Oil spill in the Gulf

[Khellendross 1,260]

BP has already stated that they take full responsibility for these spills and have promised to reimburse any and all businesses/states/etc that are affected and/or set back by this. They're not an evil company hellbent on the pollution of the gulf's ecosystem. lol A fluke accident occurred and they are trying to get it fixed.

http://thinkprogress.org/2010/05/06/hayward-america-illegitimate/

They're already trying to get out of paying economic damages from it.

And as far as being a green company goes.

http://thinkprogress.org/2010/05/06/bp-freedomworks-ocs/

[Ladywriter 7,783]

BP brings in big box to deal with oil

By HARRY R. WEBER, TAMARA LUSH

Associated Press Writers

updated 28 minutes ago

ON THE GULF OF MEXICO - Workers gathered to begin lowering a giant concrete-and-steel box over the blown-out oil well at the bottom of the sea Thursday in a risky and untested bid to capture most of the gushing crude and avert a wider environmental disaster.

"We haven't done this before. It's very complex and we can't guarantee it," BP spokesman David Nicholas warned.

The 100-ton containment vessel is designed to collect as much as 85 percent of the oil spewing into the Gulf and funnel it up to a tanker. It could take several hours to lower it into place by crane, after which a steel pipe will be installed between the top of the box and the tanker. The whole structure could be operating by Sunday.

The mission took on added urgency as oil started washing up on delicate barrier islands.

But the lowering of the box was delayed late Thursday because of dangerous fumes rising from the oily water in the windless night, the captain of the supply boat hauling the box told The Associated Press. A spark caused by the scrape of metal on metal could cause a fire, Capt. Demi Shaffer said.

Deckhands wore respirators while workers on surrounding vessels took air-quality readings. It was unclear when they would be able to proceed though crew members were hopeful it would still be on Thursday night.

The technology has been used a few times in shallow waters, but never at such extreme depths — 5,000 feet down, where the water pressure is enough to crush a submarine.

The box — which looks a lot like a peaked, 40-foot-high outhouse, especially on the inside, with its rough timber framing — must be accurately positioned over the well, or it could damage the leaking pipe and make the problem worse.

The dropping of the box is just one of many strategies being pursued to stave off a widespread environmental disaster. BP is drilling sideways into the blown-out well in hopes of plugging it from the bottom. Also, oil company engineers are examining whether the leak could be shut off by sealing it from the top instead.

The technique, called a "top kill," would use a tube to shoot mud and concrete directly into the well's blowout preventer, BP spokesman Bill Salvin said. The process would take two to three weeks, compared with the two to three months needed to drill a relief well.

David Quinn / APAn aerial view of the northern Chandeleur barrier islands shows sheens of oil reaching land, Thursday, May 6, in the Gulf of Mexico. The islands rest 20 miles from the La. coast.

[Ladywriter 7,783]

Marine Reserves now!

We now know that human activity can have serious impacts on the vital forces governing our planet. We have fundamentally changed our global climate and are just beginning to understand the consequences of that. As yet largely unseen, but just as serious, are the impacts we are having on the oceans: we are damaging them on a scale that is unimaginable to most people. Ecosystems are collapsing as marine species are driven towards extinction and ocean habitats are destroyed. Degraded and stripped of their diversity, ocean ecosystems are losing their inherent resilience.

We need to defend our oceans because without them, life on Earth cannot exist.

[nomedia=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vdo-YUFZd6c]YouTube- Drop into the Ocean[/nomedia]

Tell Congress: No drilling, no coal, clean energy now!

In recent months, we have been forced to open our eyes to the awful truth about our dependence on fossil fuels. In April, 29 miners died in a coal mine in West Virginia. A couple weeks later, an explosion on a BP oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico killed 11 people and began spewing millions of gallons of crude oil into the water.

Sadly, these disasters are simply par for the course and a predictable outcome of our reliance on coal and oil. In addition to the millions of people suffering the effects of climate change and the direct impacts of burning fossil fuels, we can expect more loss of life, more ecological catastrophe, and more economic ruin — unless we change course NOW.

[Pchan 5,162]

It's now reached a wildlife reserve ...

[Ladywriter 7,783]

THE GROSS NEGLIGENCE OF BP -- OIL GIANT'S TRYING TO SLICK ITS WAY OUT OF CONTROVERSY

By Greg Palast, GregPalast.com

As a fraud investigator hired to dig into Exxon Valdez, I

can see that BP's role in the devastation in Alaska is

exactly the way BP is now sliming the entire Gulf Coast.

http://www.alternet.org/story/146771/the_gross_negligence_of_bp_--_oil_giant%27s_trying_to_slick_its_way_out_of_controversy

BP Worked With FreedomWorks And The Chamber To Build 'Grassroots' Support For More Drilling

leefang

http://blogs.alternet.org/speakeasy/2010/05/06/bp-worked-with-freedomworks-and-the-chamber-to-build-%e2%80%98grassroots%e2%80%99-support-for-more-drilling/

Federal regulators let BP avoid filing blowout plan for Gulf oil rig

[Ladywriter 7,783]

[ame=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908/vp/37007857#37007857]Rachel Maddow Show[/ame]

May 6: Ed Schultz is joined by a panel to debate what lessons the government should learn from the oil disaster.

