You are in the current Gulf Watchers BP Catastrophe - AUV #447. ROV #446 is here.
Bookmark this link to find the latest Gulf Watchers diaries.
Follow the Gulf Watchers tag on DK4 by going here and clicking on the "+". (The settings probably will not carry over when DK4 goes live and you will have to redo them).
Please RECOMMEND THIS DIARY, the motherships have been discontinued.
Gulf Watchers Diary Schedule
Monday - evening drive time
Wednesday - morning
Friday - morning
Friday Block Party - evening
Sunday - morning
Part one of the digest of diaries is here and part two is here.
Please be kind to kossacks with bandwidth issues. Please do not post images or videos. Again, many thanks for this.
BP oil poses a long-term threat to bluefin tuna already in trouble. The extraordinarily high prices were already causing rapidly dwindling populations but the dispersed oil could have a serious negative impact on bluefin eggs and newly hatched fish. In January of this year a bluefin tuna fetched $175,000 in a Tokyo fish market. h/t Yasuragi
According to Peter Hodson, an aquatic toxicologist at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, the EPA study ignored a key issue. While dispersants don't increase the toxicity of petroleum, they can vastly increase the chances that a fish will interact with oil, and that the oil's toxicity will affect sea life.
"After all," Hodson points out, "Oil toxicity isn't an issue until fish are exposed to it. Unfortunately, as minuscule dispersed oil droplets combine with water, the volume of the oil spill vastly expands. This can increase the risk to fish by 100- to 1,000-fold."
...
This [the out-of-sight, out-of-mind attitude that the use of dispersants causes] is particularly problematic for the Gulf's sea life, especially eggs and embryos, which, Hodson says, "can't move out of the way of oil." Consequently, they're likely to absorb dispersed oil and the chemicals that it releases. To make things worse, Hodson continues, "embryos and baby fish have thin skins, which makes them more susceptible to chemical contamination. This can lead to 'teratogenic effects,' or deformities."
..
For the most part, attention has focused on the oysters and shrimp for which the Gulf is known. However, its waters are also home to a wide variety of sea life, including northern bluefin tuna, one of the most expensive fish species in the world. The tuna, which conservationists claim is on track to become an endangered species, spawns in only two areas: the Mediterranean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico.
While many fish may die because of the contamination, an even bigger problem may be the long-term impact on bluefin breeding. Hodson notes that "petroleum contamination could cause embryos to develop deformities, which can make it impossible for the young fish to grow old enough to reproduce." This, in turn, could leave a major hole in breeding populations over the next few years.
...
Fearing the bluefin's extinction, the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna set a 2010 quota of 13,500 tons, a 38% drop from 2009. In some regard, however, the ICCAT's quota is largely irrelevant: Because of poaching and overfishing, the actual annual tuna yield is likely closer to 60,000 tons.
The BP Oil Spill Saga: Where Things Stand Now Propublica has done a summary of the current state of affairs regarding the BP catastrophe. So far, it appears we are learning even less from this catastrophe than we did from the Exxon Valdez.
Federal scientists estimated in August that between 53,000 and 62,000 barrels spilled into the Gulf each day until the well was temporarily plugged in July. BP has contested those numbers, arguing that the figures are flawed. If the company prevails, it could reduce the size of its per-barrel pollution fines by billions of dollars, as well as what it may eventually have to pay to the government in lost royalties if the spill is found to be a result of BP's negligence.
For its role in the worst environmental disaster in U.S. history, BP currently faces a civil lawsuit by the Department of Justice. BP's well partners Anadarko and MOEX, rig operator Transocean and Transocean's insurer have also been named as defendants in the lawsuit, which seeks to recover the government's removal costs, economic losses, and environmental damages resulting from the spilled oil.
...
A criminal investigation is ongoing and could result in additional financial penalties.
...
We've reported that even before the deadly incident in the Gulf, officials at the Environmental Protection Agency had long considered debarring BP for recurrent misconduct and environmental crimes. It's an option that is still on the table for regulators now -- especially if the government's investigations find that the company had a culture of carelessness and non-compliance.
...
