BP OIL SPILL

[islandmonkey]

IM,that was a good video!

Thanks, it scared me!!!!!!! Like I said, I have no problem with the sharks out past the sand bar etc, but that close to shore and BULL SHARKS........that's a very bad combo:)

[cw618]

http://blog.al.com/live/2010/06/lots_of_sharks_and_lots_of_oil.html

http://media.al.com/live/photo/fort-morgan-tarballs-e8ceb70f869a548a.jpg

american-flag covered in oil in the water
http://media.al.com/live/photo/oil-covered-speckled-crab-with-american-flag-19ec3010204365e9.jpg


Lots of sharks, lots of oil seen off Bon Secour (with video)
Published: Saturday, June 19, 2010, 6:19 PM     Updated: Monday, June 21, 2010, 3:46 PM
Ben Raines, Press-Register

Submerged oil at Bon Secour shoreline
FORT MORGAN, Ala. -- A two-inch layer of submerged oil hugged portions of the Gulf seafloor off the Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge on Friday, a week after a smothering layer of floating crude washed ashore there.


Collecting in pockets and troughs in waist-deep water, the underwater oil was looser and stickier than the tarballs spread liberally along the beach. The consistency was more like a thick liquid, albeit one made up of thousands of small globs.
Unlike tarballs, which can often be picked up out of the water without staining the fingers, the submerged oil stained everything that it touched. A hand passed through the material emerged covered in oily smears. A hunk of fabric hovering near the bottom was completely covered in oil.


The Press-Register found a number of patches of submerged oil 40 to 100 feet off the beach, apparently collecting along rip currents and sandbars. The carcasses of sand fleas, speckled crabs, ghost crabs and leopard crabs were spread throughout the oil, a thick layer of the material caking the bodies of the larger crabs. Their claws looked as if they been turned into clubs made of oil.


Thumb-size sand fleas burrow in the sand where the waves wash onto the beach. It appeared that they had suffocated. Other burrowing creatures, such as the small and colorful coquina clams, seemed unaffected. Unlike sand fleas, the clams are able to close their shells for extended periods, an ability that would offer a measure of protection as oil washed across the sand above them.


Dark patches seen in deeper water Friday might also have been oil, but exceptional numbers of large sharks meant diving down to investigate was not an option. Hammerhead, bull and other sharks were schooling around a boat anchored in 6 feet of water just outside the breaking waves.


Most of the sharks in the deeper water were 6 feet long or more. Smaller sharks could be seen inside the first sandbar, in one case in a school 27 strong.


Huge schools of bait hugged the seashore, attracting large numbers of birds. King mackerel, Spanish mackerel, mullet, ladyfish, speckled trout and other fish schooled in unusually large numbers amid the sharks.


Dead fish seen onshore seemed to have collected in the areas closest to the underwater oil. It was unclear if the fish died because of exposure to the oil.


The Dauphin Island Sea Lab measured large areas of low oxygen water just off the beach at Fort Morgan last week, beginning in water around 20 feet deep. Monty Graham, a University of South Alabama scientist, theorized that the population of oil-consuming microbes had swelled, and those tiny animals consumed lots of oxygen.


Sea life begins to die if oxygen levels drop below 2 parts per million.


"We saw some very low oxygen levels, some below 1," said Graham, of testing he conducted aboard a Dauphin Island Sea Lab research vessel.


He said that the layer of low-oxygen water closest to shore off Fort Morgan began at the bottom and rose up 30 feet.


Graham said he believed that the low oxygen levels were responsible for reports of strange behavior among fish.


"The low oxygen explains things we've been hearing, like reports of flounder swimming on the surface," Graham said.


The low oxygen levels offshore may also explain the dense aggregations of fish seen in the surf zone. The turbulent area near shore is naturally high in oxygen due to the influence of the breaking waves.


The Press-Register has heard numerous reports that suggest oil is moving beneath the surface in Alabama waters. State officials conducting shrimp trawls in the Mississippi Sound two weeks ago found oil on their nets when they pulled them. More recently, BP contractors working around Dauphin Island reported oil coming up on their anchors.

the american-flag covered in oil in the water, should be our alternative-energy
 logo/pic
more on alternative-energyhttp://www.alternative-energy-news.info/

http://blog.al.com/live/2010/06/lots_of_sharks_and_lots_of_oil.html

http://media.al.com/live/photo/fort-morgan-tarballs-e8ceb70f869a548a.jpg

american-flag covered in oil in the water
http://media.al.com/live/photo/oil-covered-speckled-crab-with-american-flag-19ec3010204365e9.jpg



http://www.dailypaul.com/node/138223

[Brandi]

A really cool interactive map of impact on the gulf coast:

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/oil-spill-environment-recreation-map.htm

Here's one example of it:

[cw618]

brandi nice thanks
---------------
wow what if it would work

Is BP Smarter Than a 10-Year-Old?
11 hours ago - FOX News 3:25 | 854059 views
Boy explains how to fix Gulf oil leak

http://news.yahoo.com/video/us-15749625/is-bp-smarter-than-a-10-year-old-20467971

[islandmonkey]

Banging my head against a wall......Florida is now renting their own skimmers since the Federal Government won't offer more than 20 for the entire coastline. Frankly in 60+ days I have seen ONE, and it sat there and never moved, now they (FEDS) say the skimmers in the US (forget the ones even available from foreign countries) aren't available because they have to keep them where they are just in case there is another oil spill..........ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDDING ME????????? That IS exactlt like stating the fire dept can't send a truck to your home that's burning to the ground because their "might" be another fire. GRRRRRRR, I am so going to get a drink ASAP!

[islandmonkey]

http://www.wdsu.com/news/23997498/detail.html

Federal Gov't Halts Sand Berm Dredging
Nungesser Pleads With President To Allow Work To Continue
POSTED: 5:37 pm CDT June 22, 2010
UPDATED: 9:21 am CDT June 23, 2010
 Email  Print
 Comments (107)NEW ORLEANS --
The federal government is shutting down the dredging that was being done to create protective sand berms in the Gulf of Mexico.

The berms are meant to protect the Louisiana coastline from oil. But the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Department has concerns about where the dredging is being done.

Plaquemines Parish President Billy Nungesser, who was one of the most vocal advocates of the dredging plan, has sent a letter to President Barack Obama, pleading for the work to continue.

Nungesser said the government has asked crews to move the dredging site two more miles farther off the coastline.

"Once again, our government resource agencies, which are intended to protect us, are now leaving us vulnerable to the destruction of our coastline and marshes by the impending oil," Nungesser wrote to Obama. "Furthermore, with the threat of hurricanes or tropical storms, we are being put at an increased risk for devastation to our area from the intrusion of oil.

Nungesser has asked for the dredging to continue for the next seven days, the amount of time it would take to move the dredging operations two miles and out resume work.

Work is scheduled to halt at midnight Wednesday.

The California dredge located off the Chandelier Islands has pumped more than 50,000 cubic yards of material daily to create a sand berm, according to Plaquemines Parish officials.

Nungesser's letter includes an emotional plea to the president.

"Please don't let them shut this dredge down," he wrote. "This requires your immediate attention!"

[trimmonthelake]

http://blog.al.com/jdcrowe/2010/06/double_jeopardy.html
Double Jeopardy
Published: Wednesday, June 23, 2010, 6:06 AM
Down here on the Gulf, we've got our hands full battling the oil spill disaster that's killing our economy.

Our drowning tourism and seafood industries are just the tip of the Romaine (our good restaurants don't use iceberg) lettuce of businesses that are already suffering.

How could it get any worse?

Don't look now, but there's a breeze blowin'  off the southwestern tip of Africa.

Board up the windows and grab your ankles, folks. It's hurricane season. How does oil mix with water and wind? This is Alabama. All bets are off.

[trimmonthelake]

http://blog.al.com/live/2010/06/far_from_gulf_a_cloudy_picture.html
Far from Gulf, a cloudy picture for oil fund czar
Published: Wednesday, June 23, 2010, 6:34 AM     Updated: Wednesday, June 23, 2010, 6:38 AM
NEW ORLEANS -- Is a strip club that caters to oil-rig workers entitled to a piece of the $20 billion fund for victims of the Gulf of Mexico disaster? How about a souvenir stand on a nearly empty beach? Or a far-off restaurant that normally serves Gulf seafood?

The farther the massive spill's effects spread, the harder it will get for President Barack Obama's new compensation czar to decide who deserves to be paid.
Fishermen, rig workers and others left jobless by the oil spill seem certain to get their slices of the pie, sooner or later. It's the people and businesses a few degrees -- and perhaps hundreds of miles -- removed from the Gulf but still dependent on its bounty who will have a tougher time getting their claims past Kenneth Feinberg, the lawyer who handled payouts for families of Sept. 11 victims.

"How can there not be a trickle-down effect?" said Jeffrey Berniard, a New Orleans lawyer who represents about 100 people and firms filing claims against BP PLC. "How can the businesses that serve all the people who work in the industry not be affected if all the people in these industries are out of work?"

The question of who gets paid also gets trickier with time. As the spill enters its third month, Berniard and other attorneys say they're hearing more from people who might not have been affected right away.
One of Berniard's clients is a health care consultant who makes her living matching doctors with hospitals looking to hire medical help. She usually places about a dozen doctors in a good year, he said, so one contract is a big loss.

The woman had a doctor lined up recently for a job at Florida Panhandle hospital.

"All of a sudden, the oil spill hits and the doctor says, 'I don't want to spend the next 10 or 15 years there,'" Berniard said. "I'm not overly optimistic her claim will be paid through the claims process. I think we'll have to go into litigation. But we'll see."

Charles Lavis Jr., another New Orleans lawyer, said he's fielded several inquiries from people worried the value of their recreational boats could drop if they are driven through an oil slick or if fewer people are interested in buying them because they don't want to cruise along an oil-spattered coast.

There has been so much confusion over who is eligible that Feinberg has had to respond to rumors about a New Orleans strip club putting in for a payout.

"I'm dubious about that claim. I'm very dubious about that claim," Feinberg told ABC's George Stephanopoulos. "But I don't want to prejudge any individual claim."

The business, called Mimosa Dancing Club, turns out to be a modest bar with a small dance floor in a Vietnamese enclave on the east side of the city, at least an hour from any oiled waters. The owner did not return messages seeking comment. A woman who identified herself as the owner's sister, but would only give her first name, said the establishment was not a strip club and said she did not know whether the owner had filed an oil spill claim.
BP spokesman John Curry said the company does not comment on individual claims.

Under pressure from the White House, the company will pay $20 billion into a compensation fund that will be administered by Feinberg. Curry said the company has not rejected any of the more than 67,000 claims it has received, although it has asked thousands of people for more documentation before cutting a check.

That could be a problem for many of those who need money most urgently, said Tuan Nguyen, deputy director of the Mary Queen of Vietnam Community Development Corp. in eastern New Orleans, where many immigrants and their families work in the seafood business.

"It's a very cash-involved industry. Some of the boat captains or boat owners, they sell fish on the side of the road or directly to families. They don't have records of that," Nguyen said.

Feinberg said that when drawing the line, he probably will try to determine if the law in the state where the claim is filed would recognize it if it were filed in court, a process he used in determining who had a legitimate claim to the 9/11 victims fund. He expects to use slightly different methods when fielding claims from different categories of businesses, say, fishermen versus hotels.

"We have to decide in this facility how far removed from the Gulf we will find legitimate, valid claims," Feinberg said Tuesday at an appearance alongside Alabama Gov. Bob Riley in Mobile.

"The buck stops with me in terms of an initial determination," Feinberg said, but the claimant can appeal to a panel of three retired judges, who will be appointed by him from the Gulf states. Those judges will rule in about 10 days, and claims applicants can sue in state court if they aren't satisfied.
BP can only appeal Feinberg's decisions on awards larger than $500,000, BP spokesman David Nicholas said.

The spill's financial waves start at the water's edge and spread inland.

In Pensacola, Fla., a linen cleaning firm that normally cleans sheets for hotels and condominiums rented to vacationers has lost $50,000 since the oil spill began, said Carol Moore, an investigator for a law firm representing the company.

A vending company whose machines supply candy bars, potato chips and prepackaged sandwiches has seen business drop by $25,000. About a dozen banks in the area are filing claims as customers who took out loans to fund condominiums and bait-and-tackle shops struggle to make payments, Moore said.

"It is so huge that you wonder if $20 billion is going to be enough," she said.

Near Chapel Hill, N.C., Gary Huey said he typically goes through two dozen, 125-count boxes of raw oysters and another 12 gallons of shelled oysters a week at Huey's Restaurant and Oyster Bar. His Mississippi-based supplier has been able to keep him stocked so far, but has told Huey he will have to cut him off in two weeks.

"In this area there are not many oyster bars, it is my niche so to speak," Huey said. "Or it was."

Since the spill started, the price of Gulf shrimp also has gone up and it has become harder to come by since many distributors are limiting how much they will sell, he said. Huey nonetheless is not sure whether he will file a claim with BP.
They could get in a situation that every restaurant that serves a little bit of seafood would be filing a claim, and I don't know where it stops at," he said. "I'm a fairly decent-sized restaurant, and seafood is our business, but I don't see how every restaurant could qualify."

While the prospect of lawsuits awaits, some who are missing out simply want to stay afloat.

Emma Chighizola, 68, is used to seeing dozens of tourists pouring through her doors at Blue Water Souvenirs in Grand Isle, snapping up T-shirts, rafts, shell jewelry and coolers. She and her husband filed a business claim with BP more than a month ago and "haven't gotten a penny."

Her husband went to a BP claims office over the weekend and was told the paperwork was still being processed.

"How much time do they need?" she wondered. "All I want is what I'm losing, I don't want any more."