[ame=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/37004595#37004595]msnbc.com Video Player[/ame]

Expert Q&A: Gulf Oil Spill Endangers Wildlife and Natural Habitats

[Ladywriter 7,783]

10 Things You Can Do to Help the Gulf Coast Clean the Oil Spill

Alarming photos of dead sea turtles washed ashore--as well as satellite images of an ever-spreading oil slick--demonstrate that a serious ordeal is ahead for the Gulf Coast. The April 20 explosion on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig caused a spill that has spread more than 130 miles so far. The spill has reached land in Louisiana, and is expected to reach Mississippi, Alabama and Florida. If it continues, it will surpass the 1989 Exxon Valdez spill as the worst in history. Here's how you can help:

1. Want to lend a hand? Affected states allow you to register to volunteer online. Louisiana and Florida volunteers can register online, or Gulf Coast volunteers can call 1-866-448-5816. Oil Spill Volunteers is another registration site that matches up those willing to assist with the groups that need their help. Volunteer opportunities run the gamut from wildlife sitter to administrative support, so any and all help is appreciated.

2. Florida is calling on untrained volunteers to pick up trash on its beaches to minimize the impact of the spill once it hits land. Volunteers are asked to leave natural debris in place, though, as it provides shelter for birds and other animals. If you'd like to help out with areas where oil has already washed ashore, it is recommended that you contact a local group to be trained in how to handle oil-covered materials.

3. If you're in the Gulf Coast area and see a distressed animal, do not try to assist it on your own. Injured animals can be defensive and may try to bite you--also, crude oil can be harmful when it comes in contact with human skin. A hotline has been established for injured and dead animal sightings. Call 1-866-557-1401 to leave a message with the animal's precise location. iPhone users in the Gulf can download the Noah project's app to document distressed animals and the spill's impact on wildlife. Learn more about Noah here.

4. Two specialized opportunities to help are available for qualified professionals. BP has called upon fishermen and boaters in the Gulf area to participate in their "Vessels of Opportunity" program. Those with eligible vessels will be compensated for their use in cleanup efforts. For more information, call 281-366-5511. In addition, the EPA has called upon engineers and experts to submit alternative cleanup solutions via this form.

5. However, if you're not already living in the area, it is not recommended that you travel to the Gulf Coast to assist. OilSpillVolunteers.com and other organizations stress that your help would be more appreciated in the form of a donation. The Alabama Coastal Foundation, and Save our Seabirds are among the many organizations accepting donations for coastal relief.

6. Dishwashing detergent is used to clean oil off of birds and animals, and Dawn is pitching in to help. Purchase a bottle of Dawn and $1 will go towards the Marine Mammal Center and the International Bird Rescue Research Center. Please note that you must go online to activate this donation--it's not automatic with your purchase.

7. Own a salon or pet grooming business? Hair collects oil, so the group Matter of Trust is taking donations of hair and nylons. For more information, visit their website or call 415-242-6041.

8. For those inclined to send a political message about the need to restore the Gulf Coast, the National Wildlife Federation has created this form letter you can send to President Obama. Those in favor of halting all ocean drilling can use this form letter from the Sierra Club.

9. The Audubon Society, protecting American birds and their habitats for more than 100 years, has launched a response to the crisis. They'll be organizing volunteers for wildlife rescue and beach clean-up, as well as researching the effects of the spill on habitats in the weeks and months following its landfall. If you'd like to volunteer for the Audubon Society, you can fill out this volunteer form. If you'd like to donate money to aid relief efforts, you can use this site.

10. For up-to-date news on volunteer and relief efforts, several Twitter users have aggregated the best sources of oil spill tweets into lists. Follow Crisis Camp's list, Crisis Mappers' list, or the hashtag #oilspill. Two good individual accounts to follow are EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson, and BP_America.

[Ladywriter 7,783]

Big Oil's Catastrophe in the Gulf Coast

In light of the catastrophic oil spill in the Gulf Coast, I urge you to opposed any new offshore drilling and to support comprehensive clean energy and climate legislation that breaks our dependence on oil and limits carbon pollution. Right now, millions of gallons of oil are floating on the surface of the Gulf of Mexico. This catastrophe is expected to cost $12-$20 billion to clean up. That doesn't include the catastrophic damage it will do to our economy.

Right now we face a choice between leading America forward in a new clean energy economy or preserving the failed energy policies of the past. This human and environmental disaster is proof positive that we must end our addiction to oil. We can do this by preventing any new offshore drilling and enacting comprehensive legislation that puts a cap on oil pollution and promotes clean energy and energy efficiency.

As our leaders, you have a profound responsibility to build a clean energy future for our nation without sacrificing our oceans and coasts in the process. Now is the time for strong clean energy and climate legislation. It is up to you to ensure that we put our country on a path to economic, environmental, and national security.

