Oil Leak at Gulf of Mexico Oil Well

[Guest Defenders of Wildlife]

Oil, through simple physical contact, inhalation, ingestion and absorption have demonstrated harmful effects on wildlife. These effects include, but are not limited to, contamination of feathers and fur, and damage to vital organ systems, including: the lungs and air sacs, kidneys, liver, heart, blood, and gastrointestinal tract.

 

You can support the oiled wildlife response.

 

Call 302-737-9543. Phones are answered 7 days a week between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.

 

Or mail a check, payable to Tri-State Bird Rescue, to 110 Possum Hollow Rd, Newark, DE 19711. You can also become a member of Tri-State or "Adopt-a-bird".

 

 

Visit Pelican Island

 

Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge was the nation’s first wildlife refuge, established by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1903. It was selected as the release site because it is located within the Indian River Lagoon, the most biologically diverse estuary in the United States. It has a large population of Gannets and Pelicans for the two rescued birds to join, and is out of the current oil spill trajectory.

 

http://www.fws.gov/pelicanisland/

 

Report oiled wildlife:

(866) 557-1401

[Guest Mary]

I was happy to hear President Obama say he made mistakes. I was not happy to read about the corruption in MMS. This really makes me wonder if our government will not have the same problems administrating health care. Greed is a powerful human nature.

 

The EPA should have allowed dispersents, they should have insisted that the oil be sucked up, which it could have been, as it was occurring. Underwater dispersents are proven toxics, and we will never get rid of them, only recently did we have video of what they actually do. The gulf will never recover unfortunately.

[Guest Luke]

Why not attach a small atomic powered heater to the cap of the housing, so ice cannot form. Then draw the oil up.

[Guest Tipur]

For anyone to think that our government does not have submersibles is just plain stupid.

 

If our government can't go down there and fix it themselves? Then we are in real deep water trouble.

 

 

I got to honestly say that you folks don't think, and if this country is going to remain in stupid mode? Then I see no reason to care about this country anymore.

[Guest Gail Zirato]

Matt Simmons Tells Bloomberg Only Way To Contain Oil Leak Is With Small Nuclear Bombs, "Top Kill" Is Just A Distraction

 

In his May 28th interview with Bloomberg's Mark Crumpton and Lori Rothman, Matt Simmons of energy investment bank Simmons & Company, provides some stunning revelations on what is really occurring in the Gulf of Mexico, and proposes that the only effective way to contain the leak is to relieve BP, bring in the military, and do what the Russians have done on comparable occasions, namely explode nuclear weapons within the wellbore. Simmons knows what he is talking about. As Jim Bianco points out: "Matt Simmons gained fame with his book 2005 Twilight in the Desert where he claimed that the Saudis were overstating their oil output because they hit "peak oil." Right or wrong Simmons claimed the price of oil was going to skyrocket and three years after the book's release the crude oil hit $147/Barrel. In January 2009 the WSJ called Simmons one of the five most important voices in the oil industry. Simmons has been wrong in the past and his views are non-conventional and often correct. Simmons is also highly connected within the oil industry so he knows who to talk to verify his claims." In addition to his radical solution, Simmons also points out that "Top Kill" is a sideshow and the real problem is 5 to 7 miles away, where a second fissure is "releasing a plume the size of Delaware and Maryland combined." If Simmons is indeed right, and the only recourse left to Obama is to nuke the seabed, the repercussions for his already shaky political situation will be tremendous.

 

[Guest Teaxas Tea]

Researchers say they are worried more undersea plumes are being created by the use of chemical dispersants to break up the oil a mile undersea at the site of the leak. These dispersants could pose a big danger to fish larvae and creatures that filter the waters for food.

 

This web site has real-time access to satellite imagery and measurements of the oceans and coastal areas within the Gulf of Mexico.

