Gulf of Mexico oil geyser

That was then, this is then... watch this!

Originally Posted by serpentsden

Why the hell are they removing OIL STATES Flexjoint logo, what are they trying to hide.

What doesn't make any sense is WHY would they do that on a video feed that is available to the public?

I really think that everyone involved needs to redirect the CYA efforts into going full bore to get this thing FIXED!

Sheesh, has anyone seen the latest live feed for this thing?

http://www.bp.com/liveassets/bp_inte...andi_ROV2.html

Originally Posted by WebSlave

What doesn't make any sense is WHY would they do that on a video feed that is available to the public?

I really think that everyone involved needs to redirect the CYA efforts into going full bore to get this thing FIXED!

It's obvious they want the most destruction as possible. They are using every proven methods of of failure since this started. Then they they improperly set up booms!

If you watched the video above it appears the only hope for a FIX is to drill more lines to relieve the pressure enough to cap the leak.

Originally Posted by WebSlave

Sheesh, has anyone seen the latest live feed for this thing?

http://www.bp.com/liveassets/bp_inte...andi_ROV2.html

They were showing that during the Congressional hearing with the CEO of BP on CNN. The whole well is blown out. The only chance they have of stopping this is the relief wells. God forbid, they use a nuke to try and seal it. I don't believe they would let the public know if they were going to set off a nuke, but if they did give warning, I would be hitting the road. I would want to be at least to Atlanta, to feel safe.

What a bunch of crap.

Insurance may not cover hurricane damage from oil contaminated water

TAMPA, Fla. - Hurricane damage? Check. Sinkholes? Check. Oil spill damage? You better check. Your home owner's insurance policy in Florida may not cover, or even address getting slimed by the BP oil spill.

Chip Merlin of the Merlin Law Group in Tampa predicts many insurance carriers will refuse to absorb the losses associated with the sticky, smelly oil approaching our shores.

A report from Bankrate.com listed some unpleasant surprises that may bubble up along with the oil.

The standard $10,000 dollar pollution cleanup provision may not apply.
"As a naturally occurring substance that hasn't been refined at all, crude oil itself might not be a pollutant under the policy," Merlin explains.

Roadways, land, pavement and foundations are defined in many policies as "property not covered".

Should a hurricane push oil onto your property, the insurance company would likely deny claims under the argument that storm surge damage falls under flood insurance, an insurance many people do not carry.

Chris Wandembergh of First Heritage Insurance of Tampa strongly recommends adding flood insurance even if you live away from the beach.
"I would urge people to go and get flood insurance – immediately," Wandembergh said.

The National Flood Insurance program has already decided to cover the additional damage that oil contaminated water might cause as they did in the wake of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. But home owner's policies without flood insurance will leave them responsible. However, insurance attorney Chip Merlin of Tampa says BP will be responsible for such damage and will ultimately pay.

Merlin's concern is that enormous areas of residential property could become contaminated if a hurricane pushes oil tainted water far inland.

"The vast majority of policies don't cover the land", Merlin said.

Link below.

http://www.abcactionnews.com/dpp/new...minated-water-

Judge blocks Gulf offshore drilling moratorium

NEW ORLEANS – A federal judge on Tuesday blocked a six-month moratorium on new deepwater drilling projects imposed after the massive Gulf oil spill.

The White House promised an immediate appeal. President Barack Obama's administration had halted approval of any new permits for deepwater drilling and suspended drilling of 33 exploratory wells in the Gulf.

Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said Obama believes strongly that drilling at such depths does not make any sense and puts the safety of workers "at a danger that the president does not believe we can afford."

Several companies that ferry people and supplies and provide other services to offshore drilling rigs asked U.S. District Judge Martin Feldman in New Orleans to overturn the moratorium, arguing it was arbitrarily imposed.

Feldman agreed, saying in his ruling the Interior Department assumed that because one rig failed, all companies and rigs doing deepwater drilling pose an imminent danger.

"The Deepwater Horizon oil spill is an unprecedented, sad, ugly and inhuman disaster," he wrote. "What seems clear is that the federal government has been pressed by what happened on the Deepwater Horizon into an otherwise sweeping confirmation that all Gulf deepwater drilling activities put us all in a universal threat of irreparable harm."

The moratorium was imposed after the April 20 explosion on the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig that killed 11 workers and blew out the well 5,000 feet underwater that has spewed millions of gallons of oil into the Gulf.

The Interior Department said it needed time to study the risks of deepwater drilling. But the lawsuit filed by Hornbeck Offshore Services of Covington, La., claimed there was no proof the other operations posed a threat.

Company CEO Todd Hornbeck said after the ruling that he is looking forward to getting back to work.

"It's the right thing for not only the industry but the country," he said.

The moratorium was declared May 6 and originally was to last only through the month. Obama announced May 27 that he was extending it for six months.

In Louisiana, Gov. Bobby Jindal and corporate leaders said the moratorium would force drilling rigs to leave the Gulf of Mexico for lucrative business in foreign waters.

