BREAKING NEWS-Another Oil Rig Explodes Off Louisiana Gulf Coast
News has just broken that another oil rig has exploded in the Gulf of Mexico. Few details are available at this time, but it appears the blast occurred around 9:30 a.m. local time on a rig owned by Mariner Energy.
More Another Oil Rig Explodes Off Louisiana Gulf Coast? Click Here.__________________________________________________________________________
BP's Deepwater Horizon Oil Rig Spill
LIVE FEED:
BP Live Feed
To see BP's live feed of the gulf well oil leak, Click Here.
PBS Live Feed
According to the initial NOAA estimates that were released before the live video feed was available to the public, oil was leaking from the gulf floor at 210,000 gallons per day, or about 2.4 each second. It can be observed from the live feed, however, that figure looks extremely low. Expert sources have now put the oil leak rate at over 1,000,000 gallons per day, but a revised official estimate is not expected until later on this week.
LATEST INFO: US Government Mapping the Response to BP Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico
GeoPlatform.gov/gulfresponse is a new online tool that provides you with near-real time information about the response effort. Developed by NOAA with the EPA, U.S. Coast Guard, and the Department of Interior, the site offers you a “one-stop shop” for spill response information.
Environmental Response Management Application Click here.
Oil Spill Complaint
Latest Oil Spill Complaint filed with the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana Click Here.
9/1/10-After BP Oil Spill, Offshore Regulator Institutes Ethics Policy
In the wake of the BP oil spill, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management is imposing its first-ever ethics policy. The Bureau of Ocean Management was formed over the summer, after the functions of the scandal-plagued Minerals Management Service (MMS) were divided. The Bureau is charged with overseeing offshore drilling operations. More? Click Here.
__________________________________________________________________________
8/31/10-Psychologist Warns BP Oil Spill with Have Long-Lasting Impact
A prominent social psychologist says feelings of anger, depression, and helplessness are already apparent in many people whose lives were impacted by the BP oil spill. What’s more, Deborah Du Nann Winter, PhD, told the peer-reviewed online journal Ecopsychology that those and other psychological impacts of the spill are expected to be long lasting. More? Click Here.
__________________________________________________________________________
8/30/10-BP Oil Spill Probe Reportedly Faults Its Own Engineers
BP is apparently putting some blame for the Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion on its own engineers. According to a Bloomberg News report, the oil company’s internal investigation misread a test of the well’s stability on April 20, the day of the disaster. More? Click Here.
__________________________________________________________________________
8/27/10-BP Oil Spill Testimony Points To Ignored Warnings
Last month, BP employee, John Guide, told an investigative panel he ignored an email warning of a significant gas flow risk in BP’s “wild Gulf well” just prior to what is now being described as the worst oil spill in United States history, said NOLA. Eleven men were killed in the blast that led to the spill. More? Click Here.
__________________________________________________________________________
8/26/10-After Spill, BP Puts Arctic Drilling On Hold
In the wake of the massive and historic Gulf of Mexico oil spill this April following the sinking of the Deepwater Horizon rig, BP has canceled plans to drill in the Arctic, said AFP. A new oil rush is expected there, but BP is fearful that drilling in the Arctic now would be "political madness," said the AFP, quoting Britain’s Guardian. The Deepwater Horizon explosion released millions of barrels of oil and resulted in horrendous and ongoing environmental damage. More? Click Here.
__________________________________________________________________________
8/25/10-Lung Problems Could Plague BP Oil Spill Workers
An emerging study suggests that the over 50,000 workers involved in the cleanup efforts in the Gulf of Mexico following the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig could experience long-term breathing and health problems, said CNN. The study is looking at a 2002 oil spill that took place in Spain. More? Click Here.
__________________________________________________________________________
8/24/10-Oil Spill Compensation Fund Up and Running
Some Gulf of Mexico residents will be able to receive compensation for the historic BP oil spill that ravaged a number of Gulf States, said American Public Media Marketplace (The Marketplace). BP’s $20 billion fund is now open; however, some feel the rules are not all that fair, added the Marketplace. More? Click Here.
__________________________________________________________________________
8/20/10-Massive Plume from BP Oil Spill Discovered
A group of scientists say they’ve discovered a massive plume of hydrocarbons from the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. According to a statement from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), the plum measured at least 22 miles long and was located more than 3,000 feet below the ocean’s surface. The WHOI study appears in the Aug. 19 issue of the journal Science. More? Click Here.
__________________________________________________________________________
8/19/10-September Slated for Final Kill of BP Oil Spill
It now looks like BP’s blown well in the Gulf of Mexico won’t be completely killed until September. BP engineers are conducting a series of tests in preparation for a procedure called a bottom kill to ensure the well can withstand the pressure from the operation. More? Click Here.
__________________________________________________________________________
8/17/10-Transocean Issued Safety Warning Days Before BP Oil Spill
Just days before the explosion aboard the Deepwater Horizon oil rig, the rig’s crew received a memo from Transocean Ltd, the owner of the platform, warning them not to be “complacent” about well control. According to a report in The Wall Street Journal, the memo was prompted by an incident on a Transocean rig in Britain’s North Sea in December of the previous year. More? Click Here.