 

http://www.esl.lsu.edu/home/

 

 

I think the second plume is not from another leak. The dispersant have created a denser layer that is now being spotted. BP claims the dispersants were used to thin the oil so it could be broken down more quickly. They claim it loses its toxicity within three weeks. Yet they still kept spraying it when told to stop. I think the government and BP trying to hide or disguise the massiveness of this thing.

[BlackSun]

The best way to get a perspective of the magnitude of this oil spill is to visualize it over your home town. Here is an example.

 

 

http://www.beowulfe.com/oil/#loc=Washington%2C%20DC%2C%20USA&lat=38.8951118&lng=-77.0363658&x=-77.0363658&y=38.8951118&z=7

[Guest Tipur]

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5j4d8XkzfNJMVGDSkCL64avnjGMHAD9G195800

Oil complicates forecasts on hurricane season eve

 

By HOLBROOK MOHR (AP) – 8 hours ago

 

VENICE, La. — As hurricane season approaches, the giant oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico takes weather forecasters into nearly uncharted waters.

 

The Gulf is a superhighway for hurricanes that form or explode over pools of hot water, then usually move north or west toward the coast. The site of the sunken rig is along the general path of some of the worst storms ever recorded, including Hurricane Camille, which wiped out the Mississippi coast in 1969, and Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

 

The season officially starts Tuesday, and while scientists seem to agree that the sprawling slick isn't likely to affect the formation of a storm, the real worry is that a hurricane might turn the millions of gallons of floating crude into a crashing black surf.

 

Some fear a horrific combination of damaging winds and large waves pushing oil deeper into estuaries and wetlands and coating miles of debris-littered coastline in a pungent, sticky mess.

 

And the worst effects of an oil-soaked storm surge might not be felt for years: If oil is pushed deep into coastal marshes that act as a natural speed bump for storm surges, areas including New Orleans could be more vulnerable to bad storms for a long time.

 

Experts say there are few, if any, studies on such a scenario.

 

In this "untreaded water ... it's tough to theorize about what would happen," said Joe Bastardi, chief long-range hurricane forecaster with AccuWeather.com.

 

The lone precedent, experts agree, is the summer of 1979, when storms hampered efforts to contain a spill from a Mexican rig called Ixtoc 1 that eventually dumped 140 million gallons off the Yucatan Peninsula. Hurricane Henri, a Category 1 storm, damaged a 310-ton steel cap designed to stop the leak that would become the worst peacetime spill in history.

 

Still, while oil from that spill coated miles of beaches in Texas and Mexico, tropical storms and unseasonable cold fronts that year helped reverse offshore currents earlier than normal and drive oil away from the coast. Storms also helped disperse some of the oil, Bastardi said.

 

"That's what I think would happen this time," he said. "I'm sure a hurricane would do a great deal of diluting the oil, spreading it out where the concentrations would be much less damaging."

 

At least 19 million gallons, according to the latest estimates, have leaked from the seabottom 5,000 feet below the surface since the April 20 explosion of BP PLC's Deepwater Horizon rig, which killed 11. Syrupy oil has crept into Louisiana's marshes, coating plants, killing some birds and threatening wetlands.

 

The threat to the marshes could have implications lasting well beyond this hurricane season. Louisiana already has lost huge swaths of coastal wetlands in recent decades, and the oil is a major threat to the long-term viability of that delicate ecosystem.

 

If the plants that hold the marshes together were to die at the roots, the base would wash away, leaving deeper water and less of a buffer for hurricanes, said Joseph Suhayda, director of the Louisiana State University Hurricane Center.

 

"That would increase the amount of surge inland," Suhayda said.

 

Even without considering hurricanes, there is uncertainty about whether marsh cane and other plants will die to the roots or just above the surface from this oil spill. If the plants' roots survive, they could come back over time. If not, the results could be catastrophic.

 

"I don't think anybody is going to know precisely. It depends on the quantity of the oil," said David White, a biological sciences professor at Loyola University New Orleans.

