GULF OIL DISASTER
Cumulative Oil Slick Footprints (Skytruth)
US To Issue First New Drilling Rules Since BP Oil Spill
"The new rules, which the Interior Department will release in the next two weeks, will apply to both shallow-water and deep-water drillers--encompassing dozens, if not hundreds, of companies that help produce a significant portion of U.S. energy resources.
Oil and gas companies that were forced to suspend their deep-water projects when the Obama administration imposed its drilling moratorium will have to comply with the new rules before they're allowed to resume their work."
Charles Maxwell Forecasts Peak Oil in Seven Years
"Higher prices will result in a very difficult transition period in which we are forced to use less because we simply don't have the money to use the oil that we have historically used. This will be a period of great economic difficulty, lasting for years. At the same time that the economy is in great difficulty, oil companies will continue to reap big profits, causing an enormous amount of resentment and calls for higher taxation and greater regulation of the oil industry. However, I also believe that humans are very resilient, and that we will eventually come through this. This is why I do not characterize myself as a 'doomer.' We do use a lot more energy than we absolutely have to use. I would bet that most people – if they really had to – could cut their fuel consumption by 50%. It wouldn't necessarily be convenient or easy, but it could be done. But it takes planning to do this, and it is our collective failure to plan that is going to lead to the difficult period. It is during the difficult period that we will get serious about planning, and the subsequent modifications in our energy usage pattern will ultimately lead to recovery on the other side of the crisis. Energy transitions take time, but our energy consumption patterns will be forever altered relative to what they are today."
WILDLIFE, HUMAN AND ECOSYSTEM IMPACTS
Science and the Gulf
"After months of confusion and contradictory reports, the Obama administration has at last embarked on a systematic effort involving some of the nation's top scientists to measure the amount of oil remaining in the Gulf of Mexico and its potential impact on marine life. An interim report could be ready in several months."
Gulf Well Is Capped, But Still 'Hell To Be Paid' (NPR)
"Scientists still are trying to gain a sense of how much oil remains in the water, as well as what effects are being caused by chemical dispersants meant to break up the oil."