The spill also put a spotlight on an offshore drilling regulatory agency that for years had been riddled with scandals over ethical problems, improper handling of royalties and lax oversight of an industry with which it kept too-friendly ties. The offshore drilling agency was renamed the Bureau of Ocean Energy, given new leadership, and split into three separate divisions. However, the President's own oil spill commission, a panel tasked with investigating the circumstances of the spill, has said that the changes do not sufficiently address the agency's conflicts of interest.
...
Though the administration in October lifted a controversial temporary moratorium on new offshore drilling, pro-drilling Gulf lawmakers and the offshore oil and gas industry have criticized the revamped regulatory agency for slowing down the approval process for drilling permits.
...
Study of the oil's fate and its impact on the marine environment will likely continue for months and years to come, but many independent scientists have produced preliminary research seemingly at odds with a rosy government report and official statements in August that said that at least half of the oil released was "completely gone from the system" and the rest was being quickly degraded.
Eight months after the spill, the safety of Gulf seafood is still being debated among toxicologists, some of whom allege that the Food and Drug Administration's seafood testing process is flawed, according to the New Orleans Times-Picayune.
To fix Gulf's woes, think years and billions of dollars The person in charge of doing the real work of putting the Gulf's environmental Humpty Dumpty back together again does not seem to share the administration's rosy outlook. Also, I wouldn't necessarily consider it hyperbole when Hankinson speculates that the job may kill him.
John Hankinson Jr., a veteran of many of Florida's biggest environmental battles, is now the federal government's point man for one of the nation's most pressing challenges: cleaning up the Gulf of Mexico in the aftermath of the largest offshore oil spill in U.S. history.
Earlier this month, Hankinson stood by the water in Mississippi, near the midpoint of the 1,600-mile-long arc that the Gulf's shoreline forms between the Florida Keys and the Texas- Mexico border. He took in what he could of an ecosystem regarded as a treasure but treated like a toilet — marred by obliterated sea-grass beds, vanquished oyster reefs, debilitated marshes and algae-blighted waters.
And those are just some of the ailments that predate the oil spill.
...
Since his appointment in October, it has been Hankinson's job to develop a federal strategy for the Gulf, using fines and damages paid by BP, that will repair the damage from the oil spill and fix the longer-term problems caused by decades of pollution, coastal development and dredging.
"This will probably kill me," the St. Augustine resident said of the challenge, which others describe as incomprehensibly large and complex, because it involves everything from changing how Iowa farmers drain their fields into the Mississippi River to digging tar balls out of once-pristine beaches along the Florida Panhandle.
...
Federal agencies and five states have deployed hundreds of researchers to take stock of everything spill-related, from the more easily found problems, such as oil buried in beach sand, to the less-obvious losses, such as reduced populations of sea turtles.
There's also damage that hasn't been found because it hasn't occurred yet.
"It appears that there is still oil hanging around that has sunk and is near the shore, and potentially may re-oil some beach areas," said Gil McRae, director of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute and the state's trustee for damage assessments.
...
Among the more contentious projects under consideration: the much-called-for rebuilding of Louisiana's wetlands, which have been chopped up by oil-drilling operations and cut off from the Mississippi River's renourishment over time. Another major challenge — a "dead zone" of oxygen-starved water in the Gulf that extends from the mouth of the Mississippi to Texas' Galveston Bay — would require geographically distant solutions, for it is partly the result of polluted runoff from farms in the Midwest.
"Progress would be if we could stop it [dead zone] from growing and then begin to reduce it," said Phil Bass, state-policy coordinator for the EPA's Gulf of Mexico Program Office. "But we haven't been able to stop it from growing."
BP claims offices will be providing legal help for victims. This is most welcome but woefully belated news.
The group administering BP PLC's compensation fund for victims of the Gulf oil spill has hired several law firms and a claims administration company to help people applying for shares of the $20 billion fund.
The Gulf Coast Claims Facility announced Tuesday that the lawyers will be staffing claims offices in Biloxi, Miss., eastern New Orleans and in several Florida cities.
Southeast Asian Immigrants Flounder After Gulf Spill Reaching immigrant communities with needed help is running into cultural and religious barriers.