 

There is a chance that a hurricane or tropical storm could offer wetlands a reprieve from the oil, at the expense of areas farther inland. A storm surge of several feet, even if it is carrying oil, would pass over the top of the outer, low-lying marshes and disperse the mess in less toxic amounts, Suhayda said.

 

But such a storm could also push oil into freshwater marshes where ducks and geese thrive, White said.

 

Experts are predicting a busy hurricane season with powerful storms. Bastardi predicts seven named storms, five hurricanes and two or three major hurricanes will have an effect on land this year. Colorado State University researchers Philip Klotzbach and William Gray predict a 69 percent chance that at least one major hurricane will make landfall on the U.S. and a 44 percent chance that a major hurricane will hit the Gulf Coast.

 

On Thursday, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicted 14 to 23 tropical storms this year, including up to seven major hurricanes. "This season could be one of the more active on record," agency Administrator Jane Lubchenco said.

 

Hurricane season begins June 1 and runs through November. Early season storms are uncommon; the busy part of the season is in August through October. Stronger storms typically form during this time, like Katrina did in August of 2005.

 

A hurricane like Katrina "would be a worst-case scenario" with oil pushed far ashore, said National Wildlife Federation scientist Doug Inkley.

 

"It would suffocate the vegetation. You'd get oiled birds and other animals," Inkley said. "It's virtually impossible to clean up oil."

 

It could well be August before the current leak is stanched. After several failed attempts to contain it, BP has been siphoning some of the oil through a mile-long tube, but more continues to escape. BP is drilling another well to relieve pressure from the leak in hopes of a permanent fix, but that could take weeks.

 

And oil rigs are often evacuated ahead of hurricanes, which would interrupt those containment efforts.

 

"It wouldn't take a hurricane to create a mess, even a tropical storm could cause problems," said William Hawkins, director the University of Southern Mississippi's Gulf Coast research laboratory.

 

A hurricane could also push the oil in a new direction.

 

"I think what worries us most is the hurricane taking oil to areas that probably wouldn't be hit hard otherwise, like the Florida Panhandle and Texas," said Gregory Stone, director of the Coastal Studies Institute at LSU.

 

Even though the oil has yet to reach Florida, state Attorney General Bill McCollum recently sent a letter to BP asking the company to assure him it would pay up if a tropical storm or hurricane pushes oil ashore, which he believes "will capture the oil in its path and deposit it much further inland."

 

Bastardi said that in the near term at least, the storms themselves remain the chief threat.

 

"If a Category 3 hurricane is headed to the Texas Gulf Coast — and this is simply theoretical — I wouldn't be worried as much about damage from the oil, as the damage from the hurricane," Bastardi said.

 

Copyright © 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You democrats should have had the oil well capped by now because of hurricane season.

There is no excuse for the environmental economic disaster which is coming; you democrats can’t blame BP for that.

[Guest Green Energy]

What are Americans expecting, for Obama to order the Marines to march into BP headquarters and force executives at gunpoint to plug the damn hole?

 

The Deepwater Horizon catastrophe is the result of lax business regulation and deregulation beginning back in the 1980’s, when Obama was in his 20’s. Since the Reagan era businesses and industry have been saying they don’t need government oversight, they can police themselves and government should stay out of the way. Generally, Congress and the White House have agreed for 30 years. The near collapse of the financial system in 2008 and the resulting Great Recession have proved deregulation folly in the banking sector. Deepwater Horizon proves the mistake of deregulation in the energy sector.

 

http://www.green-energy-news.com/arch/nrgs2010/20100036.html

[Guest Soldier of God]

Change your fear and anger to Faith and Prayer.

[Guest Ownrecognizance]

Perhaps if we all prayed. But alas that would be politically incorrect.

[Guest Soldier of God]

Political correctness has nothing to do with personal prayer.

[Guest ALWAYSRED]

Well put. But...

 

Don't you find it scary that the Secretary of Energy gets his Oil Spill updates from the New York Times. Is there some type of disconnect between agencies. This is a National Emergency.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7jraa9JZvE

[Guest Tony]

Secretary Chu may have just killed President Obama's political chances in 2012.

