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One Year Anniversary of the Gulf Oil Spill
Here's a roundup of news from today:
- So do fishermen and local residents:
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A growing body of evidence reveals that the massive release of oil combined with the unprecedented amount of chemical oil dispersants applied by BP is still an environmental threat a year later
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CNN reports, "Some potential clues about the impact of the spill have made themselves known: dead baby dolphins and sea turtles; oiled brown pelicans; fish with strange sores; sticky marsh grasses; tar balls on beaches. … "
- The Associated Press reported recently, some local governments have been using the $754 million in disaster payments from BP to buy iPads, SUVs, and laptops. Meanwhile, BP just gave another $30 million to Florida to help entice tourists onto its beaches this summer
- The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement contracted the Norwegian firm Det Norske Veritas to conduct a forensic examination of the blowout preventer. The blind shear rams, which were supposed cut through and close off the well, failed because a pipe had buckled, the 551-page report concluded—a problem that casts doubt on all the other BOPs in use today
- A year later, BP is still blocking reporters from the beaches (and from learning about injured wildlife)
- While pro-BP scientists claim that the Gulf has recovered, new pictures show the real damage
- Nothing has really changed, and so a giant spill is likely to happen again.
- A former top oil industry executive says:
Today marks the first anniversary of the worst environmental catastrophe in the history of the US. Unfortunately, most Americans, including our politicians, are suffering from collective amnesia about that tragic event that cost 11 lives, destroyed thousands of jobs, polluted thousands of square miles of the Gulf of Mexico, and damaged the economies of 5 states. As tragic as all those events were (some are still ongoing), media attention has moved on to the Royal Wedding, the next earthquake, and, of course, breathless coverage of American Idol. At the same time, our politicians, especially those in Washington, have used the lack of media attention to not only abdicate their responsibilities to make offshore drilling safer and are actively working to make it less safe, shocking as that seems.
- Ironically, on this one-year anniversary of the Gulf spill, there has been a massive spill in Pennsylvania caused by a blowout of a fracking well
And see this.
- advertisements -
they plugged the damn hole
Geo Wash will tell you that the real leak was comming from a different source, at least a mile away from where the relief well was drilled. Plugging the well shown on all of those video feeds was just for show. The leak is still active and BP is probably collecting the oil and secretly selling it. Otherwise it would be visible at the surface. All a cover up and in full collusion with the govt. so that Obama can get the contributions on a 50 / 50 split.
http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/us/2011/April/Gulf-Habitat-Rebounds-Livelihoods-Uncertain-/
One year after the infamous British Petroleum oil spill devastated the Gulf Coast habitat, scientists say the overall health of the Gulf of Mexico appears to have returned to normal.
"There was absolutely no evidence, visual evidence that these platforms, these artificial reefs had ever been in the proximity of a major spill," Dr. Quenton Dokken of the Gulf of Mexico Foundation said.
Todd Baker, a biologist with theLouisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, agreed.
"You'll see that the mangroves here are fairly healthy," he noted. "You didn't see a lot of dead, standing mangrove, not a lot of brown or grey."
There is even new life in the region's tourism industry.
"We've got hoteliers right now telling us they've got more on the books for May and June and July than they had actually stay there back in 2009, the months before the oil spill," said Ed Schroeder, director of the Pensacola Bay Area Convention and Visitors Bureau.
You have linked to the Christian Broadcasting Network. Who owns it? Who funds it? Do they believe in creationism or evolution?
Who owns you? Who funds you? Are you associated with Before Its News? How much Sigsby Salt is a fatal dose?
It is not particularly relevant as to where I linked. It is the quotes from the real people who are dealing with this every day that are relevant. Why would you care as your only motivation is to be a paid scaremonger.
This entire post is as nutty as the calculation that somehow BP profited from the spill because they paid less in taxes. Sure they paid less. That is the result of taking huge expenses and losses. That same tax avoidance method is available to everyone. Does it work well for you every year?
No one funds or owns me, and I am not associated with Before Its News.
I have a very demanding day job that doesn't have anything to do with what I write and two small kids.
I spend my SPARE TIME telling the truth because I want my kids to grow up in a prosperous, healthy and sane world.
Do you have kids? If so, do you care what kind of world they grow up in?
Yes, I have children. I hope their futures are not influenced by the scaremongering nonsense you willing collect and spread.
Don't let those children consume any of that Sigsby Salt. And I hope whatever mental problems you suffer from are not genetically inherited.
Amen, Augustus. GW's endless scaremongering is tiresome.
A year from now we'll read about how little radiation can be found around the Fukushima Daiichi plant, and how no workers died from radiation exposure.
The real disaster is the 25,000 dead from the tsunami. Why no scaremongering about living near the beach?