As scientists monitor what the long-term impact of the BP oil spill will be on the Gulf of Mexico, sociologists and psychologists are working to mitigate the spill's impact on the psyche of Gulf Coast residents.
But they're finding it takes a special effort to reach some communities.
...
The uncertainty in the aftermath of the disaster has taken a toll on people who relied on the Gulf for their livelihood, according to Tonya Fistein, a therapist with AltaPointe Health Systems in Bayou La Batre. She says there are many unanswered questions.
"When they do get back to work, is it going to be safe?" she asks. "Are they going to be able to sell their product? There is all of this if, if, if and what if?"
...
Carter [counselor] says there's a real cultural barrier when it comes to mental health in the Amerasian community. "Depression, anger or hurt are suppressed within the culture," Carter says.
There's no middle ground where people can explore why they're struggling emotionally in the aftermath of the oil spill.
"There is no concept," Carter says. "Either people are healthy or they are very, very, very broken down. People would say that person is 'coo-coo' ... or very crazy."
Counselors have also discovered a religious reluctance from those who practice Buddhism to seek help.
"If they are experiencing difficulties, a lot of them feel this is a necessary thing to experience," says AltaPointe therapist Pam Maumenee. "And if they don't walk the path now, the next life won't be better, so they should pay this price."
Figuring out how to break through the cultural barriers has been a real challenge, Maumenee says. One way she tries is to start the conversation about physical, not behavioral, needs. Talking about problems with housing or utilities can lead to other issues going on in the family.
...
The father of four admits it's been a struggle, yet he's reluctant to seek help.
"No, no. We would not go to a counselor," he says, shaking his head emphatically. "We can solve one problem at a time, go day by day," says Bo.
Gulf casino workers' claims denied for BP funds Business for the casinos remained the same but workers say they received much less in tips. There is also the puzzling case of one casino worker receiving ten times more than she requested while her coworkers got nothing.
When Brad McDonald saw the robust tips he usually earns as a dealer on blackjack and craps tables dip abruptly last summer, he did what scores of other Gulf Coast workers have done in the wake of the BP oil spill: He applied for an emergency payout from the oil company's compensation fund.
No dice, he was told. The claim was denied by the Gulf Coast Claims Facility, the agency doling out the $20 billion in BP's compensation fund to victims of the spill.
McDonald, who works at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Biloxi, soon noticed that hundreds of other casino workers also were being denied, although the casinos are right on the Gulf of Mexico.
...
While the BP oil disaster and cleanup effort played out a few miles offshore, summer tourists who regularly flock to the Mississippi coast for the beach, dining and gambling stayed away, she says. Gaming revenue for most of the casinos held steady over the summer because casino executives offered incentive packages to bring in more players and because BP contract workers filled seats, she says.
...
Last month, Kenneth Feinberg, the attorney in charge of the claims facility, met with Martin and other casino and state officials and promised to take another look at casino employees' denied claims. He also appointed Washington attorney Bill Mulvey as casino liaison to the facility.
No workers should have been denied just because they worked at a casino, Feinberg says. Previously denied casino employees holding good paperwork showing they lost tips and wages this summer could reapply for interim payments, a final lump-sum payment and also, if approved, could receive the emergency amount they were initially refused, he says. The deadline to apply for emergency payments was last month.
"I'm sensitive to the casino workers' claims," Feinberg says. "We have every intention of honoring documented casino workers."
...
Laurie Lambert, 37, a server in a casino restaurant in nearby Hancock County, says she received and kept two checks from the compensation fund totaling $21,100 — 10 times what she requested. Claims by other servers at the same restaurant and dealers at the casino were denied, she says. No one at the local facility office has been able to explain the inconsistencies, Lambert says.
A recreational fishing class action lawsuit is in the works. I don't know what type of status subsistence fishing has in the current claims process but there are many people in areas affected by BP's black monster who depend on recreational fishing for a significant part of their food supply.
Commercial fishermen have lined up since summer to be compensated for wages lost due to the BP oil spill and now, thousands of recreational fishermen are trying to do the same.
...
