Gulf Coast Disaster: Afternoon News Round-Up, May 25
Posted May 25, 2010 in Curbing Pollution, Health and the Environment, Moving Beyond Oil, The Media and the Environment
Highlights in this issue:
- Latest BP effort to plug well may be delayed
- Who’s in charge? Why, the Feds are
- BP hunts for cause of oil disaster, focuses on other companies
- Did BP have history of worker risk?
- Obama: ‘Plug the damn hole’
This afternoon’s summary:
The stain of oil on everything from the environment to politics continues to spread. While the Obama administration didn’t cause what is probably the worst oil spill in history, it hasn’t been able to stop it. And that means that every naysayer hiding in the corner will come out to place blame. And the administration is likely to catch a lot of it. Never mind that the lease was let in 2007 under the Bush administration or that BP has been responsible for the oil mess. Today we learned about some classic cases of graft at the MMS. Also this morning, White House energy czar Carol Browner made it clear that the government, not BP, is in charge. With confusion like this, it might be next year before the gushing Gulf is silenced.
Quotable Quote:
“If Exxon Valdez was a heart attack, Deepwater is a cancer” — A Greenpeace tweet
Read more:
http://twitter.com/Greenpeace
National News
Los Angeles Times: Latest BP effort to plug well may be delayed
The much-anticipated attempt to seal the explosion-damaged well gushing oil into the Gulf of Mexico may not start on Wednesday, officials of oil giant BP said Tuesday morning. Equipment is in place to handle the “top kill,” but before it can start, engineers must complete “extensive” diagnostic testing of the pressure dynamics associated with the well, engineers said.
Read more:
ABC News: Who’s in charge? Why, the Feds are
Carol Browner, President Obama’s assistant for energy and climate change, told Good Morning America Tuesday that the Gulf oil spill is the worst in history. She also confirmed that the government is the one in charge, issuing orders to BP with regards to the clean-up.
Read more:
Politico: White House takes heat over spill response
Also read:
AP: BP hunts for cause of oil disaster, focuses on other companies
Maybe other companies involved with the oil rig caused the explosion and disaster now evolving in the Gulf of Mexico, according to BP. And that is why the oil company is focusing on work done by other companies, according to BP’s press release.”A number of companies are involved, including BP, and it is simply too early - and not up to us - to say who is at fault,” said BP’s CEO Hayward.
Read more by Greg Bluestein and Matt Brown
Daily Beast: Did BP have history of worker risks?
Investigative reporters are beginning to crawl all over BP in an effort to get to the bottom of this story that might just be about greed. A document obtained by The Daily Beast shows that BP, in a previous fatal disaster, increased worker risk to save money. Are there parallels with the Gulf explosion?
Read more by Rick Outzen
Christian Science Monitor: EPA searches for better dispersant
The EPA is looking for a better dispersant, one that isn’t as strong as Conexit, the material being used by BP, according to White House energy czar Carol Browner.
Read more by Mark Guarino:
Politics
Washington Post: Obama: ‘Plug the damn hole’
Even President Obama is getting frustrated with the colossal disaster taking place in the Gulf of Mexico. The Washington Post reports at length today about the 24/7 attempts to deal with it and the fraying tempers that surround it. Obama, usually a very calm fellow, is quoted as saying, “Plug the damn hole.”
Read more by Karen Tumulty and Steven Mufson
Also see:
CBS News: Is Gulf oil spill becoming Obama’s Katrina?
Hurricane Katina is not far from anyone’s mind these days as plenty of people compare the oil spill to the hurricane that devastated the same region. Could the oil spill in the Gulf become for President Barack Obama what Hurricane Katrina became for President George W. Bush? Some people think so.
Read more from Marcia Kramer
MSNBC: Dan Froomkin on administration’s response to Gulf oil spill
Froomkin says that at first he didn’t feel the early comparison of “Obama’s Katrina” was warranted, but now he believes the administration is caught flat-footed much like the Bush administration was in Katrina.
Watch this video:
Regional
Times Picayune: Fishery disaster declared in wake of Gulf of Mexico spill
On Monday US Commerce Secretary Gary Locke officially declared a fishery disaster for the Gulf of Mexico. Twenty percent of the waters are now closed to commercial and recreational fishing. Commercially, the Gulf accounts for $ 1 billion in seafood industry a year. The disaster declaration allows fishermen in Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi to seek disaster relief from the federal government. Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal requested the disaster declaration on April 30.
Read more:
WJZ: A Baltimore company has fix for Gulf oil spill
Chesapeake Specialty Products produces material for radiation shielding, with a density three times that of cement .The company president believes his product will stop the oil from spewing into the Gulf.
Read more
Fox News: Getting sick from the oil spill
Some Louisiana fishermen affected by the massive oil spill are reporting cases of debilitating headaches, burning eyes and nausea, and some industry and public officials are pointing the finger at chemical dispersants as the cause.
Read more:
Feature
New York Times: Who is Transocean?
Since April 20th, Transocean’s stock has fallen 41 percent and BP’s has fallen 31 percent. Now its corporate credibility and reputation for worker safety is called into question. Observers believe, Transocean will be known for the worst oil spill yet in history.
Read more from Clifford Krauss and Tom Zeller Jr.
Also read:
New York Times: Blogs follow the fate of the Gulf’s birds
Allheadlinenews: Robots to monitor spill off Fla. coast
Graphics:
Online maps, apps track Gulf spill
HuffingtonPost: BP mocked in hilarious video
Comments are closed for this post.
Comments
Steve Hale — May 25 2010 05:27 PM
THERE WILL BE OIL: The current disaster in the Gulf is going to have a long term impact to our Gulf Coastal Region. If you are an environmentalist this is time to read, take notes, document, observe, take pictures, and remember. This sort of magnitude affects another environmentally sensitive area-Ground Zero to the Mississippi Delta Region. Most of Europe's wild areas and fisheries have been destroyed or restocked with similiar native species. These areas are toxic due to industrial wastes from years of abuse. This disaster being played out before our eyes could produce a dead zone very similiar to europe. With BP splashing around in our Gulf Waters bringing thier brand of industrialism to the Gulf Coast Region is an example of David against the Corporate Goliaths that have profit motives over any concern over environmental impact. We have a top kill alright. Its the Mississippi Delta and entire Gulf Coast Future Dead Zone to come. Once BP Kills the Gulf then I guess it will be Drill baby Drill. We have short term memory loss. So once this passes over and all the seafood is killed off. Then the only asset left in the Gulf will be oil. Thanks BP!!!