Paula Kolmar is BP’s on-the-ground blogger and a veritable ray of adjective-rich, poetic sunshine. It occurred to me today that she also might well be the most effective weight-loss guru the world has ever known.
Seriously…Kolmer’s vapid PR maunderings are the equivalent of literary bulimia. We can only assume that she wanders about the Gulf in a happy cloud (one wonders about the anti-depressant attributes of Corexit/oil fumes) and then vomits her spin-doctor impressions into cyber-space.
I challenge anyone to read her reports without experiencing waves of nausea rolling in like oil-slicked surf. Lest we think that her gag-inducing description of the grueling and desperate clean-up efforts were a slip of the keyboard (and sanity) – the putrid “A ballet at sea as mesmerising as any performance in a concert hall, and worthy of an audience in its own right.” - here are a few more Ode to BP selections from Ms Kolmar.
“On Mothers Day, BP provided a rose boutonnière for each mom and a wonderful Alabama police office bought hundreds of roses and handed a single rose to every mom and lots of daughters. Though the work never stopped, there were a lot of smiling faces and a few tears, reminding everyone that this spill response is only a very small part of what's important.”
“I have an insight now that is so beautifully human it reminds me of the strong threads that make the fabric of people. Just under the surface when things are going family well, but tested in times of great need, when friends and colleagues, even complete strangers, rely on you to be around to do what must be done.”
“These men don’t want to be heroes, complainers or blamers. They want one simple thing: to put their backs to Alabama and their eyes to the water and do what needs to be done. Behind the Southern drawl is a steely determination that from dawn to dusk, day after day, they will not let any oil hit Alabama's coast. “
“I was on a jack-up boat observing the practice operations several miles out of Bayou La Batre on a day when the ocean was calm, except for the groups of dolphins swimming around us. Even a shark came along to watch the show. Hot, humid conditions intensified by bright sunlight in a cloudless sky were actually made pleasant by the salty sea breezes topped off with lots of sunscreen and bottles of water.”
“Did they know about the oil spill before they came down? Yes they did (who doesn't). Talking to some family members, I found out why they kept their reservations: the sand is warm, the sun is out and the oil spill is pretty far away form Dauphin Island. Babies to great grand parents are enjoying the beach, even though there are bales of hay lining the beach a few yards away from the shoreline. They fully understand that it's a precautionary defence should oil begin washing ashore.”
If you have a few extra stubborn pounds to shed, I suggest that you bookmark this link:
http://www.bp.com/genericarticle.do?categoryId=9034261&contentId=7063147
If you wish to spare yourself the experience of reading the bizarre Paeans to BP written by one of their employees, perhaps you should forgo the “pleasure.”
* The writer of this blog hereby denies all responsibility for the health and mental well-being of anyone who dares to read Paula Kolmar’s posts.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
The Food Chain
“The finding represents one of the first examples of how oil from the Deepwater Horizon spill is moving into the Gulf of Mexico's food chain.”
It has now been confirmed that beneath the minuscule shells of post-larval crabs and fiddler crab larvae are droplets of oil. This, then, is the true image of environmental despair - not the heartbreaking photos of the oil-smeared corpses of sea turtles, pelicans, dolphins and others (although those are enough to make the tears flow and the anger boil over).
These tiny creatures – the ones who go unnoticed by the media and general public – are the food source; the vital first links in a chain that is now irreparably broken by the power of over 2.5 million gallons of oil per day and millions of gallons of toxic dispersants gushing into the Gulf’s waters and flooding the coastline.
For the species that feed on the small and, to most, unknown denizens of the Gulf this is a poisonous buffet. Those species are then consumed by larger species…and so it goes on - like dominoes falling in an endless crash of despair and destruction.
BP can apply dispersants and PR spin in equal measure. Volunteers and workers can tirelessly clean up after each receding wave. International communities can wring their hands in accusation and grief. Nothing will turn back time. We can only chose to navigate our way forward and to ensure that this preventable disaster is not played out again and again.
To any who consider this "the Gulf's problem" - wake up. This is a catastrophe that knows no geographic, economic, environmental or social bounds.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2010/06/research_discovers_oil_droplet.html
(My thanks to Don Abrams for this link)
It has now been confirmed that beneath the minuscule shells of post-larval crabs and fiddler crab larvae are droplets of oil. This, then, is the true image of environmental despair - not the heartbreaking photos of the oil-smeared corpses of sea turtles, pelicans, dolphins and others (although those are enough to make the tears flow and the anger boil over).
These tiny creatures – the ones who go unnoticed by the media and general public – are the food source; the vital first links in a chain that is now irreparably broken by the power of over 2.5 million gallons of oil per day and millions of gallons of toxic dispersants gushing into the Gulf’s waters and flooding the coastline.
For the species that feed on the small and, to most, unknown denizens of the Gulf this is a poisonous buffet. Those species are then consumed by larger species…and so it goes on - like dominoes falling in an endless crash of despair and destruction.
BP can apply dispersants and PR spin in equal measure. Volunteers and workers can tirelessly clean up after each receding wave. International communities can wring their hands in accusation and grief. Nothing will turn back time. We can only chose to navigate our way forward and to ensure that this preventable disaster is not played out again and again.
To any who consider this "the Gulf's problem" - wake up. This is a catastrophe that knows no geographic, economic, environmental or social bounds.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2010/06/research_discovers_oil_droplet.html
(My thanks to Don Abrams for this link)
BP Reports
From the BP site:"Over about four hours we, all guests of Gulf Coast native Captain Wade and his local crew, enjoyed the spectacular ballet at sea. .Watching the captains weave the long black boom as seamlessly as a professional ballet troupe performs an intricate dance, I found it difficult to believe that the rehearsals only started some weeks ago. .Gently caressing the sea surface, the three vessels circled and swirled, guiding the boom without changing the design. A ballet at sea as mesmerising as any performance in a concert hall, and worthy of an audience in its own right." http://www.bp.com/genericarticle.do?categoryId=9034261&contentId=7062628
Ah yes...this extraordinarily "mesmerizing" extravaganza is brought to you by the good people at BP (with contributions from Transocean, Halliburton and Incompetent Idiots of America). The show will run for an undetermined length of time.
BP is spending massive amounts of money - buying Google search terms, administering FaceBook and MySpace accounts, hiring several PR firms, and "embedding" their own "reporters" on the scene while turning away the independent press. The above quote is one of BP's most memorable reports.
Feel free to projectile vomit - repeatedly.
Ah yes...this extraordinarily "mesmerizing" extravaganza is brought to you by the good people at BP (with contributions from Transocean, Halliburton and Incompetent Idiots of America). The show will run for an undetermined length of time.
BP is spending massive amounts of money - buying Google search terms, administering FaceBook and MySpace accounts, hiring several PR firms, and "embedding" their own "reporters" on the scene while turning away the independent press. The above quote is one of BP's most memorable reports.
Feel free to projectile vomit - repeatedly.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Flip-Flop and Idiocy Award
We’ve all been treated to the sometimes revolting, sometimes heartbreaking spectacle of various officials and politicians as they react (or don’t) to the disastrous events in the Gulf. Insensitive media gaffs by Tony Hayward, misleading information (aka lies) from BP, the arrogance of chest-thrusting BP contact workers as they clear the media from the beaches, the pathetic posturing of politicians and the usual blustering of TV and radio talking heads.
My award for this week’s Flip-Flop and Idiocy Performance goes to Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour. The man has been redefining the term “denial” since the blowout on April 20th. He trundles about bellowing media messages such as “The Mississippi Gulf Coast is open for business! Enjoy the beach and pay a little sales tax right here!”
About the escrow fund, Barbour had these words of insight: “It bothers me to talk about causing an escrow to be made, uh, which will, which makes it less likely that they'll make the income that they need to pay us.” Huh?
Even as the toxic waves spewed globs of foul detritus throughout the marshlands and along the beaches, Barbour was bleating that the oil was "weathered, emulsified, caramel-colored mousse, like the food mousse." (That’s put me off mousse for life).
Even more stunning was his assertion that "Once it gets to this stage, it's not poisonous. But if a small animal got coated enough with it, it could smother it. But if you got enough toothpaste on you, you couldn't breathe." (2.5 million gallons of toothpaste per day that is). In that Barbour insists that the oil/dispersant mixture is “non-toxic” might we all hope that he’ll prove his theory by slaking his prodigious thirst with a gallon or two?
Now, after enjoying himself of late at Republican fundraisers in Washington, Barbour appears to have awoken to the fact that there’s something amiss in the Gulf. Despite saying “The biggest negative impact for us has been the news coverage." Barbour’s now going on the attack.
"There continues to be more oil in the (Mississippi) Sound than we have the capacity to deal with, unless we get lucky." (June 20th) and, at a news conference yesterday, "The plan we agreed to with the unified command and BP wasn't being given the resources to be totally effective." Hmmm…apparently he’s just realized that there may be a teensy problem in the Gulf.
He’s had over two months and yet has failed to organize any response plan, has denied the realities of the catastrophe and has attacked the federal government (the very people who now hear him begging for help).
My award for this week’s Flip-Flop and Idiocy Performance goes to Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour. The man has been redefining the term “denial” since the blowout on April 20th. He trundles about bellowing media messages such as “The Mississippi Gulf Coast is open for business! Enjoy the beach and pay a little sales tax right here!”
About the escrow fund, Barbour had these words of insight: “It bothers me to talk about causing an escrow to be made, uh, which will, which makes it less likely that they'll make the income that they need to pay us.” Huh?
Even as the toxic waves spewed globs of foul detritus throughout the marshlands and along the beaches, Barbour was bleating that the oil was "weathered, emulsified, caramel-colored mousse, like the food mousse." (That’s put me off mousse for life).
Even more stunning was his assertion that "Once it gets to this stage, it's not poisonous. But if a small animal got coated enough with it, it could smother it. But if you got enough toothpaste on you, you couldn't breathe." (2.5 million gallons of toothpaste per day that is). In that Barbour insists that the oil/dispersant mixture is “non-toxic” might we all hope that he’ll prove his theory by slaking his prodigious thirst with a gallon or two?
Now, after enjoying himself of late at Republican fundraisers in Washington, Barbour appears to have awoken to the fact that there’s something amiss in the Gulf. Despite saying “The biggest negative impact for us has been the news coverage." Barbour’s now going on the attack.
"There continues to be more oil in the (Mississippi) Sound than we have the capacity to deal with, unless we get lucky." (June 20th) and, at a news conference yesterday, "The plan we agreed to with the unified command and BP wasn't being given the resources to be totally effective." Hmmm…apparently he’s just realized that there may be a teensy problem in the Gulf.
He’s had over two months and yet has failed to organize any response plan, has denied the realities of the catastrophe and has attacked the federal government (the very people who now hear him begging for help).
Of the Coast Guard he has this to say: “The Coast Guard did not know where they were, did not have any system to identify them on the water, to tell where they were, had no method to communicate with many of them." and "We believe that the early estimation of the number of skimmers needed was way below the fact. The federal government, Unified Command, BP, whomever. The number of skimmers, it is clearly insufficient."
Over two months, sir – 70 days and nights during which you’ve simply been issuing denials, insinuating that those who were concerned about Mississippi are suffering from Chicken Little Syndrome and failing to organize a response for your state.
Over two months, sir – 70 days and nights during which you’ve simply been issuing denials, insinuating that those who were concerned about Mississippi are suffering from Chicken Little Syndrome and failing to organize a response for your state.
Here's a summary of the BP grants to Mississippi:
$50 million in block grants for oil spill preparation and response. Where did that money go? Mississippi doesn't have sufficient booms or equipment (not a single skimmer device).
$25 million block announced on May 5 - http://www.bp.com/genericarticle.do?categoryId=2012968&contentId=7061856
$15 million for tourism spin on May 17 - http://www.bp.com/genericarticle.do?categoryId=2012968&contentId=7062187
$25 million block grant on June 10 - http://www.bp.com/genericarticle.do?categoryId=2012968&contentId=7062869
$25 million block announced on May 5 - http://www.bp.com/genericarticle.do?categoryId=2012968&contentId=7061856
$15 million for tourism spin on May 17 - http://www.bp.com/genericarticle.do?categoryId=2012968&contentId=7062187
$25 million block grant on June 10 - http://www.bp.com/genericarticle.do?categoryId=2012968&contentId=7062869
Yes, Gov. Barbour, the award is yours.
Elsewhere, concerns grow that BP is covering up the wildlife death tally. In that any who help with the clean-up efforts through the BP-mandated contractor must sign a legal agreement that states that “Vessel owners and employees will not make news releases, marketing presentations or any other statements” these concerns are valid. Over 800 birds, more than 350 sea turtles, a sperm whale and unknown millions of sea creatures have been massacred – and those are only the ones whose corpses are found (most sink to the ocean floor). Of the over 500 sea turtles that have been rescued, a mere 1 in 5 will survive.
BP and the Coast Guard have now sent all oil skimmers back to shore in the face of Tropical Storm Alex. All work has been halted off the coasts of Louisiana, Florida, Alabama and Mississippi.