They said the loss of business would cost the area thousands of lucrative jobs, most paying more than $50,000 a year. The state's other major economic sector, tourism, is a largely low-wage industry.

Tim Kerner, the mayor of Lafitte, La., cheered Feldman's ruling.

"I love it. I think it's great for the jobs here and the people who depend on them," said Kerner, whose constituents make their living, primarily, from commercial fishing or oil.

But in its response to the lawsuit, the Interior Department said the moratorium is necessary as attempts to stop the leak and clean the Gulf continue and new safety standards are developed.

"A second deepwater blowout could overwhelm the efforts to respond to the current disaster," the Interior Department said.

The government also challenged contentions the moratorium would lead to long-term economic harm. Although 33 deepwater drilling sites were affected, there are still 3,600 oil and natural gas production platforms in the Gulf.

Catherine Wannamaker, a lawyer for environmental groups that intervened in the case and supported the moratorium, called the ruling "a step in the wrong direction."

"We think it overlooks the ongoing harm in the Gulf, the devastation it has had on people's lives," she said. "The harm at issue with the Deepwater Horizon spill is bigger than just the Louisiana economy. It affects all of the Gulf."


Link below.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_gulf_oil_spill

Feldman agreed, saying in his ruling the Interior Department assumed that because one rig failed, all companies and rigs doing deepwater drilling pose an imminent danger.

"The Deepwater Horizon oil spill is an unprecedented, sad, ugly and inhuman disaster," he wrote. "What seems clear is that the federal government has been pressed by what happened on the Deepwater Horizon into an otherwise sweeping confirmation that all Gulf deepwater drilling activities put us all in a universal threat of irreparable harm."

Link below.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_gulf_oil_spill

Sorry, but no. I believe what the moratorium is saying is that WE have all awakened to the fact that such drilling poses the DEMONSTRABLE POTENTIAL of irreparable harm. Or haven't you been paying attention to what is now happening in the Gulf of Mexico? Sorry guys, you blew it as an industry. Quite a few people no longer trust your promises of safety and/or recovery plans in case of a similar accident. Go drill where you won't destroy local or national economies if you screw up.

Deepwater drilling is no longer an acceptable risk for many of us, as we now see the results firsthand of what can happen. Sorry about your jobs, but that's the risk YOU have taken and now lost with that latest roll of the dice. You can always find other jobs. Where can WE find another unspoiled Gulf of Mexico?

It certainly does make you wonder how many close calls there have been that we have never heard about. It certainly appears that this one was out of control quite a while before the explosion made it front page news, so how many more are still in the early stages of another potential catastrophe?

Methane in Gulf 'astonishingly high'-US scientist
Tue Jun 22, 2010 5:27pm EDT
By Julie Steenhuysen

June 22 (Reuters) - As much as 1 million times the normal level of methane gas has been found in some regions near the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, enough to potentially deplete oxygen and create a dead zone, U.S. scientists said on Tuesday.

Texas A&M University oceanography professor John Kessler, just back from a 10-day research expedition near the BP Plc (BP.L) oil spill in the gulf, says methane gas levels in some areas are "astonishingly high."

Kessler's crew took measurements of both surface and deep water within a 5-mile (8 kilometer) radius of BP's broken wellhead.

"There is an incredible amount of methane in there," Kessler told reporters in a telephone briefing.

In some areas, the crew of 12 scientists found concentrations that were 100,000 times higher than normal.

"We saw them approach a million times above background concentrations" in some areas, Kessler said.

The scientists were looking for signs that the methane gas had depleted levels of oxygen dissolved in the water needed to sustain marine life.

"At some locations, we saw depletions of up to 30 percent of oxygen based on its natural concentration in the waters. At other places, we saw no depletion of oxygen in the waters. We need to determine why that is," he told the briefing.

Methane occurs naturally in sea water, but high concentrations can encourage the growth of microbes that gobble up oxygen needed by marine life.

Kessler said oxygen depletions have not reached a critical level yet, but the oil is still spilling into the Gulf, now at a rate of as much as 60,000 barrels a day, according to U.S. government estimates.

"What is it going to look like two months down the road, six months down the road, two years down the road?" he asked.

Methane, a natural gas, dissolves in seawater and some scientists think measuring methane could give a more accurate picture of the extent of the oil spill.

Kessler said his team has taken those measurements, and is hoping to have an estimate soon.

"Give us about a week and we should have some preliminary numbers on that," he said. (Editing by Maggie Fox)

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN2221822720100622

As much as 1 million times the normal level of methane gas has been found in some regions near the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, enough to potentially deplete oxygen and create a dead zone, U.S. scientists said on Tuesday.

In some areas, the crew of 12 scientists found concentrations that were 100,000 times higher than normal.

"We saw them approach a million times above background concentrations" in some areas, Kessler said.

"What is it going to look like two months down the road, six months down the road, two years down the road?" he asked.

I have a feeling this oil disaster is going to kill all the sea life in the entire Gulf. I highlighted the key question in red. This thing is just beginning, and I still think the worst is yet to come.