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 At least 11 missing after blast on oil rig in Gulf 
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Post Re: At least 11 missing after blast on oil rig in Gulf
I am getting tired of saying this but BP needs to be locked up and shut down, they never should have been drilling here and they KNOW IT!

Lets not discuss the safety violations they made while drilling here, lets talk reality, this was a PISSING match to see who could go deepest and now WE the people and teh Marine Life have to pay the price for BP's incompetence!

If BP is NOT held 150% accountable for the employees that lost their lives FIRST and foremost and then second for the MASSIVE Enviromental disaster that BP has created then we are as sunk as their oil rig is as human beings :headbang

Will someone please stand up to the Big Oil Companies and say "YOUR PROFIT DRIVIN IDIOTS" and you are WRONG, plain and simple...

What were the latest two quotes from them, "where's the oil on the beaches" and the one I love the best, "bring on the hurricanes it will have NO IMAPCT on the situation"...
Of course this was FOX NEWS reporting so take that for what it'ss worth :huh :roll :crazy ;)

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Wed Jun 02, 2010 4:53 pm
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 Re: At least 11 missing after blast on oil rig in Gulf
I don't know HOW I missed this!!

U.S. lawmakers urge idling BP's Atlantis rig
Posted On: May 19, 2010 2:00 PM CENTRAL | Add a comment | Reprints

WASHINGTON (Reuters)—Several U.S. lawmakers plan to recommend the shutdown of the BP-operated Atlantis oil and gas platform in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico until federal regulators can prove the region's second-biggest rig is operating safely.
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A group of lawmakers will urge an expanded investigation by the Minerals Management Service into Atlantis, which pumps up to 200,000 barrels per day of crude, according to a draft of the letter they will deliver to Interior Secretary Ken Salazar on Wednesday, obtained by Reuters.

"We urge MMS to listen to the expert engineer who reviewed the Atlantis situation and called for an immediate shut-down until it can be shown that this platform is operating safely," the letter said. It was not immediately clear how many U.S. lawmakers would sign the letter on Wednesday, according to a source familiar with the efforts.

A Feb. 24 letter from lawmakers to the MMS urging an Atlantis safety investigation was signed by 19 lawmakers, and led by Arizona Democrat Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Ariz., who sits on the Congressional Committee on Natural Resources and chairs its subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands.

Atlantis, one of the most complex deepwater platforms in the world, pumps crude and natural gas from the Green Canyon blocks in the U.S. Gulf and is located in waters more than 7,000 feet deep, around 150 miles south of New Orleans. BP P.L.C. is the operator at Atlantis and a 56% stakeholder, while BHP Billiton holds a 44% working stake.

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said in Senate testimony on Tuesday the U.S. government was investigating Atlantis and admitted his agency came up short in preventing the recent Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

Any potential shutdown at Atlantis, even short-lived, could knock out a major chunk of BP's U.S. crude and natural gas production. The platform can produce up to 200,000 barrels a day of crude, around 13% of total U.S. Gulf output, and up to 180 million cubic feet of natural gas per day.

BP, the top hydrocarbons producer in the U.S. Gulf, has U.S. production of more than 400,000 barrels per day of oil equivalent and operates the two largest platforms in the Gulf, Thunder Horse and Atlantis.

Regulators are increasing scrutiny of offshore drilling rigs in the U.S. Gulf following the deadly rig explosion and ongoing oil spill from BP's Macondo field in the Gulf. So far, the Horizon oil spill has yet to significantly affect U.S. oil production, but any order to halt Atlantis could change that.

Lawmakers expect MMS to complete its investigation into Atlantis by the end of May. The MMS did not immediately return phone calls seeking comment.

In the letter, lawmakers voiced new concerns that the Atlantis oil and gas project, which began production in 2007, has operated without up-to-date "as built" engineering documents and diagrams showing how all of its components work.

The poor documentation could lead to an accident at Atlantis with the potential to be even more damaging than the Horizon spill, the draft letter warns.

"We are very concerned that the tragedy at Deepwater Horizon could foreshadow an accident at BP Atlantis, which is operating in deeper water than Horizon," according to one passage. The "worst-case scenario spill" could be many times worse than the Horizon disaster, exceeding the volume of the Exxon Valdez spill of 1989 in just two days time, the letter says.

BP spokesman Toby Odone said on Wednesday that the company wouldn't comment on the letter, since BP hasn't seen it.

On Monday, BP said Atlantis has been operating to rigid safety standards. The company rebuffed claims from a former BP contractor, Kenneth Abbott, who has said BP operated the rig without complete or accurate engineering documents.

Mr. Abbott, along with advocacy group Food and Water Watch, filed a federal lawsuit this week against Mr. Salazar and the MMS, seeking to have the Atlantis shut down pending safety investigations.

BP's earlier investigation into the matter found that Mr. Abbott's claims were "without substance," the company said.

Rep. Grijalva and other lawmakers will urge the MMS to interview Mr. Abbott and other experts as part of its Atlantis investigation. According to a database Mr. Abbott compiled while on contract with BP, more than 90% of the engineering documents and drawings for Atlantis' subsea components had not been approved by an engineer as required by regulations.

The lawmakers said in their letter that an internal BP email from 2008 indicated that the company recognized incomplete or inaccurate engineering documents on Atlantis "could lead to catastrophic Operator errors."

http://www.businessinsurance.com/articl ... /100519898

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Wed Jun 02, 2010 5:33 pm
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Post Re: At least 11 missing after blast on oil rig in Gulf
Hat tip to Kachina at GLP

If a hurricane brings oil or dispersants up into the gulf states (or any of the other inland disasters associated with the oil come to pass) - crops that you rely on EVERY day will be ruined for YEARS! It's not just the fishing industry folks!

Texas
Livestock: Cattle, Poultry, Sheep, Goats
Crops: Cotton, Wheat, Sorghum, Corn
[link to www.nass.usda.gov]


Louisiana
Livestock: Cattle, Poultry
Crops: Cotton, Soyabeans, Sugarcane, Rice
[link to www.nass.usda.gov]

Alabama
Livestock: Cattle, Poultry
Crops: Cotton, Peanuts, Corn, Soyabeans, Peaches
[link to www.nass.usda.gov]

Mississippi
Livestock: Poultry, Cattle
Crops: Soyabeans, Corn, Cotton
[link to www.nass.usda.gov]

Florida
Livestock: Cattle, Poultry
Crops: Oranges / Citrus, Sugarcane, strawberries, tomatoes, celery
[link to www.nass.usda.gov]

No Seafood, No Beef, No Poultry, No Cotton, No Soyabeans... This is a BIG DEAL! Do you think the North can make up for all these food shortages? Some crops like cotton are only found there. This is not even taking into consideration the grazing crops like Hay that other animals far and wide rely on!

http://www.godlikeproductions.com/forum ... 086788/pg1

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Wed Jun 02, 2010 9:31 pm
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Post Re: At least 11 missing after blast on oil rig in Gulf
BP seeks yet another way to stop oil leak as protests loom

(CNN) -- BP seemed to be getting criticism from every angle as the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico entered its 45th day Thursday and every effort to stop the historic flow is still failing.

