BP Complaints

MOXNews.com April 29, 2010 News Corp.

What a fine mess we’re seeing develop in the Gulf. Is this a different version of Bush Katrina for Louisiana except its called Obama Oil? Wouldn’t fate have it so that Obama finally breaks his past an opts for being a supporter of drilling off shore and along comes a blow-out that could have consequences far beyond anything we now imagine not to mention the fact that this story isn’t going away soon.  

The oil leak triggered by a deadly rig blast off the coast of Louisiana has the potential to cause more environmental damage than the 1989 Exxon Valdez spill, one of the largest ecological disasters ever recorded, some observers say. “As it is now, it’s already looking like this could be the worst oil spill since the Valdez,” John Hocevar, oceans campaign director for Greenpeace USA.

He goes on to say, “It’s quite possible this will end up being worse than the Valdez in terms of environmental impact since it seems like BP will be unable to cap the spill for months. In terms of total quantity of oil released, it seems this will probably fall short of Exxon Valdez. But because of the habitat, the environmental impact will be worse.”

The spill was bigger than imagined — five times more than first estimated — and closer. Faint fingers of oily sheen were reaching the Mississippi River delta, lapping the Louisiana shoreline in long, thin lines.  “It is of grave concern,” David Kennedy of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, told The Associated Press. “I am frightened. This is a very, very big thing. And the efforts that are going to be required to do anything about it, especially if it continues on, are just mind-boggling.”

The oil slick could become the nation’s worst environmental disaster in decades, threatening to eclipse even the Exxon Valdez in scope. It imperils hundreds of species of fish, birds and other wildlife along the Gulf Coast, one of the world’s richest seafood grounds, teeming with shrimp, oysters and other marine life. I imagine that the Obama politicos are huddling today to figure out how to SPIN this to their advantage; however, my “knower” says this can’t be used for political gain no matter how one spins it.

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Reuters

Gulf Oil Spill Drawing Comparisons to Exxon Valdez Disaster WBEN 930 Buffalo, NY (WBEN) — As the gulf region deals with the massive oil spill, it's drawing comparisons to a disaster that happened in Alaska in 1989. … A Valdez Reporter on Gushing Gulf OilNew York Times (blog) Gulf oil spill stokes fears of disaster hereVictoria Times Colonist Winds holding Gulf oil spill offshoreUSA Today Christian Science Monitor –Free Speech Radio News –Reuters all 27,246 news articles »

View full post on gulf oil disaster updates – Google News.

BP’s Oil Spill Bill Could Dwarf Exxon’s Valdez Tab
Oil behemoth BP PLC faces billions of dollars in costs connected to its oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, analysts and legal e…

Read more on New York Times

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Globe and Mail

A Valdez Reporter on Gushing Gulf Oil New York Times (blog) … the Gulf of Mexico disaster the other day. I encouraged him to weigh in with a Dot Earth “postcard” from Anchorage on Gulf oil in the broader context, … Gulf oil spill: Obama faces getting stuck by Morton's ForkLos Angeles Times (blog) How Obama Could Use the Gulf Oil Disaster to Buoy Renewable EnergyInhabitat (blog) White House Defends Response To Gulf Oil LeakWall Street Journal TMD Celebrity News –Taipan Publishing Group –OnEarth Magazine all 4,414 news articles »

View full post on gulf oil disaster updates – Google News.

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.

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The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is becoming more and more of an environmental concern as time passes by. It all started with an oil rig explosion last April 20, 2010 which eventually led the oil tank to sink two days later about 40 miles off the Mississippi River delta.

Alternatively, one other solution to contain the oil spill is to create a dome-like device to cover oil rising to the surface and pump it to container vessels. However, BP said that this particular solution will take about two weeks to put in place.

Several oceanographers have claimed that the magnitude of the oil spill was huge and that it will definitely have an impact on marine life. They also claimed that the oil spill also threatened oyster beds in Breton Sound on the eastern side of the Mississippi River as winds and currents in the Gulf moved the oil spill steadily toward the mouth of the Mississippi River.

“They have to repair the problem. I’m not sure if anything else is going to matter until they do,” said Kelly O’Keefe, managing director of the Virginia Commonwealth University Brandcenter. “And they should apologize.”

Landry said more than 5,000 barrels a day of sweet crude are discharging into the gulf, not the 1,000 barrels officials had estimated for days since the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig exploded and sank 50 miles off the Louisiana Coast. The new oil spill estimate came from the federal National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration.

The Exxon Valdez oil spill caused a lot of environmental damage as a lot of birds, fish and otter were killed due to the oil spill and some groups say that the official volume of 10.9 million gallons is actually lesser than what actually leaked. They say this because the vessel was carrying a total of 54.1 million gallons of Prudhoe Bay Crude oil and the area where it struck the reef was a very remote area implying that almost all the oil leaked before counter measures could be taken.

“They have to repair the problem. I’m not sure if anything else is going to matter until they do,” said Kelly O’Keefe, managing director of the Virginia Commonwealth University Brandcenter. “And they should apologize.”

Landry said more than 5,000 barrels a day of sweet crude are discharging into the gulf, not the 1,000 barrels officials had estimated for days since the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig exploded and sank 50 miles off the Louisiana Coast. The new oil spill estimate came from the federal National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration.