The Center for Biological Diversity praised the Obama administration’s announcement today that it is cancelling two offshore oil and gas lease sales: one in the Atlantic off the coast of Virginia and another in the Gulf of Mexico. The Atlantic lease sale was part of a controversial area that Interior Secretary Ken Salazar approved for expanded offshore oil development after the Bush administration lifted the moratorium on drilling in the Atlantic. The Gulf of Mexico lease sale was scheduled to take place in mid-August.
“Obama’s decision to cancel these lease sales recognizes that risky offshore drilling needs reform,” said Miyoko Sakashita, oceans director at the Center. “Halting controversial lease sales is among the most proactive steps that Obama has taken toward the Gulf disaster.”
You just know that somewhere on the road (just where in the hell is she these days anyhow?). Sarah Palin is bitch slapping her Facebook writer and demanding that she "make me sound smart" as she prepares to dictate some mind numbingly stupid word salad which will have little, if any, resemblance to the finished post.
"President Obama...oil independence...honor our troops...take away Trig's health care...drill, baby drill...Todd's snowmachine runs better on domestic gasoline...patriotic Americans...common sense...tax and spend...there! Now polish that up and hit the "publish" button!"
Showing posts with label Gulf of Mexico. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gulf of Mexico. Show all posts
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Sunday, June 27, 2010
The woman who could not even stand up to the local bloggers in her state, and ran away from her elected position, dares to give our President advice.
The former Alaska governor and 2008 Republican vice presidential candidate told thousands of people at a convention center in Tyler that the president should have been more aggressive in going after BP executives after the spill. The British company was leasing a rig that exploded April 20, causing the largest offshore oil spill in U.S. history.
"You asked for the job, Mr. President, so buck up," Palin said to voracious applause inside the nearly packed Oil Palace. Organizers said the event drew about 5,000 people.
He does not need to "buck up" you "fuck up"!
He is doing the best job he can in the face of constant push back from Republicans and their blatant attempts to protect BP from the financial liability for this disaster. Some Republicans are even going so far as to apologize to BP for what the President has already done to hold them accountable, and yet he continues to stand firm and demand that BP take responsibility for this disaster. In other words he did NOT run away when the job got too difficult.
She also said the U.S. must become independent of foreign oil by using its own resources, but that it must be done responsibly and under government oversight.
"I chant, 'drill baby drill,' because it will help make the country energy independent," she said.
You know lady if you were not a total moron who NEVER understands what she is talking about you might come to realize just how stupid that claim is, and stop saying it in front of intelligent people.
Here let the always factual Rachel Maddow explain it to you once again.
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
Sarah Palin is a person who found that her job was too much work, and that people were going to demand accountability for the unethical and illegal things that she did, and she quit! And that is who is she is until the end of her life. The woman who quit!
I don't care how many books she sells, or how many stupid people pay to watch her circus act on the speaker's circuit, she is now, and forever will be, the half term Governor who quit!
And that is not somebody who should be offering advice to ANYONE!
Friday, June 25, 2010
Could BP declare bankruptcy to avoid paying for the damage done to the Gulf of Mexico?
From the Atlantic:
There is a reasonably high chance that BP could file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the next few years, or even months, and the result would be an "absolute horror" for the government, according to a bankruptcy expert.
Peter S. Kaufman, the President of investment bank Gordian Group and head of the firm's Restructuring and Distressed M&A practice, told me that if he had BP's ear, "I'd advise them to explore the option of bankruptcy." If he had the government's ear, he'd tell them to stop berating the company to the point where BP would find it appealing to use bankruptcy to limit its liabilities.
The specter of Chapter 11 bankruptcy terrifies Gulf residents because it could allow BP to delay, or even avoid, paying billions of dollars to businesses and individuals affected by the Gulf spill. The chapter is specifically for companies in temporary financial trouble who can reemerge as viable if they receive new funding, cancel burdensome contracts and delay, restructure, or wall off repayment obligations.
What would a BP bankruptcy look like?
It could work a lot of different ways. They could cut loose BP America and it could be BP America that files for bankruptcy. My presumption is that it's BP America that's responsible for the spill. They can wall off the non-BP America assets from the Gulf -- which is about 50% of the company's net value --and try to reorganize BP America. That's likely to take a very long time, and BP would not make good on its promise for the 20 billion [in the escrow fund].