Elsewhere, concerns grow that BP is covering up the wildlife death tally. In that any who help with the clean-up efforts through the BP-mandated contractor must sign a legal agreement that states that “Vessel owners and employees will not make news releases, marketing presentations or any other statements” these concerns are valid. Over 800 birds, more than 350 sea turtles, a sperm whale and unknown millions of sea creatures have been massacred – and those are only the ones whose corpses are found (most sink to the ocean floor). Of the over 500 sea turtles that have been rescued, a mere 1 in 5 will survive.
BP and the Coast Guard have now sent all oil skimmers back to shore in the face of Tropical Storm Alex. All work has been halted off the coasts of Louisiana, Florida, Alabama and Mississippi.
Monday, June 28, 2010
Speaking of Pollution
Glenn Beck's latest massacre of the English language, The Overton Window, premiers at #1 on the New York Times fiction bestseller list. (So much for that once trusted literary guide).
"The Overton Window was described as "didactic, discursive and sporadically incoherent" in the Los Angeles Times, and as "not just a bad book...an instructively bad book because it offers a complete colour-by-numbers picture of the contemporary Wing-nut psyche" in the Daily Beast. "Thrillers are often marred by laughable prose, but few have stumbled along with language as silly as this one" added the Washington Post"
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2010/jun/28/glenn-beck-overton-window
That's it. I now officially relinquish the last stubborn vestiges of hope for mankind. I have clung to my fractured rose-colored glasses (against formidable odds) but this is too much. Apocalypse, indeed!
"The Overton Window was described as "didactic, discursive and sporadically incoherent" in the Los Angeles Times, and as "not just a bad book...an instructively bad book because it offers a complete colour-by-numbers picture of the contemporary Wing-nut psyche" in the Daily Beast. "Thrillers are often marred by laughable prose, but few have stumbled along with language as silly as this one" added the Washington Post"
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2010/jun/28/glenn-beck-overton-window
That's it. I now officially relinquish the last stubborn vestiges of hope for mankind. I have clung to my fractured rose-colored glasses (against formidable odds) but this is too much. Apocalypse, indeed!
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Gas, Oil and Lies
The area in which the Macondo Prospect rig (Deepwater Horizon) was built has, for a long time, been viewed as dangerous due to the presence of massive methane deposits below the ocean floor. Many experts issued warnings far in advance of the rig's construction - and well before the blowout - but they, of course, were ignored.
Now scientists from Texas A&M University have discovered levels of methane in the ocean near the blowout site that are up to 100,000 times the norm - and in some areas up to 1 million times higher. This horrifying news explains why microbes that need oxygen to break down the oil are not doing so and are, in fact, suffocating. There are now "dead zones" throughout the Gulf, and ecosystem recovery may take hundreds of years - if, indeed, recovery is possible at all.
Vast amounts of dispersants (1.5 million gallons thus far) are being used at both the source and the surface. When used on the surface, dispersants can hasten microbial activity - and the breakdown of the oil - but not in the presence of methane.
BP has (of course) been denying the existence of high quantities of methane being emitted from the wellhead. It has now been proven conclusively. One of the clouds, discovered by the A&M team, is approximately 47 miles in diameter, 600 feet thick and was located 3,000 feet below the surface. Oxygen levels are 30%+ below normal. Efforts are underway to locate and test other clouds but, tragically, when they're found there is nothing that can be done.
Now scientists from Texas A&M University have discovered levels of methane in the ocean near the blowout site that are up to 100,000 times the norm - and in some areas up to 1 million times higher. This horrifying news explains why microbes that need oxygen to break down the oil are not doing so and are, in fact, suffocating. There are now "dead zones" throughout the Gulf, and ecosystem recovery may take hundreds of years - if, indeed, recovery is possible at all.
Vast amounts of dispersants (1.5 million gallons thus far) are being used at both the source and the surface. When used on the surface, dispersants can hasten microbial activity - and the breakdown of the oil - but not in the presence of methane.
BP has (of course) been denying the existence of high quantities of methane being emitted from the wellhead. It has now been proven conclusively. One of the clouds, discovered by the A&M team, is approximately 47 miles in diameter, 600 feet thick and was located 3,000 feet below the surface. Oxygen levels are 30%+ below normal. Efforts are underway to locate and test other clouds but, tragically, when they're found there is nothing that can be done.
Boom!
Below: Oil-saturated booms adrift in Barataria Bay and other areas.
Photo: Brian Naylor/NPR
Thousands of volunteers, fishermen, experts etc. wait to help and yet they all have to be approved and trained by BP. Why are there not more training sessions being run by the USCG, DNR, EPA and other agencies? Surely people - once they've been instructed - could be collecting and replacing the booms...because BP has simply abandoned them.
The mess in the water and marsh is equalled only by the snarled and maze-like regulations that prevent citizens from protecting their own home-land. Federal and state law dictates that areas such as a pelican rookery cannot be "disturbed" - and apparently this includes the removal of the useless booms.
The regulations that exist must be re-thought and adapted to address the most devastating environmental disaster this nation has ever known. The old rules are coated in oil and useless now.
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/oil-ticker/
Photo: Brian Naylor/NPRThousands of volunteers, fishermen, experts etc. wait to help and yet they all have to be approved and trained by BP. Why are there not more training sessions being run by the USCG, DNR, EPA and other agencies? Surely people - once they've been instructed - could be collecting and replacing the booms...because BP has simply abandoned them.
The mess in the water and marsh is equalled only by the snarled and maze-like regulations that prevent citizens from protecting their own home-land. Federal and state law dictates that areas such as a pelican rookery cannot be "disturbed" - and apparently this includes the removal of the useless booms.
The regulations that exist must be re-thought and adapted to address the most devastating environmental disaster this nation has ever known. The old rules are coated in oil and useless now.
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/oil-ticker/
Friday, June 25, 2010
What next?
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-oil-spill-20100626,0,1300456.story
"Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen, the Obama administration's point man on the spill, said Friday that federal, state and local governments, working with BP, had a "very robust hurricane contingency plan."
Let's hope that it's more "robust" than the blowout contingency plans (which pretty much consisted of crossing the fingers of their left hands and pointing in blame with their right).
"Meanwhile, a 2009 financial disclosure form was released Friday for New Orleans federal judge Martin L.C. Feldman, who issued an injunction earlier in the week halting the Obama administration's six-month moratorium on deep-water drilling in the gulf. Feldman owned shares in at least 17 oil and gas companies last year, including an unspecified interest in Transocean Ltd., the owner of the rig that exploded in the April 20 accident."
Of course. Why would we expect anything else? I can just imagine the screenwriters tapping frantically at their keyboards - "Oil, Lies and Videotape" coming soon to a theatre near you.
"Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen, the Obama administration's point man on the spill, said Friday that federal, state and local governments, working with BP, had a "very robust hurricane contingency plan."
Let's hope that it's more "robust" than the blowout contingency plans (which pretty much consisted of crossing the fingers of their left hands and pointing in blame with their right).
"Meanwhile, a 2009 financial disclosure form was released Friday for New Orleans federal judge Martin L.C. Feldman, who issued an injunction earlier in the week halting the Obama administration's six-month moratorium on deep-water drilling in the gulf. Feldman owned shares in at least 17 oil and gas companies last year, including an unspecified interest in Transocean Ltd., the owner of the rig that exploded in the April 20 accident."
Of course. Why would we expect anything else? I can just imagine the screenwriters tapping frantically at their keyboards - "Oil, Lies and Videotape" coming soon to a theatre near you.
Questions without Answers
A large patch of oil has now entered the Mississippi Sound - an area of rich marine abundance between the barrier islands and the mainland. Bob Dudley, who has taken over the BP’s Gulf response, said, "For BP, our intent is to restore the Gulf the way it was before it happened." Oh, really, Bob? BP has Chronos on board and can turn back time?
Meanwhile the federal judge who ruled against the six-month moratorium on deep-water drilling in the Gulf has refused to stay his ruling. The government is appealing. The Deepwater Horizon blowout has demonstrated (most painfully) the appalling lack of preparedness in the event of a disaster.
Apparently the only “plan” regarding system failure in a deepwater situation is (drumroll, please) to not let it happen. Can you imagine the public outrage if the members of a school board were asked what their plans were should a school catch on fire and they responded “Well, we plan to not let that happen but beyond that…we have no plans.”
Did the oil companies file contingency plans as per "regulations" (and I use the term loosely)? Yes – but those plans are utterly useless (some actually state that they’ll just call in an expert. Unfortunately the man that they list died some time ago and isn’t available to help them save “the walruses”).
Since the rig exploded on April 20th we have been treated to a veritable opera of lies, fumbling predictions, denials and political noise.
On June 8, BP COO Doug Suttles firmly stated that the oil flow would be a "relative trickle" in less than a week. Right…2.5 million gallons per day (experts best guesstimate) gushing into the Gulf is a bit more than a “trickle”, I’d say.
Yesterday Unified Command reported that 10 million gallons have been burned at sea so far. (It’s your choice whether to believe this one or not. At this point I imagine that they’re simply using the old Magic 8-ball). The burning, too, is contributing to the mass death of marine creatures. A boom is dragged between two boats: the boats then circle and close the area that is then ignited. Once turtles, dolphins etc. are enclosed in that circle they cannot escape and are incinerated. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kjw3_bMk8o&feature=player_embedded
What is also completely unknown is the extent and nature of the health effects of the oil and dispersants (well over 1 million gallons have been added to the toxic stew thus far) upon humans. Oil consists of complex and unpredictable compounds such as the carcinogen benzene. Of the 400+ tanker spills in the last 50 years, a mere 7 have been studied.
Shorelines that have been “cleaned” are fouled again and again with each tide. “For BP, our intent is to restore the Gulf the way it was before it happened.” I think not, sir, but it’s a nice PR sound-bite.
Meanwhile the federal judge who ruled against the six-month moratorium on deep-water drilling in the Gulf has refused to stay his ruling. The government is appealing. The Deepwater Horizon blowout has demonstrated (most painfully) the appalling lack of preparedness in the event of a disaster.
Apparently the only “plan” regarding system failure in a deepwater situation is (drumroll, please) to not let it happen. Can you imagine the public outrage if the members of a school board were asked what their plans were should a school catch on fire and they responded “Well, we plan to not let that happen but beyond that…we have no plans.”
Did the oil companies file contingency plans as per "regulations" (and I use the term loosely)? Yes – but those plans are utterly useless (some actually state that they’ll just call in an expert. Unfortunately the man that they list died some time ago and isn’t available to help them save “the walruses”).
Since the rig exploded on April 20th we have been treated to a veritable opera of lies, fumbling predictions, denials and political noise.
On June 8, BP COO Doug Suttles firmly stated that the oil flow would be a "relative trickle" in less than a week. Right…2.5 million gallons per day (experts best guesstimate) gushing into the Gulf is a bit more than a “trickle”, I’d say.
Yesterday Unified Command reported that 10 million gallons have been burned at sea so far. (It’s your choice whether to believe this one or not. At this point I imagine that they’re simply using the old Magic 8-ball). The burning, too, is contributing to the mass death of marine creatures. A boom is dragged between two boats: the boats then circle and close the area that is then ignited. Once turtles, dolphins etc. are enclosed in that circle they cannot escape and are incinerated. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kjw3_bMk8o&feature=player_embedded
What is also completely unknown is the extent and nature of the health effects of the oil and dispersants (well over 1 million gallons have been added to the toxic stew thus far) upon humans. Oil consists of complex and unpredictable compounds such as the carcinogen benzene. Of the 400+ tanker spills in the last 50 years, a mere 7 have been studied.
Shorelines that have been “cleaned” are fouled again and again with each tide. “For BP, our intent is to restore the Gulf the way it was before it happened.” I think not, sir, but it’s a nice PR sound-bite.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Today in the Gulf
Today the containment cap that BP had finally managed to place over the well was removed by an undersea robot vehicle. They are attempting to place it again. (BP also discovered that one of the vents of the cap had been closed, perhaps by accidently being nudged by one of the remotely operated vehicles around the well).
BP workers are examining the cap in order to determine whether or not hydrates had formed in it. If it's clear, then they'll try to reinstall the cap. If hydrates are found then the equipment must be thoroughly cleansed and the process of doing this and re-seating the cap will take, as Adm. Allen said "a considerable amount" of time.
Meanwhile the oil gushes forth unabated. The Unified Area Command has now designated this "A Spill of National Significance." I think that we all got that. How I wish that people would cease referring to this as a "spill". A spill is when a known and limited amount of oil enters the water.
This is not a spill - it is a catastrophe of unknown dimensions.
As of today there are approximately 35,000 personnel are working the on/offshore response. Dispersants that have flooded the Gulf waters thus far: approximately 1,464,000 gallons deployed (there is no planned use of dispersants in Florida waters at this time but that may change soon).
A disturbance is currently gaining strength in the Caribbean and shows signs of becoming the first tropical storm of the season. If it does it will be named Alex (uh, huh, like I needed those headlines) and could deeply affect containment and cleanup efforts. There is no way of knowing whether it will help to spread the oil into the loop current and eventually shift the massive underwater plumes of oil around Florida and up the east coast - or bring more oil onshore in the northern Gulf of Mexico, The variables are unknown but they do know that Alex, if it continues to form, will track directly into the Gulf of Mexico.
