BP Complaints

As BP announces latest plan to try to stop oil leak, inventors say it’s ignoring their ideas
NEW ORLEANS – A suggestion box or publicity stunt? BP has received thousands of ideas from the public on how to stop the Gulf of Mexico oil spill,
Read more on Canadian Business

ABC Online

Gulf Oil Rig Victims: A Memorial To The 11 Men Who Lost Their Lives (PHOTOS … Huffington Post (blog) Lost in the media maelstrom surrounding the Gulf oil rig disaster — from breathless coverage of congressional probes and tough analysis of the regulatory … It Lost an Oil Rig, but Transocean May Easily Ride Out the Gulf Oil SpillBNET The Gulf Oil Disaster Blame GameNightly Business Report Transocean Claims Maritime Law to Limit Its Liability in Oil Spill CasePR Newswire (press release) TopNews United States –Politico –NPR (blog) all 1,303 news articles »

View full post on gulf oil disaster updates – Google News

Entrepreneurs revive their post-Katrina civic zeal, quickly creating products to raise awareness of the Gulf oil spill …
Just like after the 2005 levee failures, local residents, retailers and designers have jumped into action this week, planning sales, designing T-shirts and reworking their store windows and collections to help spread the word and raise cash for environmental groups and charities aiding in the spill recovery.

Read more on New Orleans Times-Picayune

.

Local Leaders: Oil Spill Solutions of Their Own
NEW ORLEANS (AP) – Gov. Bobby Jindal and other officials are keeping up their criticism of BP PLC and the Coast Guard, saying they never provided plans to protect the Louisiana coast from an oil spill. Jindal and Sen. David Vitter of Louisiana spoke Tuesday at Fort Pike, where efforts are under way to protect Lake Pontchartrain from the oil. Jindal says local leaders have stepped in to come up …

Read more on KATC 3 Lafayette

.

A landmark even in Environmental Law, the Exxon Valdez oil spill resulted in drastic changes to oil regulations and new safety procedures to prevent against future oil spills. The March 1989 oil spill was one of the largest in history, resulting in over 10 million gallons of crude oil spilling into the Prime William Sound, directly impacting the entire oceanic ecosystem. The 300 meter tanker was employed to transport oil between the Alaskan Valdez pipeline for domestic US refineries, and the oil spill led to litigation which changed the shape of modern oil production.

As a result of the oil spill, over 30,000 plaintiffs were awarded punitive damages which were reduced by the Supreme Court, and the settlement finally cleared in 2008 after a decade of appeals. The lasting environmental impact left over 25,000 gallons of oil in the Alaskan Gulf, creating a challenge for modern day environmental cleanups. While the companies worked to minimize the damage with dispersants and solvents, the lasting impacts continued to be felt throughout the Prince William Sound. Environmentalists estimate that hundreds of thousands of sea-borne animals were negatively impacted, while salmon populations in the region continue to suffer from defects resulting from the oil spill.

The class action lawsuit Baker v. Exxon started in an Anchorage district court and went all the way to the Supreme Court before a final settlement was reached. In addition to punitive damages, Exxon settled with local industry and environmental groups to alleviate the impact of the oil spill. Lasting regulatory shifts included the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 that limited the precautions oil companies must take in the export trade. New ship designs were required to minimize the potential impact of the spills, while the National Transportation Safety Board implemented stricter controls over those involved in maritime navigation.

.