Save BioGems: Take Action: Say No to New Offshore Drilling

https://secure.nrdconline.org/site/Advoc...

NRDC BioGems Defenders take online action to protect wildlands and wildlife across the Americas. Please take action now!

[Ladywriter 7,783]

Gulf Crisis: What Happened? What Needs to be Done?

On April 20, an explosion at a BP exploratory drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico killed 11 workers and initiated what could be the worst industrial disaster in U.S. history. Hundreds of imperiled species, from loggerhead sea turtles to Atlantic bluefin tuna, will be harmed by the oil spill -- and the entire Gulf ecosystem could be damaged beyond repair.

Is BP to blame? Yes. But so is the Obama administration for approving BP's oil-drilling plan, and for announcing just weeks before that it plans to oversee the largest expansion of offshore oil drilling in the past 30 years. Under the Obama plan, BP-like drilling rigs -- and the threat of BP-like oil spills -- will soon appear in the eastern Gulf of Mexico, offshore of Alaska, and along the Atlantic coast from Maryland to Florida. Read more on our Web site here and in the Washington Post.

http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/gulf_disaster/

http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/news/center/articles/2010/washington-post-05-06-2010.html

What needs to be done:

- Ban all new offshore oil drilling

- Rescind Obama's plan to expand oil drilling in Alaska, the Gulf of Mexico and along the Atlantic Coast

- Suspend the use of environmental waivers for oil drilling

- Reform or eliminate the hopelessly corrupt Minerals Management Service

- Conduct a federal investigation of Interior Secretary Ken Salazar's gross mismanagement in approving BP's drilling plan despite its gaping flaws

_______________________________

Real-Time Gulf-Crisis Web site Goes Live

The Center has launched a Gulf-Crisis Web site that we'll update daily with information on how big the spill is, where it's hitting shore, what species are suffering the impacts, how the rescue effort's going, what we're doing, and how it's all driving home the critical need to reverse Obama's decision to open up new areas to offshore oil drilling in Alaska, the eastern Gulf of Mexico, and along the Atlantic Coast.

http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/gulf_disaster/

_______________________________

Center Breaks Massive Scandal Story: DOI Exempted BP Drilling From Environmental Review

The Center for Biological Diversity's research and communications teams have been working 24/7 since the BP oil-rig explosion to find out what happened and why -- and to make sure it never happens again. Pouring through technical legal and mining documents, we discovered that the Department of Interior rubber-stamped BP's drilling proposal without even conducting an environmental review. That's right: Interior approved a massive, ecosystem-killing offshore-drilling platform with a legal loophole meant for tiny, no-impact projects like building a hiking trail or outhouse.

We put together our case and went to the national press, causing an explosive, rolling scandal for Secretary of Interior -- and offshore oil industry booster -- Ken Salazar. As coverage of the scandal expands, so do calls for Salazar's resignation and investigations into his oil industry ties -- including thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from BP.

Read about it in the groundbreaking Washington Post story and the Center's press release.

http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/news/center/articles/2010/washington-post-05-05-2010.html

http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/news/press_releases/2010/bp-exempted-05-05-2010.html

_______________________________

Center Director Discusses Scandal on Keith Olbermann Show

Click below to see Center for Biological Diversity director Kierán Suckling discuss the Gulf oil-spill catastrophe on the Keith Olbermann show. Kierán lays out how the Department of Interior caved into industry pressure at every turn -- from Ken Salazar's 2006 legislation opening up new areas in the Gulf of Mexico to new offshore oil drilling, to the "drugs and sex with oil execs" scandal of 2008, to Interior's exempting BP's cataclysmic oil-drilling plan in 2010.

http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/news/center/audio_video/2010/kieran-s-msnbc-05-05-2010.html

_______________________________

DOI Makes Same Drilling Mistake in Alaska, Center Acts to Prevent Another Catastrophe

The Center for Biological Diversity yesterday began legal action to stop new offshore oil-drilling in Alaska by filing a "notice of intent to sue" the Department of Interior over spill impacts to endangered polar bears, Steller's eiders, spectacled eiders, and bowhead whales.

On October 16, 2009, Secretary Ken Salazar approved Shell Oil's plan to drill in the Beaufort Sea, and on December 7, 2009, he approved a similar Shell plan to drill in the Chukchi Sea. There is no existing technology to clean up a catastrophic oil spill in these icy waters off Alaska's North Shore.

Just as he did with BP in the Gulf of Mexico, Salazar adopted Shell's conclusion that "a large oil spill, such as a crude oil release from a blowout, is extremely rare and not considered a reasonably foreseeable impact." In other words, we won't analyze or prepare for a catastrophic oil spill because it is unlikely to happen. This is exactly what BP said -- and the Department of Interior accepted -- in the Gulf of Mexico.

