happened in the USA, be the victims mostly black or white, they are all people. But I still don't see why European countries should send their oil reserves over there.

I agree with this. America actually has enough potential resources on its own to take care of most of the damage done in New Orleans. The problem is that those potential resources are being misused or squandered. There was already discussions about whether or not the war in Iraq diverted resources from Katrina relief efforts(especially since most of the Louisana National Guard is in Iraq). Rumsfeld got all defensive when he was asked about this during a press conference.

One thing we also need to get straight is that it's not entirely Bush's fault. The local administration down in Louisana and New Orleans are notoriously corrupt and they're just as much responsible for this mess. A very good example of this is how the mayor of New Orleans refused to use school buses to evaculate people from the city. No they werent good enough for him, he wanted Grey Hound buses instead. So while people were waiting for these Grey Hound buses to arrive, the Hurricane hits and all the school buses that could've been used are now rendered useless.

The whole thing is utterly pathetic!

[Nerthus]

So far a lot of what I've read on this issue seems unbelievable, like it was taken out of some movie script.

Here's another:

Washington - The government's disaster chief waited until hours after Hurricane Katrina had already struck the Gulf Coast before asking his boss to dispatch 1,000 Homeland Security employees to the region - and gave them two days to arrive, according to internal documents.

Michael Brown, director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, sought the approval from Homeland Security Secretary Mike Chertoff roughly five hours after Katrina made landfall on Aug. 29. Brown said that among duties of these employees was to "convey a positive image" about the government's response for victims.

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/090705Z.shtml

[Perun]

What's even more aggravating is how so many times Bush escapes having to bear responsibility for his screwups!

Although alot of that can be blamed on the pathetic nature of the "opposition" here in America. And there are plenty of things I can say about that!

[Menydh]

Siegmund, that article is right. The final (short- and long-term) bill cannot be worked out at this stage.

I was amazed at the initial figures that they released, way below even those 200 billion that they are calculating now.

Also, to the costs of reconstruction, I would imagine that they will have to add (rest in this case) whatever they will stop collecting in taxes in the area.

We'll see..

[Siegmund]

Originally Posted by Perun

Although alot of that can be blamed on the pathetic nature of the "opposition" here in America. And there are plenty of things I can say about that!

There is an opposition?