Or they could file all of BP, and do so in London. Wonder how well-received our government and legitimate Gulf claimants would fare in a British insolvency court?
I would hope that making a decision this radical would be completely off of the table for BP, but considering how much the Gulf clean up may eventually end up costing the company it is naive to believe that this will not at least cross their collective minds. And if they DO make that choice, simply put, we are screwed.
And while we are on this subject here are 15 Gulf Oil Spill Myths that you can digest as well.
There is a lot of very interesting and frightening information on that list. Here is just one part that really caught my eye:
Myth. Republicans may scream "drill, baby, drill" louder, but when it comes to political money being spent to influence government, it's more or less a tie. Key Democrats are among the top recipients of political money from oil companies, as are Republicans. The money flows to those in oil-rich states, to high-profile candidates and those with the most power in Congress (ie, the chairs of key committees). Here's a look at the Friends of Earth tally of opensecrets.org data, showing the biggest recipients of money from BP and other oil companies since 2006:
Senate
* John McCain (R-AZ) - $36,649 from BP; $2.43 million total
* Mary Landrieu (D-LA) - $16,200 from BP; $329,100 total
* Mark Begich (D-AK) - $8,550 from BP; $85,958 total
* Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) - $8,500 from BP; 223,326 total
* Mitch McConnell (R-KY) - $8,500 from BP; 408,400 total
I believe that may go along way toward explaining why Alaska is still pushing hard to open new deep water drilling projects while the Gulf is currently hemorrhaging oil.
There is a reasonably high chance that BP could file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the next few years, or even months, and the result would be an "absolute horror" for the government, according to a bankruptcy expert.
Peter S. Kaufman, the President of investment bank Gordian Group and head of the firm's Restructuring and Distressed M&A practice, told me that if he had BP's ear, "I'd advise them to explore the option of bankruptcy." If he had the government's ear, he'd tell them to stop berating the company to the point where BP would find it appealing to use bankruptcy to limit its liabilities.
The specter of Chapter 11 bankruptcy terrifies Gulf residents because it could allow BP to delay, or even avoid, paying billions of dollars to businesses and individuals affected by the Gulf spill. The chapter is specifically for companies in temporary financial trouble who can reemerge as viable if they receive new funding, cancel burdensome contracts and delay, restructure, or wall off repayment obligations.
What would a BP bankruptcy look like?
It could work a lot of different ways. They could cut loose BP America and it could be BP America that files for bankruptcy. My presumption is that it's BP America that's responsible for the spill. They can wall off the non-BP America assets from the Gulf -- which is about 50% of the company's net value --and try to reorganize BP America. That's likely to take a very long time, and BP would not make good on its promise for the 20 billion [in the escrow fund].
Or they could file all of BP, and do so in London. Wonder how well-received our government and legitimate Gulf claimants would fare in a British insolvency court?
I would hope that making a decision this radical would be completely off of the table for BP, but considering how much the Gulf clean up may eventually end up costing the company it is naive to believe that this will not at least cross their collective minds. And if they DO make that choice, simply put, we are screwed.
And while we are on this subject here are 15 Gulf Oil Spill Myths that you can digest as well.
There is a lot of very interesting and frightening information on that list. Here is just one part that really caught my eye:
Myth. Republicans may scream "drill, baby, drill" louder, but when it comes to political money being spent to influence government, it's more or less a tie. Key Democrats are among the top recipients of political money from oil companies, as are Republicans. The money flows to those in oil-rich states, to high-profile candidates and those with the most power in Congress (ie, the chairs of key committees). Here's a look at the Friends of Earth tally of opensecrets.org data, showing the biggest recipients of money from BP and other oil companies since 2006:
Senate
* John McCain (R-AZ) - $36,649 from BP; $2.43 million total
* Mary Landrieu (D-LA) - $16,200 from BP; $329,100 total
* Mark Begich (D-AK) - $8,550 from BP; $85,958 total
* Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) - $8,500 from BP; 223,326 total
* Mitch McConnell (R-KY) - $8,500 from BP; 408,400 total
I believe that may go along way toward explaining why Alaska is still pushing hard to open new deep water drilling projects while the Gulf is currently hemorrhaging oil.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Is it raining OIL in Louisiana?