Read the Center's press release here:

http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/news/press_releases/2010/arctic-drilling-05-05-2010.html

_______________________________

Offshore Oil-Drilling Air Permit Challenged

The Center for Biological Diversity and allies on Monday formally challenged Shell Oil's permit to spew tens of thousands of tons of pollution into the pristine Arctic skies. The Environmental Protection Agency approved the permit for Shell's offshore oil-drilling platform, scheduled to begin operation in July. If Shell intends to spew that pollution on purpose, you can imagine how much air and water would be fouled in an oil spill.

Read the Center's press release here:

http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/news/press_releases/2010/shell-oil-05-04-2010.html

_______________________________

Court Today Hears Offshore Oil-Drilling Case

The Center and allies squared off with the Department of Interior today in a Portland, Oregon federal court over the embattled agency's granting of a permit to Shell Oil to begin drilling offshore for oil in Alaska's Beaufort and Chukchi seas. Just as it did in the Gulf of Mexico, the agency downplayed and ignored the spectacular risks of massive drilling operations. The arguments looked particularly weak against the backdrop of a burning oil rig, millions of gallons of spilled oil, and dying wildlife on the Gulf Coast. We'll keep you posted on the case's progress.

Read about it in the Christian Science Monitor:

http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/news/center/articles/2010/christian-science-monitor-05-06-2010.html

_______________________________

Gulf Disaster Fund Needs Urgent Support

Since we asked for your support this Tuesday, more than 600 people have dug deep to contribute to the Center's Gulf Disaster Fund a total of $18,275. But we need to raise $12,000 more by the end of this week so our expert team of lawyers, scientists, and activists can continue our efforts to make sure the BP disaster doesn't happen anywhere else -- from the Arctic to the Atlantic to the Gulf of Mexico.

Please click here to give as generously as you can. Your special, emergency gift will have a big impact for wildlife and our oceans. And, if you've already given or aren't able to, please consider forwarding this message to all your friends right now to help with this urgent effort.

https://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/2167/t/5243/shop/custom.jsp?donate_page_KEY=6200&track=E1003E1

http://action.biologicaldiversity.org/t/5243/tellafriend.jsp?tell_a_friend_KEY=6993

_______________________________

One Down, Three to Go: Obama Yanks Virginia Offshore Oil Expansion

In the wake of a growing scandal at the Department of Interior for exempting the BP drilling platform from environmental review, the White House announced today that it's cancelling public hearings and indefinitely postponing the Department of Interior process for opening coastal Virginia to offshore oil drilling.

In March 2010, President Obama shocked environmentalists by announcing he would open Alaska, the eastern Gulf of Mexico, and the Atlantic Coast from Maryland to Florida, to new offshore oil drilling. The plan was the brainchild of Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, who is closely aligned with the offshore oil-drilling industry. Salazar has come under intense fire, however, for allowing the Minerals Management Service to exempt the catastrophic BP drilling project from government review. Going forward with Salazar's plan to have MMS open up coastal Virginia to offshore oil drilling would have invited even more controversy.

Unfortunately, Obama is still supporting Salazar's plan to open Alaska's Chukchi Sea to oil drilling this summer. Just today, the Department of Interior squared off against the Center and its allies in federal court to defend the Alaska drilling.

Here's what we have to say: Mr. President, putting a time out on Virginia drilling is not enough. Please withdraw your entire offshore oil-drilling expansion for the rest of the Atlantic Coast, for the eastern Gulf of Mexico, and especially for Alaska -- which is in Shell Oil's cross hairs right now.

Read our press release here:

http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/news/press_releases/2010/atlantic-leases-05-06-2010.html

_______________________________

BP "Cleaning Up" Oil With Deadly Chemicals

To "clean up" its massive mess, BP is spraying chemicals into the ocean that could add to the permanent damage in the Gulf of Mexico. BP has mobilized one-third of the world's supply of dispersant (more than 156,000 gallons) to break up oil in the vast slick before it reaches shore. The idea is to spray the oil with dispersant as it rises through the water, causing some of it to congeal into droplets and drop to the ocean floor instead of floating on the surface.

But dispersants are poisonous themselves, causing genetic mutations and cancer, and exposing sea turtles, bluefin tuna, and other marine life to even more toxicity than oil alone. In fact, the particular dispersant being used, Corexit 9500, has been reported by its own manufacturers to harm early stages of fish, crustaceans, and mollusks. And it's been shown to be four times as toxic as oil. Corexit can also be harmful to humans -- like the thousands of out-of-work fishermen and other volunteers currently working to combat the spill's destruction.

Beaches in Santa Barbara, California -- the site of an infamous oil spill in 1969 -- harbor toxic, dispersant-caused "tar balls" to this day.

Read more in the Guardian and USA Today:

http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/news/center/articles/2010/guardian-05-05-2010.html

http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/news/center/articles/2010/usa-today-05-05-2010.html

_______________________________

Take Action: Tell Obama "No New Offshore Drilling!"

The White House has delayed release of its National Ocean Policy, likely due to the Gulf crisis. The policy is the perfect opportunity for the administration to painlessly back away from its March 2010 proposal to open up Alaska, the eastern Gulf of Mexico, and the Atlantic Coast to dangerous offshore oil drilling. Click here to send a letter to the President saying "No New Offshore Oil Drilling!"

