Its been 64 magical days and 160 million glorious gallons (or is it even more…nobody knows…) since the Deepwater Horizon laid down the ultimate Gulf of Mexico smackdown. Below is summary of the last couple of weeks worth of news sure to make you feel nauseous. But some bittersweet humor on Twitter from @nadaleenatasha “Who lived in a pineapple under the sea? Who died in an oil spill because of BP?”
- Why not cover another body of water with oil and neglect it? How about the Red Sea? Done. Or maybe more Gulf of Mexico oil spills? Done. Double Done.
- On the impacts of the oil spill on the deep-sea life on the Gulf of Mexico seabed: “The sheer difficulty of trying to fathom the ecological impacts of the spill [has left scientists] dejected”.
- Are we destroying the Gulf of Mexico food web from both bottom-up and top-down? Is the Gulf of Mexico at a tipping point?
- How long will the impact last? Answer: Decades
- Fish and other wildlife are fleeing the oil spill out in the Gulf and clustering in cleaner waters along the coast. Oil spill pictures of coated birds, fish, and crabs. Oil spill may put cold deepwater corals at risk.
- New total Gulf bird numbers: 724 collected, 547 dead, 177 alive oiled, 25 released to date. Great FAQ on oiled bird rescue from IBRRC.
- Oil coats National Seashore near Pensacola, Florida
- More news that government is doing a fine job: Regulators failed to address risks in fail safe devices, Top 10 ridiculous oil-spill quotes from Congress, GOP still thinks this is a natural disaster, and despite moratorium drilling projects move ahead.
- The quote of the week is a toss up between 1) Oil Executives telling congressional committee that the BP spill is an aberration or 2) Sharron Angle stating we need to “deregulate” Big Oil
- Obama’s address (text here) to the nation about the oil spill is criticized for its mediocrity and emptiness. Robert Reich, former Secretary of Labor, asks if Obama missed opportunity to tell it like it is. Rep. Joe Barton apologizes to BP for the Obama “shakedown”. Biden responds to Barton, “Since you know I never say what’s on my mind…” Rachel Maddow gives the presidential speech I wanted from Obama.
- The check is in the mail. Obama Administration sends third bill for $51.4 million to BP and other responsible parties.
- Obama names Ray Mabus, former Mississippi Governor and current secretary of the U.S. Navy, to develop long-term Gulf restoration plan. Obama also announces members of the Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling.
- What do thousands of barrels of oil look like? Like a falling s@#$ storm. On twitter Neil Degrasse Tyson reminds us that “Two months of BP’s spill. About 120mil gallons in Gulf. Amounts to 3hr of USA oil consumption. 45min for World.”
- Do not boycott…drive less.
Crude oil washes ashore in Orange Beach, Ala., Saturday, June 12, 2010. (AP Photo/Dave Martin) - Oil spill on track to reach Atlantic by October? “No matter what you do it’s very, very hard in our model to find a scenario where [it] is kept within the gulf for a period of longer than six months.”
- CEO Tony Hayward still in charge? Maybe not? And how British is BP, anyway?
- BP’s shares slide further but still finds money to hires private security to block oily beaches. I wonder how much of the current US$1.25B is spent on PR and security?
- BP’s appalling safety record in US graphically illustrated.
- Are we close to the ultimate doomsday scenario? Some evidence points to a well casing crack. And here’s why top kill and every other procedure like this will fail. Did BP and US authorities ignore superior Belgian technology? Perhaps we need, James Cameron to dive the oil wreck and help stop flow.
- At least they said they were sorry: BP says it’s sorry and guarantees $20B for Gulf and after 57 days BP CEO Hayward’s finally states, “I fully grasp the terrible reality of the situation.” On the other hand, a massive flow of bullshit continues to gush from BP headquarters.
- Shrimpers opting for cleaning Gulf of Mexico oil over shrimping
- “We have 4 seasons in Louisiana~SHRIMP~OYSTER~CRABS~CRAW FISH & we will continue that tradition”~Donna Brazile
Finally, a salute to Gulf of Mexico sea life as it may have been
As an Israeli, I felt a lot of frustration regarding the spill in the Gulf of Mexico, since I wanted to go and help the conservation and clean up efforts.
Of course, as luck would have it, just a few miles south of me there’s another spill going on.
Are we that bent on killing everything in our oceans?
I really feel like we’re on borrowed time regarding the exploration and conservation of life in the oceans.
Now because of ships coming into the harbors, we have oil in bays and children’s “special” swimming areas. Also, some of the county officials are risking to go to jail by over-riding BP and its decision makers. And what was in that huge metal box that washed ashore onto Panama City beaches? Too much talk and not enough action! Honestly I feel sadder over the killing animal and plant life in our Gulf than over tourism dollars.
Pres must cut red tape to employ new oil spill processes on immediate basis.
A panel made up of scientists; (petroleum, mechanical, chemical, computer and or electrical engineers, biologists, associated technicians, and oceanographers) must be sent to the gulf coast now.
An area of the gulf coast is to be set aside, quarantined, for experimentation of various processes. Processes that will stop and or reduce the impact of the oil that is being spewed forth into our gulf waters.
Innovators will bring forth their inventions and processes to present them to the panel for immediate evaluation. Evaluation will take place in quarantined area.
Once processes and or inventions are determined to be better than or equal the value to the processes presently being employed in the gulf the new processes will also be employed on a now basis in the gulf area.
In Joe the plumber speak:
A sewer of a new building that Joe’s crew was working on broke open. The sewer is spewing forth you know what and has started to reach the pool area of the building. Joe interrupts his golf game to address the problem quickly. Joe knows there are regulatory plumbing codes involved to do the plumbing in a regulatory way. Joe, knows that this is an emergency situation and will think about plumbing codes later. Joe knows above all things he needs to stop the sewage flow now! Joe realizes he doesn’t have the equipment on hand to stop the sewage flow and fix the broken sewer.
So Joe uses common sense and calls in plumbing specialists. Joe quickly reviews which specialists tools will work and he employs them, Joe states he’ll worry about meeting the plumbing codes
after the emergency is taken care of. Joe states, “I have to save the pool from being overtaken by the sewage NOW!”
Joe has made an Executive decision. To date Internet sources state “Only one of the thousands of new processes that can and will stop the advance of oil in the gulf has even been considered.”
Voice your opinion and your need to your State Representative, and to the Executive in charge. Remember to “VOTE!”
It is July 4th 2010. I have come to accept the fate of the bea. utiful Gulf of Mexico. No anger no saddness and no more shock. Then I played your tribute to the the Gulf of Mexico and I cried. Tears rolled down my face.
All I can say is “Wonderous magical friend, I am so grateful to have known you. You will always be in my mind and my heart. The taste of your salty water on my lips. the Life that dances with me in water of such warmth . I will miss you forever. As my heart bleeds as you suffocate. I am so ashamed I Love you Gulf of Mexico. I Love You. Susan
This may indeed be a wose case failure. I find it interesting that this entire time all pictures from the sea bed never once have shown the blow out preventor. There is rummor that the blow out preventor no longer even exist on the well. So all this messing around was just a delay tactic. I pray that the entire world will now open there eyes to alternative energy. We must force the goverment to do the right thing. Obama never could really do all the things he promised, he was not elected king! We must stand up ( like in the 60’s & 70’s) for what we the people want.