[Guest Anne]

Instead of throwing tantrums people should aid BP's efforts and then do the frying and grilling when the mess is cleared. Arguing with the fireman while the fire is raging is not so smart. Grab a bucket.

[Guest Tipur]

Instead of throwing tantrums people should aid BP's efforts and then do the frying and grilling when the mess is cleared. Arguing with the fireman while the fire is raging is not so smart. Grab a bucket.

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Anne you can provide cover to the democrats to your hearts content, but it still does not change the fact that this administration has the tools to put a cap unto that well with their own submersibles, and hurricane season is already upon us.

 

The environmental damage is going to be huge once a hurricane comes onshore. This will make Katrina look like a cake walk.

 

You are still trying to blame BP for the Barack's administrative failure to do anything to stop this oil leak.

[Guest Get a grip]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Anne you can provide cover to the democrats to your hearts content, but it still does not change the fact that this administration has the tools to put a cap unto that well with their own submersibles, and hurricane season is already upon us.

 

The environmental damage is going to be huge once a hurricane comes onshore. This will make Katrina look like a cake walk.

 

You are still trying to blame BP for the Barack's administrative failure to do anything to stop this oil leak.

 

Blaming the Democrats as a party for the oil spill is like blaming the Republicans as a party for Katrina.

 

The difference is Katrina was an act of God, and the oil spill is an act of corporate negligence.

 

And really, "Tipur," you think the US government can just cruise 5000 feet under water and pop a cap on the well-head as if it were a soda bottle? You're saying we have the technology but are just sitting on our hands just for the fun of it?

 

To all you Republicans out there reading this: this catastrophe is the work of the de-regulators/no big government/states' rights preachers who want less and less government oversight because businesses can police themselves?

You're joking right??

[Luke_Wilbur]

I commend the President's honor of stating the blame starts with him. But, I feel that the questions, ideas and opinions should be shared. These opinions should be made public for all to see. Why do we fear openness. Take command and tell us what is really going on. Don't worry about the panic. It is already here. But, hey I am alive and kicking. I am actually having a good day. I won a judgment in Court.

 

Why not let the Department of Education, The National Archives, The Library of Congress, and the Government printing office start sending out printed newsletters to all registered voters.

 

Gulf Oil Newsletter

 

Why not respond to people that you send letters to and put it on CSPAN, Voice of America, NPR, and whoever what to broadcast it. All media and file types welcome.

 

Why not have a National Customer Service Center.

 

The National Customer Service Center can be a place where the public gets answers. At this moment the government makes it too difficult to disseminate what is going on.

 

I am reading and watching people come up with amazing new products. But, for some reason updates are not timely. This is doing a great disservice to our Nation. We need to update USA.gov. It is a disgrace to our nation. The government should be creating its own software search engine to crawl all departments. This cloud configuration is similar to bit torrent. (Side historical note. I see too many computers being thrown out as a kid. My dad would get them donated to schools of disadvantaged students.)

 

We need to start using the brain power of our entire nation to solve this problem. President Obama please use it.

 

Start letting people post and start responding to questions. Hire people to research and find the answers.

 

Let this web site be mirrored everywhere.

 

Here is an idea. Why not use a mile long series of remote controlled sensory pressure valves to slow the flow rate of oil. The bottom valves heated by a small radioactive core to not freeze. Maybe the top tubing segments could be more flexible. Possibly create more flexible high pressure tubing like the ones that connect the engine to my radiator. The oil can be stored in a long thin tub that can be expanded like Lego bricks. Imagine a Lotus flower. Large petals would float below the surface. They can be made by forming plastic cells that could withstand hurricanes. Tankers could connect to the flower pods and suck up all the hydrocarbons and byproducts. The connecting points could be raised in a process similar to a periscope.

 

What I have written could be Alice in Wonderland.