__________________________________________________________________________
8/16/10-Gulf Seafood to Be Tested for Dispersants
In the wake of the BP oil spill, federal regulators are finally devising a test to check dispersant levels in seafood from the Gulf of Mexico. It’s hoped that such testing will reassure consumers about the safety of shrimp, crab and other delicacies sourced from the Gulf. More? Click Here.
__________________________________________________________________________
8/13/10-Alabama Files BP Oil Spill Lawsuits
The state of Alabama has filed two lawsuits over the BP oil spill. According to an Associated Press report, one names BP as a defendant, while the other names Transocean, Halliburton and other companies associated with the spill. More? Click Here.
__________________________________________________________________________
8/12/10-BP Oil Spill Fund Could be Collateralized By
Drilling Revenues
BP may use revenues from its oil and gas drilling operations here in the US as collateral for its $20 billion compensation fund. Some critics are already bashing the proposed agreement between BP and the Obama administration, saying it gives the government incentive to allow the company responsible for the worst oil spill in US history to continue drilling offshore. More? Click Here.
__________________________________________________________________________
8/10/10-BP Makes First Deposit to Oil Spill Compensation Fund
BP has finally made an initial $3 billion deposit to the Gulf of Mexico oil spill compensation fund. The company said it would make an additional $2 billion deposit in the fourth quarter. More? Click Here.
__________________________________________________________________________
8/9/10-BP Faces Years of Investigation, Lawsuits Over Massive Oil Spill
While the gushing well responsible for the massive BP oil spill appears to be capped, the fallout from the disaster could continue to haunt BP far into the future. In addition to the costs associated with cleanup of the spill – the worst in US history – the legal issues BP must contend with could take years to resolve. More? Click Here.
__________________________________________________________________________
8/6/10-BP Finished Cementing Well, Oil Spill Cleanup Continues
BP engineers finished pouring cement into the top of company’s stricken Gulf of Mexico oil well yesterday, the final step of a the static kill to plug the gusher. Once that cement hardens, engineers will begin pumping more mud into the bottom of the well through one of two relief wells being drilled nearby. That will ensure the well is sealed for good. More? Click Here.
__________________________________________________________________________
8/5/10-Transocean Documents Highlight Problems Aboard Deepwater Horizon, 3 Other Gulf Rigs
Transocean Ltd., the owner of the doomed Deepwater Horizon oil rig, had safety problems on at least three other Gulf of Mexico platforms prior to the April 20 explosion that spawned the BP oil spill. According to a report in The New York Times, those concerns prompted Transocean to commission risk management company Lloyd’s Register to investigate the safety culture of its North American operations just a month before the disaster. More? Click Here.
__________________________________________________________________________
8/4/10-Static Kill to End BP Oil Spill Said to be Working
BP says a “static kill” operation to shut down its gushing Gulf of Mexico oil well is working. According to MSNBC, BP says the well is now in a “static condition”, meaning the flow of oil is being held back. More? Click Here.
__________________________________________________________________________
8/3/10-New Estimate Puts BP Oil Spill at Nearly 5 Million Barrels
Scientists tapped by the federal government to establish the flow rate for the BP oil spill now say about 4.9 million barrels of oil has been unleashed by the disaster. The new number, which averages out to about 62,000 barrels per day, exceeds all previous estimates. More? Click Here.
__________________________________________________________________________
8/2/10-BP Oil Spill May Finally be Capped This Week
BP may begin a process as early as tonight that could end the massive Gulf of Mexico oil spill once and for all. According to The Washington Post, engineers are preparing a two-pronged “kill” shot by which they will pump heavy mud into the well in the hopes of pushing the oil back into it source rock, 2 1/2 miles underground. More? Click Here.
__________________________________________________________________________
7/30/10-Oil, Dispersants from BP Spill May Have Entered Gulf Food Chain
Scientists have raised yet another alarm about the dispersants BP has used in unprecedented amounts to break up the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. According to GulfLive.com, researchers have found an oil and dispersant mix beneath the shells of post-larval blue crabs. The discovery is one of the first signs that the BP disaster is impacting the Gulf of Mexico food chain. More? Click Here.
__________________________________________________________________________
7/28/10-Slick From BP Oil Spill Shrinking, But Danger to Environment Hasn't Passed
The oil slick in the Gulf of Mexico spawned by the BP oil spill is rapidly disappearing. But according to government scientists, that doesn’t mean the threat to the environment is disappearing with it. More? Click Here.
__________________________________________________________________________
7/27/10-BP's Hayward to Get His Life Back on October 1st
Yesterday, BP’s board of directors gave Tony Hayward his life back. On October 1, Hayward will step down from his post as CEO of the oil giant, and be replaced by American Bob Dudley. Dudley has been overseeing the company’s response to the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. More? Click Here.
__________________________________________________________________________
7/26/10-Alarms on Deepwater Horizon Were Purposely Disabled, Chief Engineer Says
Alarm systems on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig were partially disabled when it exploded on April 20, according to the rig’s chief electrician. The gas and fire alarms were shut off because Transocean rig managers “did not want people woken up at 3 a.m. with false alarms.” More? Click Here.
__________________________________________________________________________
7/23/10-BP Oil Spill Efforts Put on Hold as Tropical Storm Bonnie Approaches
Efforts to drill a relief well meant to put an end to the BP oil spill have been suspended thanks to Tropical Storm Bonnie. However, a containment cap that has shut in the gushing well a mile beneath the Gulf of Mexico since last week will remain in place throughout the bad weather. More? Click Here.
