oil spill

[mgsooner]

Shit makes me sick. The gulf coast just can't catch a fucking break.

[Smitty]

I try not to even think about it...

[Steve French]

they're saying "Worse than the Exxon Valdez"

and that shit was BAD.

[Gator McKlusky]

And there are still douchebags here in FL who are in favor of gulf drilling.

[dee dee]

How's that drill baby drill stuff working out fer ya

[mgsooner]

spill baby spill

[Clams]

The pics will only get worse now that the oil has started to come ashore...

[scotto]

I try not to even think about it...

I know what you mean.
I hate it. And it makes me sick to even think about it.
Unfortunately, many in charge of our energy "policy" share your point of view, though for much different reasons (I think).

I feel for everyone (and everything) who will suffer because of the arrogance, stupidity, and carelessness of others: The locals, their economy and way of life, the habitat, the aquatic life, the birds.
Makes me sick.

[Clams]

I try not to even think about it...

I know what you mean.
I hate it. And it makes me sick to even think about it.
Unfortunately, many in charge of our energy "policy" share your point of view, though for much different reasons (I think).

I feel for everyone (and everything) who will suffer because of the arrogance, stupidity, and carelessness of others: The locals, their economy and way of life, the habitat, the aquatic life, the birds.
Makes me sick.

Not to mention the families of the 11 people who died when the damn thing exploded.

[Jeremy]

So glad Obama recently let them do this off the coast of DE and the De bay and Chesapeake Bay(which is in a fragile state itself) ll the way down the coast to the gulf. Maybe next time I vacation in OBX or WIlmington or Edisto Beach I can enjoy the sight of them burning an oil spill off the coast. Epic Fail Obama!!! Might as well have just elected a republican if this is how much he cares about the environment.

Also interestingly, he didnt allow drilling off the coast of the northern(blue) states, considering he would like to get reelected,lol.

[scotto]

I try not to even think about it...

I know what you mean.
I hate it. And it makes me sick to even think about it.
Unfortunately, many in charge of our energy "policy" share your point of view, though for much different reasons (I think).

I feel for everyone (and everything) who will suffer because of the arrogance, stupidity, and carelessness of others: The locals, their economy and way of life, the habitat, the aquatic life, the birds.
Makes me sick.

Not to mention the families of the 11 people who died when the damn thing exploded.

Absolutely.

[dime in the gutter]

my daughter's 5th grade teacher lost her son in the explosion.

[dime in the gutter]

for those interested.....article about offshore drilling operations, specific to this rig explosion.

http://cliffbourgeois.newsvine.com/_news/2010/04/26/4207104-deepwater-horizon-running-casing-offshore

[The Black Canary]

News reports this moring already have the oil hitting land. The army, national guard etc... are now being called in to help contain, burn. Even fishing trollers are involved to help control the spill.

It is worse than Exon, as the oil is still coming out from the well below surface. Said it could take up to 90 days to control the spill, even with burning UGH!!!

PennyLane is down at jazz fest in New Orleans, hopefully she can give us some eye on the scene updates when she returns.

[joelle]

my daughter's 5th grade teacher lost her son in the explosion.

jesus dime
that is unbelievable.
i am sure it is hard on your daughter and her classmates as well.
ecological tragedies have such a far reaching impact on so many in so many ways
and this is a tremendous catastrophe
but it is the personal single stories
events
the loss of a child
that bring the deepest heartache and pain.


life.
prayers for the livelihood of those destroyed
prayers for the earth itself
prayers for the families and friends of those who are no longer here.

one more thing to love about the south
perseverance


my thoughts are in La. and the gulf...

burning in water
drowning in flame
(bukowski)

[scotto]

Just saw this on Elizabeth Riley Dickson's FB page:

"Every asshole who ever chanted 'Drill baby drill' should have to report to the Gulf coast today for cleanup duty." -Bill Maher

[Tequila Cowboy]

Just saw this on Elizabeth Riley Dickson's FB page:

"Every asshole who ever chanted 'Drill baby drill' should have to report to the Gulf coast today for cleanup duty." -Bill Maher

Yeah I saw this too. Agree wholeheartedly.

