As Congress probes further, oil's danger spreads unseen
So, here's the Gulf of Mexico oil situation after a weekend of struggles to stem the flood of oil, assessing where all the spilled oil has gone and what it's doing, and preparing for the immediate future.
<Update: A whistleblower filed suit today against British Petroleum, hoping to halt BP's drilling operation at another Gulf of Mexico offshore site. The reason: alleged failure to review engineering designs that could lead to an oil spill that could "dwarf" the one BP is dealing with now.>
<Update: The first political casualty of the Gulf oil spill is the top official overseeing offshore oil and gas drilling for the Minerals Management Service—the federal agency soon to be drastically reorganized because of its cozy relationship with the oil industry it is supposed to regulate.>
As British Petroleum shows some success in diverting oil from its ruptured well on the seabed, scientists have discovered vast plumes of undersea oil—one the size of Manhattan. The ecological implications are hard to grasp because it mostly is lurking out of sight. AP provides this:
The depth of the gushing leaks and the use of more than 560,000 gallons of chemicals to disperse the oil, including unprecedented injections deep in the sea, have helped keep the crude beneath the sea surface. Marine scientists say diffusing and sinking the oil helps protect the surface species and the Gulf Coast shoreline but increases the chance of harming deep-sea reefs.
"At first we had a lot of concern about surface animals like turtles, whales and dolphins," said Paul Montagna, a marine biologist at Texas A&M University Corpus Christi who studies Gulf reefs. "Now we're concerned about everything."
No matter how damaging the spill ultimately proves, warns the New York Times, this country will continue its hunger for oil—and that means offshore drilling will continue. This scenario cannot change without a wholesale shift in energy policies stimulated by strong incentives by the federal government.
Speaking of the feds, more congressional hearings into the spill are scheduled this week, beginning today. The Interior Department and its policies on handling offshore oil drilling will be scrutinized. We can only hope they zero in on exploratory offshore drilling in the Arctic Ocean planned to begin this summer by Shell Oil. The same flawed approval process that allowed BP to drill in the Gulf was used in granting a permit for Shell in the Arctic.
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I can not believe that BP has no clue on how to get this leak to stop! I don't believe that BP has any interest in stopping it they are more interested in saving the oil. What about our Gulf, the fisheries, Families that live off the Gulf. Off shore drilling should not be aloud if they have no plans for prevention, or means to cure the unthinkable oil spills. There is a need for strict monitoring of these Rigs on a weekly basis not at the time of a Huge Spill like this. As for the Video we will not get to see the whole thing some how some way BP will find a way out of showing the truth. We as a community need to band together and find ways we can be proactive at trying to keep our shores cleaned up or prepare for the influx of the oil to our beaches. I recently heard on the radio this morning that Hay can be used to clean up as well as this company in West Palm beach that has this powder material that can be placed on the top to remove the oil from the surface. But the Most important is how do we get what is under the water cleaned up?
Worried about Families, environment, and habitat.
K20..I agree. You have to break a few eggs to make an omelette.
You just had to know a leak like this was going to happen, why wasn't there a tanker/deep pipe "top hat" tested and waiting in the wings? ...
As American citizen victims, we demand to see ALL the video of the leaking blow-out preventer, leaking wellhead and the string of blown-out pipe with its numerous leaks. The only video BP released last week is of one leak at the end of the pipe far from the leaking wellhead and leaking preventer which is under much more pressure and leaking profusely. If the wellhead and preventer were not leaking, BP would have released video of them. BP’s oil salvage activity at the end of the pipe has been a total science fiasco and is a diversion of attention from the main leaks at the preventer and wellhead.
Secretive, arrogant and powerful BP refuses to release the videos of the total wellhead damage and President Obama is complicit in the cover-up.
We have the right to see the total damage and leakage so scientist and engineers can truly evaluate the situation.
President Obama you have not taken control of the spill, you have allowed secret BP to call the shoots from the beginning to the present. The “best scientific minds in the world” came up with one good Idea to stop the flow according to Mr. Hayward but he will not tell the public what the idea is and is continuing on BP’s present course of failure. BP has their secret program and has not taken positive action with known Marine Pile Driving Technology to stop the oil flow permanently. Furthermore, you have failed to take charge by not stepping in to control BP’s operations with a STOP THE Oil FLOW TASK FORCE of FBI, Corps of Army Engineers, scientist and private marine construction contractors to begin taking positive action to stop the oil flow permanently. Three months from now (hurricane season) the ecological and economic burden will be so great that the United States of America will be catastrophically bankrupt.
This is right out of Big Oils company playbook: secrecy, stall for time, public relations, litigation protection, maintaining image and owned puppet Congress members to do their bidding.
BP took home $93 million per day in profits—for a total of $6.1 billion—during the first quarter alone. The approximate $3.5 million in damage claims paid out so far by BP are significantly less than CEO Tony Hayward’s 2009 compensation, estimated at over $4,700,000 by Forbes. Senators in Congress are trying to limit BP’s liability and as proof of BP’s prior oil spill conduct in paying liability; look at the Exxon Valdez ongoing 16 year financial litigation fight!
Senator Murkowski, in true reality, by limiting liability for Big Oil, are you and the rest of the members of Congress “ready” for the horrendous backlash coming your way from the American People?
Call your representatives in Congress and demand that the BP videos of the total damage that show the leaks at the well head, preventer and pipe string be released today! We need to stop the oil flow permanently today!
http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm
http://clerk.house.gov/member_info/mcapdir.html
BP and Obama are lying SOB’s and to add further insult they suggest that the American public is so stupid that we can not estimate the flow of oil. Of course, we need to see video of the TOTAL damage before we can do that! Tell those SOB’s to produce All of the video of the leaking wellhead, preventer and pipe string. TODAY!
Off shore drilling will continue and as it does spills like this will continue as well. Accidents will always happend. You play with fire you are eventually get burned. Just the nature of the beast i guess.
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