 

But, I am seeing chain reactions of thoughts. Trying to focus passed the pundits and more on the good. Taking positive steps without looking back too much. But, there is so much anger and hatred going on that the message is not very clear.

 

That cannot be good. This weekend I honored loved ones for Memorial Day. When I went home I watched Patton. George C. Scott was such a great actor. We need a romantic leader that truly loves to lead this great nation to its prime. Life is a game of continuous rules with a continual multitude of players. We need to grab ideas faster and execute them to building a perfect Nation (I personally believe under the Creator).

 

I commend President Obama for not taking Command of the air waves. I commend Congress for not requesting to temporarily suspend our Freedom of Speech. But they have to respond better than they have.

 

President Obama, please get the message out that we can all believe and understand.

Edited June 2, 2010 by Luke_Wilbur

[Guest Tipur]

Blaming the Democrats as a party for the oil spill is like blaming the Republicans as a party for Katrina.

 

The difference is Katrina was an act of God, and the oil spill is an act of corporate negligence.

 

And really, "Tipur," you think the US government can just cruise 5000 feet under water and pop a cap on the well-head as if it were a soda bottle? You're saying we have the technology but are just sitting on our hands just for the fun of it?

 

To all you Republicans out there reading this: this catastrophe is the work of the de-regulators/no big government/states' rights preachers who want less and less government oversight because businesses can police themselves?

You're joking right??

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

. GetAgrip; your group did blame the Republicans for Katrina. Don't type bull to me; you can type your bull to the folks out there that you think are idiots.

 

The United States government is the leader in the Air, Sea, Land, but this administrations management skill is that of a low level manager.

 

The oil spill happened under a democrat administration, and people like you getagrip still want to blame the republicans.

 

It shows just how toothless you are getagrip. It looks like you need to get a grip on reality.

[Guest LAW]

Remarks by the President After Meeting with BP Oil Spill Commission Co-Chairs

 

THE PRESIDENT: Good morning, everybody. I just met with these gentlemen, former Senator Bob Graham of Florida and former EPA Administrator, Bill Reilly. They will lead the National Commission on the BP oil spill in the Gulf, which is now the greatest environmental disaster of its kind in our history. Their job, along with the other members of the commission, will be to thoroughly examine the spill and its causes, so that we never face such a catastrophe again.

 

At the same time, we’re continuing our efforts on all fronts to contain the damage from this disaster and extend to the people of the Gulf the help they need to confront this ordeal. We’ve already mounted the largest cleanup effort in the nation’s history, and continue to monitor -- minute to minute -- the efforts to halt or capture the flow of oil from the wrecked BP well. Until the well is stopped, we’ll multiply our efforts to meet the growing threat and to address the widespread and unbelievably painful losses experienced by the people along the Gulf Coast. What’s being threatened -- what's being lost -- isn’t just the source of income, but a way of life; not just fishable waters, but a national treasure.

There are now more than 20,000 men and women in the region working around the clock to contain and clean up the oil. We’ve authorized more than 17,000 National Guard members to respond across four states. More than 1,700 vessels are currently aiding in the response. And we’ll ensure that any and all responsible means of containing this leak are pursued as we await the completion of the two relief wells. I’ve also directed Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and Admiral Thad Allen, who is the National Incident Commander, to triple the manpower in those places where oil has hit shore or is within 24 hours of impact.

The economic response continues as well. We’ve ordered BP to pay economic injury claims, and we will make sure they deliver. The Small Business Administration has stepped in to help businesses by approving loans and allowing deferrals of existing loan payments. We’ve stationed doctors and scientists across the region to look out for people’s health and monitor any ill effects felt by cleanup workers and residents. And we will absolutely continue to hold BP and any other responsible parties accountable for financial losses borne by the people in the region.