__________________________________________________________________________
7/22/10-Workers on Deepwater Horizon Worried About Safety Before Oil Spill
A survey commissioned by Transocean, the owner of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig, indicated many workers aboard were concerned about safety in the days prior to the April 20 blast that killed 11 crew and spawned the worst oil spill in US history. According to The New York Times, another Transocean report shows that many key components on the offshore rig had not been fully inspected in nearly a decade. More? Click Here.
__________________________________________________________________________
7/20/10-Latest BP Oil Spill Lawsuit Targets Fireboat Owners
Companies that provided fireboats following the explosion aboard the Deepwater Horizon oil rig have been named in a lawsuit. The complaint, filed by fisherman and others whose incomes have been impacted by the BP oil spill, claims the fireboats flooded the doomed rig, causing it to sink and damage the well a mile beneath the surface of the Gulf of Mexico. More? Click Here.
__________________________________________________________________________
7/19/10-BP, Feds Clash Over Whether to Keep Gushing Oil Well Shut Off
It appears BP and the U.S. government disagree over what should be the next step for the BP oil spill. BP wants to keep the leaking well shut off, following three days of pressure tests on a new containment cap it says were encouraging.
More? Click Here.__________________________________________________________________________
7/16/10-BP Oil Spill Victims Worry Over Compensation Claims
Even as word spread that the BP oil spill has finally been capped, at least for now, many people along the Gulf Coast are worried that a fund set up to compensate them for damage to their incomes won’t cover all their losses. According to a report in The Wall Street Journal, many seafood-based businesses in the region are concerned that it will be difficult to estimate those losses because of uncertainty about how long it will take crab and shrimp populations to recover, or how quickly U.S. consumers will start buying Gulf seafood again.
More? Click Here.__________________________________________________________________________
7/14/10-BP Postpones New Cap Tests, As Concern Over Oil Spill's Impact Grows
BP has delayed testing a new containment cap at the site of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill without explanation. No time-table for when testing of the cap might resume has been given.
More? Click Here.__________________________________________________________________________
7/13/10-Could Today be the Day BP Finally Shuts off Oil Spill?
Today could mark a turning point for the BP oil spill. For the first time, BP may be able to capture all of the oil spewing from its stricken well a mile beneath the Gulf of Mexico. The oil company says it has successfully installed a new, tighter-sealing cap over the well and is preparing to test it today. More? Click Here.
__________________________________________________________________________
7/9/10-Chemical Linked to Exxon Valdez Illnesses Turning UP in BP Oil Spill Workers
A chemical linked to illnesses among Exxon Valdez oil spill cleanup workers has now been detected at high levels in BP oil spill responders. According to The New York Times, the chemical, 2-butoxyethanol, is an ingredient in the Corexit 9527 dispersant that BP phased out after spraying it in the Gulf during the early days of the spill. More? Click Here.
__________________________________________________________________________
7/7/10-BP Way Off on Oil Spill Cleanup Estimates
It seems BP’s estimate of how much crude it could skim in the event of a catastrophic Gulf of Mexico oil spill was wildly optimistic. In the case of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, BP has only been able to recover a fraction of the oil it claimed it could just a month before the disaster. More? Click Here.
__________________________________________________________________________
7/6/10-BP Demands Payment from Partners, As Oil From Deepwater Horizon Spill Reaches Texas Shores
With the BP oil spill now in its 77th day, the oil giant is said to be looking to it partners in the Deepwater Horizon endeavor for help in paying the immense costs of the cleanup. Meanwhile, concerns over the extent of the oil spill’s impact continue to grow, after tar balls from the stricken well washed ashore on a Texas beach. More? Click Here.
__________________________________________________________________________
7/2/10-BP Oil Spill Breaks Grim Record
The BP oil spill may have passed an ominous milestone this week. If the government’s highest estimates are correct, it has become the largest oil spill ever in the Gulf of Mexico. More? Click Here.
__________________________________________________________________________
7/1/10-BP Oil Spill Compensation Fund Won't Cover All Losses
The administrator of the $20 billion BP oil spill compensation fund said yesterday that he would soon be making emergency payments to affected business that would enable them to survive for the next six months. However, it seems that not every business and individual impacted by the disaster will benefit from the fund. More? Click Here.
__________________________________________________________________________
6/30/10-Hurricane Alex Wreaks Havoc with BP Oil Spill Clean Up
More oil is being pushed up on Gulf Coast beaches, thanks to rough seas created by Hurricane Alex. According to the Associated Press, waves as high as 6 feet and winds over 25 mph were forecast through tomorrow just offshore from Louisiana to the Florida panhandle. More? Click Here.
__________________________________________________________________________
6/29/10-BP Oil Spill Insurance Claims
Once the BP oil spill is contained, individuals and businesses damaged by the catastrophe will still face a long road to recovery. Some of the issues facing victims of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill will involve the insurance arena. Knowing what those issues are now could help you prepare for the insurance battles that are sure to come. More? Click Here.
__________________________________________________________________________
6/29/10-Louisiana Reports Oil Spill Illnesses
More people who have been exposed to the BP oil spill are falling ill. To date, reports CNN, 162 cases of sickness have been reported to the Louisiana state health department, citing a report released yesterday. Of the 162 cases, 128 involved workers who were either on oil rigs or who were involved in clean-up efforts. More? Click Here.
