Oil Drilling News

NORTH SEA OIL SPILL

Shell admits risk of further North Sea oil spill
http://www.businessgreen.com/bg/news/2102863/shell-admits-risk-north-sea-oil-spill

Over 600 tonnes of oil at risk in North Sea spill
http://news.scotsman.com/scotland/Over-600-tonnes-of-oil.6820635.jp
"A total of 660 tonnes of toxic oil remains trapped inside the leaking system - and there are fears of a sudden and catastrophic release if plans to use divers to close a leaking valve go wrong."

Oil spill exposes Shell's ticking timebomb
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/aug/17/oil-spill-shell-timebomb

THE GULF

BP Investigates New Oil Sheen Near Green Canyon Block In Gulf Of Mexico
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/18/bp-sheen-gulf-mexico_n_930156.html
"Some oil naturally seeps from the floor of the Gulf, and the AP has reported that at least 27,000 abandoned oil and gas wells in the Gulf are not routinely inspected when plugged or subsequently monitored for leaks."

ALASKA

No to Arctic Drilling (NRDC Op-Ed)
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/18/opinion/dont-allow-oil-drilling-off-alaskas-coast.html?_r=1

Pondering impact of drilling off remote northwest Alaska
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/pondering-impact-of-drilling-off-remote-northwest-alaska/2011/07/21/gIQAvup6JJ_story.html

VIRGINIA

On a clear day you may soon see a rig off Virginia
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/08/16/us-virginia-drilling-idUSTRE77F6RN20110816
"Environmentalists say the industry is using Virginia as the wedge to get drilling going along the entire eastern seaboard."
Visit http://www.nottheanswer.org for Surfrider's perspective on offshore drilling and the ongoing disaster in the Gulf.

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Oil Drilling News

SHELL'S NORTH SEA OIL SPILL

Shell North Sea oil spill - live blog

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/blog/2011/aug/16/shell-north-sea-oil-spill-live

Shell admits there's a second leak.

UK Regulators Step Up Pressure On Shell Over Oil Spill

http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20110816-711851.html

Shell's reputation hit by North Sea oil spill

http://www.ajc.com/business/shells-reputation-hit-by-1112955.html

THE ARCTIC

Shell's Arctic Drilling Plan: Another Disaster Waiting to Happen

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/blogs/national-affairs/shells-arctic-drilling-plan-another-disaster-waiting-to-happen-20110808

Coast Guard Soon Will Require More Resources in Arctic, Commandant Says

http://www.hstoday.us/industry-news/general/single-article/coast-guard-soon-will-require-more-resources-in-arctic-commandant-says/393d0f0333b42a27c88fcfb9681f38c3.html

What If An Oil Spill Happened in the Arctic? (Oceana video)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=2dL3RGwpBaI

5 Reasons Shell Should Not Be Drilling in the Arctic

http://www.takepart.com/news/2011/08/15/5-reasons-shell-should-not-be-drilling-in-the-arctic

Oil Drilling News

NORTH SEA OIL SPILL

Shell: 54,600 gallons of oil spilled in North Sea
http://www.sacbee.com/2011/08/15/3838880/uk-100s-of-tons-of-oil-leaked.html
"The British government said the leak was small compared to the BP spill in the Gulf of Mexico last year - which dumped 206 million gallons of oil into the Gulf - but said it was still substantial for the U.K.'s continental shelf."
So now nearly every company (well, maybe not BP) involved in an oil spill can use that line - "It was small compared to the BP spill in the Gulf of Mexico."

Somebody Stop Me Before I Spill Again! (NWF)
http://blog.nwf.org/wildlifepromise/2011/08/somebody-stop-me-before-i-spill-again/
Great blog post from Peter LaFontaine.

