Gulf of Mexico oil geyser

[SERPENTS DEN]

Interesting...

 

[brd7666]

I think that was Scooby Doo, and not a horse.

 

[brd7666]

US lawmaker accuses BP of underestimating oil spill

link below.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/usoilpollutionenvironmentestimate

 

[WebSlave]

Interesting...

Yeah, maybe so, but why is there such a lack of SOLID and PERTINENT information and opinions from more experts in these matters? Information on such things as chemical analysis of the Gulf waters and the oil itself? Temperature readings and trends throughout the gulf waters? Has anyone put sensors on the Gulf floor to detect motion such as uplifting or subsidence of the crust? What about analysis of the air around the Gulf region for contaminants from the oil and gas being blasted out of the ground?

Is there really no solid information or has this all been blacked out so completely that relevant information is even being scrubbed from the internet before the public can even get to it?

 

[brd7666]

Yeah, maybe so, but why is there such a lack of SOLID and PERTINENT information and opinions from more experts in these matters? Information on such things as chemical analysis of the Gulf waters and the oil itself? Temperature readings and trends throughout the gulf waters? Has anyone put sensors on the Gulf floor to detect motion such as uplifting or subsidence of the crust? What about analysis of the air around the Gulf region for contaminants from the oil and gas being blasted out of the ground?

Is there really no solid information or has this all been blacked out so completely that relevant information is even being scrubbed from the internet before the public can even get to it?

I think the people who are actually in the know, are not saying anything. As for the media, how much information can they really get? I would think they are really very limited. They can't go out in the Gulf, and what can they determine from the beach? If there are sensors on the Gulf floor, only a few would be privileged to that information, and I am sure they are not talking to the media. So in my opinion the information is not being scrubbed, it just isn't being made available. So then, we get every Tom, Dick, and Harry, making a Youtube video with their interpretation of what is happening. It seems to get them their 15 minutes of fame.

 

[brd7666]

Far offshore, crews drill into Gulf to stop oil

link below.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100621/ap_on_bi_ge/us_gulf_oil_spill

 

[SERPENTS DEN]

Yeah, maybe so, but why is there such a lack of SOLID and PERTINENT information and opinions from more experts in these matters? Information on such things as chemical analysis of the Gulf waters and the oil itself? Temperature readings and trends throughout the gulf waters? Has anyone put sensors on the Gulf floor to detect motion such as uplifting or subsidence of the crust? What about analysis of the air around the Gulf region for contaminants from the oil and gas being blasted out of the ground?

Is there really no solid information or has this all been blacked out so completely that relevant information is even being scrubbed from the internet before the public can even get to it?

I wouldn't count this as solid information as you won't get SOLID information from mainstream news or BP but here you go.



Air
Air Data

EPA has observed odor-causing pollutants associated with oil on the shore in the gulf region at low levels. Some of these chemicals may cause short-lived effects like headache, eye, nose and throat irritation, or nausea. Some people may be able to smell several of these chemicals at levels well below those that would cause short-term health problems.

EPA is also conducting additional air monitoring for ozone and airborne particulate matter. The air monitoring conducted through June 19 has found levels of ozone and particulates ranging from the "good" to "unhealthy for sensitive groups" levels on EPA's Air Quality Index.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Water
Water Data

Water samples collected along the Gulf coast through June 13, 2010 did not reveal elevated levels of chemicals usually found in oil.

Surface water results collected on May 22 and 23, 2010 at 10 stations along the coast of Louisiana were measured for two of the chemicals associated with dispersants (2-Butoxyethanol and 2-Ethylhexyl Alcohol) but did not detect either one.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sediment
Sediment Data

Sediment samples collected June 13, 2010 along the Gulf coast did not reveal elevated levels for chemicals that are usually found in oil.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Waste Management
Waste Information

EPA deployed field teams to collect a small number of samples of oily debris, tar balls, mousse oil and other petroleum waste products that have washed up on the shore along the Gulf Coast. Preliminary results have only shown chemical constituents that are usually found in petroleum products and typical health precautions should be taken.

http://www.epa.gov/bpspill/

But then we get to the page on Dispersants, and whoa!