__________________________________________________________________________
6/28/10-BP Oil Spill Compensation Fund is Being Misrepresented
Has the public been misled about the purpose of the much-vaunted $20 billion BP oil spill compensation fund? It seems so. More? Click Here.
__________________________________________________________________________
6/25/10-More Crude Washes Ashore, As Oil Spill Decimates Gulf Coast Tourism
A quarter mile of Florida’s Pensacola Beach was closed yesterday, as crude from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill washed ashore there. According to the Associated Press, it marks the first time a beach in the state has been closed because of the disaster. More? Click Here.
__________________________________________________________________________
6/24/10-After Setback, Oil Spill Containment System Back Online
BP says it has repositioned a containment cap over a leaking well at the site of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. It had to be removed yesterday, following an accident involving an undersea robot. More? Click Here.
__________________________________________________________________________
6/23/10-Oil Spill Drilling Ban Overturned
A federal judge who may have financial ties to the oil and gas industry has overturned the Obama administration’s six-month moratorium on deepwater drilling. The ban was imposed following the April 20 explosion on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico, which spawned the largest oil spill in U.S. history. More? Click Here.
__________________________________________________________________________
6/21/10-Gulf Coast Paying Steep Price for BP Oil Spill
Some 64 days after the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico, spawning the worst oil spill in U.S. history, thousands of Gulf Coast residents are trying to adapt to their rapidly changing lives. According to a report on ABC News, the BP oil spill has affected nearly every facet of life for those who live and work along the shore. More? Click Here.
__________________________________________________________________________
6/21/10-BP Used Riskier, Cheaper Well Design At Oil Spill Site, Other Deepwater Wells
BP has used a “risky” design in one out of every three of its deepwater wells in the Gulf of Mexico. According to a new Wall Street Journal report, BP used the design – called a “long string” – far more frequently than any of its peers in the industry. More? Click Here.
__________________________________________________________________________
6/18/10-BP Chief Gets Grilling on Capitol Hill – Plus an Apology?
BP CEO Tony Hayward faced tough criticism and pointed questions from lawmakers on Capitol Hill yesterday, at a hearing into the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Unfortunately, while saying he was “deeply sorry” for the devastation his company has brought to the U.S. Gulf Coast, Hayward provided little in the way of answers. More? Click Here.
__________________________________________________________________________
6/17/10-BP Agrees to President's Demand for Oil Spill Compensation Fund
BP has a agreed to place $20 billion in escrow to pay claims from Gulf Coast residents and businesses impacted by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The plan for the compensation fund was announced yesterday, after BP executives, including CEO Tony Hayward and Chairman Carl-Henric Svanberg, met with President Obama and administration officials at the White House. More? Click Here.
__________________________________________________________________________
6/16/10-Estimate of BP Oil Spill Surges
Once again, the federal government is increasing the flow rate estimate for the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. According to the Flow Rate Technical Group, anywhere between 35,000 and 60,000 barrels (1.47 million to 2.52 million gallons) of oil is gushing from BP’s stricken well a mile beneath the surface of the Gulf of Mexico. More? Click Here.
__________________________________________________________________________
6/15/10-BP Focused on Cost, Made Risky Decisions Before Deepwater Horizon Disaster
Did BP’s focus on cost containment lead to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill? Some in Congress definitely think so. In a letter to the oil giant’s CEO, Democratic leaders on the House Energy and Commerce Committee questioned “five crucial decisions” that BP made in designing and completing the well that they say “posed a trade-off between cost and well safety.” More? Click Here.
__________________________________________________________________________
6/14/10-BP Pressured to Set Up Oil Spill Compensation Fund
President Obama wants BP to establish an escrow account to reimburse victims of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. According to The Wall Street Journal, the President is expected to make the demand in a meeting with BP executives on Wednesday. More? Click Here.
__________________________________________________________________________
6/11/10-BP Oil Spill Estimates Doubled
Government scientists have doubled their estimate of the oil flow rate into the Gulf of Mexico from the BP oil spill. According to the Flow Rate Technical Group, anywhere from 25,000 to 30,000 barrels of crude a day are gushing from the undersea well. More? Click Here.
__________________________________________________________________________
6/10/10-Coast Guard Ups Pressure on BP Over Oil Spill
The Coast Guard is taking a tougher approach in its oversight of BP’s oil spill response. According to The New York Times, the Coast Guard wants the oil giant to put additional containment measures in place around its ruptured well within the next few days. More? Click Here.
__________________________________________________________________________
6/8/10-Estimates of Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Still Lacking
It’s still not clear how much crude is spewing from the stricken well at the site of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. BP claims a new containment system it deployed last week is siphoning roughly 11,000 barrels of oil per day from the gushing well a mile below the ocean. But according to The New York Times, experts say it is difficult , possibly impossible, to determine the new cap’s effectiveness. More? Click Here.
__________________________________________________________________________
6/7/10-BP Claims Progress in Containing Oil Spill, But Crude Still Flowing
BP reported some progress in containing the Deepwater Horizon oil spill over the weekend, saying Saturday that its latest fix had captured 10,500 barrels of crude coming from the gushing well a mile beneath the Gulf of Mexico. Unfortunately, crude is still pouring into the Gulf, as government scientists have estimated 12,000 to 19,000 barrels of oil a day, at a minimum, to be leaking from the well. More? Click Here.