[scotto]

Jesus fuck!

Reuters is reporting that another offshore drilling rig has overturned in the gulf coast, this time in inland waters close to Morgan City, LA. Reuters writes that the Coast Guard has responded to an "accident" at a "mobile inland drilling unit."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/04/30/louisiana-drilling-rig-ov_n_559221.html

[Smitty]

this shit just pisses me off

[garnersound]

Environmentalist Richard Charter of the Defenders of Wildlife organization said the magnitude of the oil leak could cause damage that would last decades.
"This event is a self-feeding fire," Charter told CNN. "It is so big and expanding so fast that it's pretty much beyond human response that can be effective. ... You're looking at a long-term poisoning of the area. Ultimately, this will have a multi-decade impact."

[Tequila Cowboy]

The effects of this are staggering beyond belief. The environmental tragedy is, almost certainly, beyond what we can imagine. The effect on the lives of people who make their living in coastal industries like shrimping will be devastating. Tragic.

[garnersound]

more from cnn.

BP partnered with government officials to hold town hall meetings throughout the region Saturday to respond to concerns about the spill's consequences.
But frustration was growing in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida.
At a town hall meeting in Bayou La Batre, Alabama, Mayor Stan Wright warned fishermen in the audience that outbursts would be met with arrest. The fishermen were told that they were not allowed to ask questions.

so much for the freedom of speech, welcome to your united police state of america.....

[Jeremy]

I saw somewhere that the spill could reach the Atlantic and travel north as far as Cape Hatteras NC. Also saw that by the time its over, it will be the worst oil spill ever. There were already some dead zones in the gulf, now bet that will increase a ton.

[Smitty]

I'm just speechless

[dime in the gutter]

as expected.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/05/03/oil-spill-to-hit-florida-_n_561653.html

Oil Spill To Hit Florida Keys: Will Hit Loop Current Within 24 Hours
BRIAN SKOLOFF | 05/ 3/10 02:27 PM |

GULFPORT, Miss. — Scientists say the Gulf oil spill could get into the what's called the Loop Current within a day, eventually carrying oil south along the Florida coast and into the Florida Keys.

Nick Shay, a physical oceanographer at the University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, said Monday once the oil enters the Loop Current, it likely will end up in the Keys and continue east into the Gulf Stream.

Shay says the oil could affect Florida's beaches, coral reefs, fisheries and ecosystem within a week.

He described the Loop Current as similar to a "conveyor belt," sweeping around the Gulf, through the Keys and right up the East Coast.

Shay says he cannot think of any scenario where the oil doesn't eventually reach the Florida Keys.

[Jeremy]

Now the plan is to put a big box over it. Than 2 months from now should have a relief well drilled to fix it. Hope it works.

[Smitty]

Kevin f'n Costner

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld ... 1299.story

Kevin Costner may hold key to oil spill cleanup
The actor has invested 15 years and $24 million in a cleanup system involving centrifugal oil separators. BP and the Coast Guard plan to test six of the machines on the spill next week.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service specialists capture a laughing gull on Breton Island. Ailing birds are not unusual on the island and usually are left alone, but this one will be tested for oil contamination. (Carolyn Cole, Los Angeles Times / May 20, 2010)



The " Kevin Costner solution" to the worsening oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico may actually work, and none too soon for the president of Plaquemines Parish.

Costner has invested 15 years and about $24 million in a novel way of sifting oil spills that he began working on while making his own maritime film, "Waterworld," released in 1995.

Two decades later, BP and the U.S. Coast Guard plan to test six of his massive, stainless steel centrifugal oil separators next week. Plaquemines Parish President Billy Nungesser welcomed the effort, even as he and Louisiana officials blasted the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for delays in approving an emergency plan to build sand "islands" to protect the bayous of his parish.

"It certainly is an odd thing to see a 'Kevin Costner' and a 'centrifugal oil separator' together in a place like the Gulf of Mexico," said actor Stephen Baldwin, who is producing a documentary about the oil spill and Costner's device. "But, hey, some of the best ideas sometimes come from the strangest places."