Then please, forward this to everyone you know, asking them to send letters too. I have no doubt that deep down, Obama knows offshore oil drilling is wrong. He likely delayed release of the National Ocean Policy to reconsider his plan after watching the Gulf catastrophe unfold. If tens of thousands of people raise their voices, I really think he will reverse course and do the right thing. No New Offshore Oil Drilling!

http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/2167/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=3646

_______________________________

Kieran Suckling,

Executive Director

Center for Biological Diversity | PO Box 710 Tucson, AZ 85702 | 520-623-5252 | center@biologicaldiversity.org

_______________________________

[Pchan 5,162]

THE GROSS NEGLIGENCE OF BP -- OIL GIANT'S TRYING TO SLICK ITS WAY OUT OF CONTROVERSY

By Greg Palast, GregPalast.com

As a fraud investigator hired to dig into Exxon Valdez, I

can see that BP's role in the devastation in Alaska is

exactly the way BP is now sliming the entire Gulf Coast.

http://www.alternet.org/story/146771/the_gross_negligence_of_bp_--_oil_giant%27s_trying_to_slick_its_way_out_of_controversy

BP Worked With FreedomWorks And The Chamber To Build 'Grassroots' Support For More Drilling

leefang

http://blogs.alternet.org/speakeasy/2010/05/06/bp-worked-with-freedomworks-and-the-chamber-to-build-%e2%80%98grassroots%e2%80%99-support-for-more-drilling/

Federal regulators let BP avoid filing blowout plan for Gulf oil rig

What the!?!?!

[Ladywriter 7,783]

$11.5 million. That's how much money oil and gas

interests have donated to members of Congress so far in

the 2010 election cycle.(1)

Who is going to stand up in defense of our fragile

oceans?

We must head-off Big Oil's PR campaign and stop

new offshore drilling now >>

http://www.care2.com/go/z/e/AFwYj/zkUo/ANR12

In a speech on the Senate floor after last week's

horrific disaster, Louisiana's own Sen. Mary Landrieu

(D) said "We must continue to drill." All told, she's

accepted over $750,000 from oil and gas companies.(2)

If our elected leaders are to act in defense of our

precious oceans and coastlines, they need to hear loud

and clear from their constituents -- from you and me.

Stop future oil disasters before they happen --

demand a moratorium on new offshore drilling >>

http://www.care2.com/go/z/e/AFwYj/zkUo/ANR12

There is no such thing as a "safe" oil drill. We must

end our addiction to dirty fossil fuels, and stand up

to Big Oil's money and influence in Washington.Join me

and demand elected leaders protect our oceans.

Thanks for making a difference.

Andrea W.

ThePetitionSite

[Ladywriter 7,783]

We hate to say we told you so, Mr. President, but ... well, we did.

Within a week of President Obama's effort to expand offshore oil drilling, a BP oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico caught fire and sank, taking with it the lives of 11 men.1

Today, oil is washing over the fragile barrier islands and residents nearby are complaining about dead wildlife washing ashore and the stench of crude oil.2 Even worse, new reports show that BP used its money and influence to shut down tough new safety rules that had been proposed for offshore drilling.3

Mr. President, we told you so. We told you offshore drilling was a bad idea. We told you the dangers were real and the corporations in charge could not be trusted. Now, 11 hardworking Americans are dead and hundreds of miles of ocean and wetlands are threatened. Meanwhile, an entire regional economy is teetering on the brink of collapse just as it was about to enter its most profitable season.4

This disaster should be a wake-up call for Obama -- but we must make sure he hears the alarm. Sign the petition calling for a ban on drilling today and we'll help stage a high-profile delivery in Washington next week to make sure your voice is heard.

http://act.truemajorityaction.org/p/7002/nodrilling?petition_KEY=163

Local fisherman Ricky Robin fears the impact the oil spill will have on his livelihood, saying it's "worse than the atomic bomb."4 The slick continues to drift toward the shorelines of Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi, threatening thousands of miles of estuaries and wetlands already home to many endangered and threatened animal species.

It's time to put our money where our mouth is and move "Beyond Petroleum" for real. The first step is moving beyond offshore drilling.

President Obama, are you listening? Click here to sign your support and make SURE he gets the message.

Thanks for all you do,

-Drew

Drew Hudson

TrueMajority / USAction

[Ladywriter 7,783]

Report: Gas bubble triggered rig blast

Gulf spill likely bigger than Exxon Valdez, claims expert

msnbc.com news services

updated 3:38 a.m. ET, Sat., May 8, 2010

ON THE GULF OF MEXICO - The deadly blowout of an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico was triggered by a bubble of methane gas that escaped from the well and shot up the drill column, rig workers have told BP's internal investigators.

The oil started spilling after the methane bubble expanded quickly and burst through several seals and barriers before exploding, according to a timeline described in documents revealed to the Associated Press. The documents provide the most detailed account of what may have caused the April 20 blast that killed 11 workers.