From Jalopnik:
So considering the effect of light and crude oil evaporation and seawater emulsification oil from the Deepwater Horizon may be having an effect on the water cycle. An unknown variable on the overall cycle is the introduction of BP's dispersant of choice, Corexit 9500, which may be either helping or hurting the degree of evaporation. Dispersants break up the natural surface tension in oil, sending small droplets into the water column and reducing the surface area which may evaporate, however it also changes the chemistry of the oil which remains on the surface. We have yet to find any science on the subject of the effects these evaporated compounds and their likelihood to come back down as contaminated rain.
In the worst case scenario this sheen is actually oil mixed Corexit, which according to Bellona.org:
"is associated with headaches, vomiting and reproductive problems as sides effects at high doses to clean-up workers. 2-BE has also been documented to cause the breakdown of red blood cells, leading to blood in urine and feces, and can damage the kidneys, liver, spleen and bone marrow of humans – effects not included on the information sheet for workers."
So WTF? Oil is not supposed to evaporate and end up in the water cycle! When has THAT ever happened before?
What, did Sarah Palin pray the Corexit laced oil out of the Gulf and up into the clouds so that it can rain down and poison the people along the Gulf more effectively? Hey lady, STOP trying to help!
Look if this were happening back in the fifteenth century I have no doubt that people would believe that God is mad at them. And you know what? Maybe he fucking is! Perhaps it is time to take the hint and start taking care of this planet that so many Christians consider a gift from the Almighty.
Oh Shit! BP removes containment cap dramatically increasing the amount of oil gushing into the Gulf.
From Yahoo News:
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 the 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, Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen said.
The cap was removed just before 10 a.m. Wednesday 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 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.
Jesus, the news just keeps getting worse and worse.
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 the 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, Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen said.
The cap was removed just before 10 a.m. Wednesday 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 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.
Jesus, the news just keeps getting worse and worse.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
It looks like Senator Mark Begich is channeling Sarah Palin these days.
U.S. Sen. Mark Begich released the following statement after a federal judge in Louisiana blocked a six-month moratorium on new deepwater drilling projects implemented by the Obama Administration after the Gulf oil spill disaster:
“Today’s decision by the Louisiana judge overturning the Obama Administration’s temporary ban on deepwater offshore oil and gas development shows the moratorium was overreaching. It should serve as a shot across the bow to the administration and Congress that American workers must continue to develop America’s energy resources within our borders.
“Companies demonstrating solid exploration and development plans and oil spill response plans should be able to develop our nation’s abundant oil. Lifting a ban on deepwater activity, which carries greater risk than low-pressure, shallow-water development like in Alaska, hopefully will get responsible exploratory drilling planned by Shell in Alaska’s Arctic waters back on track soon.
“As much as a tragedy as BP’s Gulf of Mexico oil spill disaster is, we can’t let emotion overrule sound energy policy. Our country’s energy policy must include increased domestic oil and gas development as we transition to cleaner energy sources.”
Look I have lived in Alaska my entire life. And I am well aware that our Democrats are not exactly latte drinking, Volvo driving, tree hugging liberals. But they at least should be fucking Democrats!
When President Obama placed that moratorium on deep water drilling he was doing something that should have been done a LONG TIME AGO. Clearly the oil industry has placed profits over the safety of our planet and until there is some serious new oversight put in place we should absolutely NOT allow anymore new wells to be drilled.
And do you know what? I would expect my Alaska Senator to be right on board with adopting that kind of cautious approach after the terrible devastation that we are witnessing in the Gulf of Mexico.
No not Senator Lisa Murkowski, we know that she is prostituting herself to ANY energy company with a bulging billfold and a hard on for spoiling our pristine Alaska environment.
No I am talking about our token Democrat. You know the guy who was supposed to bring a little progressive blue into our blood red Congressional delegation. But instead I see him breaking away from our embattled President, and prostrating himself to the oil companies, when Obama desperately needs all of the support he can get.
I have very little confidence that Shell oil is any more competent than BP was in performing deep water drilling more safely. After all until THIS spill happened most people assumed that BP knew what they were doing. It was only AFTER the Gulf began to hemorrhage oil that we learned just how careless BP has been for decades.
And really does this sound so very unreasonable?
Despite a late appeal from Shell that it would employ new safety measures in the wake of the Gulf spill, Salazar was unconvinced that the exploratory drilling even in the much shallower waters of the Arctic would be safe.
"He is suspending proposed exploratory drilling in the Arctic," an administration official said on condition of anonymity to talk before Salazar's report is officially released today. "He will not consider applications for permits to drill in the Arctic until 2011 because of the need for further information-gathering, evaluation of proposed drilling technology, and evaluation of oil-spill response capabilities for Arctic waters."