ANOTHER 'DID THE GULF OIL SPILL EVER HAPPEN?' ARTICLE

Transocean To Buy Aker Drilling For $1.4 Billion
http://www.nasdaq.com/aspx/stock-market-news-story.aspx?storyid=201108151233dowjonesdjonline000130&title=3rd-updatetransocean-to-buy-aker-drilling-for-$1.4-billion
"The move shows Transocean is shrugging off recent doubts about the strength of the oil industry amid a faltering economy, and is also willing to dip into its cash reserves despite unresolved liabilities for the Deepwater Horizon oil spill."
Visit http://www.nottheanswer.org for Surfrider's perspective on offshore drilling and the ongoing disaster in the Gulf.

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Oil Drilling News

WHAT GULF OIL SPILL?

U.S. Energy Adviser Says Some Amnesia Regarding Macondo Oil Leak
http://www.nasdaq.com/aspx/stock-market-news-story.aspx?storyid=201108100353dowjonesdjonline000129&title=us-energy-adviser-says-some-amnesia-regarding-macondo-oil-leak

Oil on the Islands
http://www.sunherald.com/2011/08/09/3338038/oil-on-the-islands.html
Yes, it did happen and, no, it's not over.

OIL SPILLS AROUND THE WORLD

Mumbai hit by 60,000-tonne oil spill, India by over 113,000
http://maritimeprofessional.net/Blogs/Mumbai-hit-by-60,000-tonne-oil-spill,-India-by-ove/August-2011/Mumbai-hit-by-60,000-tonne-oil-spill,-India-by-ove.aspx
Also see: http://blog.skytruth.org/2011/08/oil-spill-off-mumbai-india.html

Experts warn of fragile sea environment (China)
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/cndy/2011-08/12/content_13097245.htm

Shell Fighting Oil Spill At North Sea Platform
http://www.nasdaq.com/aspx/stock-market-news-story.aspx?storyid=201108121238dowjonesdjonline000321&title=update-shell-fighting-oil-spill-at-north-sea-platform
Just think what it would be like trying to deal with this off the coast of Alaska in the winter.
Also see: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111904006104576504572754151598.html
and
http://blog.skytruth.org/2011/08/oil-spill-at-shell-platform-in-north.html
Visit http://www.nottheanswer.org for Surfrider's perspective on offshore drilling and the ongoing disaster in the Gulf.

Visit http://www.surfrider.org/join to join Surfrider Foundation.

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Oil Drilling News

DEEPWATER HORIZON DISASTER

Deepwater Horizon: A Preliminary Bibliography of Published Research and Expert Commentary

http://www.lib.noaa.gov/researchtools/subjectguides/dwh.html

ADDING INSULT TO INJURY

BP funds push for more offshore drilling in oil-soaked Louisiana

http://www.grist.org/oil/2011-08-05-bp-funds-push-offshore-drilling-louisiana-gulf-of-mexico

"ALEC has pushed hard to fight any limits on offshore drilling, claiming "more energy-efficient drilling and production methods practically eliminate spills from offshore platforms." "

ALASKA

Alaska weakens oil spill prevention, response

http://juneauempire.com/local/2011-08-04/alaska-weakens-oil-spill-prevention-response#.TkAPGb_uc9Y

"The change is due to the elimination of the Alaska's Coastal Management program, under which it could require drilling and other activities in the outer continental shelf meet tougher standards than the federal minimums. Alaska has no jurisdiction in federal waters outside the state's 3-mile limit. "We are going to see a weakening of standards in the OCS with the loss of the Coastal Management program," said Marilyn Heiman, director of the U.S. Arctic Program for The Pew Environmental Group and a former Alaska legislative staffer."

WIDE WORLD OF OIL SPILLS

Blue crabs threatened by oil spills in Venezuela

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/08/05/us-venezuela-crabs-idUSTRE7743D520110805

"Pollution in Lake Maracaibo has been a problem for decades. In recent weeks the area has been blighted by several leaks from tangled pipes, corroding pumps and other oil installations that crisscross the lake."