That's right boys and girls, more info than the average America especially a frightened one living near the Gulf, would ever care to read, articles in links galore:

Dispersants
View EPA and Coast Guard's directive to BP to reduce the use of dispersants (PDF) (1pp., 58 KB, About PDF)

On this page:

Press releases, statements, conference call transcripts
Directives and addenda; related letters
Dispersant-related data
Questions and answers on dispersants
Dispersant Application
Monitoring and assessment of dispersants used in the BP spill response
EPA’s list of authorized dispersants (NCP Product Schedule)
Dispersant effects
Surface use of dispersants
Underwater use of dispersants
General Information about dispersants

Press Releases, Statements, Conference Call Transcripts

General Statement on Dispersant Use in BP Oil Spill

When this crisis occurred, Coast Guard and EPA granted BP authorization to use an approved dispersant on oil present on the surface of the water in an effort mitigate the impact of the spill. This authorization included specific conditions to ensure the protection of the environment and the health of residents in affected areas. At this time, BP is authorized to continue use of this dispersant on the surface of the water. To ensure nearby residents are informed and protected, the EPA is constantly monitoring air quality in the Gulf area through air monitoring air craft, and fixed and mobile air stations. The air monitoring data is posted as it becomes available.

The EPA and the U.S. Coast Guard have authorized BP to use dispersants underwater, at the source of the Deepwater Horizon leak. Preliminary testing results indicate that subsurface use of the dispersant is effective at reducing the amount of oil from reaching the surface – and can do so with the use of less dispersant than is needed when the oil does reach the surface. While BP pursues the use of subsurface dispersants, the federal government will require regular analysis of its effectiveness and impact on the environment, water and air quality, and human health through a rigorous monitoring program. Below is EPA's directive to BP, including the monitoring plan the company must adhere to in order to ensure the protection of the environment and public health. We reserve the right to discontinue the use of this dispersant method if any negative impacts on the environment outweigh the benefits.

May 27: UNH, NOAA, EPA and Coast Guard Convene Science Meeting to Study Dispersant Use and Ecosystem Impacts of Dispersed Oil in the Gulf (PDF) (2 pp., 65 KB, About PDF)
May 24: Statement by EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson from Press Conference on Dispersant Use in the Gulf of Mexico with U.S. Coast Guard Rear Admiral Landry (PDF) (10 pp., 84 KB, About PDF)
Audio of May 24 press conference call with EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson and USCG Rear Admiral Mary Landry to discuss dispersant use.

(MP3, 34:55, 7.99 MB) Download audio | Download transcript (PDF) (16 pp., 45 KB, About PDF)
May 22: EPA Releases BP's Response to Directive on Dispersants
May 20: EPA Directs BP to Look for More Effective, Less Toxic Alternative to their Current Dispersant
May 20: EPA Posts Underwater Dispersant Monitoring Data
May 17: Statement from NOAA Administrator Jane Lubchenco on Ongoing Efforts to Monitor Subsea Impacts of the BP Oil Spill
May 15: Coast Guard and EPA approve use of dispersant subsea in further effort to prevent oil from reaching U.S. shoreline.
May 12: EPA and NOAA Press Conference Call on Dispersant Use and Approval. The Environmental Protection Agency and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), hosted a press conference call on May 12 at 4 p.m. ET to answer questions related to the use, approval and science of dispersant's being used on the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Download the full transcript of the conference call (PDF) (32 pp, 60K, About PDF).


Much more from our friendly government right here:http://www.epa.gov/bpspill/dispersants.html

EPA Q & A page: http://www.epa.gov/bpspill/qanda.html

EPA's What You Can Do page: http://www.epa.gov/bpspill/whatyoucando.html

 

[WebSlave]

If this wasn't so damned sad, it would be funny...

 

[brd7666]

If this wasn't so damned sad, it would be funny...

I think it just goes to show what BP's priorities were. Destroy as much evidence as you can, that's the BP motto.

 

[SERPENTS DEN]

If this wasn't so damned sad, it would be funny...

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

 

[SERPENTS DEN]

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

 

[WebSlave]

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!

 

[WebSlave]

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

http://www.bp.com/liveassets/bp_int...se/STAGING/local_assets/html/Skandi_ROV2.html

 

[SERPENTS DEN]

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.

 

[brd7666]

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

http://www.bp.com/liveassets/bp_int...se/STAGING/local_assets/html/Skandi_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.

 

[brd7666]

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/ne...hurricane-damage-from-oil-contaminated-water-

 

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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

 

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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?

 

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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

 

[brd7666]

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.