Apparently our Senator is jealous of all of the attention that Louisiana is getting from all around the world and is desperate for Alaska to have our very own environmental disaster.
Gee Senator are you also in favor of this little enterprise?
“Today’s decision by the Louisiana judge overturning the Obama Administration’s temporary ban on deepwater offshore oil and gas development shows the moratorium was overreaching. It should serve as a shot across the bow to the administration and Congress that American workers must continue to develop America’s energy resources within our borders.
“Companies demonstrating solid exploration and development plans and oil spill response plans should be able to develop our nation’s abundant oil. Lifting a ban on deepwater activity, which carries greater risk than low-pressure, shallow-water development like in Alaska, hopefully will get responsible exploratory drilling planned by Shell in Alaska’s Arctic waters back on track soon.
“As much as a tragedy as BP’s Gulf of Mexico oil spill disaster is, we can’t let emotion overrule sound energy policy. Our country’s energy policy must include increased domestic oil and gas development as we transition to cleaner energy sources.”
Look I have lived in Alaska my entire life. And I am well aware that our Democrats are not exactly latte drinking, Volvo driving, tree hugging liberals. But they at least should be fucking Democrats!
When President Obama placed that moratorium on deep water drilling he was doing something that should have been done a LONG TIME AGO. Clearly the oil industry has placed profits over the safety of our planet and until there is some serious new oversight put in place we should absolutely NOT allow anymore new wells to be drilled.
And do you know what? I would expect my Alaska Senator to be right on board with adopting that kind of cautious approach after the terrible devastation that we are witnessing in the Gulf of Mexico.
No not Senator Lisa Murkowski, we know that she is prostituting herself to ANY energy company with a bulging billfold and a hard on for spoiling our pristine Alaska environment.
No I am talking about our token Democrat. You know the guy who was supposed to bring a little progressive blue into our blood red Congressional delegation. But instead I see him breaking away from our embattled President, and prostrating himself to the oil companies, when Obama desperately needs all of the support he can get.
I have very little confidence that Shell oil is any more competent than BP was in performing deep water drilling more safely. After all until THIS spill happened most people assumed that BP knew what they were doing. It was only AFTER the Gulf began to hemorrhage oil that we learned just how careless BP has been for decades.
And really does this sound so very unreasonable?
Despite a late appeal from Shell that it would employ new safety measures in the wake of the Gulf spill, Salazar was unconvinced that the exploratory drilling even in the much shallower waters of the Arctic would be safe.
"He is suspending proposed exploratory drilling in the Arctic," an administration official said on condition of anonymity to talk before Salazar's report is officially released today. "He will not consider applications for permits to drill in the Arctic until 2011 because of the need for further information-gathering, evaluation of proposed drilling technology, and evaluation of oil-spill response capabilities for Arctic waters."
Apparently our Senator is jealous of all of the attention that Louisiana is getting from all around the world and is desperate for Alaska to have our very own environmental disaster.
Gee Senator are you also in favor of this little enterprise?
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
Monday, June 21, 2010
More evidence that BP's use of Corexit as a dispersant did nothing to get rid of the oil.
| Submerged oil at Bon Secour shoreline |
I cannot get over how calm this reporter's voice remains while he describes such terrible devastation.
As you can see in this video the plumes of oil are forcing thousands of fish closer to shore in search of oxygen and caking everything it touches in a thick coating of oil that will eventually suffocate and kill the sea life it comes into contact with.
When BP used the dispersant they had to have known that the oil would not really disappear, but simply break apart and kill creatures deeper underwater and out of sight of the news cameras and public scrutiny.
Oh I think they knew alright, they simply did not care.
You can read the article that accompanied the video here.
For those Christians who believe the Republican party best represents their values. Think again.
I have often wondered how the Republicans, the party of greed and avarice, have been able to co-opt Christianity. I believe if this really were a "Christian nation", based on the true teachings of Jesus Christ, we would be a more tolerant, more peaceful, and more spiritual nation.
Sunday, June 20, 2010
In effort to destroy oil on the water's surface BP is burning rare sea turtles alive and running off people trying to rescue them. Is it my imagination or this the most evil company on the planet?
A rare and endangered species of sea turtle is being burned alive in BP's controlled burns of the oil swirling around the Gulf of Mexico, and a boat captain tasked with saving them says the company has blocked rescue efforts.