Tens of thousand die from auto accidents each year worldwide. Why no scaremongering about riding in a car?
people will write those stories and others will read
them. some will believe what was written. but you
do understand that has absolutely nothing to do
with the truth. right? do you believe every advertisement
you are subject to?
plenty of epidemiological research has
been done concerning many events and few read any of it.
that doesn't make it false.
there is scaremongering concerning auto usage and mandatory
safety classes for insurance reduction. there are known risks
associated with living on the water. eating corexit? yes, the
stuff was only available to the military originally because it was
so toxic. then the formulation was tweaked and it became like
mother's milk for the fish and fisherman. good luck.
http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/us/2011/April/Gulf-Habitat-Rebounds-Livelihoods-Uncertain-/
One year after the infamous British Petroleum oil spill devastated the Gulf Coast habitat, scientists say the overall health of the Gulf of Mexico appears to have returned to normal.
"There was absolutely no evidence, visual evidence that these platforms, these artificial reefs had ever been in the proximity of a major spill," Dr. Quenton Dokken of the Gulf of Mexico Foundation said.
Todd Baker, a biologist with theLouisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, agreed.
"You'll see that the mangroves here are fairly healthy," he noted. "You didn't see a lot of dead, standing mangrove, not a lot of brown or grey."
There is even new life in the region's tourism industry.
"We've got hoteliers right now telling us they've got more on the books for May and June and July than they had actually stay there back in 2009, the months before the oil spill," said Ed Schroeder, director of the Pensacola Bay Area Convention and Visitors Bureau.
NO. Frack NO. Fracking NO. NEIN. Nyet. FUKK NO. I live on the Gulf Coast. Nothing is "better".
In other News, Reactor # 1
Edited on Wed Apr-20-11 07:05 PM by bananasSource: International Business Times
Fuel of the Fukushima nuke plant plant's No. 1 reactor could be melting, an official said on Wednesday at Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) , the operator of the crippled plant.
TEPCO said last week some of the spent nuclear fuel rods stored in the No. 4 reactor building of the Fukushima Daiichi power plant were damaged.
The company's workers have put iRobot PackBots to measure radiation, oxygen and temperature inside the reactor.
<snip>
Read more: http://hken.ibtimes.com/articles/136606/20110421/tepco-..
It looks like it never happened. This is one great thing that BP accomplished in the cleanup or we will read about The disperments years from now but it dang sure looks clean.
Hurrican season begins June 1. Not positive if hurricanes are bound by that date but we may become aware that blobs of Corexit encoated oil are potentially swirling at the bottom of the Gulf. Maybe not.
Hurricanes are low pressure weather systems. I expect that Geo Wash will be warning about how this season will finally open up the crack in the seabed, exposing the hollow underwater mountain that BP disturbed last year. It could be the sanctuary of Matt Simmons.
I have no qualifications to remark on how a low pressure weather system would effect the Gulf and how that relates to the oil spill. I do feel comfortable remarking that quite a few remarkable events have taken place recently and they've all been remarkably bad Remarkably bad. Remarkably bad events with equally remarkably bad reporting. Here's hoping the Gulf is nice and clean though.
Whether you think Simmons was a good guy or a kook, whether he was murdered or died in a drunken haze, spitting on his grave is vile
Yeah, oil leaks are so 2010.
If it's not a radioactive PM tsunami most folks don't have a rats ass to give, and even that is fading quickly.
Next catastrophe please, and pass the popcorn.
Jail Time and a Felony Record for our white collar corporate criminals will cure a lot of what ails America today. Taking $20 billion with one hand and giving it back with another is called enabling, which is what Corruption DC does best.
gw.
BP's Secret Deepwater Blowoutby Greg Palast exclusive for Truthout/Buzzflash
http://www.gregpalast.com/
...
"..
As one memo marked "secret" puts it, "Given the explosive potential, BP was quite fortunate to have been able to evacuate everyone safely and to prevent any gas ignition." The Caspian oil platform was a spark away from exploding, but luck was with the 211 rig workers.
It was eerily similar to the Gulf catastrophe as it involved BP's controversial "quick set" drilling cement.
The question we have to ask: If BP had laid out the true and full facts to Congress and regulators about the earlier blowout, would those 11 Gulf workers be alive today - and the Gulf Coast spared oil-spill poisons?
The bigger question is, why is there no clear law to require disclosure? If you bump into another car on the Los Angeles freeway, you have to report it. But there seems no clear requirement on corporations to report a disaster in which knowledge of it could save lives.
Five months prior to the Deepwater Horizon explosion, BP's Chief of Exploration in the Gulf, David Rainey, testified before Congress against increased safety regulation of its deepwater drilling operation. Despite the company's knowledge of the Caspian blowout a year earlier, the oil company's man told the Senate Energy Committee that BP's methods are, "both safe and protective of the environment."
