Guess What Anti Gov. Market Based Wing Nuts, US Gov. Is Cleaning Up Oil Co. Oil Spill

[thoughtone]

source: Houston Business Journal

BP works to contain oil spill

The Coast Guard estimates that up to 1,000 barrels of oil a day could be leaking into the water about 5,000 feet below the surface.
As the responsible party, BP is required to fund the cost of the response and cleanup operations, which have cost millions of dollars so far, according to the Coast Guard. The Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund, established after the Exxon Valdez incident, is also available to fund cleanups, if needed.
The rig first exploded on April 20. BP had leased the rig from Swiss drilling contractor Transocean. Cause of the incident has not yet been determined although U.S. Coast Guard officials said they are currently conducting an investigation with U.S. Minerals Management Service. A search for 11 missing crewmembers was called off on April 23.
A unified command for the Coast Guard has been working “round the clock” with BP to determine options to contain and secure the spill, according to Coast Guard officials.
Over the weekend, two remotely operated vehicles were placed where oil was leaking from a well pipe.
“Our response plan is focused on quickly securing the source of the subsurface oil emanating from the well, clean the oil on the surface of the water, and keeping the response well offshore,” said Rear Adm. Mary Landry, incident commander and federal on scene coordinator, in a statement.
Meanwhile, BP Group Chief Executive Tony Hayward, who traveled to Texas and Louisiana to meet with response personnel, said BP is attacking the spill on two fronts - at the wellhead and on the surface offshore.
“The team on the ground and those at sea have the group’s full resources behind them,” he added.
As of April 24, BP’s oil spill response team had recovered more than 1,000 barrels of an oil-water mix of which the vast majority is water. The material was collected by skimming vessels and vessels towing containment boom. Dispersants were also applied to the spill.
“At BP’s request we are mounting the single, largest response effort in MSRC’s 20-year history,” Steve Benz, president and chief executive officer of the Marine Spill Response Corp., said in a statement.

 

[thoughtone]

Re: Guess What Anti Gov. Market Based Wing Nuts, US Gov. Is Cleaning Up Oil Co. Oil S

source: Huffington Post

Big Oil Fought Off New Safety Rules Before Rig Explosion

Scroll down to see the proposed safety regulations and BP's objection

As families mourn the 11 workers thrown overboard in the worst oil rig disaster in decades and as the resulting spill continues to spread through the Gulf of Mexico, new questions are being raised about the training of the drill operators and about the oil company's commitment to safety.
Deepwater Horizon, the giant technically-advanced rig which exploded on April 20 and sank two days later, is leaking an estimated 42,000 gallons per day through a pipe about 5,000 feet below the surface. The spill has spread across 1,800 square miles -- an area larger than Rhode Island -- according to satellite images, oozing its way toward the Louisiana coast and posing a threat to wildlife, including a sperm whale spotted in the oil sheen.
The massive $600 million rig, which holds the record for boring the deepest oil and gas well in the world -- at 35,050 feet - had passed three recent federal inspections, the most recent on April 1, since it moved to its current location in January. The cause of the explosion has not been determined.
Yet relatives of workers who are presumed dead claim that the oil behemoth BP and rig owner TransOcean violated "numerous statutes and regulations" issued by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the U.S. Coast Guard, according to a lawsuit filed by Natalie Roshto, whose husband Shane, a deck floor hand, was thrown overboard by the force of the explosion and whose body has not yet been located.
Both companies failed to provide a competent crew, failed to properly supervise its employees and failed to provide Rushto with a safe place to work, according to the complaint filed in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana. The lawsuit also names oil-services giant Halliburton as a defendant, claiming that the company "prior to the explosion, was engaged in cementing operations of the well and well cap and, upon information and belief, improperly and negligently performed these duties, which was a cause of the explosion."
BP and TransOcean have also aggressively opposed new safety regulations proposed last year by a federal agency that oversees offshore drilling -- which were prompted by a study that found many accidents in the industry.

There were 41 deaths and 302 injuries out of 1,443 incidents from 2001 to 2007, according to the study conducted by the Minerals and Management Service of the Interior Department. In addition, the agency issued 150 reports over incidents of non-compliant production and drilling operations and determined there was "no discernible improvement by industry over the past 7 years."
As a result, the agency proposed taking a more proactive stance by requiring operators to have their safety program audited at least once every three years -- previously, the industry's self-managed safety program was voluntary for operators. The agency estimated that the proposed rule, which has yet to take effect, would cost operators about $4.59 million in startup costs and $8 million in annual recurring costs.
The industry has launched a coordinated campaign to attack those regulations, with over 100 letters objecting to the regulations -- in a September 14, 2009 letter to MMS, BP vice president for Gulf of Mexico production, Richard Morrison, wrote that "we are not supportive of the extensive, prescriptive regulations as proposed in this rule," arguing that the voluntary programs "have been and continue to be very successful," along with a list of very specific objections to the wording of the proposed regulations.
The next day, the American Petroleum Institute and the Offshore Operators Committee, in a joint letter to MMS, emphasized their preference for voluntary programs with "enough flexibility to suit the corporate culture of each company." Both trade groups also claimed that the industry's safety and environmental record has improved, citing MMS data to show that the number of lost workdays fell "from a 3.39 rate in 1996 to 0.64 in 2008, a reduction of over 80%."
The Offshore Operators Committee also submitted to MMS a September 2, 2009 PowerPoint presentation asking in bold letters, "What Do HURRICANES and New Rules Have in Common?" against a backdrop of hurricane activity in the Gulf of Mexico. On the next page, the answer appears: "Both are disruptive to Operations And are costly to Recover From".