As the oil company was getting increased scrutiny from Congress and President Obama, a grass-roots campaign dubbed Seize BP planned demonstrations in more than 50 cities to start Thursday.

"From Florida to Seattle, Washington, from Hawaii to New York, all over California and many, many states across the country, people will be taking to the streets over the next week to demand that the assets of BP be seized now," said Richard Becker, a member of the San Francisco, California, chapter of the group.

"We know millions of people are deeply concerned about what's going on in the Gulf right now, and we expect large numbers of people to come out to the protests."

Sentiment such as Becker's has seemed to grow as more oil from the underwater gusher has made its way to or near coastal areas of Louisiana, Florida and other Gulf Coast states.

U.S. Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen, who is heading the federal government's response, said the real fix will be a relief well but that won't be working until August. He said authorities have been "relentless" with its oversight of BP's efforts and are making sure the company exhausts every possible method.

The beleaguered company began airing national television ads Thursday apologizing for the spill. Chief Executive Officer Tony Hayward appears in the ad, saying he is "deeply sorry" and that BP "will make this right."

BP announced Wednesday it had abandoned its latest plan to use a massive diamond wire cutter to cut the pipe spewing oil.

BP engineers had hoped the cutter would cut the pipe making it easier for them to place a cap on it.

The diamond wire cutter plan was dumped after the device got stuck midway through the pipe. It was freed and taken to the surface, Allen said.

The next move will be to use the same sheer-cutting device that made a successful cut on the riser Tuesday. The only issue with that cutter is the rougher surface left by that cut will not accommodate the tight seal needed for installation of the lower-marine riser package that BP wanted to use the stop the gusher.

BP engineers now plan to use a different device called a "top hat" instead.

Why oil is still gushing

As BP went back to the drawing board, shifting weather patterns threatened to push more oil toward the shores of Mississippi, Alabama and Florida.

Mississippi reported weathered oil and tar balls on barrier islands Tuesday, and Florida Gov. Charlie Crist warned Wednesday that the white sands of the Panhandle could start seeing crude wash ashore "in a day or two."

In Louisiana, where oily sludge has been fouling coastal marshes for two weeks, state officials said the White House has given its blessing to a plan to dredge up walls of sand offshore, and BP agreed to fund the $360 million construction cost. :clap

U.S. officials raised concerns about the long-term environmental effects of what would effectively amount to building dozens of miles of new barrier islands off the state's coast, but Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal and other officials had pushed for approval of the plan as a last-ditch effort to prevent further damage. :heart

"It's very difficult if not impossible to clean it up out of the marsh," said Billy Nungesser, president of Louisiana's Plaquemines Parish, which includes the mouth of the Mississippi River. "That's why we need this first line of defense, and we're going to work hard, very quickly, to get that berm out there to give us the maximum protection and give us a fighting chance."

On Wednesday, the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration extended fishing restrictions deeper into the Gulf and eastward along the Florida Panhandle.

The latest order means 37 percent of the Gulf is closed to fishing due to the spill, and it moves the boundaries of the restricted zone eastward to just south of Navarre, Florida, and southward to the edge of the Dry Tortugas, off Key West. :shock:

Concern has spread southward. The head of the Department of the Environment and Natural Resources in Mexico said Wednesday that five states in Mexico are monitoring the oil spill in the event it reaches land in the country, according to the state-run news agency Notimex.

BP's latest attempt to curtail the flow comes after several failures, including a closely watched bid to use heavy drilling fluid and cement to shut down the well.

The well erupted after an explosion and fire on the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig on April 20 that killed 11 people. The rig sank two days later, leaving up to 19,000 barrels (798,000 gallons) of oil a day pouring into the Gulf, according to federal estimates.

The gusher may not be shut until August when BP expects to complete relief wells that will take the pressure off the one now spewing into the Gulf.

BP, rig owner Transocean Ltd. and oilfield services company Halliburton have blamed each other for the disaster. But BP, as the well's owner, is responsible for the costs of the cleanup under federal law. The company said it has spent more than $1 billion to clean up the spill.

At the same time, BP has taken a beating in the halls of government, drawing the ire of members of Congress, officials in the Gulf states and the Obama administration, which announced this week that a criminal investigation of the spill was under way.

CNN's Scott Bronstein, Aaron Cooper, Patty Lane, David Mattingly, Patrick Oppmann, Kyra Phillips, and Tracy Sabo contributed to this report.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/06/03/gulf.oil.spill/index.html?hpt=T1

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Thu Jun 03, 2010 6:18 am
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Post Re: At least 11 missing after blast on oil rig in Gulf
ruts, i've been doing some thinking along those lines...food being affected in the gulf area.

but why stop there?

if the areas become contanimated, ground waters from repeated hurricanes..and ppl have to move north, ...that means many of the manufacturing jobs could become envolved. there could be shortages of quite a few commercial goods.

linens, fabrics, towels, shoes, furniture....

but hey, there's always a bright side, ey? you know me :crazy .... i've still got the light on here in michigan. t'would be nice to see jobs come back to all these empty plants. life really is circles, isn't it.

edited to add: now, pray to whomever your God is that katla don't blow. there won't be much food up north either.


Thu Jun 03, 2010 6:55 am
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Post Re: At least 11 missing after blast on oil rig in Gulf
Quote:
linens, fabrics, towels, shoes, furniture....


Yeah - not so much, Gen. Most of those items are made overseas now! :headbang

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Thu Jun 03, 2010 7:37 am
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Post Re: At least 11 missing after blast on oil rig in Gulf
Sarah Palin's Notes
Extreme Enviros: Drill, Baby, Drill in ANWR – Now Do You Get It?
Yesterday at 12:17pm

This is a message to extreme “environmentalists” who hypocritically protest domestic energy production offshore and onshore. There is nothing “clean and green” about your efforts. Look, here’s the deal: when you lock up our land, you outsource jobs and opportunity away from America and into foreign countries that are making us beholden to them. Some of these countries don’t like America. Some of these countries don’t care for planet earth like we do – as evidenced by our stricter environmental standards.