India Assessing Mumbai Oil Spill Damage

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111904007304576495352472149760.html

ConocoPhillips blasted for slow action on oil leaks (China)

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/bizchina/2011-08/06/content_13063769.htm

Shell faces $410M payout over Nigeria oil spills

http://edition.cnn.com/2011/BUSINESS/08/04/shell.nigeria.ft/index.html

ALTERNATIVES TO OIL

Wind Power Gains as Gear Improves

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/08/business/energy-environment/wind-power-gains-as-gear-improves.html?_r=1&pagewanted=1

The bright future of solar powered factories

http://www.lowtechmagazine.com/2011/07/solar-powered-factories.html

Belfer Center discussion paper explores potential for electric vehicles to transform US market

http://www.greencarcongress.com/2011/08/belfer-20110805.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+greencarcongress%2FTrBK+%28Green+Car+Congress%29

Oil Drilling News

OIL SPILL RESPONSE AND CLEANUP

If An Oil Spill Happens In Icy Arctic Waters, We Have No Way To Really Clean It Up (Video)

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2011/08/oil-spill-arctic-waters-we-have-no-way-clean-up-video.php

WHOI study reports microbes consumed oil in Gulf slick at unexpected rates

http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-08-whoi-microbes-consumed-oil-gulf.html

"[Researchers] found that bacterial microbes inside the slick degraded the oil at a rate five times faster than microbes outside the slick—accounting in large part for the disappearance of the slick some three weeks after Deepwater Horizon's Macondo well was shut off. At the same time, the researchers observed no increase in the number of microbes inside the slick—something that would be expected as a byproduct of increased consumption, or respiration, of the oil. In this process, respiration combines food (oil in this case) and oxygen to create carbon dioxide and energy."

OIL INDUSTRY TRENDS

U.S. dependence on petroleum imports is falling

http://www.kansascity.com/2011/08/01/3051001/us-dependence-on-petroleum-imports.html

"The country recently stopped being a net importer of petroleum products for the first time since at least 1973, as the country's refiners sold more gasoline and other end products to other countries. A second factor is simply lower demand for petroleum products, in large part a result of the sour economy, but also helped by more efficient cars."

Oil Drilling News

GULF DRILLING AND HURRICANES

Gulf of Mexico production and hurricanes

http://www.theoildrum.com/node/8201

"The lessons of this vulnerability were, perhaps, more than most years, evident in 2005. The first sign of problems came with the arrival of Hurricane Dennis in July. It was a storm which severely damaged the BP deep water Thunder Horse drilling platform.

As that season wore on, the vulnerability of the platforms in the Gulf and the refineries that border it, were exposed in more intensity with the passage of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. These threats and their analysis were one of the factors that helped, in that formative year, to bring an audience to the pages of The Oil Drum. The Gulf is now home to thousands of wells which, as the evidence from the Deepwater Horizon disaster last year reminded us, has moved further and further away from shore. That vulnerability is perhaps illustrated by a map showing the path of Hurricane Rita through the oil platforms off the Texas and Louisiana coasts."

OIL/ENERGY POLICY

Era of cheap oil gone, says Shell's Voser

http://www.pennenergy.com/index/articles/newsdisplay/1467045077.html?cmpid=EnlDailyPetroAugust12011

" "It is the end of easy oil," said Peter Voser. "We are going into a world where finding the oil and gas is more complex and it needs more money, it needs more investment. That needs higher oil and gas prices." Shell believes energy prices will rise in coming years as a result of oil being found in more remote locations and being harder to produce, allied to surging global demand driven by "emerging nations" such as China and India."

ALASKA

Arctic oil spill cleanup impossible one day in five, energy board report finds

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/arctic-oil-spill-cleanup-impossible-one-day-in-five-energy-board-report-finds/article2116242/

A newly released report commissioned by Canada's energy regulator has concluded that clean-up efforts for an offshore oil spill in the Arctic could be impossible at least one day in five because of bad weather or sea ice. And a spokesman for one environmental group said that a recent U.S. study suggests even that figure could be underestimating the risk.