__________________________________________________________________________
6/4/10-BP Caps Well, Says Some Oil Being Captured
BP finally has a containment dome over the Deepwater Horizon oil well, and says it is capturing some of the crude gushing into the Gulf of Mexico. However, the company can’t say right now exactly how much oil is being captured. On the live video feed of the well, it did not appear that the oil spewing out had been reduced by very much. More? Click Here.
__________________________________________________________________________
6/3/10-BP Turns to Giant Shears in Latest Attempt to Stem Oil Spill
Following a setback yesterday, BP has resumed its latest attempt to contain the massive Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Meanwhile, the oil giant’s CEO has made some surprising admissions, telling a London newspaper that his company was not adequately prepared for the disaster. More? Click Here.
__________________________________________________________________________
6/2/10-Feds Conducting Criminal Probe of Gulf Oil Spill
The Deepwater Horizon oil spill is now the subject of a criminal investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice. U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder announced the probe yesterday while visiting New Orleans. More? Click Here.
__________________________________________________________________________
6/1/10-BP Top Kill Procedure Fails, Well Could Spew Oil Until August
BP admitted over the weekend that its “top kill” effort to cap the Deepwater Horizon oil well had failed. Even as the oil giant readied another fix, U.S. officials warned that that the spill could last until at least August. More? Click Here.
__________________________________________________________________________
5/28/10-Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Worst in U.S. History
It has now been confirmed that BP and the federal government severely underestimated the true extent of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Yesterday, a U.S. government panel studying the flow said the well was gushing oil at a rate of 12,000 to 19,000 barrels a day. More? Click Here.
__________________________________________________________________________
5/27/10-Worried Gulf Coast Waits As BP Tries Risky Oil Spill Fix
BP began a “top kill” procedure yesterday in a risky attempt to stop the gushing from the Deepwater Horizon oil well. As of now, the company is saying it is too early to tell if the procedure is working. More? Click Here.
__________________________________________________________________________
5/26/10-Still No Decision From BP on Top Kill, as Frustration Over Oil Spill Mounts
There is still no word this morning if BP will attempt to staunch the gushing Deepwater Horizon oil well with a procedure called a top kill. There is no guarantee a top kill – which has never been done at such ocean depths before – will work. There is even a chance the procedure could make the situation worse. More? Click Here.
__________________________________________________________________________
5/25/10-Did a risky decision on the part of BP - one made to save the oil giant a few million dollars - lead to or contribute to the blowout aboard the Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion?
A report on the May 24 "Rachel Maddow Show" explained the series of events that may have led to the explosion aboard the Deepwater Horizon rig. In an offshore well like Deepwater Horizon, there are supposed to be 3 separate cement plugs in the pipeline to seal off the pipe after the exploratory drilling is done. In between the plugs is usually thick drilling mud to keep added pressure on the seals. Later these seals and the mud are removed when production drilling takes over. More? Click Here.
__________________________________________________________________________
5/25/10-BP Prepping Another Option In Case Oil Spill Top Kill Fails
BP will attempt a “top kill” as early as tomorrow to stop the gushing Deepwater Horizon oil well beneath the Gulf of Mexico. But just in case that plan doesn’t work, the company is prepping another to contain the devastating spill. More? Click Here.
__________________________________________________________________________
5/24/10-BP Says its Catching Less from Deepwater Horizon Spill, Prepping Risky Fix
BP admitted over the weekend that a mile long tube it is using to siphon oil from the leaking Deepwater Horizon oil well in the Gulf of Mexico is only catching about 2,000 barrels per day. The oil giant had initially estimated it was capturing about 3,000 barrels, and at one point upped that estimate to 5,000. More? Click Here.
__________________________________________________________________________
5/21/10-Feds Concede Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Estimate is Off The Mark
Nearly a month after the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico, no one seems to know how much oil is leaking from the stricken well. The federal government finally acknowledged yesterday that current estimates are probably too low. What’s more, it could be several days before anyone comes up with an estimate that is even close to an actual amount. More? Click Here.
__________________________________________________________________________
5/20/10-Thick Oil From Deepwater Horizon Spill Reported Ashore in Louisiana
Media outlets are reporting this morning that oil from the Deepwater Horizon spill has arrived onshore in Louisiana’s wetlands and marshes. Oil from the spill also appears to have entered the Loop Current, which could eventually send it up the East Coast. More? Click Here.
__________________________________________________________________________
5/19/10-Oil Spill Fishing Ban Expanded, Now Covers 45,000+ Square Miles
Nineteen percent of the Gulf of Mexico is now off-limits to fishing thanks to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The impact of the spill on wildlife is also becoming more apparent. More? Click Here.
__________________________________________________________________________
5/18/10-Oil Spill Fears Grow in Florida Keys, As Political Fallout Continues
Fears are growing that the Deepwater Horizon oil spill will impact far more coastline than first thought, amid reports that tar balls have washed ashore in the Florida Keys. If they are indeed from the oil spill, it could be a sign that the oil is seeping into the loop current, which could send it into the Atlantic Ocean and up the East Coast. More? Click Here.
__________________________________________________________________________
5/17/10-BP Now Containing Some Oil, But Much Spill Damage Already Done
BP has finally reported some success in containing the leaking Deepwater Horizon oil well in the Gulf of Mexico. Unfortunately, it appears that much damage to the fragile ecosystem has already been done, and will likely continue for years to come. More? Click Here.