Mike Ellis, a boat captain involved in a three-week effort to rescue as many sea turtles from unfolding disaster as possible, says BP effectively shut down the operation by preventing boats from coming out to rescue the turtles.
"They ran us out of there and then they shut us down, they would not let us get back in there," Ellis said in an interview with conservation biologist Catherine Craig.
Part of BP's efforts to contain the oil spill are controlled burns. Fire-resistant booms are used to corral an area of oil, then the area within the boom is lit on fire, burning off the oil and whatever marine life may have been inside.
"Once the turtles get in there they can't get out," Ellis said.
Here is an interview conducted with Captain Ellis.
Is this the company that Rand Paul accused President Obama of being un-American for criticizing? And the same company that Republican Representative Joe Barton apologized to after he accused President Obama of engaging in a "shakedown" for extracting 20 billion dollars out of these criminals?
You know I try to give people, and companies, the benefit of the doubt, but I do not have one bit of sympathy left for this company. As far as I am concerned they can sell off their stock to pay the people suffering in the Gulf, and close up shop any day now.
Simply put, fuck em!
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Saturday June 19, sixty one days since a hole on the ocean floor started hemorrhaging oil into the Gulf of Mexico.
Latest developments as of today according to the Washington Post:
-- BP captured 25,290 barrels of oil (1.02 million gallons) over a 24-hour period ending at midnight Thursday.
-- BP should pay all damages because the disaster was caused by the company's "reckless decisions." according to Anadarko Petroleum, the Texas oil company that owns 25 percent of the well.
By the numbers
665
birds collected alive (all visibly oiled)
885
birds collected dead (212 visibly oiled)
42
birds released
All numbers are totals to date from Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas, reported by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Cause of injury or death has not been determined.
Yesterday BP Chairman Tony Hayward appeared before Congress.
Texan Republican Michael Burgess expressed surprise when the BP chief said he had not known anything about the well in question until he was told in April that drilling had confirmed an oil discovery.
"But you're the CEO of the company," Congressman Burgess said.
"With due respect," Mr Hayward replied, "we drill hundreds of wells around the world."
"Yeah, that's what scares me right now," said Mr Burgess.
Afterwards Hayward was summarily replaced.
Hopeful estimates are that the spill will be contained by August, however there is a growing consensus that it may in fact continue for years to come.
If this is not enough to get America to change its energy habits and look to a future with clean, renewable energy as our goal than I simply do not know what it would take.
-- BP captured 25,290 barrels of oil (1.02 million gallons) over a 24-hour period ending at midnight Thursday.
-- BP should pay all damages because the disaster was caused by the company's "reckless decisions." according to Anadarko Petroleum, the Texas oil company that owns 25 percent of the well.
By the numbers
665
birds collected alive (all visibly oiled)
885
birds collected dead (212 visibly oiled)
42
birds released
All numbers are totals to date from Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas, reported by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Cause of injury or death has not been determined.
Yesterday BP Chairman Tony Hayward appeared before Congress.
Texan Republican Michael Burgess expressed surprise when the BP chief said he had not known anything about the well in question until he was told in April that drilling had confirmed an oil discovery.
"But you're the CEO of the company," Congressman Burgess said.
"With due respect," Mr Hayward replied, "we drill hundreds of wells around the world."
"Yeah, that's what scares me right now," said Mr Burgess.
Afterwards Hayward was summarily replaced.
Hopeful estimates are that the spill will be contained by August, however there is a growing consensus that it may in fact continue for years to come.
If this is not enough to get America to change its energy habits and look to a future with clean, renewable energy as our goal than I simply do not know what it would take.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
I think that recent events in Sarah's life might be leading her toward a possible mental breakdown
This is her latest tweet. Check out how manic it sounds!
Schizophrenic Agenda:just last wk DC claims top priority=JOBS;then=REDUCE DEBT;now=CAP&TAX(exploit tragedy 2 kill jobs/raise taxes)Pls,FOCUS
Damn! Doesn't she have a helper who is in charge of her medication schedule?
I am goddamn sick and tired of hearing her make the suggestion that the Obama administration is EXPLOITING the BP tragedy instead of working to make sure it never happens again? Has SHE spoken to the families of the dead oil workers? Or to the people in Louisiana who are watching the death of their livelihoods washing up on the beaches? Does she have ANY idea how devastating this crisis is to thousands, and thousands of people living along the Gulf? Or is SHE the one using this to horrible situation to slam the President and attempt to make political points? I think we all know the answer to that one!