 

But our responsibility doesn’t end there. We have an obligation to investigate what went wrong and to determine what reforms are needed so that we never have to experience a crisis like this again. If the laws on our books are insufficient to prevent such a spill, the laws must change. If oversight was inadequate to enforce these laws, oversight has to be reformed. If our laws were broken, leading to this death and destruction, my solemn pledge is that we will bring those responsible to justice on behalf of the victims of this catastrophe and the people of the Gulf region.

 

When Interior Secretary Ken Salazar took office, for example, he found a Minerals and Management Services agency that had been plagued by corruption for years -- corruption that was underscored by a recent Inspector General’s report that uncovered appalling activity that took place before last year. Secretary Salazar immediately took steps to clean up that corruption. But this oil spill has made clear that more reforms are needed. For years, there’s been a far too cozy relationship between oil companies and the agencies that regulate them. That’s why we’ve decided to separate the people who permit offshore leases, who collect revenues, and who regulate the safety of drilling.

 

In addition, we’ve placed a six-month moratorium on drilling new deepwater oil and gas wells in the Outer Continental Shelf. And now that a 30-day safety and environmental review is complete, we’re making a series of changes. The review recommended aggressive new operating standards and requirements for offshore energy companies, which we will put in place. And I’ve also called on Congress to pass a bill to provide critical resources to respond to this spill and better prepare us for any spills in the future.

 

Now, all that has to do with dealing with the crisis at hand. But it’s critical that we take a comprehensive look at how the oil and gas industry operates and how our government oversees those operations. That’s why I signed an executive order establishing this national commission. And I’m extraordinarily pleased that Bob Graham and Bill Reilly have agreed to be its co-chairs.

 

Bob served two terms as Florida’s governor, represented Florida in the Senate for almost two decades. And during that time he earned a reputation as a champion of the environment, leading the most extensive environmental protection effort in the state’s history. Bill is chairman emeritus of the board of the World Wildlife Fund, and is also deeply knowledgeable of the oil and gas industry. He also was EPA Administrator during the first Bush administration, serving during the Exxon Valdez disaster.

 

So I can’t think of two people who will bring greater experience or judgment to this task. I personally want to thank both of them for taking on this arduous assignment -- for demonstrating a great sense of duty to this country.

 

Very soon I’ll appoint five other distinguished Americans, including leaders in science and engineering, to join them. And they’ll work alongside other ongoing reviews, including an independent examination by the National Academy of Engineers. And I’ve authorized the commission to hold public hearings and to request information from government, from non-for-profit organizations, and from experts in the oil and gas industry both at home and abroad, as well as from relevant companies -- including BP, Transocean, Halliburton, and others.

I just said in our meeting: In doing this work, they have my full support to follow the facts wherever they may lead -- without fear or favor. And I’m directing them to report back in six months with options for how we can prevent and mitigate the impact of any future spills that result from offshore drilling.

 

As a result of this disaster, lives have been lost. Businesses have been decimated. Communities that had already known great hardship now face the specter of sudden and painful economic dislocations. Untold damage is being done to the environment -- damage that could last for decades. We owe all those who’ve been harmed, as well as future generations, a full and vigorous accounting of the events that led to what has now become the worst oil spill in U.S. history. Only then can we be assured that deepwater drilling can take place safely. Only then can we accept further development of these resources as we transition to a clean energy economy. Only then can we be confident that we’ve done what’s necessary to prevent history from repeating itself.

 

Thank you very much, everybody.

[Guest LAW]

Attorney General Eric Holder on Gulf Oil Spill

New Orleans ~ Tuesday, June 1, 2010

 

Good afternoon.

 

This morning, I surveyed just one small portion of the damage caused by what is now the largest oil spill in American history. I was briefed by Coast Guard officers involved in the massive response effort and also surveyed the famed Louisiana Delta, where the early signs of oil intruding into the ecosystem are all too evident.

 

This afternoon, our team from Washington met with Attorneys General and U.S. Attorneys for the states and districts whose coast lines and citizens have been impacted by this disaster to discuss how we can work together to respond to this tragic spill.