With your nonsensical efforts to lock up safer drilling areas, all you’re doing is outsourcing energy development, which makes us more controlled by foreign countries, less safe, and less prosperous on a dirtier planet. Your hypocrisy is showing. You’re not preventing environmental hazards; you’re outsourcing them and making drilling more dangerous. :crazy

Extreme deep water drilling is not the preferred choice to meet our country’s energy needs, but your protests and lawsuits and lies about onshore and shallow water drilling have locked up safer areas. It’s catching up with you. The tragic, unprecedented deep water Gulf oil spill proves it. :awe Oooh I want some of whatever she's :yamon

We need permission to drill in safer areas, including the uninhabited arctic land of ANWR. It takes just a tiny footprint – equivalent to the size of LA’s airport – to tap America’s rich and plentiful oil and gas up north. ANWR’s drilling footprint is like a postage stamp on a football field. :roflmao

But it’s not just ANWR; it’s our Petroleum Reserve, too. As Governor Sean Parnell noted today in the Wall Street Journal:

“Federal agencies are also now blocking oil development in the National Petroleum Reserve—Alaska.

Although familiar with ANWR, most Americans are less likely to know about NPR-A and how vital it is to our energy security. Given recent developments, it’s time to elevate the position this area holds in our national discourse.

NPR-A, a 23 million acre stretch of Alaska’s North Slope, was set aside by President Warren Harding in 1923 for the specific purpose of supplying our country and military with oil and gas. Since 1976 it has been administered by the Department of the Interior, and since 1980 it has been theoretically open for development. The most recent estimates indicate that it holds 12 billion barrels of oil and 73 trillion cubic feet of natural gas.

In addition to containing enormous hydrocarbons, NPR-A is very close to the Trans-Alaska Pipeline, which means that there would be relatively little additional infrastructure needed to bring this new oil to our domestic market.

But even here, progress has been stalled.”


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. :crazy

- Sarah Palin

http://www.facebook.com/notes/sarah-palin/extreme-enviros-drill-baby-drill-in-anwr-now-do-you-get-it/395324638434

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Thu Jun 03, 2010 7:42 am
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Post Re: At least 11 missing after blast on oil rig in Gulf
Bluebonnet wrote:
Quote:
linens, fabrics, towels, shoes, furniture....


Yeah - not so much, Gen. Most of those items are made overseas now! :headbang


sorry. wasn't that long ago (15 yrs i guess is getting long.lol) i was in the furniture biz. had a few manufacturer's and fabric makers down there we special ordered with. that 'circle' just keeps on movin', ey?

so, what do they manufacture down there now? besides raw product like cotton, sugar, etc?


Thu Jun 03, 2010 7:53 am
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Post Re: At least 11 missing after blast on oil rig in Gulf
Quote:
so, what do they manufacture down there now? besides raw product like cotton, sugar, etc?


From Wikipedia:

Economy
In the last two generations, the South has changed dramatically. In recent decades it has seen a boom in its service economy, manufacturing base, high technology industries, and the financial sector. Examples of this include the surge in tourism in Florida and along the Gulf Coast; numerous new automobile production plants such as Mercedes-Benz in Tuscaloosa, Alabama; Hyundai in Montgomery, Alabama; the BMW production plant in Spartanburg, South Carolina; the GM manufacturing plant in Spring Hill, Tennessee; and the Nissan North American headquarters in Franklin, Tennessee; the two largest research parks in the country: Research Triangle Park in North Carolina (the world's largest) and the Cummings Research Park in Huntsville, Alabama (the world's fourth largest); and the corporate headquarters of major banking corporations Bank of America and Wachovia in Charlotte; Regions Financial Corporation, AmSouth Bancorporation, and BBVA Compass in Birmingham; SunTrust Banks and the district headquarters of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta; and BB&T in Winston-Salem; and several Atlanta-based corporate headquarters and cable television networks, such as CNN, TBS, TNT, Turner South, Cartoon Network, and The Weather Channel. This economic expansion has enabled parts of the South to boast of some of the lowest unemployment rates in the United States.[43]


Also from Wikipedia ('cause they didn't include MY state in the above :gah )

Economy of Texas
The economy of Texas is one of the largest and fastest growing economies in the United States. In 2006, Texas was home to six of the top 50 companies on the Fortune 500 list and 46 overall, more than any other state. [1] Texas has an economy that was the second largest in the nation and the 15th largest in the world based on GDP (nominal) figures. As the largest exporter of goods in the United States, Texas currently grosses more than $100 billion a year in trade with other nations.

In 2008, Texas had a gross state product of $1.224 trillion,[2][3] the second highest in the U.S.[2][3] The Gross state product per capita as of 2005 was $42,975.

Texas had the second largest workforce in the United States, with almost 11 million civilian workers. The lack of personal income tax as well as the largely undervalued real estate throughout Texas has led to significant growth in population. Since 2003, the legislature in conjunction with the Governor's office has made economic development a top priority.

Much economic activity in Texas is regional. For example, the timber industry is important in East Texas's economy but a non-factor elsewhere. Houston, the state's largest urban economic enclave stands at the center of the petrochemical, biomedical research trades, shipping, and aerospace (particularly NASA). Dallas/Fort Worth houses the state's predominant defense manufacturing interests and the expansive information technology labor market. West Texas and the panhandle is dominated by ranching and the petroleum industry.[citation needed] Austin's economy is dominated by the State Government, Educational Institutions, and the booming IT Industry.

Texas's growth can be attributed to the availability of jobs, the low cost of housing, the lack of a personal state income tax, the quality of higher education, low taxation and limited regulation of business, a central geographic location, a limited government, favorable weather, and plentiful supplies of oil and natural gas. There are currently 35 billionaires residing in Texas today.

Texas has the highest number of Fortune 500 company headquarters in the United States, fifty-eight.[4] This has been attributed to both the growth in population in Texas and the rise of oil prices in 2005.

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Thu Jun 03, 2010 8:14 am
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Post Re: At least 11 missing after blast on oil rig in Gulf
i did some lookin' too. these are from factmonster.com

Mississippi-
plastics, chemicals, foods, woodproducts

Alabama -
pulp-paper, chemicals, textiles, processed foods, autos, cement/stone

Florida -
printed and published material, electric and electronic equipment, yellow pine/lumber

Louisianna -
salt, sulfer, chemicals, processed food, paper, lumber, transportation equipment, and apparel.

did not list the products mentioned in prior posts.