Revelations of the workers' descriptions came as at least one scientist expressed concern that the resulting spill already has grown larger than the massive Exxon Valdez disaster of 1989 and dumped as much as 13 million gallons of crude into waters off the U.S. coastline.

Story continues below ↓advertisement | your ad here

U.S. official say the underwater gusher has poured out more than 3 million gallons of crude. But Ian MacDonald, a biological oceanographer at Florida State University, told Reuters on Friday that official flow-rate estimates of 5,000 barrels (210,000 gallons) a day since the Deepwater Horizon rig exploded were much too conservative.

The real flow rate from the undersea well, based on aerial images of the oil slick and estimates of the thickness of the oil itself, is probably closer to 25,000 barrels (1,050,000 gallons) a day, MacDonald said.

[Ladywriter 7,783]

BP scrambles after Gulf oil spill fix setback

Mission now in serious doubt after firm’s first attempt to divert slick foiled

updated 6:47 a.m. ET, Sun., May 9, 2010

ROBERT, La. - As a massive oil leak spit thousands of gallons more crude into the Gulf of Mexico, a big box that BP hoped would be its savior sat idle hundreds of feet away, encased in ice crystals.

The company's first attempt to divert the oil was foiled, its mission now in serious doubt. Meanwhile, thick blobs of tar washed up on Alabama's white sand beaches, yet another sign the spill was worsening.

BP engineers will search for a solution Sunday after suffering a setback in an attempt to contain the gushing oil with the huge metal dome, dashing hopes for a quick, temporary solution to a growing environmental disaster.

The company was forced to move the four-story containment dome after the buildup of crystallized gas forced it to suspend the effort. Covering the leak with the structure was seen as the best short-term way to stem the flow from a ruptured oil well.

BP expects to take up to two days to plot its next move, Chief Operating Officer Doug Suttles said.

"I wouldn't say it's failed yet. What I would say is what we attempted to do last night didn't work because these hydrates plugged up the top of the dome," Suttles said.

"What we're currently doing, and I suspect it will probably take the next 48 hours or so, is saying, 'Is there a way to overcome this problem?"'

Gas hydrates, essentially slushy methane gas, are blocking the oil from being siphoned out the top of the box. As BP tries to resolve the problem, oil keeps flowing unchecked into the Gulf in what could be the worst U.S. oil spill ever.

For BP, a history of spills and safety lapses

Oil giant pledged improvements after previous safety shortfalls

After BP's Texas City, Tex., refinery blew up in 2005, killing 15 workers, the company vowed to address the safety shortfalls that caused the blast. The next year, when a badly maintained oil pipeline ruptured and spilled 200,000 gallons of crude oil over Alaska's North Slope, the oil giant once again promised to clean up its act.

In 2007, when Tony Hayward took over as chief executive, BP settled a series of criminal charges, including some related to Texas City, and agreed to pay $370 million in fines. "Our operations failed to meet our own standards and the requirements of the law," the company said then, pledging to improve its "risk management."

Despite those repeated promises to reform, BP continues to lag behind other oil companies when it comes to safety, according to federal officials and industry analysts. Many problems still afflict its operations in Texas and Alaska, they say. Regulators are investigating a whistle-blower's allegations of safety violations at the Atlantis, one of BP's newest offshore drilling platforms in the Gulf of Mexico.

[Ladywriter 7,783]

First Underwater Footage: Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill at Source

[Ladywriter 7,783]

The unfolding oil tragedy in the Gulf of Mexico raises a host of

urgent environmental questions.

We have asked some of our senior scientists to offer their

perspectives on potential environmental threats of the oil blowout and

what can be done to address them - now and in the future.

In this second installment, we asked Doug Rader, a Ph.D. oceans scientist on staff at EDF, to help us understand the potential impacts on marine life.

Read our Marine Life ImpactsQ&A with Doug Rader:

http://support.edf.org/site/R?i=e2CqPisnUkpPKr33510TQg..

You can also read our first installment on wildlife impacts:

http://support.edf.org/site/R?i=5c2lirzQiLsOXbK4MP1mqQ..

And you can read Dominique Browning's new blog post, "Connect the

Dots: Oil in the Gulf and Floods in Tennessee":

http://support.edf.org/site/R?i=1K8r218dr82T1dyNd_aiZg..

-- Our Emergency Response --

In this rapidly evolving crisis, we're going to need a lot of help to

ramp up our coastal conservation and fisheries work to restore the

Gulf Coast to full environmental health.

It's true that the financial responsibility of the clean up rests

legally and morally with the oil industry. However, there is still a

very real and important role that EDF experts will play in the weeks

and months to come.

Our thoughts and hopes are with the hard-working and beleaguered folks

who make the Gulf Coast their home.