Wildlife to date:
"A total of 527 sea turtles have been verified from April 30 to June 21 within the designated spill area from the Texas/Louisiana border to Apalachicola, Florida. Between Sunday, June 20, and Monday, June 21, 13 turtle strandings were verified (Ten dead in Mississippi, 2 dead in Alabama, and one dead in Louisiana). Ten live turtles were collected during offshore bird and turtle surveys by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. Two of those were visibly oiled.
As of today there are approximately 35,000 personnel are working the on/offshore response. Dispersants that have flooded the Gulf waters thus far: approximately 1,464,000 gallons deployed (there is no planned use of dispersants in Florida waters at this time but that may change soon).
A disturbance is currently gaining strength in the Caribbean and shows signs of becoming the first tropical storm of the season. If it does it will be named Alex (uh, huh, like I needed those headlines) and could deeply affect containment and cleanup efforts. There is no way of knowing whether it will help to spread the oil into the loop current and eventually shift the massive underwater plumes of oil around Florida and up the east coast - or bring more oil onshore in the northern Gulf of Mexico, The variables are unknown but they do know that Alex, if it continues to form, will track directly into the Gulf of Mexico.
Wildlife to date:
"A total of 527 sea turtles have been verified from April 30 to June 21 within the designated spill area from the Texas/Louisiana border to Apalachicola, Florida. Between Sunday, June 20, and Monday, June 21, 13 turtle strandings were verified (Ten dead in Mississippi, 2 dead in Alabama, and one dead in Louisiana). Ten live turtles were collected during offshore bird and turtle surveys by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. Two of those were visibly oiled.
There are now 116 sea turtles in rehabilitation centers. These include 83 sea turtles captured as part of on-water survey and rescue operations, and 33 turtles that stranded alive. A total of 92 stranded or captured turtles have had visible evidence of external oil since verifications began on April 30. These include the 81 captured or collected turtles from on-water operations (75 live turtles, 3 collected dead and 3 found alive that died in rehabilitation), six live stranded turtles (two caught in oil skimming operations), and five dead stranded sea turtles. All others have not had visible evidence of external oil.
Of the 527 turtles verified from April 30 to June 21, a total of 396 stranded turtles were found dead, 41 stranded alive. Four of those subsequently died. Four live stranded turtles were released, and 33 live stranded turtles are being cared for at rehabilitation centers. Turtle strandings during this time period have been much higher in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and the Florida Panhandle than in previous years for this same time period. This may be due in part to increased detection and reporting, but this does not fully account for the increase.
The NOAA Ship Pisces reported a dead 25-foot sperm whale was located 150 miles due south of Pascagoula, Miss. and approximately 77 miles due south of the spill site last week. The whale was decomposed and heavily scavenged. Samples of skin and blubber have been taken and will be analyzed. Sperm whales are the only endangered resident cetacean in the Upper Gulf of Mexico.
From April 30 to June 21, 50 stranded dolphins have been verified in the designated spill area - no change from June 20. Of the total 50 stranded dolphins, 46 dolphins stranded dead, four dolphins stranded alive and two of those have subsequently died, one on the beach and the other euthanized. The other two include one in rehabilitation at Audubon Aquarium found Saturday and one freed from between two oil booms. Visible evidence of external oil was confirmed on three dolphins. However, we are unable at this time to determine whether two of the dolphins were externally oiled before or after death.
Since April 30, the stranding rate for dolphins in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and the Florida Panhandle has been higher than the historic numbers for the same time period in previous years. In part, this may be due to increased detection and reporting and the lingering effects of an earlier observed spike in strandings for the winter of 2010." http://response.restoration.noaa.gov/dwh.php?entry_id=809
The human cost to date: unknown.
I wish that I could be the bearer of good news...but it is as rare these days as Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtles.
A Council Member
I chose not to post this email until I obtained verification that Ms Hase did, indeed, write it. This morning she confirmed that she was the author. I leave it to the readers of St. Marys to respond as they see fit.
To those of you beyond this community, Deborah Hase is a member of our City Council. Apparently disdain for concerned and involved citizens begins at the local level and oozes upward into state and federal bodies.
To those of you beyond this community, Deborah Hase is a member of our City Council. Apparently disdain for concerned and involved citizens begins at the local level and oozes upward into state and federal bodies.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
My Bad
I continue to be appalled, stunned and amused by the level of arrogance and ignorance displayed by so many so-called “leaders”. From power-grubbing small-town politicians to those who scurry through the maze-like backroom corridors of the federal buildings, there seems to be a pervasive sense of political entitlement and overweening hubris that has settled upon this country’s notables like oil on the Gulf ocean floor.
We live in an age of act/speak first and then apologize afterward (when your spin doctors are in triage hell). From Joe Barton, Tony Hayward, McChrystal, Jesse James and Tiger Woods to John Edwards and his sexually promiscuous brethren what would the media feed on if not for the chum of apologists?
Apparently that’s all it takes these days: bugger the people who put their faith in you all you want as long as you then get your sound-bite that will allow you to do your “misunderstood-misguided-misbegotten” dance back into the hearts of the American public.
Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. I recently received an email that was sent from a member of my local City Council to our newly anointed City Attorney. (Believe me, this email was not meant to enter the public’s airspace). In that revolting missive the council member informed the attorney that he should disregard the rabble who regularly speak up in council meetings for they have no "lives" and so are consigned to forever waste the time of politicians by asking such annoying questions as ‘Why are you doing that? Why would you spend that?” and so forth.
If you want to find the genesis of the divisive rot that is consuming this nation, look no further than your own backyard.
We are immersed (and drowning) in a toxic stew of Limbaugh/Hannity/Beck hysteria and “I’m so sorry” twits. Media and politician mind-poisoning: in a notoriously litigious society one would think that we would all have an airtight case.
We live in an age of act/speak first and then apologize afterward (when your spin doctors are in triage hell). From Joe Barton, Tony Hayward, McChrystal, Jesse James and Tiger Woods to John Edwards and his sexually promiscuous brethren what would the media feed on if not for the chum of apologists?
Apparently that’s all it takes these days: bugger the people who put their faith in you all you want as long as you then get your sound-bite that will allow you to do your “misunderstood-misguided-misbegotten” dance back into the hearts of the American public.
Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. I recently received an email that was sent from a member of my local City Council to our newly anointed City Attorney. (Believe me, this email was not meant to enter the public’s airspace). In that revolting missive the council member informed the attorney that he should disregard the rabble who regularly speak up in council meetings for they have no "lives" and so are consigned to forever waste the time of politicians by asking such annoying questions as ‘Why are you doing that? Why would you spend that?” and so forth.
If you want to find the genesis of the divisive rot that is consuming this nation, look no further than your own backyard.
We are immersed (and drowning) in a toxic stew of Limbaugh/Hannity/Beck hysteria and “I’m so sorry” twits. Media and politician mind-poisoning: in a notoriously litigious society one would think that we would all have an airtight case.
The Courts Rule
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN1416392020100622?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+reuters%2FtopNews+%28News+%2F+US+%2F+Top+News%29&utm_content=Google+Feedfetcher
"The court's decision was a victory for big offshore energy producers like BP, Chevron Corp and Royal Dutch Shell."
Excuse me while I vomit. BP made in excess of $66 million per day in the first quarter of this year. (In 2009 BP's total profits were $14 billion). Even if the cleanup costs were to rise to $14 billion, it would simply mean that BP went one year without making a profit. How many years will it be before the Gulf returns to ecological health?
What would compel BP (or any other oil company) to operate in a more rational, safe and accountable manner when the consequences for causing even such a catastrophic crisis as this one are so minuscule (dare I say a drop in the Gulf)?
"The court's decision was a victory for big offshore energy producers like BP, Chevron Corp and Royal Dutch Shell."
Excuse me while I vomit. BP made in excess of $66 million per day in the first quarter of this year. (In 2009 BP's total profits were $14 billion). Even if the cleanup costs were to rise to $14 billion, it would simply mean that BP went one year without making a profit. How many years will it be before the Gulf returns to ecological health?
What would compel BP (or any other oil company) to operate in a more rational, safe and accountable manner when the consequences for causing even such a catastrophic crisis as this one are so minuscule (dare I say a drop in the Gulf)?
BP and Google
"BP, the very company responsible for the oil spill that is already the worst in U.S. history, has purchased several phrases on search engines such as Google and Yahoo so that the first result that shows up directs information seekers to the company's official website.
A simple Google search of "oil spill" turns up several thousand news results, but the first link, highlighted at the very top of the page, is from BP. "Learn more about how BP is helping," the link's tagline reads. A spokesman for the company confirmed to ABC News that it had, in fact, bought these search terms to make information on the spill more accessible to the public."
That news comes from this site: http://abcnews.go.com/story?id=10835618
Gee thanks guys – that’s so special! Might I suggest that if you want to be thorough you also purchase words and terms such as “Obfuscating/duplicitous/immoral/evasive idiots”, “Environmental terrorists”, “Yacht-owning, heartless twits”, “Gulf destroying walrus protectors” and so forth.
(The BP EIS assured all that no walruses would be harmed in the Gulf. During the Congressional hearing, it came to light that that most oil companies included walruses in their Gulf oil spill response plans despite the fact that there are no walruses in the Gulf of Mexico. Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) asked ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson "As I'm sure you know, there aren't any walruses in the Gulf of Mexico and there have not been for three million years. How can Exxon Mobil have walruses in their response plan for the Gulf of Mexico?"
Tillerson began to describe how the plan is made up of several studies, blah-blah-blah, before sputtering out and wimpering "And it's unfortunate that walruses were included. It's an embarrassment that they were included." Markey then asked the other Big of Wigs from Chevron and BP if they were feeling just a tad red-faced too. They all said yes).
While they're shilling out money for search-engines and spin, perhaps BP should take a moment to speak with some of the people in the Gulf who are standing in lines to receive free food for their families. "Embarrassed"??? - I should bloody well think so!
A simple Google search of "oil spill" turns up several thousand news results, but the first link, highlighted at the very top of the page, is from BP. "Learn more about how BP is helping," the link's tagline reads. A spokesman for the company confirmed to ABC News that it had, in fact, bought these search terms to make information on the spill more accessible to the public."
That news comes from this site: http://abcnews.go.com/story?id=10835618
Gee thanks guys – that’s so special! Might I suggest that if you want to be thorough you also purchase words and terms such as “Obfuscating/duplicitous/immoral/evasive idiots”, “Environmental terrorists”, “Yacht-owning, heartless twits”, “Gulf destroying walrus protectors” and so forth.
(The BP EIS assured all that no walruses would be harmed in the Gulf. During the Congressional hearing, it came to light that that most oil companies included walruses in their Gulf oil spill response plans despite the fact that there are no walruses in the Gulf of Mexico. Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) asked ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson "As I'm sure you know, there aren't any walruses in the Gulf of Mexico and there have not been for three million years. How can Exxon Mobil have walruses in their response plan for the Gulf of Mexico?"
Tillerson began to describe how the plan is made up of several studies, blah-blah-blah, before sputtering out and wimpering "And it's unfortunate that walruses were included. It's an embarrassment that they were included." Markey then asked the other Big of Wigs from Chevron and BP if they were feeling just a tad red-faced too. They all said yes).
While they're shilling out money for search-engines and spin, perhaps BP should take a moment to speak with some of the people in the Gulf who are standing in lines to receive free food for their families. "Embarrassed"??? - I should bloody well think so!
Monday, June 21, 2010
Moratorium
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN1416392020100621?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+reuters%2FtopNews+%28News+%2F+US+%2F+Top+News%29&utm_content=Google+Feedfetcher
Although I deeply sympathize with the terrible economic suffering of Gulf residents, it is my opinion that a moratorium on deepwater drilling must be maintained until the regulations and technology to address system failures (and human error) are in place and proven. The Minerals Management Service (among others) is as corrupt and befouled as the Gulf waters and that agency (among others) must be completely overhauled before any permits are even considered.
Although I deeply sympathize with the terrible economic suffering of Gulf residents, it is my opinion that a moratorium on deepwater drilling must be maintained until the regulations and technology to address system failures (and human error) are in place and proven. The Minerals Management Service (among others) is as corrupt and befouled as the Gulf waters and that agency (among others) must be completely overhauled before any permits are even considered.
Just the Facts...Please!
AP Photo/Dave MartinOil from the leaking Deep Horizon oil rig is seen swirling through the currents in the Gulf of Mexico. Marine scientists fear that two powerful Gulf currents will carry the oil to other reefs: the eastward flowing loop current could spread the oil about 450 miles to the Florida Keys, while the Louisiana coastal current could move the oil as far west as central Texas.
So now we are up to 100,000 barrels of oil gushing into the Gulf per day. U.S. Representative Ed Markey, chairman of the energy and environment subcommittee of the House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee, released the estimate in the undated BP document. "Right from the beginning, BP was either lying or grossly incompetent," Markey told NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday. (Gee, ya think?)