Thu Jun 03, 2010 12:51 pm
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Post Re: At least 11 missing after blast on oil rig in Gulf
got this link from glp. shows area of oil spill if it was located in your area. it's approaching the size of lake michigan. and that's just what's floating on top!

http://www.ifitwasmyhome.com


Thu Jun 03, 2010 12:59 pm
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Post Re: At least 11 missing after blast on oil rig in Gulf
:clap Gen! So you can see just how devastating this could be.

And none of this counts commerical and recreational fishing.

Fisheries
Gulf fisheries are some of the most productive in the world. In 2000, the commercial fish and shellfish harvest from the five U.S. Gulf states was estimated to be 1.7 billion pounds (approximately 772 million kg), which represents almost 1/5 (19.4%) of the total domestic landings in the United States. In the same year, commercial catches in the Gulf represented approximately 25% of the total U.S. domestic commercial fishing revenue and were valued at over $900 million. The Gulf also supports a productive recreational fishery. Excluding Texas, U.S. Gulf states accounted for over 40% (>104,000 lbs or >47,000 kg) of the U.S. recreational finfish harvest in 2000 (O'Bannon, 2001).

http://www.gulfbase.org/facts.php

There they go again - "excluding Texas" my a$$! :rant

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Thu Jun 03, 2010 2:12 pm
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Post Re: At least 11 missing after blast on oil rig in Gulf
Jim Wallis
Posted: June 3, 2010 01:05 PM

A Time for Moral Reckoning

I am watching unbelievable pictures of endless swaths of brown oil mixed with the blue waters of the Gulf of Mexico, of dying wetlands and marshes, of miles of contaminated coastlines, of dead birds and animals, of helpless and hopeless Gulf Coast residents sadly witnessing their livelihoods and their lives slipping away. With the explosion and sinking of the BP oil rig six weeks ago, the immediate talk was about environmental threats and technical fixes, economic losses and political blaming, and debates about responsibility for the costs. But with the failure of the latest attempt to stop the spill, and with both BP and the federal government admitting they still really don't know how much oil has already spilled or will spill, a national discussion is beginning about the fundamental moral issues at stake, and perhaps even a national reflection on our whole way of life based on oil dependence and addiction.

After the failure of "top kills" and "cut and cap" strategies, it now appears the gushing of oil into the sea could continue until at least August, or maybe even longer. This could be one of those moments when the nation's attention all turns to the same thing, as in 9/11 and the days after Katrina. To use an over-used phrase, this could be a "teachable moment," but as 9/11 and Katrina demonstrated, we don't necessarily learn the right lessons from teachable moments. This time we had better do so.

First, we have to change our language. This isn't a little "spill," it is an environmental catastrophe -- the potential contamination of a whole gulf (already a third is now off limits for fishing) and hundreds of miles of coastline, and it threatens to expand to an ocean and more coastlines. It will bring the destruction of critical wetlands, endanger countless species, end human ways of life dependent upon the sea, and now, it will increase the danger of a hurricane season that could dump not just water, but waves of oil just miles inland from the coasts.

Theologically, we are witnessing a massive despoiling of God's creation. We were meant to be stewards of the Gulf of Mexico, the wetlands that protect and spawn life, the islands and beaches, and all of God's creatures who inhabit the marine world. But instead, we are watching the destruction of all that. Why? Because of the greed for profits; because of deception and lies; because of both private and public irresponsibility. And at the root, because of an ethic of endless economic growth, fueled by carbon-based fossil fuels, that is ultimately unsustainable and unstable.

It's not just that BP has lied, even though they have -- over and over -- to cover up their behavior and avoid their obligations. It is that BP is a lie; what it stands for is a lie. It is a lie that we can continue to live this way, a lie that our style of life is stable and sustainable, a lie that these huge oil companies are really committed to a safe and renewable energy future. BP should indeed be made to pay for this crime against the creation -- likely with its very existence.

But I am also reminded of what G.K. Chesterton once said when asked what was most wrong with the world. He reportedly replied, "I am." Already, we are hearing some deeper reflection on the meaning of this daily disaster. Almost everyone now apparently agrees with the new direction of a "clean energy economy." And we know that will require a re-wiring of the energy grid (which many hope BP will have no part in). But it will also require a re-wiring of ourselves -- our demands, requirements, and insatiable desires. Our oil addiction has led us to environmental destruction, endless wars, and the sacrifice of young lives, and it has put our very souls in jeopardy. New York Times columnist Tom Freidman recently wondered about the deeper meaning of the Great Recession when he asked, "What if it's telling us that the whole growth model we created over the last fifty years is simply unsustainable economically and ecologically and that 2008 was when we hit the wall -- when Mother Nature and the market both said, 'No More.'" The Great Spill makes the point even more.

There is not one answer to this calamity; there are many: corporate responsibility, for a change; serious government regulation, for a change; public accountability, for a change; and real civic mobilization to protect the endangered waters, coasts, species, and people's livelihoods. But at a deeper level, we literally need a conversion of our habits of the heart, our energy sources, and our lifestyle choices. And somebody will need to lead the way. Who will dare to say that an economy of endless growth must be confronted and converted to an economy of sustainability, to what the Bible calls stewardship. What about the community of faith?

I am told this morning that the smell of oil is already apparent in the parks and playgrounds near the Mississippi coast. Unless this crisis in the Gulf finally becomes the wake-up call that signals a new national commitment to end our dependence on oil, our children may now be smelling their future.

The first step forward is building awareness. Would you forward this blog to your friends?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jim-wallis/a-time-for-moral-reckonin_b_599366.html

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The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little. - FDR


Thu Jun 03, 2010 2:54 pm
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Post Re: At least 11 missing after blast on oil rig in Gulf
As posted by Thessa on the GT

Thessa wrote:
http://www.ifitwasmyhome.com

Visualizing the BP oil disaster. Impressive.

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Fri Jun 04, 2010 4:15 pm
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Post Re: At least 11 missing after blast on oil rig in Gulf
Big ole hat tip to AC @ the GLP for pointing the way!

Halliburton campaign donations spike :flame
By: Jake Sherman
June 2, 2010 03:04 PM EDT

As Congress investigated its role in the doomed Deep Horizon oil rig, Halliburton donated $17,000 to candidates running for federal office, giving money to several lawmakers on committees that have launched inquiries into the massive spill.

The Texas-based oil giant’s political action committee made 14 contributions during the month of May, according to a federal campaign report filed Wednesday — 13 to Republicans and one to a Democrat. It was the busiest donation month for Halliburton’s PAC since September 2008.

Of the 10 current members of Congress who got money from Halliburton in May, seven are on committees with oversight of the oil spill and its aftermath.