On Monday and Tuesday, more than 1,200 fishermen braved the bitter cold for the chance at cold hard cash.
"Oh, we're waiting in line for some BP money," said fisherman Josh Zelaya.
Mary Monfra said she and her husband, Edward Monfra, got in line at 10 a.m. They were not surprised that so many people showed up.
"This has been a difficult year for you all. They cut everything out -- you couldn't fish. It got bad for a little while," Monfra said.
The line curled around the block outside the venue while inside, a group of attorneys talked with fishermen about joining a class action lawsuit.
"Those who qualify for a claim against BP are: people who had a recreational fishing license who were denied the right to fish for food," said Bob Jones, a lawyer with Porter Malouf Law Firm in Alabama.
BP blowout a wake-up call for Quebec Would that our politicians demonstrate an equal amount of good sense.
Eight months after British Petroleum's well burst in the Gulf of Mexico, repercussions from the environmental disaster are still being felt in Quebec.
...
The BP spill came as Quebec was beginning its own foray into fossil-fuel exploration. This year, exploratory oil drilling was done on Anticosti Island, companies drilled for shale natural gas south of the St. Lawrence River, and Quebec said it wanted to begin exploring the Old Harry oil and gas deposit about 80 kilometres from the Iles de la Madeleine.
Opponents to shale-gas drilling held loud demonstrations and disrupted public meetings this fall, while people living along the shorelines of theGulf of St. Lawrence and on the Iles de la Madeleine are demanding a moratorium on offshore drilling. The spectre of the BP oil spill was raised in both cases.
...
In September, after an in-depth environment study and pressure from citizens and environmental groups, Quebec Natural Resource Minister Nathalie Normandeau announced that the ecosystems of the St. Lawrence River's estuary, from Ile d'Orleans east to Anticosti Island, as well as the northern part of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, were too sensitive to allow any more drilling.
"Our government has always maintained that exploration of development of fossil fuels in a marine environment had to be done in a perspective of sustainable development and should not be done at any price," she said.
BP showed nothing learned in Exxon spill This editorial in The Anchorage Daily News is written by someone retired from the oil business and makes a persuasive case for involving local fishermen in oil spill disaster plans.
Sharon Bushell and Stan Jones have compiled an excellent collection of personal stories from the Exxon Valdez disaster in "The Spill." Today, everyone concerned claims to have learned great lessons from this environmental tragedy. However, the handling of the Deepwater Horizon catastrophe in the Gulf of Mexico gives no such evidence.
...
The second question can be understood as a "view from the ramparts" syndrome, or the limited perspective, or tunnel vision, which occurs in leadership during stressful situations: the inability to see outside of the industry. The oil industry leaders at the time of the Exxon Valdez disaster had obviously convinced themselves that they were operating with such safety and were so prepared for any eventuality that there was basically no immediate threat. They were proven catastrophically incorrect. They compounded the problem by erroneously believing that, once it began, they were the only ones who could manage the highly technical disaster that they had themselves manufactured. This is akin to stroking one's own ego to the detriment of all others. They were seeing the "view from on high" by excluding the validity of all other views since; after all, they were the ones with all the volumes of response plans clearly stated in black and white. Had Exxon executives had the capacity to comprehend the complexities, abilities, and special relationship with the sea environment that the fishing community possesses, they would have been able to utilize this segment of the population to everyone's benefit.
...
Perhaps a more comprehensive response strategy is for exploratory companies to also investigate the people, skills and resources of their specific target areas, and with this information, formulate campaign plans that can be effective in case of a disaster. Now, that would be a response plan. In case of an oil spill, light, fast and plentiful response from local residents would be very effective, if the oil company was ready with light, easily portable recovery pumping and storage equipment and had a disaster plan in place to disperse and coordinate such action. It causes many problems when companies see themselves egotistically as martyrs carrying the entire load. It belittles everyone else. There should have been, and should now be, industry plans in place for rapid cooperation with local entities for recovery efforts away from primary incident zones.
Gulf oil spill voted top news story of 2010 in AP editors' poll
The massive Gulf of Mexico oil spill, triggered by a deadly blast at a rig used by BP, was the top news story of 2010, followed by the divisive health care overhaul, according to The Associated Press' annual poll of U.S. editors and news directors.