__________________________________________________________________________
5/24/10-Detailed map showing the role of the Gulf stream may play
The Gulf Stream delivers clean water, big fish and warmth to South Florida. Soon it may deliver tar balls from the Gulf oil slick.
__________________________________________________________________________
5/13/10-BP Set to Attempt Another Oil Spill Fix Today
BP will try again today to stop the flow of oil from a leaking well in the Gulf of Mexico. This time, the oil giant is pinning its hopes on a small containment dome that it says should be operational sometime today. More? Click Here.
__________________________________________________________________________
5/12/10-Oil spews from broken pipe 5,000 feet below the surface.
This image from a video released by BP PLC shows oil spewing from a yellowish, broken pipe 5,000 feet below the surface. The oil looks like steam rushing from a geyser. The video released Wednesday May 12, 2010 gives a not-yet-seen glimpse of the leaking well a mile underwater. The stream occasionally can be seen becoming lighter as natural gas mixes into the gusher.
__________________________________________________________________________
5/12/10-At Senate Oil Spill Hearings, Execs Point Fingers
Executives from BP, TransOcean and Halliburton convened on Capitol Hill yesterday for Senate hearings into the disastrous Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Then, they spent much of the day trying to pin blame for the catastrophe on each other. More? Click Here.
__________________________________________________________________________
5/11/10-BP, TransOcean Execs to Brief Senate Panels on Oil Spill
Executives from BP America and TransOcean Ltd. will appear before two Senate panels today to testify about the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. According to a CNN report, members of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee want to know about the precautions that were taken prior to the April 20 blast that spawned the oil spill and killed 11 crew members on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig. More? Click Here.
__________________________________________________________________________
5/10/10-Oil Spill Reaches Land, Crews Begin Lowering Containment Dome Over Leaking Well
Oil from the Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion has washed ashore on Louisiana’s Freemason Island, part of the Chandeleur island chain, the U.S. Coast Guard has confirmed. Within the next couple of days, the massive oil spill could reach the coast near Grand Isle, Louisiana, as well as some islands that lay off the coast of Mississippi. The Alabama coast and Florida panhandle could see oil in the next three days. More? Click Here.
__________________________________________________________________________
5/10/10-Attempt to Use Dome to Contain Gulf Oil Spill Fails, Potential for Worse-Case Scenario Looms
BP’s effort to use a giant containment dome to stop the HYPERLINK "http://www.oil-rig-spills.com/" massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico failed over the weekend. Engineers are now mulling other options to stem the flow of oil from the stricken well. More? Click Here.
__________________________________________________________________________
5/6/10-Dome Arrives to Contain Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill
A huge steel and concrete containment dome has finally arrived at the site of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. It is hoped that the huge box will contain much of the oil leaking from the stricken well once it is moved into place over a broken pipe on the sea floor. More? Click Here.
__________________________________________________________________________
5/5/10-Little Progress in Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill
The Deepwater Horizon oil spill is getting worse. According to The New York Times, BP officials told members of Congress yesterday that as much as 60,000 barrels of oil – more than 10 times estimates – could be gushing from the stricken well each day. More? Click Here.
__________________________________________________________________________
5/4/10-Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Now Size of Delaware, Threatens Four States
Two weeks after the HYPERLINK "http://www.oil-rig-spills.com/" Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico, a massive oil spill continues to threaten the ecology and economy of the U.S. Gulf Coast. The ever-growing oil slick now measures approximately 130 miles by 70 miles – about the size of the state of Delaware. Four states – Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida – are under threat from the spill. More? Click Here.
__________________________________________________________________________
5/3/10-President Warns Oil Spill could Be An Unprecedented Disaster
President Barack Obama visited Southern Louisiana yesterday to see first hand the efforts underway to contain the massive oil spill that threatens the region’s delicate ecosystem. While there, the President warned that the spill was a “massive and potentially unprecedented environmental disaster” that could take quite some time to stop. More? Click Here.
__________________________________________________________________________
4/30/10-How Much Will BP Have to Pay for the Oil Spill?
Daily Finance
An AOL Money and Finance Site
By BETSY SCHIFFMAN Posted 4:00 PM 04/30/10 Exxon Mobil, BP
If history has taught oil companies anything, it's that cleaning up a major spill doesn't really have to cost much. Sure, there are legal fees to pay, clean up costs to cover and lawsuits to settle, but oil companies know how to minimize those costs. In the case of BP's Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, it's still not clear how severe the damages are or how hefty the final bill will be; the company is already paying roughly $6 million per day to cover cleanup and containment costs. And BP will surely be dealing with reputational damage. To read the rest of this article More? Click Here.
__________________________________________________________________________
4/30/10 Pictures of Southeast Pass at the mouth of the Mississippi River.
High seas have destroyed the function of the biocurtains which are supposed to block surface oil from the shore. Rough seas prevented view of the offshore slick. The slick had not reached the shore although NOAA reported that it had. NOAA revised their map to make this correction late on 4/30. Water samples are being taken in the region where NOAA had reported landfall and we are closely monitoring the situation in the field.