Halliburton’s political contributions in May are the highest they’ve been since September 2009, when the PAC also gave $17,000 in donations. In fact, the last time the company gave more than $17,000 in one month was when it donated $25,000 during the heat of the presidential campaign in September 2008.

About one week before executive Timothy Probert appeared before the House Energy and Commerce’s investigative subcommittee, Halliburton donated $1,500 to Ranking Republican Joe Barton's reelection effort. It was Halliburton’s second-largest donation of the month — topped only by $2,500 to former Rep. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.), who is running for the Senate.

In the Senate, Idaho Republican Mike Crapo, who serves on the Environment and Public Works Committee, Georgia Republican Johnny Isakson, who serves on the Commerce Committee and North Carolina Republican Richard Burr (N.C.), who serves on the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, all got $1,000. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) also got $1,000.

In the House Reps. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), who serves on the Energy and Commerce Committee, Mike Coffman (R-Colo.), who serves on the Natural Resources Committee, Geoff Davis (R-Ky.) and Dave Camp (R-Mich.) all received $1,000 from the oil giant.

Oklahoma Rep. Dan Boren, the only Democrat who got Halliburton’s money, is on the House Natural Resources Committee.

Republican Steve Pearce, running for a House seat he once occupied in New Mexico, and Ohio Republican Senate candidate Rob Portman also got donations from Halliburton.

Federal election law permits company PACs to donate to whomever they like, including lawmakers that are investigating their industry. A spokesman for Halliburton asked all questions to be submitted in writing, and the company did not respond to two e-mails with questions regarding Halliburton’s political donations.

Halliburton made the cement casings on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig, and some experts have said the casings contributed to the cause of the disaster. Halliburton, in congressional testimony, has said it followed the orders of BP.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0610/38047.html

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Post Re: At least 11 missing after blast on oil rig in Gulf
What a bunch of BS, here we have one of the contributors paying off the very people who are looking into why it happened.
Ya I am sure that report will really tell the truth :roll :crazy :headbang

This was posted by Shady on the GT and if this is true just think of the ramifications :awe

Shady Groves wrote:
Quote:
A Russian Ministry Report Warns North America Now Faced with Total Destruction

http://beforeitsnews.com/story/51/751/A ... ction.html

Contributed by Grant Lawrence (Reporter)
Saturday, May 29, 2010 4:30
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Hurricane Katrina on Gulf Coast.Image via Wikipedia




By Grant Lawrence

Bodhi Thunder


Warning! What you are about to read may make you think. Perhaps it may make you want to make some real changes. Perhaps it may make you want to do something.

According to a report by the Russian Ministry of Natural Resources, the BP Oil Gusher Disaster in the Gulf of Mexico has implications for all of the North American Continent. The report says that the entire continent may be faced with total destruction. The report also calls the BP Gusher "the worst environmental disaster of all times," according to a European Times story.

It is a quite a disturbing report, and it could be just Russian propaganda. However, it does appear to make some sense.

The problem is not just the oil and gas gushing from what appears are now several gushers but the main problem, according to the Russian report, comes from the Oil Dispersant.

.....Russian scientists believe BP is pumping millions of gallons of Corexit 9500, a chemical dispersal agent, under the Gulf of Mexico waters to hide the full extent of the leak, now estimated to be over 2.9 million gallons a day.

Experts say Corexit 9500 is a solvent four times more toxic than oil. The agent, scientists believe, has a 2.61ppm toxicity level, and when mixed with the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico, its molecules will be able to “phase transition.”

This transition involves the change of the liquid into a gaseous state, which can be absorbed by clouds. The gas will then be released as “toxic rain” leading to “unimaginable environmental catastrophe” destroying all life forms from the “bottom of the evolutionary chart to the top,” the report said....(source: press tv)

I recently reported on the possibility of a fantastic disaster of unimaginable proportions if the Gulf Coast were to get hit with a hurricane now.

See Also

The Black Death? An Extremely Active Hurricane Season Expected

So we are seriously facing a Black Death that goes beyond the massive kill of fish and wildlife of the Gulf Coast Region. The Black Death is facing us in ways that we are just beginning to understand.

For years and years, myself and other like minded people, have warned that the corporate and financial rule of the planet was not only inhumane but also a threat to the survival of the planet. We have seen the melt down of our financial system that will take decades or even a century to get corrected (if it ever gets corrected). Now we see a melt down of the eco-system that is occurring throughout the world (not just in the Gulf). This will take decades or ever a century to get corrected. But there is also a real possibility that we are not going to correct it or that it may even be too late.

As the world bleeds oil, we can remain ignorant and complacent lost in dreams of our own petty greed and selfishness.

Or we can wake up and make some real changes. Not the fake 'hope and change' changes offered by the Republicrat Party. But we need a whole systemic change that extends to every aspect of society.

It might be time to do something. Or it could be too late.

But one thing is for sure, it will be too late if we don't do something.

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Post Re: At least 11 missing after blast on oil rig in Gulf
Shady Groves wrote:
Quote:
http://www.protecttheocean.com/gulf-oil-spill-bp/

Gulf Oil Spill: BP Trying To Hide Millions of Gallons of Toxic Oil?

BP Embraces Exxon’s Toxic Dispersant, Ignores Safer Alternative

It has been confirmed that the dispersal agent being used by BP and the government is Corexit 9500, a solvent originally developed by Exxon and now manufactured by Nalco Holding Company of Naperville, IL. Their stock took a sharp jump, up more than 18% at its highest point of the day today, after it was announced that their product is the one being used in the Gulf. Nalco’s CEO, Erik Frywald, expressed their commitment to “helping the people and environment of the Gulf Coast recover as rapidly as possible.” It may be that the best way to help would be to remove their product from the fray. Take a look at some of the facts about Corexit 9500:

A report written by Anita George-Ares and James R. Clark for Exxon Biomedical Sciences, Inc. entitled “Acute Aquatic Toxicity of Three Corexit Products: An Overview” states that “Corexit 9500, Corexit 9527, and Corexit 9580 have moderate toxicity to early life stages of fish, crustaceans and mollusks (LC50 or EC50 – 1.6 to 100 ppm*). It goes on to say that decreasing water temperatures in lab tests showed decreased toxicity, a lowered uptake of the dispersant. Unfortunately, we’re going to be seeing an increase in temperatures, not a decrease. Amongst the other caveats is that the study is species-specific, that other animals may be more severely affected, silver-sided fish amongst them.

Oil is toxic at 11 ppm while Corexit 9500 is toxic at only 2.61 ppm; Corexit 9500 is four times as toxic as the oil itself. Sure, a lot less of it is being introduced, but that’s still a flawed logical perspective, because it’s not a “lesser of two evils” scenario. BOTH are going into the ocean water.