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Meanwhile, "Avatar" director James Cameron has said that he would make his underwater vessels available, and actor-director Robert Redford appeared in a commercial, sponsored by the Natural Resources Defense Council, that uses the spill as a clarion call to move forward on clean energy.

It is not the first time Hollywood has come to the rescue with cutting-edge technology. Paul Winchell, a versatile ventriloquist and the voice of Tigger in " Winnie the Pooh," was also an inventor who patented an early artificial heart in the 1960s. In 1940, glamorous movie star Hedy Lamarr helped design an un-jammable communications system for use against Nazi Germany.

Costner was unavailable for comment. But his business partner, Louisiana attorney John Houghtaling, said, "Yes, Kevin is a star, but he took his stardom and wrote all the checks for this project out of his own pocket. This was one man's vision."

Details of any contractual relationship with BP were not disclosed. Asked if the actor would charge for use of the machines, Pat Smith, a spokesman for Costner, said, "We don't know yet. We haven't had that discussion yet. This is only a test trial."

Houghtaling said Costner bought the technology, which was originally developed with help from the Department of Energy, after the 1989 Exxon Valdez disaster and turned it over to a team of scientists and engineers for fine-tuning.

"The machines are essentially like big vacuum cleaners, which sit on barges and suck up oily water and spin it around at high speed," Houghtaling said. "On one side, it spits out pure oil, which can be recovered. The other side spits out 99% pure water."

If all goes according to plan, he said, "We could have as many as 26 machines dispatched throughout the gulf. Our largest machine is 112 inches high, weighs 2 ½ tons and cleans 210,000 gallons a day of oily water. We are hoping to have 10 machines that size out there — meaning we could potentially clean 2 million gallons of oil water a day."

That kind of talk has intrigued BP, the party responsible for the well blowout that caused an explosion on the Deepwater Horizon on April 20, killing 11 workers and triggering one of the largest oil spills in U.S. history. "BP has agreed to test Mr. Costner's machines," BP spokesman Mark Proegler said. "Of course, they need to meet regulations with respect to discharge."

With oil washing up on a portion of southeastern Louisiana's swampy edges, word of Costner's devices and their potential capabilities has triggered intense lobbying over where they should be stationed first.

High on the list of prospective sites is Plaquemines Parish, where "we've already lost 24 miles of marshland," Nungesser said. "Everything in it — frogs, crickets, fish and plant life — is dead and never coming back."

Houghtaling said he was working on a deployment strategy. "Some people want the machines placed out on the blue ocean where the oil is surfacing. Others want them placed along the coastline."

In the meantime, frustration escalated Thursday over the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' delay in authorizing dredging to build a chain of barrier islands with sand to protect sensitive coastal areas.

Parish leaders, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal and Sen. David Vitter (R-La.), a member of the Senate committee that oversees the Corps, demanded immediate approval of the plan they estimated could cost about $50 million.

"The Corps just doesn't get it," Vitter said in a statement. "Thick oil has already gotten behind our existing barrier islands and is infiltrating our marsh. Yet the Corps has no sense of emergency."

Corps spokesman Eugene Pawlik said that the agency is using emergency rules to expedite the request, but that it still has to comply with national environmental laws, including soliciting comments from other agencies.

Nungesser dispatched an urgent request to the Obama administration to force the Corps to expedite its review process. He also reached out to Costner, the man of the hour in Louisiana's bayou country.

"I have Kevin Costner's cellphone number and I'm going to call him and ask him to hold a press conference about the Corps' lack of response in this time of emergency," Nungesser said. "He is a caring man, and people know and respect him. Maybe he can help us."

louis.sahagun@latimes.com
Copyright © 2010, The Los Angeles Times

[LuthierJustin]

Its great how the Obama administration pretty much ignored it for the first week or so...

[LuthierJustin]

Doesn't Obama think the government should take care of everything? Now he says he's going to put his boot of the throat of big oil, I have news for him, what does he think Air Force One and his Limo's run on? He just can't wait to drive up energy prices so he can raise taxes and "help out the poor unfortunate people who can't afford energy" that he drove up so high in the first place.

[LuthierJustin]

No, I think it should be a partnership between the government and the oil company.