Look I know she has had a shitty week. She was treated like somebody who should actually know how to answer a reasonable question by Bill O'Reilly, her daughter apparently is now back playing slap and tickle with her arch enemy, and Mercede has started telling truths that she tried desperately to keep hidden from public scrutiny.
But even still that is NO excuse for being such an incredible heartless bit...fine I will take the high road.....person!
Schizophrenic Agenda:just last wk DC claims top priority=JOBS;then=REDUCE DEBT;now=CAP&TAX(exploit tragedy 2 kill jobs/raise taxes)Pls,FOCUS
Damn! Doesn't she have a helper who is in charge of her medication schedule?
I am goddamn sick and tired of hearing her make the suggestion that the Obama administration is EXPLOITING the BP tragedy instead of working to make sure it never happens again? Has SHE spoken to the families of the dead oil workers? Or to the people in Louisiana who are watching the death of their livelihoods washing up on the beaches? Does she have ANY idea how devastating this crisis is to thousands, and thousands of people living along the Gulf? Or is SHE the one using this to horrible situation to slam the President and attempt to make political points? I think we all know the answer to that one!
Look I know she has had a shitty week. She was treated like somebody who should actually know how to answer a reasonable question by Bill O'Reilly, her daughter apparently is now back playing slap and tickle with her arch enemy, and Mercede has started telling truths that she tried desperately to keep hidden from public scrutiny.
But even still that is NO excuse for being such an incredible heartless bit...fine I will take the high road.....person!
Monday, June 14, 2010
BP oil spill may not be plugged until Christmas.
One of the world's leading authorities on oil well management has warned it could take until Christmas to cap the Gulf of Mexico spill that is devastating the southern coast of America – and BP's reputation.
Nansen Saleri, a Gulf drilling expert, said he hoped BP would meet its August timetable for capping the blown-out well, but made it clear success was not certain.
"I know it is a frightening assessment but everyone should be prepared for a worst-case scenario, and that could mean a Christmas timeframe," said Saleri, chief executive of the consultancy group Quantum Reservoir Impact. "The probable outcome is much better but the technological challenges … are enormous."
The futures of BP and of wildlife around the Gulf of Mexico are largely dependent on the rapid success of two "relief" wells that are being drilled in an attempt to halt anywhere between 20,000 and 40,000 barrels of oil a day that is flowing out of the stricken Macondo subsea hole.
Saleri, who dealt personally with four blowouts during a career with Saudi Aramco and Chevron, said the BP fire and spill was the worst he had seen. He believes it may cause more damage than the Ixtoc I blowout 30 years ago, which is regarded as the most damaging of its kind.
Just when you cannot believe that the news about this spill could get any worse.
I was trying to imagine HOW this tragedy might affect the elections in November if it is still unresolved, and to be honest I have no idea if this hurts the Democrats more than the Republicans, the other way around, or if EVERYBODY gets smeared by the spill.
It seems that the person who may suffer the biggest backlash will surely be the President, and we can all be thankful that HE is not up for re-election right now. I absolutely do not believe that is fair, but he is the face of government, and government surely does not have control of this situation.
Obama is trying to get some things in place to help the people affected by the spill however. For one thing he is getting ready to force BP to set aside 20 billion dollars for clean up and damages, as well as preparing for the long term effects this spill might have on our country.
“In the same way that our view of our vulnerabilities and our foreign policy was shaped profoundly by 9/11,” the president said in an Oval Office interview on Friday, "I think this disaster is going to shape how we think about the environment and energy for many years to come.”
But with all of this focus on President Obama, and his administration's response to this calamity, I think we need to be reminded as to just how we came to be in this predicament in the first place.
Wednesday, June 09, 2010
What if President Obama took Sarah Palin up on her offer and DID call her for advice about the Gulf oil spill?
Over at the very funny blog Rumproast they have done an entire parody of what that conversation might look like.
It is EXACTLY how I imagine the phone call would have gone, and quite humorous too!
If you have a moment go take a look.