[trimmonthelake]

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2010/06/23/people-involved-gulf-oil-spill-cleanup-died-coast-guard-reports/
2 People Involved in Gulf Oil Spill Cleanup Have Died, Coast Guard Reports
Published June 23, 2010
| FOXNews.com
Two people involved in the Gulf oil spill cleanup effort have died, the U.S. Coast Guard reported.

Meantime, hundreds of thousands of gallons more oil gushed into the Gulf of Mexico on Wednesday after an undersea robot bumped a venting system and forced BP to remove a cap that had been containing some of the crude.

When the robot bumped the system, gas rose through the vent that carries warm water down to prevent ice-like crystals from forming in the cap, Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen said.

The cap was removed and crews were checking to see if crystals had formed before putting it back on. Allen did not say how long that might take.

"There's more coming up than there had been, but it's not a totally unconstrained discharge," Allen said
n the meantime, a different system was still burning oil on the surface.

Before the problem with the containment cap, it had collected about 700,000 gallons of oil in the previous 24 hours. Another 438,000 gallons was burned.

The current worst-case estimate of what's spewing into the Gulf is about 2.5 million gallons a day. Anywhere from 67 million to 127 million gallons have spilled since the April 20 explosion on the Deepwater Horizon rig that killed 11 workers and blew out a well 5,000 feet underwater. BP PLC was leasing the rig from owner Transocean Ltd.

Meanwhile, the Obama administration tried to sort out how to resurrect a six-month moratorium on new deepwater drilling that was struck down by a federal judge a day earlier.

U.S. District Judge Martin Feldman in New Orleans overturned the ban Tuesday, saying the government simply assumed that because one rig exploded, the others pose an imminent danger, too.

Feldman, a 1983 appointee of President Ronald Reagan, has reported extensive investments in the oil and gas industry, including owning less than $15,000 of Transocean stock, according to financial disclosure reports for 2008, the most recent available. He did not return calls for comment.
The White House promised an immediate appeal of his decision. The Interior Department had imposed the moratorium last month in the wake of the BP disaster, halting approval of any new permits for deepwater projects and suspending drilling on 33 exploratory wells.

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said in a statement late Tuesday that within the next few days he would issue a new order imposing a moratorium that eliminates any doubt it is needed and appropriate.

"It's important that we don't move forward with new drilling until we know it can be done in a safe way," Salazar told a Senate subcommittee Wednesday.

BP's new point man for the oil spill wouldn't say Wednesday if the company would resume deepwater drilling in the Gulf of Mexico.

Asked about it Wednesday on NBC's "Today" show, BP managing director Bob Dudley said they will "step back" from the issue while they investigate the rig explosion.

Also Wednesday, BP said Dudley has been appointed to head the new Gulf Coast Restoration Organization, which is in charge of cleaning up the oil spill.

At least two major oil companies, Shell and Marathon, said they would wait to see how the appeals play out before resuming drilling.

The lawsuit was filed by Hornbeck Offshore Services of Covington, La. CEO Todd Hornbeck said after the ruling that he is looking forward to getting back to work. "It's the right thing for not only the industry but the country," he said.

[trimmonthelake]

http://fieldnotes.msnbc.msn.com/
2 oil spill workers die, 1 from gunshot

A boat captain who was working on the oil spill response died of a gunshot wound early Wednesday, the Mobile (Ala.) Press-Register is reporting.

"I'm very sorry to announce the death this morning of a captain in the vessel of opportunity program at Fort Morgan, Alabama," the newspaper quoted U.S. Coast Guard Cmdr. Chuck Diorio as saying.

Diorio said the Gulf Shores Police Department was investigating the death.

Another worker involved in the oil spill response also has died, Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen said Wednesday. No other details were immediately available, but the Coast Guard said it did not appear the death was work related.

[trimmonthelake]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100623/ap_on_re_us/us_gulf_oil_spill
More oil gushing into Gulf after problem with cap
  MICHAEL KUNZELMAN, Associated Press Writer Michael Kunzelman, Associated Press Writer   – 2 hrs 18 mins ago

NEW ORLEANS – Hundreds of thousands of gallons more oil gushed into the Gulf of Mexico on Wednesday after an undersea robot bumped a venting system and forced BP to remove a cap that had been containing some of the crude.

When the robot bumped the system, gas rose through the vent that carries warm water down to prevent ice-like crystals from forming in the cap, Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen said.

The cap was removed and crews were checking to see if crystals had formed before putting it back on. Allen did not say how long that might take.

"There's more coming up than there had been, but it's not a totally unconstrained discharge," Allen said.

In the meantime, a different system was still burning oil on the surface.