Georgia’s state officials seem to feel that we won't be impacted by the devastation in the Gulf. I fail to understand their logic. Think about it: 4.2 million gallons per day times 120 days (the most optimistic BP time-frame for full operation of the relief wells). Given the volatile nature of meteorological and oceanographic phenomenon, it seems to me that it is simply a matter of time before the mass of the oil becomes embedded in the Loop Current, travels around Florida and then upward along the eastern seaboard.
Counties throughout the Gulf and beyond are becoming more autonomous and proactive as they tire of battling the authorities.
http://newsone.com/nation/associatedpress2/northeastern-towns-prepare-for-potential-oil-spill-impact/
Meanwhile Adm. Thad Allen continues to struggle with chain-of-command issues as BP changes its on-scene leadership, the USCG, EPA, DNR and others issue conflicting edicts (many of which have resulted in up to 1,500 US-flagged skimmers sitting idle, awaiting "permission" to activate). There are currently more foreign ships heading to the Gulf – that, of course, has set off the usual heated political rhetoric and posturing over the role of the 1920 Jones Act, a protectionist law that prohibits foreign-flagged boats and crews from doing port-to-port duty within 3 miles of the US coast. According to Sen. George LeMieux of Florida "We are still receiving reports of foreign-flagged vessels being turned away or their offers of assistance hanging in limbo. That should not be the case." There are currently only 447 skimming boats working the spill area, the mass of which is now inching towards Florida.
On Friday it was announced that the Unified Command is outfitting 2,753 locally-owned boats with skimming equipment, a process that could take two months. (Which we now know is code for four months or more). That, at least, will be popular along the Gulf Coast, where many residents are clamoring for ways to help fight the spill - and to get desperately-needed pay for doing it.
BP denies NOAA reports (and countless statements from various researchers) that the oil is entrained in the Loop. http://www.gema.ga.gov/content/atts/GeorgiaDNRFactSheet.pdf Here is the statement from the Georgia Emergency Management Agency. I wish that I shared their optimism.
There is a gaping hole in the planet and all of the happy-tourism talk, Lady Gaga/Justin Bieber telethons and wishful thinking will neither plug it nor stop the devastation. All that we ask is for honesty, integrity and action (free of political grandstanding and finger-pointing). The situation exists – let’s face facts (and I do mean facts and not BP-generated spin), deal with it and begin to build a future where we will not continue to poison ourselves, and our planet, with greed.
Counties throughout the Gulf and beyond are becoming more autonomous and proactive as they tire of battling the authorities.
http://newsone.com/nation/associatedpress2/northeastern-towns-prepare-for-potential-oil-spill-impact/
Meanwhile Adm. Thad Allen continues to struggle with chain-of-command issues as BP changes its on-scene leadership, the USCG, EPA, DNR and others issue conflicting edicts (many of which have resulted in up to 1,500 US-flagged skimmers sitting idle, awaiting "permission" to activate). There are currently more foreign ships heading to the Gulf – that, of course, has set off the usual heated political rhetoric and posturing over the role of the 1920 Jones Act, a protectionist law that prohibits foreign-flagged boats and crews from doing port-to-port duty within 3 miles of the US coast. According to Sen. George LeMieux of Florida "We are still receiving reports of foreign-flagged vessels being turned away or their offers of assistance hanging in limbo. That should not be the case." There are currently only 447 skimming boats working the spill area, the mass of which is now inching towards Florida.
On Friday it was announced that the Unified Command is outfitting 2,753 locally-owned boats with skimming equipment, a process that could take two months. (Which we now know is code for four months or more). That, at least, will be popular along the Gulf Coast, where many residents are clamoring for ways to help fight the spill - and to get desperately-needed pay for doing it.
BP denies NOAA reports (and countless statements from various researchers) that the oil is entrained in the Loop. http://www.gema.ga.gov/content/atts/GeorgiaDNRFactSheet.pdf Here is the statement from the Georgia Emergency Management Agency. I wish that I shared their optimism.
There is a gaping hole in the planet and all of the happy-tourism talk, Lady Gaga/Justin Bieber telethons and wishful thinking will neither plug it nor stop the devastation. All that we ask is for honesty, integrity and action (free of political grandstanding and finger-pointing). The situation exists – let’s face facts (and I do mean facts and not BP-generated spin), deal with it and begin to build a future where we will not continue to poison ourselves, and our planet, with greed.
Flow rate
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN1416392020100621?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+reuters%2FtopNews+%28News+%2F+US+%2F+Top+News%29&utm_content=Google+Feedfetcher
It makes one afraid to go to bed at night - every day the rate creeps upward. It's now estimated at 100,000 barrels per day (that's over 4 million gallons). What will tomorrow bring? That depends upon how much more truth is finally revealed.
It makes one afraid to go to bed at night - every day the rate creeps upward. It's now estimated at 100,000 barrels per day (that's over 4 million gallons). What will tomorrow bring? That depends upon how much more truth is finally revealed.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
The Latest
Researchers in the Gulf of Mexico have now determined that a large plume of crude oil has made its way into a corner of the Loop Current. As you know, this deep-water current passes through the Gulf, heading east towards Florida, and then onwards into the Gulf Stream. Experts from the Miami Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies (CIMAS), the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (NOAA/AOML) carried out the studies - and continue to monitor the situation.
The team surveyed an area located in the counter clockwise rotating frontal eddy of the northeast corner of the Loop Current. The researchers have hypothesized that, once the oil had reached this location, it would head south along the eastern frontal zone of the Loop Current, down around the southern tip of Florida and then upward along the Atlantic seaboard. After moving south, the team encountered another large concentration of oil, in a new slick. They used the University of Miami's 96-foot catamaran, the RV/F.G. Walton Smith, for this investigation and were also aided by aerial survey data provided by the US Coast Guard.
Despite the assurances of some media and officials that "the chances are slim to nil" of this catastrophe impacting the Georgia shoreline, I am unable to see how it cannot given the sheer, staggering amount of oil, the whimsy of the Loop Current, the volatile weather and the length of time that this will continue. BP has now stated that the relief-well success is "tentative" and that a completion date of August may have been "optimistic".
BP is now planning to burn hundreds of thousands of gallons of oil - and this raises new concerns about the health and safety of the thousands of workers on rigs and vessels near the spill site. Once again they are "playing with fire" (pardon the pun) for this has never been attempted on this immense a scale. The incineration of vast amounts of oil (combined with the black clouds of smoke already drifting over the Gulf waters from controlled burns of surface oil) create a whole new world of fears regarding pollution and safety.
Meanwhile Cuban officials have started preparations to protect their coastline from the spreading BP oil spill in the Gulf. Oil patches have been spotted about 100 miles northwest of Cuba (the northwest shoreline is a highly critical feeding and breeding ground for species like sea turtles and manatees).
Adding to the already devastating presence of the 2.5 million gallons* per day of oil are more than 580,000 gallons of chemical dispersants (Corexit) applied to the surface of the slick and directly into the subsea stream of gushing crude. What that means is that life in the entire water column is being exposed. The dispersants are used to help keep the oil away from shorelines by breaking it up into smaller clumps, some of which will be consumed by microbes and some of which will eventually sink to the ocean floor (death by mass suffocation?).
The problem is that those microbes end up consuming oxygen in the process. The toxicity alone or the BOD (biological oxygen demand) problem alone are substantial issues: when you start adding the two together, the result is unimaginable.
The Gulf already suffers from a massive "dead zone" which forms every spring when agricultural runoff carried out to sea by the Mississippi River causes algae to bloom and devour the oxygen in shallower waters. Mobile marine species usually migrate east of the dead zone - but, sadly, that happens to be the area most directly affected by the oil slick.
*(Newly disclosed documents obtained by the AP show that after the Deepwater Horizon sank, BP made a "worst-case estimate" of 2.5 million gallons per day flowing into the Gulf of Mexico. That is far higher than it had said publicly until this week, when the U.S. government released its own estimate of the amount).
And so we wait - and trust that the GaDNR/USCG will put a comprehensive and effective plan in place to, somehow, protect our own waters. Given the information above, I fail to see how that could possibly be accomplished for when the oil/dispersants reach us the toxic stew will be, for the most part, invisible - and yet lethal to the fragile shorelines, species and marshland. I urge everyone to continue to write to every public official in Georgia. Demand that any plans to allow offshore drilling along our coastline be aborted and that funding be made available for the exploration and development of sustainable sources of clean energy.
To break this cycle of devastation we all need to turn away from the rampant addiction to oil: by reducing the demand, the power of the massive oil corporations will be weakened. As BP and others have polluted our world, so their grip on our governments and life-styles have polluted our system. And it can be done. Refuse mindless waste such as plastic bags (12 million barrels of oil per year), bottled water (17 million barrels per year) and over-packaged products. Think carefully about your purchases and choices and take a moment to write/call the public officials who will shape our future.
The team surveyed an area located in the counter clockwise rotating frontal eddy of the northeast corner of the Loop Current. The researchers have hypothesized that, once the oil had reached this location, it would head south along the eastern frontal zone of the Loop Current, down around the southern tip of Florida and then upward along the Atlantic seaboard. After moving south, the team encountered another large concentration of oil, in a new slick. They used the University of Miami's 96-foot catamaran, the RV/F.G. Walton Smith, for this investigation and were also aided by aerial survey data provided by the US Coast Guard.
Despite the assurances of some media and officials that "the chances are slim to nil" of this catastrophe impacting the Georgia shoreline, I am unable to see how it cannot given the sheer, staggering amount of oil, the whimsy of the Loop Current, the volatile weather and the length of time that this will continue. BP has now stated that the relief-well success is "tentative" and that a completion date of August may have been "optimistic".
BP is now planning to burn hundreds of thousands of gallons of oil - and this raises new concerns about the health and safety of the thousands of workers on rigs and vessels near the spill site. Once again they are "playing with fire" (pardon the pun) for this has never been attempted on this immense a scale. The incineration of vast amounts of oil (combined with the black clouds of smoke already drifting over the Gulf waters from controlled burns of surface oil) create a whole new world of fears regarding pollution and safety.
Meanwhile Cuban officials have started preparations to protect their coastline from the spreading BP oil spill in the Gulf. Oil patches have been spotted about 100 miles northwest of Cuba (the northwest shoreline is a highly critical feeding and breeding ground for species like sea turtles and manatees).
Adding to the already devastating presence of the 2.5 million gallons* per day of oil are more than 580,000 gallons of chemical dispersants (Corexit) applied to the surface of the slick and directly into the subsea stream of gushing crude. What that means is that life in the entire water column is being exposed. The dispersants are used to help keep the oil away from shorelines by breaking it up into smaller clumps, some of which will be consumed by microbes and some of which will eventually sink to the ocean floor (death by mass suffocation?).
The problem is that those microbes end up consuming oxygen in the process. The toxicity alone or the BOD (biological oxygen demand) problem alone are substantial issues: when you start adding the two together, the result is unimaginable.
The Gulf already suffers from a massive "dead zone" which forms every spring when agricultural runoff carried out to sea by the Mississippi River causes algae to bloom and devour the oxygen in shallower waters. Mobile marine species usually migrate east of the dead zone - but, sadly, that happens to be the area most directly affected by the oil slick.
*(Newly disclosed documents obtained by the AP show that after the Deepwater Horizon sank, BP made a "worst-case estimate" of 2.5 million gallons per day flowing into the Gulf of Mexico. That is far higher than it had said publicly until this week, when the U.S. government released its own estimate of the amount).
And so we wait - and trust that the GaDNR/USCG will put a comprehensive and effective plan in place to, somehow, protect our own waters. Given the information above, I fail to see how that could possibly be accomplished for when the oil/dispersants reach us the toxic stew will be, for the most part, invisible - and yet lethal to the fragile shorelines, species and marshland. I urge everyone to continue to write to every public official in Georgia. Demand that any plans to allow offshore drilling along our coastline be aborted and that funding be made available for the exploration and development of sustainable sources of clean energy.
To break this cycle of devastation we all need to turn away from the rampant addiction to oil: by reducing the demand, the power of the massive oil corporations will be weakened. As BP and others have polluted our world, so their grip on our governments and life-styles have polluted our system. And it can be done. Refuse mindless waste such as plastic bags (12 million barrels of oil per year), bottled water (17 million barrels per year) and over-packaged products. Think carefully about your purchases and choices and take a moment to write/call the public officials who will shape our future.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Today
Here go we again (and again). The ongoing catastrophic saga of the BP oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico grows worse by the minute (second) Officials have released the latest estimates of how much oil is leaking from the Deepwater Horizon site. It is now believed that as much as 60,000 barrels - 2.5 million gallons - of oil is spilling from the source per day. Think Exxon Valdez every 4 days.
The latest numbers come after scientists, lead by Energy Secretary Stephen Chu,, analyzed pressure readings and new high resolution made available after make a cut in the riser.
That riser cut, executed by BP to help it capture some of the oil, is believed to have increased the flow of oil. Some of that is being captured - BP says 15,000 barrels of oil a day. (Which means, of course, that some 45,000 barrels are still spewing into the ocean).
Once again, it needs to be noted that BP initially claimed there was only 5,000 barrels of oil leaking a day, and the federal government backed up those figures - and then both proceeded to cling to them for over a month. Why would anyone now believe BP’s “15,000 barrels per day” assertion?
