GULF OIL DISASTER

Louisiana well emitting oil, gas after vessel strike

http://edition.cnn.com/2010/US/07/27/louisiana.barataria.bay.well.leak/#fbid=kTW8eLpWtcd

"The Coast Guard's overflight this morning confirmed the pipeline/well-head is discharging a mist of orange and brown oil about 100 feet in air," Jindal said. "This is the same thing we viewed on our flight to the well today. The Coast Guard does not have a specific flow rate for the well determined yet, although there have been early reports that there is natural gas and mud mixed in with oil coming from the well." Jefferson Parish Councilman Chris Roberts said that while oil was gushing from the well in 6 feet of water, it was too dangerous to get close enough to estimate how much oil was leaking out. However, Roberts said he doesn't "expect it is going to be a huge problem to contain it or cap" the leak, because "it isn't uncommon."

Obama Cancels Offshore Oil Lease Sales in the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico (Center for Biological Diversity)
Feds Acknowledge Greater Environmental Protection Needed for Drilling

http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/news/press_releases/2010/offshore-oil-07-27-2010.html

“The Federal Register notices to be published tomorrow [today] cancel Lease Sale 220 in the Atlantic and Lease Sale 215 in the western part of the Gulf of Mexico. The notices say cancelling these lease sales “will allow time to develop and implement measures to improve the safety of oil and gas development in Federal waters, provide greater environmental protection, and substantially reduce the risk of catastrophic events.””

Reduce federal subsidies for oil industry

http://www.kansascity.com/2010/07/27/2110041/reduce-federal-subsidies-for-oil.html

“…unfair policies that favor Big Oil - and provide little incentive for investors to embrace safer alternatives - are hindering efforts to turn sea gusts into gobs of green power and new jobs.”

House committee chairmen defend oil spill bill

http://www.ogj.com/index/article-display/8337051583/articles/oil-gas-journal/general-interest-2/government/2010/07/house-committee_chairmen/QP129867/cmpid=EnlDailyJuly282010.html

Spill bills highlight Republican opposition

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0710/40316.html

Conference Call to Discuss Upcoming Forums on Offshore Drilling – Note New Passcode

“Please join us Thursday, July 29, 2010 at 4:30pm EDT (1:30 PDT) to discuss the upcoming public forums on Offshore Drilling. Forums will be held in New Orleans, LA; Lafayette, LA; Mobile, AL; Pensacola, FL; Santa Barbara, CA; Anchorage, AK; Biloxi, MS and Houston, TX. Further information and details will be shared on the conference call.

Please RSVP to Stacy Shannon at Stacy_M_Shannon@ios.doi.gov”

DATE: Thursday, July 29, 2010

TIME: 4:30 P.M

CALL-IN 888-989-3481 Passcode: 4019541

Officials ready criminal probe of oil spill: report

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20100728/bs_nm/us_oil_spill_probe

“Several U.S. government agencies are preparing a criminal probe of at least three companies involved in the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, though it could take more than a year before any charges are filed, the Washington Post reported on Wednesday. BP Plc, Transocean Ltd and Halliburton Co are the initial targets of the wide-ranging probe, which aims "to examine whether their cozy relations with federal regulators contributed to the oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico," the newspaper said, citing law enforcement and other sources.”

Aquaman Has Been Pissed About Offshore Oil Drilling Since 2004 [Video]

http://www.geekosystem.com/aquaman-oil-spill/

“The New Bermuda platform is under attack. If it collapses, we’re going to have the worst oil spill in history on our hands. I told those idiots to stay out of my ocean.”

WILDLIFE, HUMAN AND ECOLOGICAL IMPACTS

The Slick is Dissipating (Skytruth.org)

http://blog.skytruth.org/2010/07/bp-gulf-oil-spill-slick-is-dissipating.html

“The big question: what's the fate and impact of the oil we can't see with satellite images? Oil now buried on Gulf coast beaches, embedded in marshes, and remaining dispersed underneath the water's surface or lying on the seafloor? It will take diligent, systematic research to find the answers. We need to make sure that this research actually gets funded, conducted and published, and not sidetracked by litigation and confidentiality.”

On the Surface, Gulf Oil Spill Is Vanishing Fast; Concerns Stay

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/28/us/28spill.html

“The effect on sea life of the large amounts of oil that dissolved below the surface is still a mystery. Two preliminary government reports on that issue have found concentrations of toxic compounds in the deep sea to be low, but the reports left many questions, especially regarding an apparent decline in oxygen levels in the water. And understanding the effects of the spill on the shorelines that were hit, including Louisiana’s coastal marshes, is expected to occupy scientists for years. Fishermen along the coast are deeply skeptical of any declarations of success, expressing concern about the long-term effects of the chemical dispersants used to combat the spill and of the submerged oil, particularly on shrimp and crab larvae that are the foundation of future fishing seasons.”