__________________________________________________________________________
4/30/10-Oil From Deepwater Horizon Spill Reported on Shore
Oil from the massive spill triggered by the Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion appears to have reached the U.S. Gulf Coast. According to The New York Times, the U.S. Coast Guard is investigating reports of oil along the shore, and is planning a flyover this morning to determine if the spill had made landfall. More? Click Here.
__________________________________________________________________________
4/30/10-Estimates of Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Grow, As Slick Reaches Mississippi Delta
The news regarding the Deepwater Horizon oil spill just keeps getting worse. The federal government now says as much as 25,000 barrels of oil per day could be leaking from the well in the Gulf of Mexico. The massive spill is now washing up on shore, and has reached the mouth of the Mississippi Delta. More? Click Here.
__________________________________________________________________________
4/29/10-Could Additional Safety Device Have Prevented Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill?
The Deepwater Horizon oil rig that exploded last week was not outfitted with a safety device that might have prevented the massive oil spill now nearing the U.S. Gulf Coast. The device, known as an acoustic switch, is a last-resort protection against underwater spills, and is required by regulators in Norway and Brazil. Unfortunately, the U.S. has no such regulation for oil wells operating off of its shores. More? Click Here.
__________________________________________________________________________
4/29/10-Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill Larger than Thought, Environmental Disaster Looms
More oil is leaking from the site of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion, and officials now say the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is five times bigger than first thought. According to a report in The New York Times, a scientist from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) estimates that 5,000 barrels a day, not 1,000 as first stated, is leaking from the stricken well. More? Click Here.
__________________________________________________________________________
4/28/10-Blowout Suspected in Deepwater Horizon Oil Rig Explosion
Little more than a week after the Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion that likely killed 11 men and caused a massive oil spill, it is still not known what caused the disaster. Speculation is that the explosion was the result of a blowout. Such an event occurs when a combination of well control systems – primarily drilling mud hydrostatics and blow-out preventers (BOPs) – fail. More? Click Here.
__________________________________________________________________________
Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill In The News
Fox 13 Tampa
Fox 13 Tampa
This graphic shows the current location of the oil sheen produced by the Deepwater Horizon incident.
Bloomberg — April 27, 2010 — April 27 (Bloomberg) -- Bloomberg's Anastasia Haydulina reports on the clean-up operation after the BP-leased rig Deepwater Horizon caught fire and sank last week in the Gulf of Mexico. BP, which is battling an underwater well leak streaming 1,000 barrels of oil a day into the sea, said today profit more than doubled in the first quarter on higher oil prices.
CBSNewsOnline — April 26, 2010 — A man-made disaster is developing in the Gulf of Mexico as a huge amount of oil leaks from the drilling rig that recently exploded and sank. As Kelly Cobiella tells us, it's headed toward land.
April 26, 2010 — The Coast Guard is working around the clock to secure a 1,000 gallon-a-day oil leak from a rig that exploded off the Louisiana coast last week.
CBS — April 23, 2010 — While an environmental catastrophe may have been averted, the oil slick covering 5 square miles still poses a threat.
CBS — April 22, 2010 — The oil rig that exploded in the Gulf of Mexico has the potential to become an environmental disaster.
__________________________________________________________________________
Louisiana Gulf Coast Deepwater Horizon Oil Rig Spill
The Louisiana Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion has produced a major oil spill, and has become a serious environmental catastrophe. Our oil rig explosion lawyers are aggressively investigating this disaster, and are planning to file lawsuits on behalf of anyone who suffered physical, economic or property damages because of this explosion and resulting oil spill. We are committed to holding BP PLC and Transocean LTD accountable for the damage caused by this tragic incident.
Our oil rig explosion lawyers are offering free case evaluations to individuals and businesses who suffered property damage, business interruption or any type of economic loss / hardship caused by the Deepwater Horizon oil rig disaster. The Oil Pollution Act of 1990 allows individuals and entities impacted by oil spills to collect compensation for property loss, loss of income and other damages caused by such incidents. Parties deemed responsible for an oil spill are liable for such losses.
The Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion now ranks among the worst offshore drilling disasters in recent U.S. history. After burning for more than 36 hours, the offshore rig sunk into the Gulf of Mexico. At the time of its collapse, 13,000 gallons of crude oil per hour was spilling into the sea. By the following day, an oil spill measuring 100 square miles was drifting northeast toward shore.
At the same time, hope was fading that 11 men missing since the explosion would be found alive. If the missing men are not found alive, the Deepwater Horizon disaster would go down as the deadliest U.S. offshore rig explosion since 1968.
Environmental Damage from Oil Spills
The oil spill from the Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion is raising serious environmental concerns, and could threaten the fragile ecosystem of the Louisiana and Mississippi coasts. Those areas serve as nurseries for fish and shrimp and habitat for birds.
Oil spills are one of the worst environmental disasters, causing both short-term and long-term pollutant side effects. Consequences of oil spills include dead and dying wildlife, tarred beaches, damaged fisheries and contaminated water supplies. If oil waste reaches the shoreline or coast, it interacts with sediments such as beach sand and gravel, rocks and boulders, vegetation, and terrestrial habitats of both wildlife and humans, causing erosion as well as contamination.
Oil spills present the potential for enormous harm to deep ocean and coastal fishing and fisheries. The immediate effects of toxic and smothering oil waste may be mass mortality and contamination of fish and other food species, but long-term ecological effects may be worse. Oil waste poisons the sensitive marine and coastal organic substrate, interrupting the food chain on which fish and sea creatures depend, and on which their reproductive success is based. Commercial fishing enterprises may be affected permanently.
