Tomorrow is the anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon disaster. I became particularly interested in the months after the disaster on... View Article
Continue readingBarton plans Florida Keys fundraiser; Apologizes to BP
Texas Rep. Joe Barton, who apologized to BP’s chief executive Tony Hayward at a Congressional hearing today for having to create a $20 billion claims fund to help victims of the oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, is planning to host his “7th Annual Barton Family Fishing Trip & Florida Flats Fishing Tournament” the weekend of Oct. 15-18th on the island of Islamorada in the Florida Keys.
The event, which is in the Sunlight Foundation’s Political Party Time database of fundraising invitations, will be held at “the beautiful Cheeca Lodge & Spa” and the requested contribution to attend the ... Continue reading
Oil & Gas Contributions to Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee
The Senate Committee on Energy & Natural Resources is currently holding a hearing into responses to the Gulf oil spill... View Article
Continue readingA Public Access Response to Failure
Powerlessness in the face of disaster is dispiriting. Powerlessness in the face of regulatory failure is fixable. Despite our widespread... View Article
Continue readingBP had no plan for Deepwater Horizon disaster
British Petroleum did not have an emergency response plan for its Deepwater Horizon drill rig; such plans direct personnel to the proper procedures for responding to incidents like the current spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
In testimony before the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee on May 19, Liz Birnbaum, the former Director of the Minerals Management Service (MMS) who resigned yesterday morning, said the reason that BP did not complete an Oil Spill Response Plan was a reported decrease in the rig’s “worst-case scenario discharge” from 250,000 barrels a day to 160,000.
BP calculated the volume ...
Oil Spill: Wildlife data shows several species may be affected
As the millions of gallons of oil continues to spill into the Gulf of Mexico, the Department of Interior’s Fish and Wildlife Services has started an uphill battle with their rescue efforts. The agency has deployed a 200-person workforce in the area who are reviewing the natural habitats affected by the oil spill.
For environmentalists and reporters covering the vast and prolonged damage the oil spill can cause, here’s a list of wildlife refuges that can be affected released by the Fisheries and Wildlife Services.
And, to check on various species of endangered wildlife that could be affected ...
BP blamed in 8,000 spill reports, federal data shows
British Petroleum and its subsidiaries have been the subject of roughly 8,000 reported incidents of spills, emissions and leaks of oil, chemicals and gases into the environment, according to a government database. (download them here).
The National Response Center, which takes reports on oil spills, radiation
leaks, chemical emissions and other environmental accidents, shows dozens of reports stemming from the April 20 explosion at British Petroleum's Deepwater Horizon. In addition to the crude oil flowing into the gulf , benzene, ethylbenzene, caustic soda solution and six other chemicals have been released into the water and air, according to incident ...
Oil spill resources: Local reporting
We're pulling together resources for covering and following the Deepwater Horizon disaster. Here's some coverage from local papers in the Gulf region--there's some fantastic local reporting going on. A sampling:
(Monroe) News-Star
The Obama administration's point man on the oil spill rejected the notion of removing BP and taking over the crisis Monday, saying the government has neither the company's expertise nor its deep-sea equipment. To push BP out of the way would raise a question, to replace them with what?" Coast Guard Commandant Thad Allen, who is heading the federal response to the spill ...
Connections In Congress May Aid BP Lobby Effort
The Deepwater Horizon oil spill is quickly becoming a serious ecological disaster. At the same time, the event has become... View Article
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