GULF OIL DISASTER
BP Hopes to Keep Well Closed, but Seep Is Detected
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/19/us/19oilspill.html?_r=2&th&emc=th
Engineers detect seepage near BP oil well
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN1813113320100719
U.S. Demands More Test Data From BP After Seep Found in Seabed
175 Million Gallons Later, Progress in Stopping Flow of Oil
http://www.beyondchron.org/articles/175_Million_Gallons_Later_Progress_in_Stopping_Flow_of_Oil_8326.html
BP's next steps on killing Gulf leak
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN1716776220100717
“A Whale” Operational Review Completed
http://www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com/go/doc/2931/789183/
Bottom line – “A Whale” is a bust
BP buys up Gulf scientists for legal defense, roiling academic community
http://blog.al.com/live/2010/07/bp_buys_up_gulf_scientists_for.html
“BP PLC attempted to hire the entire marine sciences department at one Alabama university, according to scientists involved in discussions with the company's lawyers. The university declined because of confidentiality restrictions that the company sought on any research. The Press-Register obtained a copy of a contract offered to scientists by BP. It prohibits the scientists from publishing their research, sharing it with other scientists or speaking about the data that they collect for at least the next three years.”
British Petroleum, by Any Other Name, Would Smell as Foul
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-decock/british-petroleum-by-any_b_649415.html
Director Bromwich to Host Public Meetings Nationwide to Discuss Deepwater Drilling Safety, Containment and Spill Response (U.S. DOI News Release)
“Michael R. Bromwich, Director of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation, and Enforcement (BOEM), announced today that he will be leading a series of public meetings to collect information and views about deepwater drilling safety reforms, blowout containment, and oil spill response. Bromwich will be soliciting input from the general public, state and local leaders, and experts from academia, the environmental community, and the oil and gas industry. […] Meetings are currently being scheduled to occur in August in the following cities: New Orleans, LA, Lafayette, LA, Mobile, AL, Pensacola, FL, Santa Barbara, CA, and Anchorage, AK. Meetings will be held in early September in the following cities: Biloxi, MS and Houston, TX.”
DEEPWATER DRILLING MORATORIUM
The deepwater decision - New findings show drilling moratorium is needed
http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20100718/OPINION/7181011/2078/OPINION
“…a new memorandum from the U.S. Secretary of the Interior lays out a startlingly clear case for systemic overhaul -- not just a pause -- in deepwater oil exploration.”
WILDLIFE, HUMAN HEALTH AND ECOSYSTEM IMPACTS
Early Look at Ecological Toll Is Alarming, Scientists Say
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704229004575371372260576804.html
“Since the spill began in April, nearly 2,200 birds have been found dead, the biggest portion in Louisiana, along with nearly 500 sea turtles, about half of them in Mississippi, federal statistics say. Nearly 590 miles of Gulf shoreline are oiled, the biggest chunk of it Louisiana marsh. That is imperiling, at least temporarily, economically crucial fisheries such as shrimp and crabs. Out at sea, scientists have found submerged plumes of dispersed oil and methane. Some believe the plumes are reducing underwater oxygen levels in ways that could threaten marine life, though there isn't a consensus on that. Meanwhile, new research suggests oil may be poised to enter the Gulf food chain. Scientists from the University of Southern Mississippi and Tulane University have found oil droplets in young crabs along a broad swath of the Gulf coastline, from Grand Isle, La., to Pensacola, Fla.”
After Oil Spills, Hidden Damage Can Last for Years
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/18/science/earth/18enviro.html?_r=1
Scientists Ask Public to Report Banded Birds to Help Scientific Research
http://www.piersystem.com/go/doc/2931/791335/
ALABAMA
News 5 Investigates: Testing The Water (Alabama)
'Magic' not policy
http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/article/20100718/OPINION0101/7180301/1006/OPINION
“Tougher regulation and better funded and more robust regulatory agencies can make deep ocean drilling safer. Better response plans can reduce, to some extent, the damage from spills of this sort. But only magic can eliminate the risk of catastrophic loss inherent in this kind of drilling. And when it comes to oil spills, I don't believe in it.”
ALASKA
Alaska's oil regulators work to ensure the industry is responsible
http://www.alaskajournal.com/stories/071610/oil_ao.shtml
“The concern with ultra-extended reach wells is that the procedure to complete the well when it reaches the oil reservoir with a special cementing job is basically similar to the situation with the deep Gulf of Mexico wells…”
DEC spill report delayed
http://www.alaskadispatch.com/dispatches/energy/6050-dec-spill-report-delayed
FLORIDA
Let's step back and pass good laws about offshore drilling
Florida GOP leaders may block vote on drilling
http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/07/16/1734519/florida-gop-leaders-may-block.html#ixzz0u9VS0yS3
Florida voters deserve right to vote on off-shore drilling
House may have votes to put a amendment on ballot banning oil drilling
NORTH CAROLINA
Limiting Off-shore Drilling in NC (from Sierra Club)
SB 836 "Oil Spill Liability, Response, & Preparedness" enacted. The bill aims to increase the protection of North Carolina’s coastline from offshore drilling and potential spills. The Act removes the current cap on the amount recoverable by the State for the cost of clean up and any resulting damages to public resources in the case of an oil spill. The Act also modifies the state’s Coastal Area Management Act (CAMA) by requiring, in the case of a consistency review, significant planning and preparation for potential spills regarding offshore activities before any leases could move forward. The act directs the Coastal Resources Commission to review existing laws and regulations that pertain to offshore energy production and exploration in light of the British Petroleum Deepwater Horizon spill and to recommend modifications to the law as they see fit. Lastly, the act directs the department of Crime Control and public Safety to immediately review and update the state oil spill contingency plan in order to prepare the state in the event of oil from the BP spill reaching our shores.
TEXAS
Texas Remains Stoic as Spill Hits Its Shores
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/16/us/16galveston.html?src=mv