Before the problem with the containment cap, it had collected about 700,000 gallons of oil in the previous 24 hours. Another 438,000 gallons was burned.
The current worst-case estimate of what's spewing into the Gulf is about 2.5 million gallons a day. Anywhere from 67 million to 127 million gallons have spilled since the April 20 explosion on the Deepwater Horizon rig that killed 11 workers and blew out a well 5,000 feet underwater. BP PLC was leasing the rig from owner Transocean Ltd.

Meanwhile, the Obama administration tried to sort out how to resurrect a six-month moratorium on new deepwater drilling that was struck down by a federal judge a day earlier.

U.S. District Judge Martin Feldman in New Orleans overturned the ban Tuesday, saying the government simply assumed that because one rig exploded, the others pose an imminent danger, too.

Feldman, a 1983 appointee of President Ronald Reagan, has reported extensive investments in the oil and gas industry, including owning less than $15,000 of Transocean stock, according to financial disclosure reports for 2008, the most recent available. He did not return calls for comment.

The White House promised an immediate appeal of his decision. The Interior Department had imposed the moratorium last month in the wake of the BP disaster, halting approval of any new permits for deepwater projects and suspending drilling on 33 exploratory wells.

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said in a statement late Tuesday that within the next few days he would issue a new order imposing a moratorium that eliminates any doubt it is needed and appropriate.

"It's important that we don't move forward with new drilling until we know it can be done in a safe way," Salazar told a Senate subcommittee Wednesday.
BP's new point man for the oil spill  wouldn't say Wednesday if the company would resume deepwater drilling in the Gulf of Mexico.

Asked about it Wednesday on NBC's "Today" show, BP managing director Bob Dudley said they will "step back" from the issue while they investigate the rig explosion.

Also Wednesday, BP said Dudley has been appointed to head the new Gulf Coast Restoration Organization, which is in charge of cleaning up the oil spill.

At least two major oil companies, Shell and Marathon, said they would wait to see how the appeals play out before resuming drilling.

The lawsuit was filed by Hornbeck Offshore Services of Covington, La. CEO Todd Hornbeck said after the ruling that he is looking forward to getting back to work. "It's the right thing for not only the industry but the country," he said.

[cw618]

how big is the oil flow compared to your city/state size

http://paulrademacher.com/oilspill/#

my map
http://paulrademacher.com/oilspill/#sandusky+ohio

[trimmonthelake]

http://blog.al.com/live/2010/06/brown_oil_spotted_near_alabama.html
Brown oil spotted near Alabama and Mississippi coasts during flyover (with video)
Published: Friday, June 25, 2010, 1:51 PM     Updated: Friday, June 25, 2010, 2:47 PM

[cw618]

possiably more bad news for the gulf of mexico

Tropical storm plus oil slick equals more fear and uncertaintyBy the CNN Wire Staff
June 26, 2010 8:30 a.m. EDT

SNIPPED,vids at link
Video: What will a possible hurricane do to
Video: Gulf storm threat
Video: Concerns over use of dispersants

http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/06/26/gulf.oil.disaster/?hpt=T1

a snip

New Orleans, Louisiana (CNN) -- The disaster thousands of feet deep in the Gulf of Mexico may be exacerbated by a different type of calamity in the coming week -- a tropical storm -- that could push the oil farther along Florida's pristine Panhandle beaches.

Tropical Storm Alex -- the first named storm of the 2010 Atlantic hurricane season -- formed in the Caribbean on Saturday. Alex had maximum sustained winds of 40 mph and was about 250 miles away from Chetumal, Mexico. It was moving toward Belize and over the Yucatan Peninsula.

"The greatest nightmare with this storm approaching is that it takes this oil on the surface of the Gulf and blows it over the barrier islands into the bays and the estuaries," Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Florida, told CNN. "And that is where you really get the enormous destruction, because it's just very difficult to clean up those pristine bays."

Alex is heading is west-northwest direction and was not predicted to directly pass over the massive oil slick caused by the ruptured BP undersea well, though its path could change.

A tropical storm in the Gulf has the potential to disrupt BP efforts to collect gushing oil and drill relief wells. It would also complicate efforts to clean up miles of coastline. High winds and seas could distribute the oil -- still gushing from a blown deepwater well -- over a wider area while storm surges could wash more oil ashore, according to a fact sheet prepared by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

more
http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/06/26/gulf.oil.disaster/?hpt=T1

[cw618]

topics covered in this 7pg article
The Oil’s Reach » | Plugging the Well » | The Cleaning Crew »
Dispersant » | Environmental Impact » | Economic Impact »
Political Fallout » | Liability » | BP and the Oil Industry »
Philanthropy » | Perspective »
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/26/us/26primerWEB.html

How Much Has Spilled, and How Far? Seeking Answers as Questions Mount
Oil off the coast of Alabama.