The oil spill received 54 first-place votes out of 180 ballots cast for the top 10 stories.
Stephen Baldwin sues Kevin Costner over BP deal Baldwin claims he sold his share of the company back to Costner days before the BP deal went through because Costner told him there was no interest in the technology. That's a bit of a head scratcher since there was news to the contrary plastered all over the press. However, the timing of the sale is awfully smelly.
Stephen Baldwin ("The Usual Suspects") filed a federal lawsuit in New Orleans on Wednesday against Kevin Costner over their investments in a device that BP used during the cleanup of the massive Gulf of Mexico oil spill, according to the Associated Press.
Baldwin and his friend Spyridon Contogouris said in the suit they owned 10% of the company Ocean Therapy Solutions, which marketed and manufactured a centrifugal device to separate oil from water. Costner spent years developing the device.
BP will pay Louisiana $2.56 million for loss of recreational fishing license and oyster tag revenue. There was no mention in the article of any studies done projecting potential negative impact on revenues in future years.
The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Secretary Robert Barham and state officials announced yesterday, Monday, Dec. 20, the finalized plans with British Petroleum to pay $2.56 million to LDWF for lost revenue associated with the decline in recreational fishing license sales, associated federal funds and oyster tag sales.
...
As a result of BP’s Deepwater Horizon oil spill that began in April 2010 and significant fishing closures, LDWF suffered a loss of almost $1.7 million from a decline in recreational fishing license sales. The Department also saw a loss of nearly $450,000 in federal funds from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and more than $200,000 in revenue from a decline in oyster tag sales in 2010.
...
Officials with LDWF continue to work with BP on claims to fund an oyster cultch program and a saltwater hatchery. The Department previously announced agreements with BP for a $13 million fisheries impact study and $18 million for seafood safety monitoring and testing, and $30 million for seafood safety marketing efforts.
New York, Ohio Pensions Named to Lead Roles in BP Suit
The New York and Ohio state pension funds will be the lead plaintiffs in shareholder litigation against BP Plc and company directors and managers over investment losses suffered in the wake of the Gulf oil spill.
U.S. District Judge Keith P. Ellison in Houston named New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli and Ohio State Attorney General Richard Cordray, who head their states’ public employee pension funds, as lead plaintiffs for investors who bought either BP common stock or American depositary receipts from June 2005 to June 2010.
Ellison also named four individual investors as lead plaintiffs for a smaller class of investors who bought common shares of London-based BP or ADRs from March 2009 to April 20 of this year, the date the Deepwater Horizon rig exploded, sparking the worst offshore oil spill in U.S. history.
...
Ellison named Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll PLLC of New York, Berman DeValerio of Boston, and Yetter Coleman LLP of Houston as co-lead counsel for the larger investor securities fraud class.
The judge named Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy of Burlingame, California, and the Mithoff Law Firm of Houston as co-lead counsel for the smaller sub-class of investors who bought shortly before the spill.
BP’s Texas City refinery is spewing pollutants due to leaky equipment. I don't know if they are the same units but ultracrackers at the same refinery went down in Nov. '09 and Oct. '07. Slipshod maintenance still seems to be BP's SOP.
BP Plc said the ultracracker at its Texas City, Texas, refinery had a leaking exchanger to the cooling tower that led to emissions, according to a filing with state regulators.
The issue resulted in hydrogen sulfide being released into the atmosphere, according to the filing with the Texas Commission of Environmental Quality.
Class Demands $10 Billion from BP For Pollution From Texas City Refinery BP is working overtime redefining "obnoxious neighbor."
Neighbors of BP's Texas City oil refinery demand $10 billion in punitive damages for years of air pollution that contaminated "yards and homes, including ... air-conditioning units and ducts ... with toxic chemicals". The class describes BP as "a known felon and serial polluter who purposely releases on a routine basis, toxic gases into the air," and then lies about it to regulators.
"The damage that BP has done to the environment for those communities surrounding its Texas City Plant may take years to correct, if ever," the complaint states.