The presentation also included the following statements:

"We are disappointed... • MMS fails to understand that as operators, we can place expectations on contractors, but we cannot do the planning for them
• MMS adds a lot of prescriptive record keeping and documentation that does
nothing to keep people safe"
​

In addition, TransOcean accountant George Frazer, without identifying his affiliation with the company, submitted a public comment on the proposed regulations stating, "I strongly disagree that a mandated program as proposed is needed," arguing that the proposed action "is a major paperwork-intensive, rulemaking that will significantly impact our business, both operationally and financially," calling it an "unnecessary burden."
"It does appear to be have been an orchestrated effort among most of major oil companies and drilling operators," says Defenders of Wildlife senior policy adviser Richard Charter.
"This event has called attention to fact that there is a long-standing safety problem in offshore industry," he says, noting that he gets phone calls from whistleblowers working on rigs who complain about the work conditions and the environmental damage caused by such operations."
Brian Beckom, a personal-injury attorney who has sued TransOcean several times on behalf of workers, says that "the industry preaches safety, that's what comes out of their corporate mouths, but I know for a fact that is not always the way things go," though he concedes that the company is better than most in the industry, especially some of the smaller "fly-by-night operators". With newer expensive rigs -- BP was paying $500,000 a day to use Deepwater Horizon -- Beckom says "there is tremendous pressure to put production first" and safety issues fall by the wayside.
Industry officials seem to be aware of safety concerns -- in the minutes of a July 2009 meeting of the Health Safety Environment Committee of the International Association of Drilling Contractors trade group, one section is titled, "Stuck on the Plateau." At the meeting, members discussed the difficulty of lowering the number of safety incidents, how to "rock over from the incident plateau" especially in light of a shrinking workforce.
In the current case, the spill's damage has been exacerbated by the depth of the drilling, causing the oil to spread across a wider area and impeding clean-up efforts. On Monday morning, response teams failed to seal off the wellhead with a remote vehicle about a mile under the surface of the water -- an effort akin to "putting a lid on a peanut jar from thousands of feet away," explains Charter.
That threatens to make the spill the most damaging since the Exxon Valdez accident off the coast of Alaska in 1989. It is already the worst oil rig disaster since a blowout on the Union Oil platform off the coast of California in 1969 -- the public outrage over that 11-day oil spill helped spawn the modern environmental movement.
BP and TransOcean did not return calls for comment. Halliburton could not be reached for comment on Monday night.

 

[thoughtone]

Re: Guess What Anti Gov. Market Based Wing Nuts, US Gov. Is Cleaning Up Oil Co. Oil S

source: Fox News

Massive Oil Slick Could Have Devastating Impact on Economy in Gulf States

As a massive oil slick creeps ever closer to the Gulf Coast, officials in Louisiana, Alabama, Texas, [COLOR=blue !important][FONT=arial, sans-serif][COLOR=blue !important][FONT=arial, sans-serif]Mississippi[/FONT][/FONT][/COLOR][/COLOR] and Florida are bracing for the worst. The economic impact over miles of prime coast land has the potential to be catastrophic.

Officials say the slick from last week's offshore drilling rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico may have a devastating impact on one of the coastal states' most precious commodities — shrimp — and the entire industry that surrounds it. And state officials acknowledge that the oil's effect on [COLOR=blue !important][FONT=arial, sans-serif][COLOR=blue !important][FONT=arial, sans-serif]travel [/FONT][COLOR=blue !important][FONT=arial, sans-serif]and [/FONT][/COLOR][COLOR=blue !important][FONT=arial, sans-serif]tourism[/FONT][/COLOR][/FONT][/COLOR][/COLOR] to the area could be equally destructive.

"Common sense would tell us that if the shrimp and oyster beds are impacted, that could potentially affect one of the signature items for Louisiana — our shrimp," Louisiana's assistant secretary of tourism, Jim Hutchinson, told FoxNews.com.

About 5,000 barrels of oil a day are coming up from the seabed after a BP-operated rig, the Deepwater Horizon, exploded and sank last week about 40 miles offshore, leaving 11 workers missing and presumed dead. Federal officials say the leading edge of the spill was expected to reach the Mississippi River delta by Thursday night.

In an interview with FoxNews.com, Deborah Long, spokeswoman for the Southern Shrimp Alliance, said the oil could have a "dramatic effect" on the shrimp industry's ability to stay in [COLOR=blue !important][FONT=arial, sans-serif][COLOR=blue !important][FONT=arial, sans-serif]business[/FONT][/FONT][/COLOR][/COLOR].

