THE GULF
Scientists find low but possibly harmful Gulf contamination
"Scientists from the National Aquarium and the Johns Hopkins University say they've found low but potentially harmful levels of toxic oil contaminants in the Gulf of Mexico months after the Deepwater Horizon well blowout was capped. Erik Rifkin, interim executive director of the aquarium's conservation center, and Yongseok Hong, a post-doctoral fellow at Hopkins, say that using devices that mimic the way fish absorb contaminants in their environment, they've detected oil-related chemical compounds on the Louisiana coast that traditional water sampling methods mostly missed."
OIL/ENERGY POLICY
Feds issue record number of deep-water drilling permits in October
"Government permitting of offshore drilling projects soared in October, as federal regulators signed off on 13 deep-water wells during the month — the most since the administration lifted a moratorium on that offshore exploration a year ago."
