Friday, July 16, 2010

Oil Drilling News

GULF OIL DISASTER

 

Obama Reacts Cautiously to Hopeful BP Test Results

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/17/us/17spill.html

 

Flow of Oil into Gulf Stemmed: Statement of Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune

http://www.newsroomamerica.com/story/34554/bp_oil_gusher_controlled:_sierra_club_statement.html

“It is an enormous relief to learn that the flow of oil that lead to America’s worst environmental disaster has finally been stemmed. We applaud all the men and women who have worked so hard over these difficult three months to cap the well. We hope we can now turn more resources and attention to responding to the devastation that this oil disaster has already caused, and to making sure this sort of preventable tragedy never occurs again. We need to do everything possible to help the wildlife and communities of the Gulf Coast that have been hit so hard by this disaster. President Obama's moratorium on deepwater drilling is an important first step in protecting the Gulf Coast from further damage. The fishing and tourist industries need a chance to bounce back without facing the threat of another disaster. And wherever there is offshore drilling, we risk disaster.   The oil industry argues that this was an isolated event. We agree--research confirms that oil catastrophes are strictly isolated to oil industry operations. We have not yet found oil spills at wind farms, nor have we found evidence of gushers erupting in solar plants or marshlands devastated by business owners retrofitting their buildings. The best way to prevent another oil disaster is to shift away from oil and onto clean energy. If this capping of the oil gusher holds, it is a moment for celebration. We must not, however, ever forget the three months during which BP egregiously mishandled its disaster. It is even more important that we remind ourselves that this problem is much bigger than BP. The entire oil industry has been skirting safety regulations and lobbying against clean energy for years. Over and over again we’ve paid the price. Now that the leaking oil appears to be controlled, we need to address the problem that led to it. We need President Obama to stand up to the oil industry. We need a plan to move America off of oil and onto clean energy.”

 

Comment from John Amos of Skytruth.org

http://blog.skytruth.org/2010/07/bp-gulf-oil-spill-stopped-for-good.html

“Finally, after 87 days, the leak from BP's Macondo well in the Gulf of Mexico is fully stopped. All the valves on the new sealing cap have been closed and an "integrity test" is being conducted on the well. If the pressure steadily increases in the well, that's a good thing: it would mean there are no leaks in the wellpipe and casing below the seafloor. In that case BP will keep the valves closed, effectively shutting off this catastrophic spill. If the pressure doesn't build in the well it could mean there are leaks below the seafloor, and BP will re-open some of the valves and the spill will resume. In any event, the only permanent solution is a successful relief well that fills the damaged well with cement.”

Gulf spill prompts IAOGP to form response group

http://www.ogj.com/index/article-display/8227032423/articles/oil-gas-journal/general-interest-2/hse/2010/07/gulf-spill_prompts/QP129867/cmpid=EnlDailyJuly152010.html

 

Oil spill probe now includes abandoned wells

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gz8SP1X8Y6bOR5kwCcuxUdV1XwLgD9GVQ7K00

“A lead congressional committee investigating the Gulf of Mexico oil spill has broadened its inquiry, now checking if tens of thousands of abandoned oil and gas wells are leaking or even being monitored for leaks.

 

BP Oil Spill Undermines SunPower, Vestas as Energy Bill Trips

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-07-16/sunpower-vestas-lose-more-than-big-oil-from-spill-as-energy-bill-fails.html

“A bill in U.S. Congress to expand alternative energy in the biggest oil-consuming nation was set aside by legislators until they can review offshore-drilling safety. “It’s ironic that this disaster is jeopardizing energy legislation when it’s clear that we need it more than ever,” said Kevin Landis, who manages $260 million at Firsthand Funds including SunPower and competitor Suntech Power Holdings Co. “It’s definitely a drag on the renewable sector.””

 

Kicking the Oil Habit

http://www.thenation.com/article/37527/kicking-oil-habit

 

WILDLIFE, HUMAN AND ECOSYSTEM IMPACTS

 

Why Louisiana's ecosystems should sue BP   

http://www.dailycomet.com/article/20100715/ARTICLES/100719641/-1/opinion?p=1&tc=pg

“In 2009, the people of Ecuador adopted a new constitution recognizing that ecosystems themselves have a right to exist, flourish, and evolve. Closer to home, over a dozen municipal governments in New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Maine and Virginia have done the same. Those laws authorize residents to sue to restore damaged ecosystems, which, of course, allows them to depend on those ecosystems once again. Municipal governments in the coastal regions of Louisiana, Alabama and Florida should consider adopting similar local laws, which would enable those governments and residents to hold BP to a standard well-recognized by the law - that of fixing what you have broken.”

 

Surgeon General Regina Benjamin Pensacola Florida press conference 7-15-10

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=asyLJ1kPYRg

This video is from Michael Sturdivant of Surfrider Foundation’s Emerald Coast Chapter

 

Senate Appropriations Subcommittee Holds Hearing on Dispersants

http://appropriations.senate.gov/sc-commerce.cfm

On July 15, the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies held a hearing on the review of the use of dispersants in response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.  The witnesses for the hearing included:  Dr. Larry Robinson, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere for NOAA; Ms. Lisa Jackson, Administrator of EPA; and Ms. Anne Rolfes, Founding Director of the Louisiana Bucket Brigade. 

 

CALIFORNIA

Oil and water - A bill to allow companies to remove just the top portions of closed offshore drilling rigs is premature

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/editorials/la-ed-rigs-20100714,0,3179172.story

“Oil companies would save an estimated $650 million by leaving the rigs' bases alone. […]The scheme could benefit from a little more scrutiny.”