Shannyn Moore also has something to say about Palin's snotty condemnation of President Obama via Facebook
As posted on Mudflats:
While Palin was governor, the largest onshore spill in Alaska history (210,000 gallons) went undetected for at least five days. Three BP gas and oil pipelines on Alaska’s North Slope clogged or ruptured between September 2008 and November 2009. All while Palin was preoccupied with shopping, campaigning, race baiting and getting a book deal. BP had another spill in December 2009 when a pipeline, while being inspected, broke from its well housing. Six acres of Alaskan tundra was contaminated. The DOJ began an investigation. The Alaska Attorney General, Talis Colberg, was too busy advising Todd Palin and other Palin aids to ignore subpoenas to notice.
Shannyn brings up many facts about Palin's tenure as our half term governor that I had actually forgotten and shoves them right back into her face....book, so I urge ALL of you to head on over to Mudflats and give it a read. It also fills in a lot of blanks that I did not touch upon with my post yesterday and goes even further in defining the amazing depths of Sarah Palin's hypocrisy.
Update: As many of you have already noticed Mudflats is struggling under an onslaught of adoration and has been difficult to access this morning. However the post that I linked to, written by Shannyn Moore, is also up at Huffington Post, so for the time being perhaps we should all head over there to read it and give the Flats time to recover.
While Palin was governor, the largest onshore spill in Alaska history (210,000 gallons) went undetected for at least five days. Three BP gas and oil pipelines on Alaska’s North Slope clogged or ruptured between September 2008 and November 2009. All while Palin was preoccupied with shopping, campaigning, race baiting and getting a book deal. BP had another spill in December 2009 when a pipeline, while being inspected, broke from its well housing. Six acres of Alaskan tundra was contaminated. The DOJ began an investigation. The Alaska Attorney General, Talis Colberg, was too busy advising Todd Palin and other Palin aids to ignore subpoenas to notice.
Shannyn brings up many facts about Palin's tenure as our half term governor that I had actually forgotten and shoves them right back into her face....book, so I urge ALL of you to head on over to Mudflats and give it a read. It also fills in a lot of blanks that I did not touch upon with my post yesterday and goes even further in defining the amazing depths of Sarah Palin's hypocrisy.
Update: As many of you have already noticed Mudflats is struggling under an onslaught of adoration and has been difficult to access this morning. However the post that I linked to, written by Shannyn Moore, is also up at Huffington Post, so for the time being perhaps we should all head over there to read it and give the Flats time to recover.
Jon Stewart uses humor to express his visceral frustration at the government's response to the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| Ass Quest 2010 | ||||
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Damn! I cannot believe that Stewart actually dusted off his George W. Bush impersonation to express his frustration with Obama. There could be no clearer indication of how disappointed he is with this administration.
Fair, or not fair, I believe it accurately reflects the feelings of a lot of Americans as well.
Tuesday, June 08, 2010
You may want to sit down for this one. Sarah Palin is actually lecturing Barack Obama on HOW to deal with BP! No I am NOT kidding!
Once again Sarah has written a well thought out and reasoned treatise in a major magazine examining all of the pros and cons of Obama's handling of the oil spill and coming up with an insightful response.
Just kidding!
In reality the crazy lady opened the Palin Compound dungeon and dragged her barely conscious Facebook writer out into the Alaska daylight, where she then shackled her arms and feet to a computer desk and screamed at her in unintelligible Glossolalia until she typed out the following post. (Okay maybe it did not happen EXACTLY that way, but that is how I envision it.)
In this latest mean girl post Palin gleefully jumps on our President for not talking to Tony Hayward CEO of BP in person, as if sharing tea and crumpets with the guy who once said "I just want my life back" would somehow magically plug up the oil spewing hole in the ocean and release little pixies to gently scrub all of the pelicans and little fishies clean of oil and return them to their habitat none the worse for wear. I think one of those rare Wasilla unicorns might have told her that.
The recently enhanced BOOB goes on to condemn Obama for giving BP a National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) exemption for its drilling operation,
What she purposefully fails to mention is that the Mineral's Management Service who provided that exemption is still packed to the gills with oil company whores from the Bush Administration.
And this is the same Mineral's Management Service by the way that did THREE environmental assessments in 2007 and downplayed the possibility of a "large spill" as well as saying that if there WERE a spill it would not be much of a problem to clean up.
Here read it for yourself:
While the MMS assessed the environmental impact of drilling in the central and western Gulf of Mexico on three occasions in 2007 -- including a specific evaluation of BP's Lease 206 at Deepwater Horizon -- in each case it played down the prospect of a major blowout.