Really? BP's quick-dry cement saves money, but other drillers find it too risky in deepwater. It was a key factor in the Caspian blowout. Would US regulators or Congress have permitted BP to continue to use this cement had they known? Would they have investigated before issuing permits to drill?" ...
..
Thank you for the great post. It is getting hard to hold the vomit down anymore. Milestones
i just let it out as often as i can.
then rinse.
Other than being factually incorrect as to the cement source, a complete collection of trash.
@" Other than " ..
i think you mean "including"? so where is the
information that is correct and credible?
Blindman: thanks ... added to post on my blogsite.
Fracing Fluid returned is WATER with some shale dissolved in it.
Let's play Pull My Finger.
You either get:
A Fart
A Belch
Or Bullshit from Geo Wash.
This is why there is no hope!
Even people here on ZH refuse to see the truth:
Fracking fluid is so safe that even 'no-regs' Texas is passing laws about it.
Unbelievable!
Ha ha ha! Drink it, then, sir!
Standard idiot reply.
It is probably unsafe to drink the water from any farm pond. Should those be regulated so that the water cannot ever be released into a stream? But since there is no call for regulation of those, YOU would drink stagnate pond water.
"Cheseapeake suspends all fracking operations in Pennsylvania after well blowout yesterday spills fracking fluid into environment"
just like water...look a unicorn
please stop whining about the friggen gulf. don't you know the s and p went up 17 points. jeez dude... get your priorities straight.
and to think i must define sarcasm also. it's true... this board is being tossed to the dogs.
The Gulf is toast. BP is very sorry. ABC News is completely owned. That clip did more to belittle and molify those of us who hate the fact there is seemingly nothing we can do to prevent this - and future - catastrophic poisoning of our little planet.
"...maybe something better could be done...?"
"...suddenly realizing that they all shared the same symptoms..."
I have very rarely heard such horseshit reporting in my life.
It is 420 on 420 central standard time.
The peoples holiday.
Celebrate.
You too, george.
And the only people who did any jail time relating to the oil spill...were independent journalists trying to report on the damage.
Now tell me Amerika isn't a fascist cacistocracy.
They wouldn't drill for it, if people didn't buy it.
Cigarette companies wouldn't exist if people didn't smoke.
Gun companies wouldn't exist if people didn't murder each other.
...but the problems are always supply side's fault.
Meth labs wouldn't make meth if people didn't buy it.
Lawmakers wouldn't make laws if people didn't obey them.
Fellators wouldn't fellate if The Is didn't make penises.
You wouldn't post drivel if Tyler didn't provide the billboard.
...but the problems are always supply side's fault.
Cause and effect -- it's a bitch.
Yeah and the Mafia wouldn't cut your dope with Sani Flush if there was no profit in it.
How did I get flagged for junk? I was on topic, and offensively honest.
Why do you get junked?
Moron comments like this:
Gun companies wouldn't exist if people didn't murder each other.
Oh, I forgot to junk you. I'll take care of that right now.
You missed my point.
The statement regarding guns, was a form of juxtaposition.
What I said, was a fact.
Your opinion that that the said fact, was a 'moron comment', is simply not true.
Gotta have a thick skin if you hang out here.
I think it's funny, and ironic. ZH community, always so quick to throw around the word "sheeple".
I point out that a solution can come from either a) supply, b) government, or c) demand ...and that we know A and B won't actually solve the problem...Leaving the sheeple with C.
But no, nobody actually likes hearing the truth.
Bombs wouldn't exist if some idiot in Washington DC or other office somewhere decided it was in his or her economic interest, or those of one of his or her contributors, to have his constituents pay for them.
Miles of electric, phone & utility cable wouldn't need to be layed out and miles and miles of streets paved if the building code didn't exist & some idiot in some political office somewhere didn't make his constiuency pay for it.
Cars would not be nearly as popular if roads didn't exist.
Pretending you have a real "choice" to buy oil or coal is rather humorous.
I don't have all the answers, but I did get rid of my car the first time oil passed $100.
I take public transit everywhere I need to, while my co-workers drive BMWs and make fun of me for trying to save a few bucks and the earth at the same time.
They are more responsible for the damage done drilling, than I am.
I'm making the choices that are mine to make.
Even if you're in a situation, where you feel like you don't have a choice to make, maybe speak up and somebody else will make a better choice in the future.
Production companies could make it a lot safer if they stopped cutting every corner in the world
Any oil spill can be cleaned up in very little time by using non toxic bacterias. Technology is out on the market since years but nobody is interested.
visit www.oti.ag
Safety = expensive, a competitive disadvantage.
Tax the industry? An option, but taxing energy is political suicide.
So where does that leave us - there will be no reform, without demand side reform.