The lesser of two evils seems to be a product called Dispersit, manufactured by Polychem, a division of U.S. Polychemical Corporation. In comparison, water-based Dispersit is toxic at 7.9-8.2 ppm; Dispersit holds about one third of the toxicity that Corexit 9500 presents. Dispersit is a much less harmful water-based product which is both EPA approved and the U.S. Coast Guard’s NCP list. So why isn’t it being used?

We spoke with Bruce Gebhardt at Polychem Marine Products, asked him if Dispersit was being used in the Gulf Oil Spill situation. “Very little,” he replied. When asked why, the impression was that the government had used Corexit 9500 in the past, and was going with what they know — no matter how dangerous that might prove to be.

Dispersit has a demonstrated effectiveness of 100% on the lighter South Louisiana crude, and 40% on Pruhoe Bay’s heavier crude. Exxon’s Corexit 9500 is just 55% effective on SL and 55% effective on PB. On an average, Dispersit is 70% effective, and may prove 100% effective, while 9500 is an average of 50% effective, with a maximum effective use of just 55%. Corexit 9500 is a harsh petroleum-based solvent which is dangerous to people and sea life. Dispersit’s human health effect is “slight to none.” Whether or not a dispersal agent is a wise move, the question remaining unanswered is: Why is Corexit 9500 is being used at all, when the water-based Dispersit is available, markedly more effective and less toxic? Follow the money.

Dispersal of the oil does not eliminate it, nor does it decrease the toxicity of the oil. It just breaks it up into small particles, where it becomes less visible. It’s still there, spewing toxicity at an even greater rate (due to higher surface area.) But now it’s pretty much impossible to skim or trap or vacuum or even soak up at the shoreline, because most of it will never make it to the shoreline. Instead, that toxic crude oil AND the dispersant will be spread all over the ocean’s waters. This is why introducing such a product into the crude oil as it comes out from the pipe is a very bad idea for the ocean.

It may not be pretty, but if the oil makes it to the shore, it can be soaked up, cleaned up. To “disperse” it means it will NEVER be cleaned up. It will just stay out there, polluting and poisoning the ocean, her inhabitants, and all the food we take from it. It’s unwise to be using Corexit 9500 at all, but introducing it to the oil as it leaves the broken pipe is approaching madness. Mr. Gebhardt agrees that the oil should be contained, and what has been leaked should be allowed to come to shore where it can be removed from the ocean by less toxic means.

BP’s use of Corexit 9500 on the oil before it rises to the surface seems to be a deliberate attempt to mask the poison, to cover up that it continues to flow out from the ocean’s floor, while making it impossible to recover. In short, BP and Exxon want to spread the toxic oil throughout the oceans of the world, pollute everywhere, rather than allow it to be seen coming to shore where BP would have to pay for its containment and clean-up. It’s our job to keep them from getting away with sweeping this ugly mess under the surface.

Research, Editorial, and Opinion Submitted to the Protect The Ocean Blog by John Taylor

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Post Re: At least 11 missing after blast on oil rig in Gulf
Shady Groves wrote:
Quote:
BP to persist with Corexit 9500 dispersant
by Jamie Anderson - May 23, 2010 -

Claiming that the chemical product it is presently using is the superlative choice, BP Plc has refused demands from government and environmentalists to employ a less-toxic dispersant. Approximately 715,000 gallons of dispersant has been applied since the April 20 explosion of the Deepwater Horizon rig.

Claiming that the chemical product it is presently using is the superlative choice, BP Plc has refused demands from government and environmentalists to employ a less-toxic dispersant.

The owner of the ruptured well claimed that any alternative to the dispersant that is being used now could pose a risk in the long run.

Present dispersant highly toxic
At present BP is using Corexit 9500. which features high in terms of toxicity and low in terms of efficacy in comparison to 18 other EPA-approved dispersants.


"Based on the information that is available today, BP continues to believe that Corexit was the best and most appropriate choice at the time when the incident occurred, and that Corexit remains the best option for subsea application," BP said.

The EPA, had, in a directive issued Thursday, ordered BP to find a less toxic but equally effective chemical than Corexit 9500.

The instructions also demanded that the replacement should be effected within 72 hours.

The availability of this substitute had to be abundant given the enormous need.

Sea Brat 4 only alternative
The only substituted that fulfilled the criterion of being effective, less toxic and available in mass quantities was Sea Brat 4.

The EPA, had, in a directive issued Thursday, ordered BP to find a less toxic but equally effective chemical than Corexit 9500.

However, BP averred that the product "contains a small amount of a chemical that may degrade to a nonylphenol."

Nonylphenol is an organic chemical that can prove lethal to aquatic life. It has the potency to stay in the environment for years.

Corexit, however, "does not contain chemicals that degrade into NP and the manufacturer indicates that Corexit reaches its maximum biodegradability within 28 days of application", BP said in a response to the directive.

The imbroglio
John Sheffield, president of Alabaster Corp., manufacturer of Sea Brat, however was not satisfied with BP’s response.

He claimed that BP is "nitpicking my product because they want to use what they've always used."

Sheffield said that nonylphenol constituted less than 1 percent of the Sea Brat dispersant. "I've already diffused this issue with the EPA," he said, claiming the agency "accepted that response days ago."

BP said that it would provide a detailed account of the alternatives that it assessed along with the reason(s) why there were not employed.

"We will continue to review and discuss the science through the end of the 72-hour window on Sunday, and then we will reach a decision," an EPA spokesman said.

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Post Re: At least 11 missing after blast on oil rig in Gulf
Shady Groves wrote:
Quote:
BP Using Toxic Corexit 9500

http://www.politicolnews.com/bp-using-t ... exit-9500/

May 31, 2010 BP using toxic Corexit 9500 is a huge mistake by the EPA, the Obama administration is being given bad advice and the clean up crews are getting very sick from breathing the fumes. More people in Louisiana have been getting sick yesterday and today from the chemical fumes as they try to clean up the oil on shores and inlets.

Corexit 9500 Being Dumped into the Gulf of Mexico

Corexit 9500 has highly toxic side effects and BP keeps on dumping millions of gallons of this dispersant for a reason, it is spreading the oil mess and it is killing off the wildlife faster.

The Corexit 9500 has not been used in these quantities is keeping the oil in the water column and making matters worse. If the US government continues to allow this deliberate attempt at destroying the Gulf there will be hell to pay.