Thank you for your advocacy and support,

Sam Parry

Director, Online Membership and Activism

Environmental Defense Fund

1875 Connecticut Ave. NW, Suite 600

Washington, DC 20009

1-800-684-3322

[Ladywriter 7,783]

Gulf Oil Blowout Preventer Had A Leak, Rep. Waxman Says

www.huffingtonpost.comWASHINGTON — Rep. Henry Waxman says that his committee's investigation into the Gulf oil spill reveals that a key safety device, the blowout preventer, had a leak in a crucial hydraulic system. The California Democrat said in a hearing Wednesday that the investigation also discovered that the ...

Oil Spill, Smoke Screen? BP's Stranglehold on Underwater Leak Footage

abcnews.go.comDuring a series of dry-run exercises, where the U.S. Coast Guard, other agencies and oil companies practiced their response to major oil spill disasters, industry executives repeatedly pressed federal regulators to give them more say on what information would be released to the public if disaster st...

[Ladywriter 7,783]

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Exxon Valdez) opposes forcing oil companies to pay to clean up oil spills | G

www.grist.org

On the Senate floor on Thursday, Sen. Lisa Murkowski objected to raising the liability cap on oil companies, with arguments so transparently disingenuous that they defy parody.

Really? Seriously? The Gulf Oil Spill in Numbers

www.reallyseriously.org

$450 MILLION: The estimated total BP has spent so far to clean up its catastrophic oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico; $93 MILLION: BP’s daily profit during the first quarter of this year; Five: The approximate number of days of BP’s profits that would cover its total cleanup costs thus far.

[Khellendross 1,260]

Really starting to go along with the peeps that are thinking the leak is closer to 1-4 million gallons a day. From some of the footage they've shown of the leak, its leaking pretty heavily.

http://thinkprogress.org/2010/05/13/spill-expands/

210,000 Gallons a day equates to 2-3 gallons a second. whats showing in the videos from the leaks is much more than that.

o.@;;

[Ladywriter 7,783]

May 14: Rachel Maddow reviews the long list failures and disrepair on the now burned and sunk oil rig whose oil is befouling the Gulf of Mexico. Senator Maria Cantwell joins to talk about her support for a ban on offshore drilling.

[ame=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908/vp/37141886#37141886]Rachel Maddow Show[/ame]

Enough is enough with the fuckin oil. Our rush to produce is going to do not a fuckin thing in the long run. No new drilling anywhere for any reason.

Its a fantasy that 1 oil is infinite and 2 we cant live without it.

Keep pressure on yer reps. They need to get it, we're done with this fuckin filth and we want something better cleaner and permanent we can make here in the USA

[Ladywriter 7,783]

Gulf Spill Could Be Much Worse Than Believed NPR

www.npr.orgNew data obtained by NPR show that oil gushing out of the Deepwater Horizon pipe on the floor of the Gulf of Mexico is at least 10 times the U.S. Coast Guard's estimate.

[Ladywriter 7,783]

Gulf Disaster Growing: Pressure Mounting on BP, Regulators

The Center for Biological Diversity has been going nonstop since our update on the Gulf Disaster last week -- every hour, there's more coming out about BP's lack of adequate safety and spill-mitigation measures, more failures to stop the gushing oil, the oil industry's widespread influence over regulatory agencies, and continued approvals of Gulf drilling projects after the spill (see below). Through our extensive, well-researched efforts, hundreds of newspaper, radio, and television stories are out now discussing the dangers of offshore oil drilling, its impacts on coastal communities and their endangered wildlife and plants, and the urgent need to reassess how and where offshore drilling is permitted.

The Center's team of expert researchers, lawyers, and scientists couldn't be doing this critical, urgent work without your outpouring of support and energy ?- thank you.

But the BP spill won't stop tomorrow. Clean-up in the Gulf of Mexico will take years, and more drilling is slated to happen from the Gulf to the Arctic. The Center will be following every development closely and putting the pressure on the Obama administration and Secretary Salazar to stop all future offshore drilling.

Join us in taking action and read our collection of oil-spill media stories:

http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/2167/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=3646

http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/programs/public_lands/energy/dirty_energy_development/oil_and_gas/gulf_oil_spill/media_highlights.html

Check out the Center's Gulf Disaster Web site every day for the latest news on the spill, press releases from the Center, a slideshow of impacted species, and updated answers to the most important spill-related questions. There's also a map of the oil spill and critical habitat for the imperiled Gulf sturgeon and piping plover:

http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/programs/public_lands/energy/dirty_energy_development/oil_and_gas/gulf_oil_spill/index.html

http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/programs/public_lands/energy/dirty_energy_development/oil_and_gas/gulf_oil_spill/slide_show.html

http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/programs/public_lands/energy/dirty_energy_development/oil_and_gas/gulf_oil_spill/map.html

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Feds Approve 27 Drilling Projects in Gulf After BP Spill

Even as the BP spill gushes millions of gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico, the agency tasked with overseeing offshore drilling is continuing to exempt dangerous new drilling operations from environmental review. Since the BP oil-rig explosion on April 20, an investigation has revealed that the U.S. Department of Interior's Minerals Management Service has approved 27 new offshore drilling plans as of May 7 -- 26 of those under the same environmental-review exemption used to approve the ill-fated Deepwater Horizon project. In fact, two of the exempted approvals went to BP, based on the same false assertions about oil-rig safety and an inconceivably alleged improbability of environmental damage.