Those fluctuating numbers alone highlight the many questions already raised about how much transparency there's been on such matters.
As for the spill itself, efforts to “plug” the well have failed abysmally. Hope (if there is any left in supply these days) continues to rest on the relief well that BP continues to drill as “the best chance” of finally stopping the gushing crude. Again, why would anyone believe BP’s assurances that that will occur in August? Until then, 2.5 million gallons of oil a day will surge into the Gulf of Mexico.
Meanwhile, today, BP agreed to the $20 billion compensation fund which will be run by lawyer Kenneth Feinberg, who oversaw the compensation fund for families of 9/11 victims and also oversees salary limits for companies getting federal bailout money.
$20 billion. How do we measure the loss given the following?
AP: “Dolphins and sharks are showing up in surprisingly shallow water just off the Florida coast. Mullets, crabs, rays and small fish congregate by the thousands off an Alabama pier. Birds covered in oil are crawling deep into marshes, never to be seen again.
Marine scientists studying the effects of the BP disaster are seeing some strange phenomena. Fish and other wildlife seem to be fleeing the oil out in the Gulf and clustering in cleaner waters along the coast in a trend that some researchers see as a potentially troubling sign.
The animals' presence close to shore means their usual habitat is badly polluted, and the crowding could result in mass die-offs as fish run out of oxygen. Also, the animals could easily get devoured by predators.
"A parallel would be: Why are the wildlife running to the edge of a forest on fire? There will be a lot of fish, sharks, turtles trying to get out of this water they detect is not suitable," said Larry Crowder, a Duke University marine biologist.
The nearly two-month-old oil spill has created an environmental catastrophe unparalleled in U.S. history as tens of millions of gallons of have spewed into the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem. Scientists are seeing some unusual things as they try to understand the effects on thousands of species of marine life.
The vast nature of the spill means scientists are able to locate only a small fraction of the dead animals. Many will never be found after sinking to the bottom of the sea or getting scavenged by other marine life. And large numbers of birds are meeting their deaths deep in the Louisiana marshes where they seek refuge from the onslaught of oil.
"That is their understanding of how to protect themselves," said Doug Zimmer, spokesman for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The counting of dead wildlife in the Gulf is more than an academic exercise; the deaths will help determine how much BP pays in damages.
In some areas along the coast, researchers believe fish are swimming closer to shore because the water is cleaner and more abundant in oxygen. Father out in the Gulf, researchers say, the spill is not only tainting the water with oil but also depleting oxygen levels.
A similar scenario occurs during "dead zone" periods — the time during summer months when oxygen becomes so depleted that fish race toward shore in large numbers. Sometimes, so many fish gather close to the shoreline off Mobile that locals rush to the beach with tubs and nets to reap the harvest. But this latest shore migration could prove deadly.
First, more oil could eventually wash ashore and overwhelm the fish. They could also become trapped between the slick and the beach, leading to increased competition for oxygen in the water and causing them to die as they run out of air.
"Their ability to avoid it may be limited in the long term, especially if in near-shore refuges they're crowding in close to shore, and oil continues to come in. At some point they'll get trapped," said Crowder, expert in marine ecology and fisheries. "It could lead to die-offs."”
$20 billion. How do we measure the decades of effects that we cannot, at this time, even imagine? As I type this there are countless expectant and new mothers in the Gulf region that are breathing air-borne fumes of oil and dispersants (Corexit, a known endocrine disruptor). How do we measure that threat and the inevitable fall-out?
2.5 million gallons per day times 120 days (from April 20th until the end of August) is 300 million gallons of oil in one of the most ecologically fragile and diverse areas of our planet.
To those who insist that this will not impact the eastern seaboard of the US, I say, “You are naïve and misinformed.” To those who seem unaware of the fact that this is a global crisis, I say, “Raise your eyes from the road beneath your feet.” To those who ask, “So what I can do?” I say, “Break your addictions of convenience and sloth. Lower the demand for this non-renewable and deadly resource. Small and painless changes – if we all join in – truly can make a difference.” Think…12 million barrels of oil per year go into the making of the 100 billion plastic grocery bags used per year in the United States. And that is only a drop in the mindless bucket of consumerism.
We cannot turn back time and prevent the Gulf disaster – but we each affect the demand for oil and we can actively call for the support for renewable sources of energy.
(Oh and, by the way, hair booms are not now and nor will they ever be used in the Gulf. They absorb more water than oil, sink rapidly and add to the detritus along the shorelines and in the marshlands. I spend hours each day trying to debunk this effort – and I do understand people’s need to help – but, please, stop now. The postal system is being clogged, volunteer’s time diverted and warehouse space co-opted for hair booms that must be disposed of at some point). http://www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com/go/doc/2931/558807/
The latest numbers come after scientists, lead by Energy Secretary Stephen Chu,, analyzed pressure readings and new high resolution made available after make a cut in the riser.
That riser cut, executed by BP to help it capture some of the oil, is believed to have increased the flow of oil. Some of that is being captured - BP says 15,000 barrels of oil a day. (Which means, of course, that some 45,000 barrels are still spewing into the ocean).
Once again, it needs to be noted that BP initially claimed there was only 5,000 barrels of oil leaking a day, and the federal government backed up those figures - and then both proceeded to cling to them for over a month. Why would anyone now believe BP’s “15,000 barrels per day” assertion?
Those fluctuating numbers alone highlight the many questions already raised about how much transparency there's been on such matters.
As for the spill itself, efforts to “plug” the well have failed abysmally. Hope (if there is any left in supply these days) continues to rest on the relief well that BP continues to drill as “the best chance” of finally stopping the gushing crude. Again, why would anyone believe BP’s assurances that that will occur in August? Until then, 2.5 million gallons of oil a day will surge into the Gulf of Mexico.
Meanwhile, today, BP agreed to the $20 billion compensation fund which will be run by lawyer Kenneth Feinberg, who oversaw the compensation fund for families of 9/11 victims and also oversees salary limits for companies getting federal bailout money.
$20 billion. How do we measure the loss given the following?
AP: “Dolphins and sharks are showing up in surprisingly shallow water just off the Florida coast. Mullets, crabs, rays and small fish congregate by the thousands off an Alabama pier. Birds covered in oil are crawling deep into marshes, never to be seen again.
Marine scientists studying the effects of the BP disaster are seeing some strange phenomena. Fish and other wildlife seem to be fleeing the oil out in the Gulf and clustering in cleaner waters along the coast in a trend that some researchers see as a potentially troubling sign.
The animals' presence close to shore means their usual habitat is badly polluted, and the crowding could result in mass die-offs as fish run out of oxygen. Also, the animals could easily get devoured by predators.
"A parallel would be: Why are the wildlife running to the edge of a forest on fire? There will be a lot of fish, sharks, turtles trying to get out of this water they detect is not suitable," said Larry Crowder, a Duke University marine biologist.
The nearly two-month-old oil spill has created an environmental catastrophe unparalleled in U.S. history as tens of millions of gallons of have spewed into the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem. Scientists are seeing some unusual things as they try to understand the effects on thousands of species of marine life.
The vast nature of the spill means scientists are able to locate only a small fraction of the dead animals. Many will never be found after sinking to the bottom of the sea or getting scavenged by other marine life. And large numbers of birds are meeting their deaths deep in the Louisiana marshes where they seek refuge from the onslaught of oil.
"That is their understanding of how to protect themselves," said Doug Zimmer, spokesman for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The counting of dead wildlife in the Gulf is more than an academic exercise; the deaths will help determine how much BP pays in damages.
In some areas along the coast, researchers believe fish are swimming closer to shore because the water is cleaner and more abundant in oxygen. Father out in the Gulf, researchers say, the spill is not only tainting the water with oil but also depleting oxygen levels.
A similar scenario occurs during "dead zone" periods — the time during summer months when oxygen becomes so depleted that fish race toward shore in large numbers. Sometimes, so many fish gather close to the shoreline off Mobile that locals rush to the beach with tubs and nets to reap the harvest. But this latest shore migration could prove deadly.
First, more oil could eventually wash ashore and overwhelm the fish. They could also become trapped between the slick and the beach, leading to increased competition for oxygen in the water and causing them to die as they run out of air.
"Their ability to avoid it may be limited in the long term, especially if in near-shore refuges they're crowding in close to shore, and oil continues to come in. At some point they'll get trapped," said Crowder, expert in marine ecology and fisheries. "It could lead to die-offs."”
$20 billion. How do we measure the decades of effects that we cannot, at this time, even imagine? As I type this there are countless expectant and new mothers in the Gulf region that are breathing air-borne fumes of oil and dispersants (Corexit, a known endocrine disruptor). How do we measure that threat and the inevitable fall-out?
2.5 million gallons per day times 120 days (from April 20th until the end of August) is 300 million gallons of oil in one of the most ecologically fragile and diverse areas of our planet.
To those who insist that this will not impact the eastern seaboard of the US, I say, “You are naïve and misinformed.” To those who seem unaware of the fact that this is a global crisis, I say, “Raise your eyes from the road beneath your feet.” To those who ask, “So what I can do?” I say, “Break your addictions of convenience and sloth. Lower the demand for this non-renewable and deadly resource. Small and painless changes – if we all join in – truly can make a difference.” Think…12 million barrels of oil per year go into the making of the 100 billion plastic grocery bags used per year in the United States. And that is only a drop in the mindless bucket of consumerism.
We cannot turn back time and prevent the Gulf disaster – but we each affect the demand for oil and we can actively call for the support for renewable sources of energy.
(Oh and, by the way, hair booms are not now and nor will they ever be used in the Gulf. They absorb more water than oil, sink rapidly and add to the detritus along the shorelines and in the marshlands. I spend hours each day trying to debunk this effort – and I do understand people’s need to help – but, please, stop now. The postal system is being clogged, volunteer’s time diverted and warehouse space co-opted for hair booms that must be disposed of at some point). http://www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com/go/doc/2931/558807/
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
55
Below is a letter, signed by 55 US Senators, calling for BP to set up, administered by an independent trustee, a $20 billion fund "to be used for payment of economic damages and clean -up costs." Following the Exxon Valdez disaster, although that company continued to post massive profits, and damages were estimated at a "mere"$7 billion, Exxon "fought liability at every step and ultimately paid far less than the billions of dollars of damages."
We shall see hwo (if) BP responds.
We shall see hwo (if) BP responds.
Sunday, June 13, 2010
In the past week I have come across my own writing on a variety of sites and blogs - and one article came to me via a forwarded mass email sent some by someone that I don't know. While I do understand that there is no way to prevent this (and nor would I particularly want to) might I ask that anyone who uses an article, either in its entirely or a portion thereof, at least include the source? It's just a matter of good manners.
(In that this post will also appear on my FaceBook page, please know, my friends, that I'm not referring to any of you - just faceless, nameless strangers).
(In that this post will also appear on my FaceBook page, please know, my friends, that I'm not referring to any of you - just faceless, nameless strangers).
Caretta caretta and Others
Sea turtles travel the oceans in an ancient cycle of birth, life and death. Loggerheads, for example, have survived, in their present-day form, for well over 120 million years, traversing the waters of the planet in a primordial ballet of infinite grace.
All of the five sea turtle species that live out some portion of their lives in the Gulf are endangered or threatened. There are only seven species of sea turtle worldwide, making the Gulf's habitat essential for the conservation of the world's turtles.
Since the Deepwater Horizon blowout, more than 320 sea turtles have been found dead.
According to The National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration "Even one spill - if it occurred at just the wrong time and place - could be catastrophic to one of these endangered species. Sea turtles are likely to be at greatest risk from oil spills, for example, when they are gathering in a particular area to nest, right after hatching, and when foraging in ocean convergence zones."
The place and time: The Gulf of Mexico during nesting and hatching season. Now.
Loggerheads: 3,000 miles - that is the mind-boggling distance that these travelers have been known to swim in their migratory cycle. Loggerheads that survive to adulthood may live for well over 50 years. At an adult weight of up to 300 pounds, Caretta caretta is nonetheless a swimmer of incomparable strength and grace.
Prime nesting for loggerheads in the Atlantic and throughout the Gulf of Mexico occurs in June and extends, to a lesser extent, from April through. Populations of nesting turtles have been steadily declining, and scientists have recently confirmed that loggerheads around the world live in distinct sets, so the loss of turtles in U.S. waters, for instance, is unlikely to be replaced with turtles from other waters.
Breeding-age females that nest in the Gulf of Mexico, and many from the largest nesting colony in the U.S., on peninsular Florida, congregate in Gulf waters. Many juvenile turtles also spend a significant amount of time in the near-shore waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Nesting beaches are being desecrated with oil, and newly emerged juvenile turtles (if they escape the toxins) are known to use the Gulf Loop current. We now know that the toxic oil/dispersant mixture has already reached this powerful stream of water and will, eventually, be carried along and around the coast of Florida and up the eastern seaboard.
Kemp’s Ridley: Although it is the smallest sea turtle in the world, the critically endangered Kemp's Ridley adults attain weights of 100 pounds. They are found only in the Gulf of Mexico and along the U.S. East Coast. Kemp's Ridley turtles have one of the most remarkable synchronized nesting habits, with wave after wave of females washing ashore in and around Rancho Nuevo, Mexico, on the Gulf Coast from May to July. This extraordinary phenomenon is known, simply, as the "arribada" or "arrival."