"There's a deep concern about the potential effects of the spill on the shrimp stocks," Long said, adding that the U.S. shrimp industry and BP have deployed booms and other resources as a precautionary measure to protect the shrimp, which commercial fishermen depend on to make a living.

Long said that the spill's impact on the industry depends on a "number of variables," which she said "are still unknowns at this point." The volume of the spill, as well as the outcome of the containment efforts, will be key in determining the damage that the oil slick will have on the country's most fertile seafood grounds.

The shrimp season begins in early May, as the shrimp move from estuaries out to sea, Long said. U.S. landings of shrimp were valued at $441.8 million in 2008 — an increase of $9.1 million compared to 2007. Louisiana leads the nation in its shrimp supply -- with 89 million pounds produced in 2008 — followed by Texas, Alabama, Florida and Mississippi.

Hutchinson said that while the effect on wildlife and the fragile ecosystem along the coastline remains the "area of biggest and immediate concern," officials are hoping that the travel and tourism [COLOR=blue !important][FONT=arial, sans-serif][COLOR=blue !important][FONT=arial, sans-serif]industries[/FONT][/FONT][/COLOR][/COLOR] in the region will not also be devastated by the oil spill.
The Gulf states play host to tourists from around the world, and industry officials acknowledge that the spill could have a massive economic impact.

In states like Florida, where tourism is a $65.5 billion industry, and Alabama, which brings in $6 billion, officials are closely monitoring any changes in hotel bookings and travel plans.
Mike Foster, vice president of marketing at the Alabama Gulf Coast Convention and Visitors Bureau in Orange Beach, Ala., said he spoke Wednesday with two major hotel and condominium partners and found few changes in reservations.

"There are very few cancellations" at this time, he told FoxNews.com.
Orange Beach, Ala., saw about 1.3 million visitors from 2008 to 2009, raking in $533 million in travel expenses, including food, lodging and [COLOR=blue !important][FONT=arial, sans-serif][COLOR=blue !important][FONT=arial, sans-serif]recreation[/FONT][/FONT][/COLOR][/COLOR].

Foster and Hutchinson both stressed that it is too early to speculate the impact, if any, of the oil slick on the travel and tourism industry.

"It's a tragedy on so many different levels," Hutchinson said. "As far as specific tourism concerns, none have been broached directly with me."

 

[thoughtone]

Re: Guess What Anti Gov. Market Based Wing Nuts, US Gov. Is Cleaning Up Oil Co. Oil S

For some reason I can't get actinanass, Panameno718, Lamarr, Cruise, Greed and the rest of the wing nuts to answer this thread. Cowards?

source: Huffington Post

'Drill, Baby, Drill' Champions Silent On Gulf Oil Spill


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More than a week has passed since the Deepwater Horizon rig exploded 50 miles off the Louisiana coast, killing 11 workers, injuring over a dozen more, and causing a massive oil spill that may eclipse the Exxon Valdez.

Yet the two most prominent political champions of offshore drilling -- Sarah Palin and Michael Steele -- appear not to have uttered a word about the incident.

Not that either one of them has been completely silent. Sarah Palin has published four new messages on her Facebook page since the initial explosion, including a post on Thursday titled "The Straight-talking 'Hockey Dad' with a Message for Reform" and another defending Rev. Franklin Graham after he was asked not to attend a Pentagon prayer event.

Likewise, Michael Steele has issued at least six statements over the past week, including one on a new Republican National Committee web video, "Mr. Obama's Wild Ride."

And yet, if they do comment, it's hard to imagine that Palin and Steele would take the same tone that they've typically used when discussing offshore drilling.

"Drill, baby, drill! And drill now!" Steele memorably chanted at the Republican National Convention in 2008. "Do you want to put your country first? Then let's make decisions about our security based on what keeps us safe and not on what's politically correct," he told the crowd.

And during that year's vice presidential debate, Palin told Joe Biden, "You even called drilling -- safe, environmentally-friendly drilling offshore -- as raping the outer continental shelf. There -- with new technology, with tiny footprints even on land, it is safe to drill and we need to do more of that."

 

[QueEx]

Re: Guess What Anti Gov. Market Based Wing Nuts, US Gov. Is Cleaning Up Oil Co. Oil S

I'm warning you. You keep Sarah Palin's name out of your mouth or you will hear from actinanass. You've been warned.

Obsessing on Palin

I warned you.

QueEx

 

[thoughtone]

Re: Guess What Anti Gov. Market Based Wing Nuts, US Gov. Is Cleaning Up Oil Co. Oil S

I'm warning you. You keep Sarah Palin's name out of your mouth or you will hear from actinanass. You've been warned.

Obsessing on Palin

I warned you.

QueEx

What, no drill baby drill?

 

[QueEx]

Re: Guess What Anti Gov. Market Based Wing Nuts, US Gov. Is Cleaning Up Oil Co. Oil S

 

[thoughtone]

Re: Guess What Anti Gov. Market Based Wing Nuts, US Gov. Is Cleaning Up Oil Co. Oil S

^^^^^