BP Oil is also not providing masks for the clean up crew they are hiring and this is not the correct procedure in handling this oil spill. The toxins alone will affect people, animals and will be in the waters of the Gulf. Here are the handling requirements from the EPA Emergency Management site:

1. Flammability:
IMO: Non-flammable; DOT: Non-hazardous.
2. Ventilation:
Use with ventilation equal to unobstructed outdoors in moderate breeze.
3. Skin and eye contact; protective clothing; treatment in case of contact:
Avoid eye contact. In case of eye contact, immediately flush eyes with large amounts of water for at least 15 minutes. Get prompt medical attention. Avoid contact with skin and clothing. In case of skin contact, immediately flush with large amounts of water, and soap if available. Remove contaminated clothing, including shoes, after flushing has begun. If irritation persists, seek medical attention. For open systems where contact is likely, wear long sleeve shirt, chemical resistant gloves, and chemical protective goggles.
4.a. Maximum storage temperature: 170ºF
4.b. Minimum storage temperature: -30ºF
4.c. Optimum storage temperature range: 40ºF to 100ºF
4.d. Temperatures of phase separations and chemical changes: None

The chemical has arsenic in it and this will alone poison the water column for fish and mammals.

TAGS: Corexit 9500, chemicals EPA warnings, Chemical corexit 9500, BP Oil dumping chemicals into the Gulf, Gulf Oil spill, BP Gulf Oil Spill disaster, BP Oil deadly to humans, oil spill chemicals, hazardous chemicals.

What People Have to Say About the EPA and BP Oil – people have to demand better.



BP Could Destory our Planet




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Post Re: At least 11 missing after blast on oil rig in Gulf
Thanks for posting this info here, L. I have been reading a lot about this toxic dispersant, the reason it is being used and being injected at the source of the blow-out, and the info you posted here, is, IMHO, accurate.

Just a few speculations, my own, but also being voiced in other places on the internet:

As old viruses were released into the environment along with methane as the permafrost was melting, I wonder if there are such "germs" that were contained beneath the ocean floor that may now be released into our atmosphere?

Could there be an undersea volcano that was "tapped" with the drilling by the doomed rig? What is the explanation for the rust color of the blow-out products, as seen in the live videos?

Is this disaster a black swan? I asked a friend whose opinions I trust this question and the reply was that we could expect a whole flock of black swans now. This person is not given to hyperbole.

A Q&A FROM GLP RE THE GULF OIL DISASTER:
Questions are from poster Bonnie, answers are from poster THE DOOM

1. You said old viruses could be coming up out of the oil volcano, as they did when the permafrost was melting, releasing methane and viruses. Is anyone monitoring samples? Is anything else evil spewing from the depths of the earth?

NO one is monitoring..and if they DO find something..they shut them up. The agenda is..and always HAS been.."DEPOPULATION"

2. Was the oil well blow-out on the Deep Horizon deliberate? A black swan so to speak?

YES..of course it was. It serves TWO purposes..three actually.

One..it takes our minds and attention AWAY from what they are doing in the middle east..

Two...it makes them a HELL of a lot of money..follow the money trail..just like 911

Three..it wipes out a few hundred thousand sheep in the process..and its a good test for the fema disposal facilities.


3. Will large segments of the population be evacuated from the Gulf States, Florida and the eastern seaboard as the oil approaches and the air becomes fouled by methane, dispersants, etc.?

YES..see last answer for details.


4. If the answer to 3 is "Yes", will they be taken to "relocation centers" (FEMA camps)?




Here's a question for you, DOOM. I was reading your rant from 5 years ago, about the underground sealed facilities experimenting to come up with the perfect pathogen to kill us all. You said all it would take would be a meteor or an earthquake to break into one and all those killer germs would escape.

The murderous bastards don't have any facilities under the ocean do they? Like in the Gulf? The thought of what is coming up from under the sea floor haunts me with visions of HELL... DOOM from HELL...

They have SEVERAL undersea bases...and yes..many will be breached..and MUCH DOOM will be unleashed..they are COUNTING on it.


http://www.godlikeproductions.com/forum ... 088844/pg1

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Post Re: At least 11 missing after blast on oil rig in Gulf
Sounds to me like BP needs to hire a redneck!

BP official grilled by frustrated mayors at news conference

By Sarah Aarthun, CNN

(CNN) -- Frustrated Gulf Coast mayors confronted a BP official during a news conference Saturday after they said requests to meet with high-ranking executives at the oil company went unanswered.

The incident occurred as BP's senior vice president briefed reporters in Mobile, Alabama, about the ongoing efforts to contain the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Bob Fryar said an operation underway to funnel crude from the underwater gusher to a surface vessel was going "extremely well," and that he was "pleased" with the effort thus far.

Robert Kraft, the mayor of Gulf Shores, took issue with that characterization, saying, "I don't know who represents you in our community, but I would love to have one of your guys go down and look at our beaches and tell me that what you see is effective and is working." :clap

Fryar responded that he understood the frustration and agreed to meet with him after the briefing.

Mayor Tony Kennon of Orange Beach also used the news conference to get a meeting with the official, saying "if you sensed our frustration, you would have been here a lot sooner."

"We've been asking for a senior BP official (since May 1) to come and sit down and visit with us," Kennon said, visibly upset. "You show up today, we don't even know you are coming. So what you say and what you do, Mr. Fryar, with all due respect, are two different things." :heart :clap

Kennon later told CNN that he met with Fryar for about 45 minutes after the news conference, but said he still had "no confidence" in BP's economic response to communities hard-hit financially by the disaster.

"(Fryar) made it very clear to us ... that (BP's) first obligation is their shareholders," Kennon said.

The current claims process "will just not work in this situation, where time is of the essence," he said, describing what he called "an immediate need" for financial assistance for those who work in the tourism industry, from marina dockhands and waiters and waitresses to charter fishing boat captains and hotel workers.

"We do not have time to go through the forensic accounting process," Kennon said. "Our year is made from Memorial Day to Labor Day."

He said the community is already hurting from the economic impact of the disaster, with tourism numbers down 50 percent.

"We have folks right now pushing other bills aside just to make payroll," Kennon said, adding that layoffs are imminent if claims aren't paid out immediately.

Meanwhile, he said, Fryar "shows up, talks about how good a job they're doing on the beach. ... It's almost like he's living in the Land of Oz." :roflmao :clap

Kennon and other coastal leaders have been calling for BP to draw up a contract of sorts that specifically lays out a plan for compensation.

Kennon specifically wants BP "to make sure that every single dollar that we would have earned this year is in the system," as well as paying for lost dollars in travel reservations that were made in advance but then canceled after the disaster.

However, Kennon isn't optimistic.