It's the outflow of hatchlings that puts Kemp's Ridley turtles at particular risk from the BP oil disaster. The young enter prevailing currents, like the Gulf Loop, and are carried throughout the Gulf and into the Atlantic, and they drift with seaweed on the surface for as long as two years, where they could be easily caught in an oil slick.
Hawksbill: Found throughout the world, Hawksbill nesting is particularly plentiful in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean. This species rarely nests but are found in the U.S. along the Gulf Coast (most notably in Florida and Texas), and they range far and wide - with documented migrations of over 1,000 miles. If nesting beaches and coral reefs in the Florida Keys are affected by the BP oil spill, these turtles could lose significant U.S. population.
Leatherback: The largest sea turtle – and the only one lacking a hard shell – is also the only sea turtle to tolerate cold water. As the world's largest sea turtles, the Leatherback can reach six feet in length and weigh up to 2,000 pounds. A mere few hundred nest annually on the eastern coast of Florida
Green turtles: Exceptional among sea turtles for its exclusively vegetarian diet, green turtles are the largest of the hard-shelled sea turtles, growing from tiny two-inch hatchlings into 300-plus pound giants.
Green turtles are widespread, nesting in 80 countries and living offshore as many as 60 more. This species is listed as endangered in Florida and on Mexico's Pacific coast, and global conservation organizations and the U.N. consider it endangered worldwide. Nesting numbers have declined 50% or more in the last century. The Gulf of Mexico and Florida are vitally important habitats for it may take between 30 to 50 years for an individual to reproduce and thus the loss of a generation of turtles could set recovery efforts back significantly.
Green turtles are widespread, nesting in 80 countries and living offshore as many as 60 more. This species is listed as endangered in Florida and on Mexico's Pacific coast, and global conservation organizations and the U.N. consider it endangered worldwide. Nesting numbers have declined 50% or more in the last century. The Gulf of Mexico and Florida are vitally important habitats for it may take between 30 to 50 years for an individual to reproduce and thus the loss of a generation of turtles could set recovery efforts back significantly.
Last year at this time, I was given a rare and priceless gift that was born of pure serendipity. I happened to be sitting on the sand at Vero Beach at 2am. Suddenly, mere yards from me, three massive black forms slowly emerged from the surf. Loggerheads.
They made their laborious sojourn from the sea to a dry area of the beach to begin the slow and poignant process of birthing. With their mighty flippers they painstakingly carved out a place in history in the cool sand and, when the nests met their exacting specifications, they each deposited an average of 120 eggs. Carefully covering the nest with their rear flippers and gently packing it securely they then, exhausted and depleted, returned to the ocean’s embrace. For over three hours I watched this ancient dance of time, tide and the struggle to survive.
Sixty days and nights later, the hatchlings (if the nests remained undisturbed by man and predators) would emerge. Each the size of a half dollar, these tiny creatures would begin their struggle toward the sea. Scientists believe that this trek to the may ocean imprint the magnetic field of the earth upon their brains, thus allowing them to return to the natal location in 20 to 25 years when they, in turn, nest. It is a phenomenon that, in its complexity, transcends empiricism and touches upon the unimaginable.
The odds against these miniscule miracles are formidable for it is estimated that a mere 1 in 10,000 hatchlings survive to maturity. And these staggering odds do not take into account beaches fouled by oil and water that has been turned into poisonous stew.
They made their laborious sojourn from the sea to a dry area of the beach to begin the slow and poignant process of birthing. With their mighty flippers they painstakingly carved out a place in history in the cool sand and, when the nests met their exacting specifications, they each deposited an average of 120 eggs. Carefully covering the nest with their rear flippers and gently packing it securely they then, exhausted and depleted, returned to the ocean’s embrace. For over three hours I watched this ancient dance of time, tide and the struggle to survive.
Sixty days and nights later, the hatchlings (if the nests remained undisturbed by man and predators) would emerge. Each the size of a half dollar, these tiny creatures would begin their struggle toward the sea. Scientists believe that this trek to the may ocean imprint the magnetic field of the earth upon their brains, thus allowing them to return to the natal location in 20 to 25 years when they, in turn, nest. It is a phenomenon that, in its complexity, transcends empiricism and touches upon the unimaginable.
The odds against these miniscule miracles are formidable for it is estimated that a mere 1 in 10,000 hatchlings survive to maturity. And these staggering odds do not take into account beaches fouled by oil and water that has been turned into poisonous stew.
As we count the barrels per day that gush from the Deepwater Horizon well; as we tally up the economic costs; as we engage in our usual gavotte of blame and recrimination; as politicians parry and thrust to promote or salvage their own careers, let us not, for even a moment, forget those who will pay the highest price for this epic morality play of greed and unbridled consumption – those who live beneath the waves.
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Worse with every passing hour
The latest: according to the government's Flow Rate Technical Group, a multi-department team of experts appointed on May 19, anywhere from 20,000 to 40,000 bbls. are gushing from the busted wellhead every 24 hours. That's a maximum of 1.68 million gallons per day — or one Exxon Valdez disaster every 6.4 days.
A contact in the Gulf informs me that the sand berms are already eroding, the booms are unattended and drifting into the marshlands, miles of water are clear of skimmers and BP's employees are spending far more time clearing the beaches of the media than anything else. It is a debacle of the unimaginable proportions.
Slicklickers and other equipment could have dealt with the surface spill but the heavy-handed use of dispersants ended that hope from the beginning. Vast plumes - some more than 30 miles long, seven miles wide and 400ft deep - are extending from the spill. It is this poison that will circle through the Loop and attack our shoreline and marshlands.
Slicklickers and other equipment could have dealt with the surface spill but the heavy-handed use of dispersants ended that hope from the beginning. Vast plumes - some more than 30 miles long, seven miles wide and 400ft deep - are extending from the spill. It is this poison that will circle through the Loop and attack our shoreline and marshlands.
The photographs above were taken yesterday - by a man who toured Horn Island. The Island is a long, thin barrier island off the coast of Mississippi, south of Ocean Springs - a part of the Gulf Islands National Seashore. It is several miles long, but less than a mile wide at its widest point. This message comes via first-hand experience (all reliable news does these days). Looking at the photos these appear to be "critically endangered" Kemps Ridley Turtles.
On Fox News this past weekend, Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour said, "It may be hard for the viewer to understand, but the worst thing for us has been how our tourist season has been hurt by the misperception of what's going on down here. The Mississippi Gulf Coast is beautiful. As I tell people, the Coast is clear, come on down."
I will continue to trust the citizens "on the scene" - and not the BP representatives or politicians.
On Fox News this past weekend, Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour said, "It may be hard for the viewer to understand, but the worst thing for us has been how our tourist season has been hurt by the misperception of what's going on down here. The Mississippi Gulf Coast is beautiful. As I tell people, the Coast is clear, come on down."
I will continue to trust the citizens "on the scene" - and not the BP representatives or politicians.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
WHY?
The frustration mounts as people attempt to find training information so that they can assist in the Gulf efforts. Thus far, it appears that BP continues to have a hammer-lock on the clean-up efforts - and one begins to ask “why? Why are people being prevented from receiving the training necessary to deal with this disaster? Why are there not instructors available in coastal areas, both in the Gulf and along the eastern seaboard where our waters are likely to be poisoned by the toxic stew of dispersants and oil? Why are we continuing to dance to the tune of BP?
People, both in the US and around the world, are desperate to do what they can – even to the extent of packaging up tons of hair for booms. (BP and the US Coast Guard have no intention of employing hair booms given that they immediately absorb more water than oil and sink – thus adding to the debris in the Gulf. And yet, each day, more donated warehouses fill with cartons of hair for people are unwilling to accept that this is simply not “do-able”).
One of the more disturbing emails that I have received came from a gentleman who is coordinating one of the largest Gulf volunteer drives. He has worked tirelessly since the blowout and is stunned that he, like many, is being stymied at every turn.
“On May 20th I took the most 'advanced' course they offered - endured four hours of classroom time to present 30-minutes of material that was almost exclusively common sense material. I've not received the promised follow-up information or my registration card, (supposed to arrive in a week or so). I called PEC, the training contractor yesterday, and they weren't even able to tell me what the formal name of the course is. I sent a list of 61 HAZWOPER-certified people who were eager to volunteer or be hired to BP's designated contractor on May 13. Not a one has heard from BP or their contractors - not even the HAZWOPER instructor with 25 years of experience. I've been pressing BP for a statement on volunteers, training, certification, and hiring for weeks now. Nothing.”
Here in St. Marys, Georgia – the “gateway” to Cumberland Island National Seashore – we have over 300 registered volunteers standing by to do what they can when the toxic oil/dispersant stew careens up the coast to our waters. In that the relief wells will not be completed until late August (and most probably later) that scenario is not a matter of If but When. It is imperative to have adequate training beforehand but, apparently, there is none to be had.
St. Marys’ Mayor sent out a mass email that stated “BP currently only sends their personnel to these extensive trainings. As trainings are located, Mayor William T. DeLoughy will have updates sent out to the public. Free trainings pertaining to this specific hazardous material have not been located.”
Again one must ask “why? We are a coastal town. Why does the County Emergency Management Association not have HAZWOPER trainers on stand-by? What about the DNR and others? Must they all await BP’s approval? Why?
As Governor Perdue and others tout the “safety” of off-shore Georgia drilling I would suggest that they also give thought to what will happen should one of those wells that they lust after fail. It would seem that there are no plans in place to protect our coastal waters from the all-too-real devastation of oil.
And this bit of inspired lunacy from Eric Johnson (he who is campaigning to be the next Governor of Georgia). He wrote, in part: “Our country is simply too dependent on energy from foreign dictators. We are buying oil from countries with regimes that support thugs and terrorists. Money we hand to the cashier at the gas station eventually makes its way into the hands of criminals who want to destroy our way of life and kill Americans. As appalled as I am by the images of oil washing up on beaches while federal officials attempt one futile plan after another, I am even more enraged by the thought of seeing images of another 9/11-style attack on our nation’s soil.” And “Predictably, liberal activists call the Gulf disaster a warning of things to come if we expand drilling, but this incident is an unfortunate exception to the rule.”
How I weary of this specious mantra of the pro-oil faction. I assure you that Canada (the primary supplier of US oil) has no plans to "destroy" the American way of life. (Nor are we particularly interested in killing you). This sort of fear-mongering hyperbole plays upon the ignorance of the populace and serves only to promote the froth-mouthed rantings of such as Limbaugh, Beck and, apparently, Mr Johnson.
The bottom line is that we must turn our efforts, research and dollars to the expansion of renewable energy sources. Beyond the xenophobic fear of so-called "foreign dictators", we are destroying that which is needed to sustain life: water, air, vegetation and myriad species. It is the dependence on oil that will ultimately "destroy our way of life and kill Americans."
Mr Johnson then furthers the idiocy of his argument by citing information from the Minerals Management Service: a body that is so fetid with corruption, shoddy practices and cronyism as to be criminal. "Additionally, data from the Minerals Management Service shows that more oil is lost to natural seepage each year than is lost by oil company spills."...I would laugh were it not so nauseatingly idiotic to quote the body that represents the pinnacle of disorganized incompetence.
Meanwhile the media is being actively discouraged from engaging in on-the-scene reporting – again the doing of BP.
http://abcnews.go.com/WN/Media/conversation-press-hassled-gulf-coast/story?id=10877263
Why?
As new information trickles out, it is now estimated that the well has been gushing “between 20,000 and 40,000 barrels per day”: far, far more than BP’s assertions. We need training, we need information, we need honesty, we need accountability – and we it need it NOW.
People, both in the US and around the world, are desperate to do what they can – even to the extent of packaging up tons of hair for booms. (BP and the US Coast Guard have no intention of employing hair booms given that they immediately absorb more water than oil and sink – thus adding to the debris in the Gulf. And yet, each day, more donated warehouses fill with cartons of hair for people are unwilling to accept that this is simply not “do-able”).
One of the more disturbing emails that I have received came from a gentleman who is coordinating one of the largest Gulf volunteer drives. He has worked tirelessly since the blowout and is stunned that he, like many, is being stymied at every turn.
“On May 20th I took the most 'advanced' course they offered - endured four hours of classroom time to present 30-minutes of material that was almost exclusively common sense material. I've not received the promised follow-up information or my registration card, (supposed to arrive in a week or so). I called PEC, the training contractor yesterday, and they weren't even able to tell me what the formal name of the course is. I sent a list of 61 HAZWOPER-certified people who were eager to volunteer or be hired to BP's designated contractor on May 13. Not a one has heard from BP or their contractors - not even the HAZWOPER instructor with 25 years of experience. I've been pressing BP for a statement on volunteers, training, certification, and hiring for weeks now. Nothing.”
Here in St. Marys, Georgia – the “gateway” to Cumberland Island National Seashore – we have over 300 registered volunteers standing by to do what they can when the toxic oil/dispersant stew careens up the coast to our waters. In that the relief wells will not be completed until late August (and most probably later) that scenario is not a matter of If but When. It is imperative to have adequate training beforehand but, apparently, there is none to be had.