By THE NEW YORK TIMES
Published: June 25, 2010

The Oil’s Reach (a snip)

Q. How far has the oil advanced along the Gulf Coast? How far could it travel, and what variables are at play? Have any communities been bypassed and spared?

A. So far, oil has made landfall along hundreds of miles of the Gulf Coast, from Freshwater Bayou in the middle of Louisiana’s coastline, all the way to the Florida panhandle to just outside Panama City. The impact has not been uniform; some areas have been greatly affected, while others have been spared. For example, Mississippi’s mainland coast, excepting its barrier islands, has been largely untouched by heavy oil, though that appears likely to change in the next few days.

The oil, either in the form of tar balls, sheen or heavier “mousse,” is brought near the coast by currents, but the wind is usually responsible for the final push, bringing streams of oil onshore. Coast Guard officials frequently describe the oil as a series of spills rather than one big slick, and that is reflected in the impact: oil is heading in all directions at the same time.

Shoreline trajectories, based on currents and wind patterns, are only dependable for roughly 72 hours. But scientists using computer models at the National Center for Atmospheric Research have suggested that the oil reaching the loop current in the Gulf of Mexico could come around Florida’s southern tip within weeks.

After that, the modeling indicates, it would travel up the Atlantic Seaboard to North Carolina’s Outer Banks, before joining the Gulf Stream and heading east across the Atlantic toward Europe. They caution, however, that this is not a forecast but merely a possibility, and that it is unclear how much the oil would dissipate as it traveled in these currents

Reported by Felicity Barringer, John M. Broder, Robbie Brown, Damien Cave, Henry Fountain, Justin Gillis, Leslie Kaufman, Clifford Krauss, John Leland, Campbell Robertson, Elisabeth Rosenthal, John Schwartz and Tom Zeller Jr.


---------------------------------------------
(Page 2 of 7) a snip



Q. Doomsday scenarios described online suggest that the pipe that lines the well is deteriorating, or that there may be other problems with the well that may cause it to fail completely, leaving an utterly uncontrolled gusher that could prove difficult or impossible to control. Is this true?

A. There is a lot of speculation about the condition of the well, but it is not really possible to know what kind of shape it is in. BP suggested that one reason that a procedure called the “top kill” failed was because there may have been damage to the well lining about 1,000 feet down. But no one knows for sure.

What does seem clear is that there is enough concern about not making the situation worse that BP is now pursuing only the containment option at the top of the well. They have abandoned efforts to permanently plug the well from the top because that would build up pressure that might cause damage. The well will be permanently sealed starting from the bottom, using one or both relief wells
--------------------------------------------------------------
(Page 4 of 7) a snip
Economic Impact

Q. What will the economic impact of the spill be?

A. The final costs of the spill are difficult to predict. For now, as images of oil-coated wildlife on Louisiana’s islands fill the news, most parts of coastal Mississippi and Alabama have seen only intermittent tar balls, but the states are suffering the same blows to their fishing and tourism industries.

In May, Nathaniel Karp, chief economist for the Alabama bank BBVA Compass, projected eventual losses for the four gulf states at $4.3 billion, including $191 million in losses to Alabama. This month he raised that projection to $11.5 billion.

In Louisiana, seafood and tourism generate $2.4 billion a year and $8.3 billion, respectively, according to officials associated with the two industries.

--------------------------------------------------------


(Page 7 of 7) a snip
Perspective

Q. Is this the nation’s worst oil disaster ever? Its worst environmental disaster ever?

A. It is probably neither. If your criterion for the worst oil disaster is the greatest volume of oil leaked, then the Lakeview Gusher of 1910 released at least twice as much oil into a semi-desert area of California as this leak has released so far. This leak is without question the worst oil disaster at sea in United States history, but it does not yet match the volume of an Mexican oil-well blowout known as Ixtoc 1, also in the gulf, in 1979-80.

As for worst environmental disaster ever, this one so far does not come close to matching the human impact of the Dust Bowl of the 1930s, which prompted one of the largest mass migrations in American history, with perhaps a half-million people abandoning the Plains. But that said, the damage is accumulating as the spill drags on. It seems likely to wind up as one of the worst American environmental disasters, if not the worst.