The Clean Water Act
Our oil rig spill lawyers are investigating the Deepwater Horizon disaster to determine if either BP PLC or Transocean LTD violated the federal Clean Water Act. In 1973, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) established regulations to address the oil spill prevention provisions contained in the Clean Water Act. The regulation forms the basis of EPA's oil spill prevention, control, and countermeasures, or SPCC, program, which seeks to prevent oil spills from certain aboveground and underground storage tanks.
The regulation requires each owner or operator of a regulated facility to prepare an SPCC Plan. The Plan is required to address the facility's design, operation, and maintenance procedures established to prevent spills from occurring, as well as countermeasures to control, contain, clean up, and mitigate the effects of an oil spill that could affect navigable waters.
The regulations were revised on two occasions, in 1991 and 1994. The revisions incorporated new requirements added by the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 that direct facility owners or operators to prepare, and in some cases submit to the federal government, plans for responding to a worst-case discharge of oil.
The Oil Pollution Act
The Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA) was implemented in response to the Exxon Valdez disaster. It created a comprehensive prevention, response, liability, and compensation regime to deal with vessel- and facility-caused oil pollution to U.S. navigable waters. The oil rig explosion lawyers at our firm have represented hundreds of people negatively impacted by such incidents, and our knowledge of OPA liability provisions and other applicable laws has allowed us to obtain the greatest possible compensation for our clients.
Under federal law, all of the owners or other parties responsible for a vessel or a facility which causes an oil spill are liable for the removal costs and damages caused by the spill. Federal law also provides for liability of third parties if it is shown that the act or omission on the part of the third party caused an oil spill.
Under federal law, individuals can make the following oil spill damage claims:
Property Damage: Injury to or economic loss resulting from destruction of real property (land or buildings) or other personal property. Property damage claims can be made by people or entities that own or lease the damaged property. The costs of removing oil from your own property can also be included in property damage claims. Boat damage is included as a subset of property damage.
Loss of Profit and Earnings Capacity: Damages equal to the loss of profits or impairment of earning capacity due to the injury, destruction, or loss of property or natural resources. Anyone with loss of profits or income may make such a claim. You do not have to own the damaged property or resources to submit a claim under this category.
Loss of Subsistence Use of Natural Resources: These claims may be filed by individuals if natural resources you depend on for subsistence use purposes have been injured, destroyed, or lost by an oil spill incident. Again, you do not have to own or manage the natural resource to submit a claim under this category.
__________________________________________________________________________
BP Accused of Safety Violations At Another Gulf of Mexico Oil Rig
BP, the firm leasing the Deepwater Horizon oil rig that exploded in the Gulf of Mexico last week, is facing a U.S. investigation over possible safety violations on another offshore platform. According to a report in the UK Guardian, a whistleblower has accused BP of breaking the law by not keeping key documents relating to the Atlantis oil rig.
BP denies the allegations, and says it is cooperating with the investigation.
According to The Guardian, Atlantis, which is situated 190 miles south of New Orleans, is the world’s largest platform of its kind. It began operating in 2007 in the Gulf of Mexico at one of the deepest depths in the world. The whistleblower who sparked the Atlantis investigation was employed by a contractor working for BP.
The whistleblower leaked internal BP memos from August 2008 that seem to imply that the company may not have been keeping a complete accurate record of drawings of the components used to build Atlantis. Under U.S. law, rig operators are required to keep complete, up-to-date “as-built” drawings.
One email authored by a BP executive involved in the project warned that if BP assumed the drawings were accurate and up-to-date, “this could lead to catastrophic operator errors.”
An official reply dated April 2010 to the whistleblower from BP’s office of the ombudsman seemed to acknowledge a problem. “Your concerns about the project not following the terms of its own Project Execution Plan were substantiated, and addressed by a BP Management of Change document,” it said.
The Guardian was given the ombudsman’s response by the US environmental consumer campaign group Food and Water Watch. When asked by The Guardian to authenticate the reply, BP would not comment. However, the company maintained that it has “found no evidence to substantiate the organization’s (Food and Water Watch) claims with respect to Atlantis project documentation.”
The U.S. Minerals Management Service has said it will investigate Atlantis documentation issue, after being prodded to do so by the U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources. A report is expected by the end of next month.
The Deepwater Horizon explosion, which has spawned a massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, and the questions surrounding the Atlantis platform are just the latest events to put a spotlight on BP’s safety record. Last year, the company was fined $87 million by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) failing to correct safety violations at the Texas City refinery. In March 2005, an explosion and fire at Texas City killed 15 workers.
The Minerals Management Service is expected to launch an investigation into the Deepwater Horizon disaster this week. The House Energy and Commerce Committee has also opened a probe into the explosion and spill.
__________________________________________________________________________
Legal Help for BP's Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Claims
Individuals who suffered damages from the oil spill resulting from the Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion need to obtain legal counsel with experience in the area of oil spill liability as soon as possible. The oil rig explosion lawyers at our firm have helped hundreds of people affected by such catastrophes, and we will work hard to make sure that your rights under the OPA and other federal laws are protected. Please fill out our online form or call 1-888-BIG-SPILL (1-888-244-7745) to discuss your case with an experienced oil spill lawyer today.