GULF OIL DISASTER
Carnival sues BP and others over Gulf of Mexico oil spill-related expenses
Spoof Video - I Know What You Spilled Last Summer
Scientists surprised, cautious over environment's apparent post-oil spill recovery
The spill caused a dramatic reversal in the abundance of zooplankton — the tiny plants and animals that float in Gulf waters. In contrast, populations of oil-consuming bacteria soared.
Based on environmental conditions before the spill, Graham said, 2010 should have been a very productive year for zooplankton.
"I would say the concentration in the water was at least four times lower than it should have been," he said. [...]
Overton noted that troubling issues remain, such as the hundreds of dead
dolphins and turtles that have washed ashore this year."
Study: Gulf spill's social costs may linger for years
Mississippi barrier islands still recovering from spill
OIL DRILLING AND ENERGY POLICY
High gas prices and oily political rhetoric don't mix (CSM Editorial)
"Neither the president nor Congress have much influence over these trends. The best thing to do, then, is for the country's leaders to change America's fuel diet by encouraging less demand for oil through conservation and efficiency, and by supporting investment in nonoil fuels.
President Obama got at this when he said "there's no silver bullet that can bring down gas prices right away."
The harder truth is that high prices are likely to continue. They will actually help speed the coming and necessary transition from oil dependence, because high prices make the status quo so uncomfortable."
Letter from the President to Congressional Leadership Regarding Oil Subsidies
"One of those steps is to eliminate unwarranted tax breaks to the oil and gas industry and invest that revenue into clean energy to reduce our dependence on foreign oil. Our outdated tax laws currently provide the oil and gas industry more than $4 billion per year in these subsidies, even though oil prices are high and the industry is projected to report outsized profits this quarter."
Legislative Update from NRDC:
On 4/13 the House Natural Resources Committee gave a green light to the expansion of offshore oil and gas drilling at a markup on three bills introduced by the committee's chair, Rep. Hastings (R-WA). H.R. 1231 would mandate oil and gas leasing in all U.S. coastal areas, including those off the northeast, California and Alaska. The other bills (H.R. 1229,H.R. 1230) would force the Obama administration to offer leases off the coast of Virginia and in the Gulf of Mexico, sales it had canceled after the Deepwater Horizon disaster, and to expedite the review of oil drilling permit applications. The committee passed the bills by votes of 29-14 (H.R. 1231), 27-16 (H.R. 1229), and 29-14 (H.R. 1230). All the Republicans on the committee voted for the bills, as did two Democrats -- Rep. Costa (CA) and Rep.Boren (OK). The full House is expected to vote on the bills in May.
NEW JERSEY
Pallone: Offshore drilling isn't safe anywhere
"If we have learned only one thing from this disaster, it's that big oil sold the American people a bill of goods and all of us paid the price of severe environmental and economic damage. We can't afford to let this ever happen again."