In one assessment, the agency estimated that "a large oil spill" from a platform would not exceed a total of 1,500 barrels and that a "deepwater spill," occurring "offshore of the inner Continental shelf," would not reach the coast. In another assessment, it defined the most likely large spill as totaling 4,600 barrels and forecast that it would largely dissipate within 10 days and would be unlikely to make landfall.
"They never did an analysis that took into account what turns out to be the very real possibility of a serious spill," said Holly Doremus, a law professor at the University of California at Berkeley who has reviewed the documents.
THAT is who was advising Obama on the issue of granting an exemption to BP. And Sarah Palin damn well knows it!
Monday, June 07, 2010
BP continues to use every means available to control the message and to minimize potential litigation.
Have you Googled "oil spill" lately? Well if you have you may have discovered this amazing fact:
BP, the very company responsible for the oil spill that is already the worst in U.S. history, has purchased several phrases on search engines such as Google and Yahoo so that the first result that shows up directs information seekers to the company's official website.
A simple Google search of "oil spill" turns up several thousand news results, but the first link, highlighted at the very top of the page, is from BP. "Learn more about how BP is helping," the link's tagline reads.
A spokesman for the company confirmed to ABC News that it had, in fact, bought these search terms to make information on the spill more accessible to the public.
"We have bought search terms on search engines like Google to make it easier for people to find out more about our efforts in the Gulf and make it easier for people to find key links to information on filing claims, reporting oil on the beach and signing up to volunteer," BP spokesman Toby Odone told ABC News.
How many of you really believe that BP did this to "make it easier for people to find key links to information on filing claims"? Not very damn likely.
From the first moment that the oil started gushing into the Gulf, BP has done everything it could to keep the oil from reaching the surface and to hide just how much was flowing out of the broken pipe from being seen by the public.
It appears that rather than treat this as the disaster that is obviously is, BP has treated it as a public relations problem and have worked diligently to control the message. And this has included keeping reporters away from the beaches so that we the public cannot see just how much oil has washed up on them.
Well on that last point, just this weekend on the news program "This Week", Admiral Thad Allen, the former Coast Guard head who has been appointed the "incident commander" for the oil spil, promised that things would change:
At this point I have little confidence that BP will release their iron grip that controls the message willingly, so if Admiral Allen is serious about getting the reporters access he may have to knock some heads together over at BP, and I for one would willingly come up with the Pay-Per-View price to see that happen!
BP, the very company responsible for the oil spill that is already the worst in U.S. history, has purchased several phrases on search engines such as Google and Yahoo so that the first result that shows up directs information seekers to the company's official website.
A simple Google search of "oil spill" turns up several thousand news results, but the first link, highlighted at the very top of the page, is from BP. "Learn more about how BP is helping," the link's tagline reads.
A spokesman for the company confirmed to ABC News that it had, in fact, bought these search terms to make information on the spill more accessible to the public.
"We have bought search terms on search engines like Google to make it easier for people to find out more about our efforts in the Gulf and make it easier for people to find key links to information on filing claims, reporting oil on the beach and signing up to volunteer," BP spokesman Toby Odone told ABC News.
How many of you really believe that BP did this to "make it easier for people to find key links to information on filing claims"? Not very damn likely.
From the first moment that the oil started gushing into the Gulf, BP has done everything it could to keep the oil from reaching the surface and to hide just how much was flowing out of the broken pipe from being seen by the public.
It appears that rather than treat this as the disaster that is obviously is, BP has treated it as a public relations problem and have worked diligently to control the message. And this has included keeping reporters away from the beaches so that we the public cannot see just how much oil has washed up on them.
Well on that last point, just this weekend on the news program "This Week", Admiral Thad Allen, the former Coast Guard head who has been appointed the "incident commander" for the oil spil, promised that things would change:
At this point I have little confidence that BP will release their iron grip that controls the message willingly, so if Admiral Allen is serious about getting the reporters access he may have to knock some heads together over at BP, and I for one would willingly come up with the Pay-Per-View price to see that happen!
Sunday, June 06, 2010
Friday, June 04, 2010
Rick Steiner talks to Keith Olbermann about the lack of transparency around the effort to stop the flow of oil in the Gulf and the "BP thugs" who are keeping scientists and reporters at bay..
In this next video Rachel Maddow and Dr. Mike Blum examine the effects that the oil is already having on the Louisiana coast and how oil mixed with dispersant is much worse than oil alone.
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