As you all know, the President on Friday reiterated that the first and foremost goal of the entire government is stopping the leak, containing and cleaning up the oil, and helping the people in this region get back on their feet and return to their normal lives.

But as we have said all along, we must also ensure that anyone found responsible for this spill is held accountable. That means enforcing the appropriate civil – and if warranted, criminal – authorities to the full extent of the law.

 

What we saw this morning was oil for miles and miles. Oil that we know has already affected plant and animal life along the coast, and has impacted the lives and livelihoods of all too many in this region. This disaster is nothing less than a tragedy.

 

There is one thing I will not let be forgotten in this incident: In addition to the extensive costs being borne by our environment and by communities along the Gulf Coast, the initial explosion and fire also took the lives of 11 rig workers. Eleven innocent lives lost. As we examine the causes of the explosion and subsequent spill, I want to assure the American people that we will not forget the price those workers paid.

 

During the early stages of the response efforts, I sent a team of attorneys including the head of the Environment and Natural Resources Division, Ignacia Moreno, and the head of our Civil Division, Tony West, to New Orleans to lead our efforts to protect not only the people who work and reside near the Gulf, but also the American taxpayers, the environment and the abundant wildlife in the region. They have been working diligently ever since to gather facts and coordinate the government’s legal response.

 

As we move forward, we will be guided by simple principles: We will ensure that every cent of taxpayer money will be repaid and damages to the environment and wildlife will be reimbursed. We will make certain that those responsible clean up the mess they have made and restore or replace the natural resources lost or injured in this tragedy. And we will prosecute to the full extent any violations of the law.

 

Among the many statutes Department attorneys are reviewing are:

 

* The Clean Water Act, which carries civil penalties and fines as well as criminal penalties;

* The Oil Pollution Act of 1990, which can be used to hold parties liable for cleanup costs and reimbursement for government efforts;

* The Migratory Bird Treaty Act and Endangered Species Acts, which provide penalties for injury and death to wildlife and bird species; and,

* Other traditional criminal statutes.

 

There are a wide range of possible violations under these statutes, and we will closely examine the actions of those involved in this spill. If we find evidence of illegal behavior, we will be forceful in our response. We have already instructed all relevant parties to preserve any documents that may shed light on the facts surrounding this disaster. As our review expands in the days ahead, we will be meticulous, we will be comprehensive, and we will be aggressive. We will not rest until justice is done.

 

While the federal government continues to focus on stopping the leak and responding to the environmental disaster, the Department of Justice will ensure the American people do not foot the bill for this disaster and that our laws are enforced to the full extent. That is our responsibility, and we will do nothing less.

[Guest LAW]

EPA shares the responsibility of responding to oil spills with the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG). Further, we share the responsibility for prevention and preparedness with USCG and several other federal agencies. The USCG leads the response to spills that occur along the coast of the United States, or in the coastal zone, and EPA leads the response to spills that occur in the internal United States, or the inland zones. The exact lines between the inland and coastal zones are determined by Regional Response Teams (RRTs) and established by Memoranda of Agreement (MOAs) between regional EPA and USCG offices. EPA and USCG have a strong relationship and work closely on oil spill response activities regardless of where the spill occurs.

[Guest Jake I.]

BP has learned nothing. Transocean already had one of the worst environmental disasters in Mexico when they blew up the PEMEX IXTOC I oil well back in June 13, 1979. That company was called Sedco, which is now Transocean. It took 9 months to drill the relief wells in 200' of water.

 

http://home.versatel.../rig/ixtoc1.htm

[Guest greenzen]

BP has learned nothing. Transocean already had one of the worst environmental disasters in Mexico when they blew up the PEMEX IXTOC I oil well back in June 13, 1979. That company was called Sedco, which is now Transocean. It took 9 months to drill the relief wells in 200' of water.

 

http://home.versatel.../rig/ixtoc1.htm

 

That is insane. Why hasn't anyone mentioned this already.

[Guest Sheryl]

That is really wrong. This needs to be spread everywhere.