This is more bad news about the Mineral Management Service, but unfortunately it gets worse. Last week, the MMS became embroiled in controversy when it was revealed that it had exempted BP's offshore drilling plan from environmental review, and that it exempts hundreds of dangerous offshore oil-drilling projects in the Gulf of Mexico every year, by using a loophole in the National Environmental Policy Act meant only to apply to non-damaging activities like building an outhouse or creating a hiking trail.

In response to the review-exemption scandal, last Thursday Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced that he had banned approval of new offshore oil-drilling permits -- but the next day, Interior acknowledged that environmental exemptions and drilling plans have not been halted. Salazar is still allowing those flawed drilling approvals to proceed, only halting the issuance of a last technical check-off that doesn't involve any environmental review.

Get more from ABC News and see Center for Biological Diversity Executive Director Kierán Suckling talk about it on Democracy Now!

http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/news/center/articles/2010/abc-news-05-12-2010.html

http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/news/center/audio_video/kieran-s-democracynow-05-07-2010.html

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[Khellendross 1,260]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/37171468/ns/us_news-the_new_york_times//

Basically, they're finding giant plumes of oil/water mix floating around between 2500-4700 feet down. Seems its being caused by the chemical dispersant they're blowing directly into the well causing the oil to break up in small particles that don't rise very fast.

The biggest one they've found is 10 miles long by 3 miles wide by 300 feet thick.

Felt like doing some math, now, its not solid oil, its little particles kinda like a salad dressing mix. So my numbers may be way off. But here goes.

I converted everything over to inches to begin with because its easier to work with o.@;;

633600*190080*3600 (10 miles x 3 miles x 300 ft) = 433,564,876,800,000 cubic inches. now, there are 231 cubic inches per gallon, so that brings it to 1,876,904,228,571.429 Gallons of mixture. Now, these are fairly small particles, so lets go with a 100,000 to 1 ratio of water to oil, Possibly on the really conservative side. Comes out to 18,769,042.29 Gallons. of Oil.

In Barrels, thats 446,881.96.

And thats just the one plume, seems there are several. Plus all the oil on top of the water already.

As I said, my math could be wrong (probably is). But this isn't just something thats gonna go away. This is going to fuck the ecosystem over for a VERY long time.

[Ladywriter 7,783]

It was somewhere around day 3 I had that moment of pre cog and my gut told me that this was gonna be worse then Valdez.

[Ladywriter 7,783]

Captain Peace Marvel and his family depend on the clean waters off Louisiana's coast to make a living.

Now, the Marvel family's livelihood is threatened and his daughter Eimhear's favorite animals -- dolphins and sea turtles -- and other wildlife are swimming in an ever-growing slick of oil that already covers thousands of square miles.

Read photographer Krista Schlyer's on-the-ground reports from the Gulf and get the latest on the oil spill disaster on our new blog:

http://action.defenders.org/site/R?i=njFA2uYKwGKDTeZF2JkoPA..

How you can help now:

Tell the Senate to Pass Climate Legislation -- Without More Dangerous Offshore Drilling:

http://action.defenders.org/site/R?i=hhraMtSTkm4tXmpupoKLww..

Urge President Obama to Reinstate the Offshore Drilling Moratorium:

http://action.defenders.org/site/R?i=uIJCMyJgAKgXjv67g-LBlA..

As BP siphons oil, worry grows over spill's path

Computer models show oil may have been propelled into Atlantic Ocean

NEW ORLEANS - BP said Monday it was siphoning more than one-fifth of the oil that has been spewing into the Gulf for almost a month, as worries escalated that the ooze may reach a major ocean current that could carry it through the Florida Keys and up the East Coast.BP PLC chief operating officer Doug Suttles said Monday on the TODAY show that a mile-long tube was funneling a little more than 1,000 barrels — 42,000 gallons — of crude a day from a blown well into a tanker ship. The company and the U.S. Coast Guard have estimated about 5,000 barrels — 210,000 gallons — have been spewing out each day. Engineers finally got the contraption working on Sunday after weeks of failed solutions — however, millions of gallons of oil are already in the Gulf of Mexico.

Crews will slowly ramp up how much oil the tube collects over the next few days. They need to move slowly because they don't want too much frigid seawater entering the pipe, which could combine with gases to form the same ice-like crystals that doomed the previous containment effort.

Calculations of size of Gulf spill are questioned

Environmentalists, scientists say real figure must be far larger

The figure of 5,000 barrels a day was hastily produced by government scientists in Seattle. It appears to have been calculated using a method that is specifically not recommended for major oil spills. Ian R. MacDonald, an oceanographer at Florida State University who is an expert in the analysis of oil slicks, said he had made his own rough calculations using satellite imagery. They suggested that the leak could “easily be four or five times” the government estimate, he said.

Transocean cites 1851 law to limit spill liability