The Oil’s Reach » | Plugging the Well » | The Cleaning Crew »
Dispersant » | Environmental Impact » | Economic Impact »
Political Fallout » | Liability » | BP and the Oil Industry »
Philanthropy » | Perspective »
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/26/us/26primerWEB.html

[cw618]

sorry i meant to add these links to this post, instead of its own post
possiably more bad news for the gulf of mexico
---------------------------------------
Tracking the Oil Spill in the Gulf
interactive map
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/05/01/us/20100501-oil-spill-tracker.html?ref=us

UPDATED Friday, June 25, 2010
Where Oil Is on the Gulf Coast
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/05/27/us/20100527-oil-landfall.html?ref=us

Published: May 10, 2010
A History of Major Oil Spills
Oil slicks have historically been the most vivid examples of the risks inherent in both oil shipping and offshore drilling. While the industry has drawn on lessons from each successive spill, advances in extraction techniques present new challenges.
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/05/10/us/20100510_OIL_TIMELINE.html?ref=us

Multimedia
Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill Multimedia Collection
An interactive map tracking the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. Plus: video, audio, graphics and photos.
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/us/spill_index.html?ref=us

[trimmonthelake]

http://www.cfnews13.com/article/news/2010/june/114364/Alex-churns-toward-Mexico

Last Updated: Monday, June 28, 2010 8:43 PM
MIAMI --

Tropical Storm Alex is expected to strengthen into a hurricane Tuesday.

Meanwhile, a hurricane watch is in effect for the south Texas and northeastern Mexico coast.

The storm's center is on a track from Yucatan headed for the Texas-Mexico border -- and away from the oil spill area off Louisiana.
8 p.m. Tropical Storm Advisory

A hurricane watch has been issued for the coast of Texas south of Baffin Bay to the mouth of the Rio Grande.

A hurricane watch is in effect for the coast of Mexico from Baffin Bay to La Cruz.

A tropical storm warning is in effect for the coast of Texas from Baffin Bay to Port O'Connor.
Discussion and 48-hour outlook

At 8 p.m. EDT, the center of Tropical Storm Alex was located near latitude 20.6 north, longitude 91.6 west.

Alex has been nearly stationary over the past few hours, but is expected to resume a north-nortwestwarn motion near 5 mph Monday night.

An increase in forward speed and a turn toward the northwest are expected on Tuesday, followed by a turn toward the west-northwest on Wednesday.

On the forecast track, Alex will move across the southern Gulf of Mexico and approach the coast within the Hurricane Watch area late Wednesday.
 
Maximum sustained winds are near 60 mph with higher gusts.

Some strengthening is forecast during the next 48 hours, and Alex is expected to become a hurricane on Tuesday.

A hurricane hunter plane is currently approaching the center of Alex.
 
Tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 70 miles from the center.

An automated station from the Mexican Navy at Cayo Arcas, located just to the southwest of the center of Alex recently reported a sustained wind of 38 mph and a gust of 45 mph.
 
The estimated minimum central pressure is 990 mb or 29.23 inches.
Hazards affecting land

Alex is expected to produce additional rainfall accumulations of 3 to 6 inches over the Yucatan Peninsula, southern Mexico and the northern portions of Guatemala through Tuesday. Isolated maximum amounts of 10 inches are possible over mountainous areas. These rains could cause life-threatening flash floods and mud slides.

Heavy rains could reach the coastal areas of Tamaulipas, northern Veracruz and south Texas Tuesday night and Wednesday.

Next complete advisory: 11 p.m.

[trimmonthelake]

http://blog.al.com/live/2010/06/jimmy_buffett_concert_postponed.html
Jimmy Buffett concert postponed to July 11 because of Tropical Storm Alex
Published: Monday, June 28, 2010, 4:27 PM     Updated: Monday, June 28, 2010, 5:22 PM
GULF SHORES, Ala. -- The highly anticipated Jimmy Buffett concert has been postponed until Sunday, July 11, because of concerns about Tropical Storm Alex, city officials told the Press-Register this afternoon.

"I know there's going to be some disappointed people out there, but no one is more disappointed than us," said Mayor Robert Craft.

The free concert was set to be simulcast on the CMT network at 7 p.m., featuring native son Buffett and a cast of friends and special guests. The show was an attempt to boost tourism and spirits in light of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

The news came suddenly and with little warning.
As of lunchtime today, the Gulf Shores City Council was holding a special meeting to discuss plans for the show and a crane was lifting parts of the stage into place.

But while working on the staging, concert planners were also keeping an eye on the tropical system in the southern Gulf of Mexico.

While Alex is expected to go ashore in Mexico or Texas, forecasters believe the system could cause storm surge on the Alabama coastline on Wednesday.

Concert organizers are worried that the storm surge could send water up the beach and under the staging, undermining the stage's stability.

Some 35,000 tickets were made available for the show and were gone minutes after they became available online and at some TicketMaster outlets last Wednesday. Others were given to real estate companies to be offered as incentives for people to book rooms and bring tourism dollars to Baldwin County's beaches.
City officials said Monday afternoon that all ticketholders should hang on to their tickets and that the tickets that were issued will be the tickets used for the July 11 show. The rescheduled concert is likely to take place at the same time (7-9 p.m.)

