GULF OIL DISASTER
Analysis of the Causes of the Deepwater Disaster: Interim Report
"1. The incident at the Macondo well and Deepwater Horizon MODU was precipitated
by the decision to proceed to temporary abandonment of the exploratory well despite
indications from several repeated tests of well integrity [the test type known as a
negative (pressure) test] that the cementing processes following the installation of a
long-string production casing failed to provide an effective barrier to hydrocarbon
flow.
2. The impact of the decision to proceed to temporary abandonment was compounded
by delays in recognizing that hydrocarbons were flowing into the well and riser and
by a failure to take timely and aggressive well-control actions. Furthermore, failures
and/or limitations of the BOP, when it was actuated, inhibited its effectiveness in
controlling the well."
BP Lacked 'Discipline' Before Rig Blast, Panel Says
Too Much At Stake: Don't Gamble With Our Coasts (Report from Sierra Club and Environment America)
"This report makes it clear in dollars and cents that our clean beaches, coasts and oceans are worth too much to risk another drilling disaster like BP's oil spill in the Gulf. In fact, the annual value of tourism and fishing in most coastal regions is many times higher than the annual value of any oil or gas that might be found there. Offshore drilling is incompatible with more sustainable activities like tourism and fishing because drilling inevitably results in large oil spills, chronic pollution, and industrializing the coast for oil facilities. We only have to look at the immense damage that the BP Deepwater Horizon spill did to the Gulf of Mexico's fishing, tourism and wildlife to recognize what impact drilling would have on other coasts. In addition to the large economic benefits that flow from use and enjoyment of the ocean, the report highlights the special marine ecosystems, treasured beaches, and extraordinary marine life in our waters. Our coasts are lined with beaches visited by tens of millions annually, national wildlife refuges, parks, and sensitive marshes and bays. Offshore in the ocean, some underwater environments rival rain forests in biological diversity and exceed the productivity of grasslands. Our coastal oceans have sea grass beds, kelp forests, submarine canyons, rich fishing grounds, shallow corals, and deepwater corals, all of which can be damaged by oil spills. "
Gulf Tides 8: Long Road to Recovery - BP Drilling Disaster - (Video from Gulf Restoration Network)
BP deep-cleaning Gulf coast beaches amid new worries
"The work is getting mixed reviews. Many are anxious to see the beaches cleaned as quickly as possible by whatever means are available. Others say BP may be making matters worse by bringing heavy equipment onto beaches and spreading the petroleum stain."
Oil harder to find in Alabama and Mississippi waters
Miss. DEQ seeks help in assessing oil spill damage
ALTERNATIVES TO OIL
Electric car charging station unveiled in DC
"The station is the result of a $15 million Department of Energy grant which in the next year will provide 4,600 charging stations in Austin, southern Michigan, Los Angeles, New York, Orlando, Sacramento, the Bay Area, Washington state and the District."
World Energy Outlook 2010