St. Marys’ Mayor sent out a mass email that stated “BP currently only sends their personnel to these extensive trainings. As trainings are located, Mayor William T. DeLoughy will have updates sent out to the public. Free trainings pertaining to this specific hazardous material have not been located.”
Again one must ask “why? We are a coastal town. Why does the County Emergency Management Association not have HAZWOPER trainers on stand-by? What about the DNR and others? Must they all await BP’s approval? Why?
As Governor Perdue and others tout the “safety” of off-shore Georgia drilling I would suggest that they also give thought to what will happen should one of those wells that they lust after fail. It would seem that there are no plans in place to protect our coastal waters from the all-too-real devastation of oil.
And this bit of inspired lunacy from Eric Johnson (he who is campaigning to be the next Governor of Georgia). He wrote, in part: “Our country is simply too dependent on energy from foreign dictators. We are buying oil from countries with regimes that support thugs and terrorists. Money we hand to the cashier at the gas station eventually makes its way into the hands of criminals who want to destroy our way of life and kill Americans. As appalled as I am by the images of oil washing up on beaches while federal officials attempt one futile plan after another, I am even more enraged by the thought of seeing images of another 9/11-style attack on our nation’s soil.” And “Predictably, liberal activists call the Gulf disaster a warning of things to come if we expand drilling, but this incident is an unfortunate exception to the rule.”
How I weary of this specious mantra of the pro-oil faction. I assure you that Canada (the primary supplier of US oil) has no plans to "destroy" the American way of life. (Nor are we particularly interested in killing you). This sort of fear-mongering hyperbole plays upon the ignorance of the populace and serves only to promote the froth-mouthed rantings of such as Limbaugh, Beck and, apparently, Mr Johnson.
The bottom line is that we must turn our efforts, research and dollars to the expansion of renewable energy sources. Beyond the xenophobic fear of so-called "foreign dictators", we are destroying that which is needed to sustain life: water, air, vegetation and myriad species. It is the dependence on oil that will ultimately "destroy our way of life and kill Americans."
Mr Johnson then furthers the idiocy of his argument by citing information from the Minerals Management Service: a body that is so fetid with corruption, shoddy practices and cronyism as to be criminal. "Additionally, data from the Minerals Management Service shows that more oil is lost to natural seepage each year than is lost by oil company spills."...I would laugh were it not so nauseatingly idiotic to quote the body that represents the pinnacle of disorganized incompetence.
Meanwhile the media is being actively discouraged from engaging in on-the-scene reporting – again the doing of BP.
http://abcnews.go.com/WN/Media/conversation-press-hassled-gulf-coast/story?id=10877263
Why?
As new information trickles out, it is now estimated that the well has been gushing “between 20,000 and 40,000 barrels per day”: far, far more than BP’s assertions. We need training, we need information, we need honesty, we need accountability – and we it need it NOW.
Monday, June 7, 2010
This morning I had a long and illuminating conversation with the creator and coordinator of one of the largest volunteer initiatives in the Gulf and outlying areas. We spoke of the frustration and anger felt by so many (literally, around the world) as attempts to assist with this tragic situation are repeatedly cut off by BP: HAZWOPER trainers told that they cannot train volunteers, wildlife rehabilitation experts informed that they were not allowed on the scene, booms left unattended and drifting into the marsh, workers instructed by BP that they are "not allowed" to speak with the media and so forth.
BP has been allowed to lock the doors: between dictating the extent of the efforts of both volunteers and trained staff, issuing "gag orders", refusing to divulge the compounds in the toxic dispersant, Corexit, flooding the media with dubious information and refusing to use the resources available to us, BP is, daily, compounding the crime. Although I appreciate the complexities of financing, legal matters and so forth, how or why anyone would continue to trust BP to resolve this situation is quite beyond me. The grief, rage and frustration of the world grows apace with BP's ongoing control and, increasingly, it would appear that the lunatics are in charge of the asylum.
Working from a tip provided by Sky Truth, a crew of three flew over the Ocean Saratoga rig about 11 miles from the mouth of the Mississippi River. A slick and the activity of a crew boat which appears to be pumping dispersant into the water and mixing it with the slick with it's propellers.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWHLrcxLVkg
I am, though sickened, not surprised. The MMS has issued 27 new offshore drilling projects since April 20, 2010: twenty-six under the same environmental review exemption used to approve the disastrous BP drilling that is destroying the Gulf and its wildlife. It is only a miniscule step of logic to assume that the rigs currently operating in the Gulf were granted the boon of the shoddy and corrupt permitting processes for which the MMS is renown.
The MMS revealed, on May 5, 2010, that it exempted BP's offshore drilling plan from environmental review by using a loophole in the National Environmental Policy Act meant only to apply to projects with no, or minimal, negative effects. The MMS exempts hundreds of dangerous offshore oil drilling projects in the Gulf of Mexico every year, requiring only that the applying companies fill in the forms in pencil...to be later transcribed by MMS clerks.
Two of the newly approved - and environmentally exempted - drilling operations were awarded to BP, despite the fact that the new plans are based on the same false assertions about oil rig safety and the improbability of environmental damage even if an oil "spill" occurs:
BP Exploration Plan, Mississippi Canyon Areas (Deepwater Horizon), Approved April 6, 2009
and BP Exploration Plan, Green Canyon Area, Approved May 6, 2010
"2.7 Blowout Scenario - A scenario for a potential blowout of the well from which BP would expect to have the highest volume of liquid hydrocarbons is not required for the operations proposed in this EP."
"II.J. Blowout Scenario - Information not required for activities proposed in this Initial Exploration Plan."
"14.5 Alternatives - No alternatives to the proposed activities were considered to reduce environmental impacts."
"VI. Alternatives - No alternatives to the proposed activities were considered to reduce environmental impacts."
"14.6 Mitigation Measures - No mitigation measures other than those required by regulation and BP policy will be employed to avoid, diminish or eliminate potential impacts on environmental resources."
"VII. Mitigation Measures - No mitigation measures other than those required by regulation will be employed to avoid, diminish, or eliminate potential impacts on environmental resources."
"14.7 Consultation - No agencies or persons were consulted regarding potential impacts associated with the proposed activities."
"VIII. Consultation - No agencies or persons were consulted regarding potential impacts associated with the proposes activities. Therefore, a list of such entities has not been provided."
"14.3 Impacts on Proposed Activities - The site-specific environmental conditions have been taken into account for the proposed activities and no impacts are expected as a result of these conditions."
"IV. Impacts on Proposed Activities - The proposed well locations were evaluated for any seafloor and subsurface geological and manmade features and conditions that may adversely affect operations. No impacts are expected from site-specific environmental conditions."
"14.2.3.2 Wetlands - An accidental oil spill from the proposed activities could cause impacts to wetlands. However, due to the distance to shore (48 miles) and the response capabilities that would be implemented, no significant adverse impacts are expected." (p. 45)
"III.C.2. Wetlands...Due to the distance from shore and the available oil spill response capabilities, no adverse impacts to wetlands are anticipated as a result of the proposed activities. Activities proposed in the EP will be covered by BP's Oil Spill Response Plan (OSRP)."
"14.2.2.1 Essential Fish Habitat - .In the event of an unanticipated blowout resulting in an oil spill, it is unlikely to have an impact based on the industry wide standards for using proven equipment and technology for such responses, implementation of BP's Regional Oil Spill Response Plan which address available equipment and removal of the oil spill."
"III.B.11. Essential Fish Habitat...Should a spill occur in the area of a mobile adult finfish or shellfish, the effects would likely be sublethal and the extent of the damage would be reduced to the capability of adult fish and shellfish to avoid a spill, to metabolize hydrocarbons, and to excrete both metabolites and parent compounds. Activities proposed in the EP will be covered by BP's Oil Spill Response Plan (OSRP)."
Like a house of cards (a toxic house) it would seem that much is being revealed as the Gulf oil operations are being scrutinized. Considering the devastating effects of the oil and dispersants, the Gulf will be a vast dead zone. This has profound implications for our world, our economy, our local waters and our nation's future.
BP has been allowed to lock the doors: between dictating the extent of the efforts of both volunteers and trained staff, issuing "gag orders", refusing to divulge the compounds in the toxic dispersant, Corexit, flooding the media with dubious information and refusing to use the resources available to us, BP is, daily, compounding the crime. Although I appreciate the complexities of financing, legal matters and so forth, how or why anyone would continue to trust BP to resolve this situation is quite beyond me. The grief, rage and frustration of the world grows apace with BP's ongoing control and, increasingly, it would appear that the lunatics are in charge of the asylum.
Working from a tip provided by Sky Truth, a crew of three flew over the Ocean Saratoga rig about 11 miles from the mouth of the Mississippi River. A slick and the activity of a crew boat which appears to be pumping dispersant into the water and mixing it with the slick with it's propellers.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWHLrcxLVkg
I am, though sickened, not surprised. The MMS has issued 27 new offshore drilling projects since April 20, 2010: twenty-six under the same environmental review exemption used to approve the disastrous BP drilling that is destroying the Gulf and its wildlife. It is only a miniscule step of logic to assume that the rigs currently operating in the Gulf were granted the boon of the shoddy and corrupt permitting processes for which the MMS is renown.
The MMS revealed, on May 5, 2010, that it exempted BP's offshore drilling plan from environmental review by using a loophole in the National Environmental Policy Act meant only to apply to projects with no, or minimal, negative effects. The MMS exempts hundreds of dangerous offshore oil drilling projects in the Gulf of Mexico every year, requiring only that the applying companies fill in the forms in pencil...to be later transcribed by MMS clerks.
Two of the newly approved - and environmentally exempted - drilling operations were awarded to BP, despite the fact that the new plans are based on the same false assertions about oil rig safety and the improbability of environmental damage even if an oil "spill" occurs:
BP Exploration Plan, Mississippi Canyon Areas (Deepwater Horizon), Approved April 6, 2009
and BP Exploration Plan, Green Canyon Area, Approved May 6, 2010
"2.7 Blowout Scenario - A scenario for a potential blowout of the well from which BP would expect to have the highest volume of liquid hydrocarbons is not required for the operations proposed in this EP."
"II.J. Blowout Scenario - Information not required for activities proposed in this Initial Exploration Plan."
"14.5 Alternatives - No alternatives to the proposed activities were considered to reduce environmental impacts."
"VI. Alternatives - No alternatives to the proposed activities were considered to reduce environmental impacts."
"14.6 Mitigation Measures - No mitigation measures other than those required by regulation and BP policy will be employed to avoid, diminish or eliminate potential impacts on environmental resources."
"VII. Mitigation Measures - No mitigation measures other than those required by regulation will be employed to avoid, diminish, or eliminate potential impacts on environmental resources."
"14.7 Consultation - No agencies or persons were consulted regarding potential impacts associated with the proposed activities."
"VIII. Consultation - No agencies or persons were consulted regarding potential impacts associated with the proposes activities. Therefore, a list of such entities has not been provided."
"14.3 Impacts on Proposed Activities - The site-specific environmental conditions have been taken into account for the proposed activities and no impacts are expected as a result of these conditions."
"IV. Impacts on Proposed Activities - The proposed well locations were evaluated for any seafloor and subsurface geological and manmade features and conditions that may adversely affect operations. No impacts are expected from site-specific environmental conditions."
"14.2.3.2 Wetlands - An accidental oil spill from the proposed activities could cause impacts to wetlands. However, due to the distance to shore (48 miles) and the response capabilities that would be implemented, no significant adverse impacts are expected." (p. 45)
"III.C.2. Wetlands...Due to the distance from shore and the available oil spill response capabilities, no adverse impacts to wetlands are anticipated as a result of the proposed activities. Activities proposed in the EP will be covered by BP's Oil Spill Response Plan (OSRP)."
"14.2.2.1 Essential Fish Habitat - .In the event of an unanticipated blowout resulting in an oil spill, it is unlikely to have an impact based on the industry wide standards for using proven equipment and technology for such responses, implementation of BP's Regional Oil Spill Response Plan which address available equipment and removal of the oil spill."
"III.B.11. Essential Fish Habitat...Should a spill occur in the area of a mobile adult finfish or shellfish, the effects would likely be sublethal and the extent of the damage would be reduced to the capability of adult fish and shellfish to avoid a spill, to metabolize hydrocarbons, and to excrete both metabolites and parent compounds. Activities proposed in the EP will be covered by BP's Oil Spill Response Plan (OSRP)."
Like a house of cards (a toxic house) it would seem that much is being revealed as the Gulf oil operations are being scrutinized. Considering the devastating effects of the oil and dispersants, the Gulf will be a vast dead zone. This has profound implications for our world, our economy, our local waters and our nation's future.
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Amost Beyond Belief
Following the Gulf of Mexico Deepwater oil blowout congressional hearings last week, Alaska Republican Rep. Don Young said that the U.S. should focus on passing better laws and opposing the Obama administration's moratorium on new offshore drilling permits.
Young said: "This is not an environmental disaster, and I will say that again and again because it is a national phenomena. Oil has seeped into this ocean for centuries, will continue to do it. We will lose some birds, we will lose some fixed sea life, but overall it will recover."