Since March 23, 2005, when a series of explosions and fires killed 15 workers at the third-largest petroleum refinery in the United States, BP's Texas City operations have been scrutinized by federal and state regulators, and BP was fined more than $70 million under a settlement with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, according to the complaint.
Since that 2005 disaster four more workers have died at the refinery: one in 2006, one in 2007, and two in 2008, the class claims.
"All of these deaths were related to failure to implement and follow procedures, failure to inspect and maintain equipment, and/or failures of [production safety management]," according to the complaint.
The latest example of BP's alleged culture of noncompliance came from April 6 to May 16, when it released 538,000 pounds of chemical compounds, including 17,000 pounds of carcinogenic benzene, into the air, according to the complaint.
"After the release, BP reported to the authorities that various amounts were allegedly released, and stated publicly that the release was of no consequence and constituted no harm to the public," the class says.
BP shuts down Caspian sea platform for unscheduled repairs. Having shut down for unscheduled repairs sounds like BP continues to blithely ignore safety and adequate maintenance.
BP Plc halted production at the Chirag oil platform in the Caspian Sea on Dec.11 for unscheduled repair work, Robert Wine, a company spokesman said by phone today from London.
Wine said the disruption will affect 91,000 barrels a day of oil supply which is normally shipped via pipeline to the Black Sea port of Supsa.
Pakistan's petroleum ministry says BP did not inform them of their oil sale to United Energy Group. This is required by law and there seems to be a tax matter that needs to be settled as well. It's impossible to know if Pakistan just wants their tax money or if they are trying to kill BP's deal with UEG. h/t Yasuragi
British Petroleum (BP) violated the government rules by issuing a press statement about the deal to sell its Pakistan assets without prior approval of the ministry of petroleum and natural resources, a senior official said.
The BP issued a press statement last week, announcing its $775 million deal to sell-off its Pakistan assets to United Energy Group (UEG).
As per the rules, BP was required to submit its deal for approval to the ministry, but it failed to do so, the official said, requesting anonymity.
...
“BP has to pay billions of rupees in taxes. It cannot sell its assets without paying all liabilities and getting a no objection certificate so that the buyer does not face any difficulty in taking over operations,” he said.
Earlier this month, the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) informed BP to clear all tax liabilities.
BP’s announcement was totally silent about its liabilities. FBR has referred the case to petroleum ministry to make sure that national interest is fully protected in BP’s sale of assets, said the official.
...
UEG’s offer is $575 million more than the joint bid made by two largest exploration firms of the country, Oil and Gas Development Company and Pakistan Petroleum Ltd.
Algeria is considering it's right of first refusal for BP's asset sales in their country. h/t Yasuragi
Algeria is considering all the options on the assets which oil major BP wants to sell, including acquiring them for itself or letting another firm buy them, official media quoted the energy minister as saying on Sunday.
Russian oil company TNK-BP wants to buy BP's assets in Algeria, which include stakes in two major gas-producing fields, but Algerian state energy firm Sonatrach has the right of first refusal.
BP's Algerian interests are among a number of assets around the globe it has put up for sale to help pay for the Gulf of Mexico oil spill earlier this year.
Sonatrach is "studying all the options, whether that's a case of BP deciding to sell its assets to another party, or whether it (Sonatrach) would buy those assets in part or in whole," the official APS news agency quoted Energy and Mines Minister Youcef Yousfi as saying.
TNK-BP Enters Into An Agreement To Acquire Assets In Vietnam And Venezuela From BP h/t Yasuragi
TNK-BP reached an agreement with BP p.l.c BP, to acquire BP´s upstream and pipeline assets in Vietnam and Venezuela for $1.8 billion. Of the purchase consideration, a deposit of $1 billion will be made by October 29, 2010
PLEASE visit Pam LaPier's diary to find out how you can help the Gulf now and in the future. We don't have to be idle! And thanks to Crashing Vor and Pam LaPier for working on this!
Previous Gulf Watcher diaries:
The last Mothership has links to reference material.
Previous motherships and ROV's from this extensive live blog effort may be found here.
Again, to keep bandwidth down, please do not post images or videos.