"I feel like I'm David and Goliath and I've run out of rocks." :heart :clap

http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/06/05/gulf.oil.disaster.mayors/index.html?hpt=T1

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Post Re: At least 11 missing after blast on oil rig in Gulf
BP Logo redesign contest

Some really good ones

Image

Image

My personal favourite

Image

See the rest here

http://www.logomyway.com/contestView.php?contestId=1746

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Post Re: At least 11 missing after blast on oil rig in Gulf
New oil plume evidence uncovered
By John Couwels, CNN
June 7, 2010 7:51 a.m. EDT

St. Petersburg, Florida (CNN) -- As if the pictures of birds, fish and animals killed by floating oil in the Gulf of Mexico are not disturbing enough, scientists now say they have found evidence of another danger lurking underwater.

The University of South Florida recently discovered a second oil plume in the northeastern Gulf. The first plume was found by Mississippi universities in early May.

USF has concluded microscopic oil droplets are forming deep water oil plumes. After a weeklong analysis of water samples, USF scientists found more oil in deeper water.

"These hydrocarbons are from depth and not associated with sinking degraded oil but associated with the source of the Deep Horizon well head," said USF Chemical Oceanographer David Hollander.

Through isotopic or microscopic fingerprinting, Hollander and his USF crew were able to show the oil in the plume came from BP's blown-out oil well. The surface oil's so-called fingerprint matched the tiny underwater droplet's fingerprint.

"We've taken molecular isotopic approaches which is like a fingerprint on a smoking gun," Hollander said.

BP has not commented on the latest development but in the past denied underwater oil plumes exist.

"The oil is on the surface," said BP's Chief Executive Officer Tony Hayward. "There aren't any plumes."

Yet BP's Managing Director Bob Dudley said recently, "We're all absolutely taking these ideas seriously and looking at them."

Scientists on board the university's research vessel Weatherbird II were not able to find the dissolved hydrocarbon or oil by sight. Instead the crew received sensor signatures from the equipment deployed into the water since the plumes appear to be clear.

USF is unsure on the exact size of the plumes.

"There are indications this is fairly wide spread," said the USF oceanographer. "There is probably more than one leg of this plume."

Scientist are concerned what effect the oil, not to mention the dissolvents used to break up the oil, will have on marine life.

Laboratory tests show bacteria have begun eating some elements of the dissolved hydrocarbons. But the effect on fish "is what needs to be understood," said Hollander. "We are in uncharted territory."

Water samples collected by USF were sent to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration labs. NOAA has yet to comment on their conclusions.

NOAA and USF will hold a joint press conference Tuesday morning at the university's St. Petersburg campus to release their final findings.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/06/07/gulf.o ... index.html

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Post Re: At least 11 missing after blast on oil rig in Gulf
BP Well Bore And Casing Integrity May Be Blown, Says Florida’s Sen. Nelson
By: bmaz Monday June 7, 2010 11:15 am

Oil and gas are leaking from the seabed surrounding the BP Macondo well in the Gulf of Mexico, Senator Bill Nelson of Florida told Andrea Mitchell today on MSNBC. Nelson, one of the most informed and diligent Congressmen on the BP gulf oil spill issue, has received reports of leaks in the well, located in the Mississippi Canyon sector. This is potentially huge and devastating news.

If Nelson is correct in that assertion, and he is smart enough to not make such assertions lightly, so I think they must be taken at face value, it means the well casing and well bore are compromised and the gig is up on containment pending a completely effective attempt to seal the well from the bottom via successful “relief wells”. In fact, I have confirmed with Senator Nelson’s office that they are fully aware of the breaking news and significance of what the Senator said to Andrea Mitchell.

Furthermore, contrary to the happy talk propounded by BP, the Obama Administration and the press, the likely success of the “relief well” effort on the first try in August is nowhere near a certainty; and certainly nowhere near the certainty it is being painted as.

About five days ago, I responded to someone in comments with the following:

Quote:
Yeah, but I am absolutely convinced there is such a lack of integrity, from pretty much top to bottom, of the well that totally plugging it at the top just creates the blowout of whatever remaining seal they have with the cement at the wellhead. I believe they have a total cluster@&*& in about every regard and are just not admitting it:

1) BP used, if not substandard, then very close to it, casing that under the circumstances was inappropriate. It is fragile.

2) They did not install somehow or another at least one major casing segment seal, and the remaining seals are now either completely blown out or on their way to it and as a result oil and gas flow is not only coming up the inside of the casing, but the outside of the casing between the casing and well bore walls in the rock.

3) BP specified a light and fluffy cement and, additionally, there may be significant breaches and voids making the cement job weak and disintegrating.

4) Even at best, the cement is in the upper depths of the well bore where the natural geologic rock structure is the loosest, weakest, most porous and fragile (hell some of it may effectively be silt). The oil and gas, which has a natural well pressure of 12,000 or so psi is going to erode and corrode through and around the cement and the porous well bore rock.

5) Being attached to the Deepwater Horizon rig by the riser, and perhaps drill string too, when all hell broke loose and it exploded, shifted and sank, it put various pressures and forces through attachment to the BOP in turn attached on the well casing head. This action may have kind of reamed out and loosened that whole situation making it even looser and more susceptible to 2 and 4 above.

6) The BOP, to the extent it had restrictions present initially, has now been eroded and reamed out by the long term flow of gas and oil upwards and then the caustic flow of drilling mud the other direction from the attempted Top Kill. It is totally fucked way worse than it even was initially.

7) The reservoir of oil in Macondo is way larger than most anybody realizes and certainly bigger than BP will admit. It is a huge mother lode. Could flow forever.

8) Did I mention that the natural well pressure may be as high as 12,000 psi??

The Gulf of Mexico, the Gulf States and all of us are totally $#&d.

snip

I may have been uncomfortably close to the mark. And the quote from Sir Richard Mottram was dead on the money; if Senator Nelson is correct about the breach of fundamental well integrity, the game is close to over for the Gulf of Mexico. We shall see where this goes from Nelson’s initial comment. But make no mistake, Nelson is a careful guy not prone to overt hyperbole, and he clearly understood the ramifications of what he was saying.

It also means, of course, that BP and the Obama Administrations continue to give the American public short shrift in the truth and honesty departments. How surprising.

http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2010/ ... -be-blown/

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Location: Canada
Post Re: At least 11 missing after blast on oil rig in Gulf
Ok I said I was NOT going to comment on this issue anymore but one comment above really PISSED me off...

This is NOT just a US Coastal Issue here folks, if this oil gets into the Gulf stream, which we KNOW it has as it's already hit Florida!, it's only a matter of time before it hits the Atlantic and then this is now World Wide.

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Mon Jun 07, 2010 8:50 pm
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