We can now add this idiotically ignorant remark to Rush Limbaugh's statement "There won't be any people on the beach. Yes! That's a positive." and "I might be able to keep my lights on at night because there won't be any turtles on the beach. At some point the beach will fix itself."
(The number of birds picked up by wildlife rescue workers in five gulf states jumped today (Sunday) by nearly 100 from yesterday's toll. Of the 820 birds found so far, 597 were dead, and all 223 found alive had oil on them. The number of reptiles, birds, turtles and mammals such as dolphins collected along the gulf stands at 1,143 as of this evening - 107 more than yesterday, so ol' Rush must be one happy, well-lit homeowner).
Then there's Sarah Palin's insane FaceBook maunderings in which she bleats and thunders, "Radical environmentalists: you are damaging the planet with your efforts to lock up safer drilling areas. There’s nothing clean and green about your misguided, nonsensical radicalism, and Americans are on to you as we question your true motives."
Ms Palin seems completely unaware of the fact that "environmentalists" have, for decades, been calling for more strenuous adherence to existing regulations, the overhaul of the corrupt Minerals Management Service, the development of alternate sources of renewal energy, conservation of existing resources and the curtailing of wasteful practices (eg. approximately 380 billion plastic bags are used in the United States every year. This requires roughly 12 million barrels of oil per year for the production of plastic grocery bags that then clog our waterways, destroy marine life and deface our country).
The inane, illogical and (sometimes) amusingly stupid comments from many so-called "leaders" spew forth like oil from the ocean floor: toxic, foul and seemingly unstoppable. Denial, finger-pointing and political haymaking are apparently the order of the day from many...even while a disaster of epic proportions unfolds - and, yes, Mr Young, it is, indeed, a disaster.
Meanwhile, here in Georgia, we await the inevitable fall-out:
June 3, 2010 (Environmental News Service) - "Oil from the massive spill in the Gulf of Mexico is likely to extend along thousands of miles of the Atlantic coast and into the open ocean as early as this summer, according to a detailed computer modeling study released today by the National Center for Atmospheric Research.The computer simulations indicate that, once the oil in the uppermost ocean has become entrained in the Gulf of Mexico's fast-moving Loop Current, it is likely to reach Florida's Atlantic coast within weeks. It can then move north as far as about Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, with the Gulf Stream, before turning east to the open ocean.Whether the oil will be a thin film on the surface or mostly subsurface due to mixing in the upper ocean is not known. The flow in the model represents the best estimate of how ocean currents are likely to respond under typical wind conditions. More model studies are underway that will indicate what might happen to the oil in the Atlantic Ocean." (Yes, I am aware that I posted this before but, apparently, it bears repeating).
Cumberland Island National Seashore (recently listed on *Aol Travel as one of the best "Secret Beaches of the US"), with its 17 miles of immaculate shoreline and intricate marsh ecosystems will bear the brunt of the deadly tide in this area (St. Marys). Even though a large roster of volunteers stand at the ready, it is proving shockingly difficult to arrange the necessary training for prep and clean-up crews.
I would strongly suggest that Ms Palin, Mr Limbaugh, Mr Young and others work alongside the valiant volunteers, residents and crews in the Gulf so that they might gain deeper understanding into the reality and depth of this tragedy. How easy it is for them to dismiss the death, destruction and shattered lives as they attempt to parlay this into political gain and increased ratings. There is shame and blame aplenty to be shared - this is a debacle that reverberates through the halls of power throughout the years - and I find it nauseating that there are those who seek to "use" this catastrophe to further their own ends.
http://news.travel.aol.com/2010/05/19/secret-beaches-of-the-us/
Young said: "This is not an environmental disaster, and I will say that again and again because it is a national phenomena. Oil has seeped into this ocean for centuries, will continue to do it. We will lose some birds, we will lose some fixed sea life, but overall it will recover."
We can now add this idiotically ignorant remark to Rush Limbaugh's statement "There won't be any people on the beach. Yes! That's a positive." and "I might be able to keep my lights on at night because there won't be any turtles on the beach. At some point the beach will fix itself."
(The number of birds picked up by wildlife rescue workers in five gulf states jumped today (Sunday) by nearly 100 from yesterday's toll. Of the 820 birds found so far, 597 were dead, and all 223 found alive had oil on them. The number of reptiles, birds, turtles and mammals such as dolphins collected along the gulf stands at 1,143 as of this evening - 107 more than yesterday, so ol' Rush must be one happy, well-lit homeowner).
Then there's Sarah Palin's insane FaceBook maunderings in which she bleats and thunders, "Radical environmentalists: you are damaging the planet with your efforts to lock up safer drilling areas. There’s nothing clean and green about your misguided, nonsensical radicalism, and Americans are on to you as we question your true motives."
Ms Palin seems completely unaware of the fact that "environmentalists" have, for decades, been calling for more strenuous adherence to existing regulations, the overhaul of the corrupt Minerals Management Service, the development of alternate sources of renewal energy, conservation of existing resources and the curtailing of wasteful practices (eg. approximately 380 billion plastic bags are used in the United States every year. This requires roughly 12 million barrels of oil per year for the production of plastic grocery bags that then clog our waterways, destroy marine life and deface our country).
The inane, illogical and (sometimes) amusingly stupid comments from many so-called "leaders" spew forth like oil from the ocean floor: toxic, foul and seemingly unstoppable. Denial, finger-pointing and political haymaking are apparently the order of the day from many...even while a disaster of epic proportions unfolds - and, yes, Mr Young, it is, indeed, a disaster.
Meanwhile, here in Georgia, we await the inevitable fall-out:
June 3, 2010 (Environmental News Service) - "Oil from the massive spill in the Gulf of Mexico is likely to extend along thousands of miles of the Atlantic coast and into the open ocean as early as this summer, according to a detailed computer modeling study released today by the National Center for Atmospheric Research.The computer simulations indicate that, once the oil in the uppermost ocean has become entrained in the Gulf of Mexico's fast-moving Loop Current, it is likely to reach Florida's Atlantic coast within weeks. It can then move north as far as about Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, with the Gulf Stream, before turning east to the open ocean.Whether the oil will be a thin film on the surface or mostly subsurface due to mixing in the upper ocean is not known. The flow in the model represents the best estimate of how ocean currents are likely to respond under typical wind conditions. More model studies are underway that will indicate what might happen to the oil in the Atlantic Ocean." (Yes, I am aware that I posted this before but, apparently, it bears repeating).
Cumberland Island National Seashore (recently listed on *Aol Travel as one of the best "Secret Beaches of the US"), with its 17 miles of immaculate shoreline and intricate marsh ecosystems will bear the brunt of the deadly tide in this area (St. Marys). Even though a large roster of volunteers stand at the ready, it is proving shockingly difficult to arrange the necessary training for prep and clean-up crews.
I would strongly suggest that Ms Palin, Mr Limbaugh, Mr Young and others work alongside the valiant volunteers, residents and crews in the Gulf so that they might gain deeper understanding into the reality and depth of this tragedy. How easy it is for them to dismiss the death, destruction and shattered lives as they attempt to parlay this into political gain and increased ratings. There is shame and blame aplenty to be shared - this is a debacle that reverberates through the halls of power throughout the years - and I find it nauseating that there are those who seek to "use" this catastrophe to further their own ends.
http://news.travel.aol.com/2010/05/19/secret-beaches-of-the-us/
Thursday, June 3, 2010
News alert
From the NCAR computer model of the flow of Deepwater Horizon oil. (Image courtesy NCAR)I have just received this news alert from the ENS and NCAR.
"BOULDER, Colorado, June 3, 2010 (Environmental News Service) - Oil from the massive spill in the Gulf of Mexico is likely to extend along thousands of miles of the Atlantic coast and into the open ocean as early as this summer, according to a detailed computer modeling study released today by the National Center for Atmospheric Research.
"BOULDER, Colorado, June 3, 2010 (Environmental News Service) - Oil from the massive spill in the Gulf of Mexico is likely to extend along thousands of miles of the Atlantic coast and into the open ocean as early as this summer, according to a detailed computer modeling study released today by the National Center for Atmospheric Research.
The computer simulations indicate that, once the oil in the uppermost ocean has become entrained in the Gulf of Mexico's fast-moving Loop Current, it is likely to reach Florida's Atlantic coast within weeks. It can then move north as far as about Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, with the Gulf Stream, before turning east to the open ocean.
Whether the oil will be a thin film on the surface or mostly subsurface due to mixing in the upper ocean is not known. The flow in the model represents the best estimate of how ocean currents are likely to respond under typical wind conditions. More model studies are underway that will indicate what might happen to the oil in the Atlantic Ocean."
St. Marys Mayor DeLoughy sent this message to me on May 25th in response to my request for information regarding the City's plans to address this threat to Cumberland Island, our marshes and waterways: "The City will be working with the other governments as well as the Coast Guard. The good news is that NOAA feels the chances of the spill reaching us is less than 10% and take at least 3 weeks to get here; however if it does reach us it will be very difficult to clean up marshy areas. We will do our best to keep everyone informed."
I have heard nothing from the City since then.
As soon as I hear from Mr Yoder at VOAD (the agency that will be coordinating volunteer efforts) regarding training procedures, I will inform the 312 volunteers that have registered with the St. Marys EarthKeepers. We also have access to several thousand individuals and organizations throughout Georgia who have indicated a desire to help out should they be needed.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Risky (and Tragic) Business
As BP grows increasingly desperate (and evasive) they attempt a maneuver that could well result in a massive surge in the amount of oil spewing into the Gulf. Robot submarines are trying to cut away what is left of the leaking riser pipe. Then a containment cap will be lowered over the remaining wellhead assembly, thus allowing BP to funnel the crude to the surface.
Today the saw being used to cut through the pipe became stuck, and BP is employing robots on the seabed to try to free it (somewhat of a challenge - and of course untried at depths of one mile. There is the possibility that a "kink" in the pipe has actually been slowing the flow: if the pipe is cut and the cap cannot be placed then it will gush at unprecedented rates.
"Tar balls and other oil debris from the giant, fragmented slick reached Alabama's Dauphin Island, parts of Mississippi and were less than 10 miles from Florida's northwest Panhandle coast. The region's vital seafood and tourism industries were at risk from America's biggest oil spill ever. Florida, entering the busy beach season, is ramping up reconnaissance efforts and preparing to deploy more booms and conduct coastal cleanups. Officials prepared for landfall as early as Friday." http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6430AR20100602?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+reuters%2FtopNews+%28News+%2F+US+%2F+Top+News%29&utm_content=Google+Feedfetcher
Last week, the Georgia DNR asked volunteers who monitor Georgia beaches for stranded or dead marine mammals, birds and turtles to seek training in hazardous materials. According to DNR wildlife biologist Mark Dodd, the training is required for volunteers and others who work with toxic materials such as oil and dispersants. Chuck Hopkinson, director of UGa’s Sea Grant Program, stated "No one really knows what to expect."
But the oil is definitely in the Loop Current http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/05/100518-gulf-mexico-oil-spill-loop-current-science-environment/
For an on-the-scene account check out http://gulfblog.uga.edu/ . I trust the information coming from Dr. Joye's blog far, far more than any that gushes forth from BP.
(Let's all spare a moment for poor Tony Hayward who moans to the media "I just want my life back!" How reprehensible a statement given the destroyed lives of those on the Gulf and the staggering impacts of this vast environmental disaster).
Today the saw being used to cut through the pipe became stuck, and BP is employing robots on the seabed to try to free it (somewhat of a challenge - and of course untried at depths of one mile. There is the possibility that a "kink" in the pipe has actually been slowing the flow: if the pipe is cut and the cap cannot be placed then it will gush at unprecedented rates.
"Tar balls and other oil debris from the giant, fragmented slick reached Alabama's Dauphin Island, parts of Mississippi and were less than 10 miles from Florida's northwest Panhandle coast. The region's vital seafood and tourism industries were at risk from America's biggest oil spill ever. Florida, entering the busy beach season, is ramping up reconnaissance efforts and preparing to deploy more booms and conduct coastal cleanups. Officials prepared for landfall as early as Friday." http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6430AR20100602?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+reuters%2FtopNews+%28News+%2F+US+%2F+Top+News%29&utm_content=Google+Feedfetcher
Last week, the Georgia DNR asked volunteers who monitor Georgia beaches for stranded or dead marine mammals, birds and turtles to seek training in hazardous materials. According to DNR wildlife biologist Mark Dodd, the training is required for volunteers and others who work with toxic materials such as oil and dispersants. Chuck Hopkinson, director of UGa’s Sea Grant Program, stated "No one really knows what to expect."
But the oil is definitely in the Loop Current http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/05/100518-gulf-mexico-oil-spill-loop-current-science-environment/
For an on-the-scene account check out http://gulfblog.uga.edu/ . I trust the information coming from Dr. Joye's blog far, far more than any that gushes forth from BP.
(Let's all spare a moment for poor Tony Hayward who moans to the media "I just want my life back!" How reprehensible a statement given the destroyed lives of those on the Gulf and the staggering impacts of this vast environmental disaster).
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