The sudden change in plans is likely to throw local rental agencies for a loop as they were selling weekend packages for people to stay and see the show. With no concert and people likely to back out, there's precious little time to rebook rooms before the Fourth of July weekend.

Meanwhile, it will be up to people who are receiving tickets through their room or condo rental to work things out with the rental agency, said Herb Malone, president of the Convention and Visitors Bureau.

It was unclear Monday afternoon how the change in the date of the concert might affect the rest of the concert's lineup since other artists could have conflicting performance dates.

Buffett and his Coral Reefer Band were to be joined in the concert by his friends Sonny Landreth, Zac Brown, Kenny Chesney, Jesse Winchester and Allen Toussaint.

Meanwhile, the city of Gulf Shores' fireworks display is still scheduled to take place Sunday night. Fireworks and Montgomery Gentry show at The Wharf on the Fourth likewise is still a go, officials said.

Monday's announcement came on the same day as the opening of Buffett's new Margaritaville Beach Hotel in Pensacola Beach, Fla.

[cw618]

DEEPWATER HORIZON OIL SPILL POINT ADDED TO NHC WIND PROBABILITY PRODUCT
http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/pdf/DWH_PWS_text_product.pdf

...ALEX NOW MOVING TOWARD THE NORTHWEST WITH WINDS JUST BELOW HURRICANE STRENGTH...
http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/index.shtml?

the icons are clickable for more detailed info
http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/refresh/graphics_at1+shtml/150122.shtml?3-daynl#contents

[trimmonthelake]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20100704/ts_nm/us_bp_new_investors
BP launches search for new investors: report
 40 mins ago

LONDON/DUBAI (Reuters) – Oil major BP Plc is seeking a strategic investor to secure its independence in the face of any takeover attempts as it struggles with a devastating oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico, newspapers said on Sunday.

Britain's Sunday Times said the company's advisers were trying to drum up interest among rival oil groups and sovereign wealth funds to take a stake of between 5 and 10 percent in the company at a cost of up to 6 billion pounds ($9.1 billion).

Abu Dhabi newspaper The National said BP could get a reprieve from Middle East financial institutions looking to make a strategic investment, citing informed sources.

Proposals from the region have already been submitted to BP advisers in London, the newspaper reported, and could involve Middle Eastern investors purchasing key assets from BP, which has lost more than half its market value since an explosion at the Deepwater Horizon rig on April 20 started the still-gushing leak.
The paper said regional financial institutions might also give financial backing to any capital-raising BP might be considering to reinforce its balance sheet following the environmental disaster, which could cost as much as $60 billion to clean up.

The report did not indicate which Middle Eastern financial firms issued the proposals or what the size of investments could be.

Regional sovereign wealth funds, such as the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) and Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA), have supported Western companies in times of financial crisis by purchasing stakes in western banks and effectively halting declines in their share prices.

Separately, British newspaper the Guardian said BP was holding talks with the Kuwait Investment Office about raising its 1.75 percent stake in the oil company to potentially as much as 10 percent.

Rival oil majors ExxonMobil, Total and Royal Dutch Shell have been mooted as possible bidders.

BP declined to comment on the speculation.

The New York Times reported on Sunday that BP is asking its partners in the ruptured well, Anadarko Petroleum Corp and Mitsui Oil Exploration Co, to contribute nearly $400 million to the clean-up effort.

BP sent out demands for $272 million from Anadarko and $111 million from Japanese company Mitsui on June 2. That represents roughly 40 percent of the $1 billion BP spent in May, according to the newspaper.

BP owns 65 percent of the well, Anadarko owns 25 percent and Mitsui 10 percent.
"We have said that other parties besides BP may be responsible for costs and liabilities arising from this oil spill and we expect those parties to live up to their expectations," BP spokesman Toby Odone said in Houston.

Anadarko and Mitsui did not immediately respond to calls for comment.

Meanwhile, the Sunday Telegraph reported BP was facing fresh criticism over its approach to safety as it emerged it did not use an industry standard process, known as a safety case, to assess risk at the Deepwater Horizon rig.

A BP spokeswoman confirmed to Reuters that it did not use the procedure, developed in Britain after the Piper Alpha oil rig explosion in 1988, at any of its U.S. wells as there was no legal requirement in the U.S. to use it.

BP shares closed down at 322 pence in London on Friday, valuing the business at 60.5 billion pounds.

(Reporting by Matt Scuffham and Shaheen Pasha; Additional reporting by Caroline Copley; Editing by Will Waterman and Todd Eastham)