Gulf Coast rig leaking buttloads of oil/day

[LawBeefaroni]

That makes sense. There are also deep underwater currents that are almost like rivers. If it gets into one of those it could travel just about anywhere. I don't know the oceanography of the Gulf so that might not be an issue. I'll look into it.



Pretending that the oil just disappeared is the height of ignorance.

[noxiousdog]

That makes sense. There are also deep underwater currents that are almost like rivers. If it gets into one of those it could travel just about anywhere. I don't know the oceanography of the Gulf so that might not be an issue. I'll look into it.



Pretending that the oil just disappeared is the height of ignorance.

The Gulf is notorious for oil seepage. Something like 500,000 barrels per year. It certainly has some degree of processing ability.

[LawBeefaroni]

The Gulf is notorious for oil seepage. Something like 500,000 barrels per year. It certainly has some degree of processing ability.

So if it can process 500K, dumping an extra 5M barrels is no biggie?

I can process 2-3 meals a day. Should I assume then that I can process 20-30?

(it would be awesome though )

[Enough]

The Gulf is notorious for oil seepage. Something like 500,000 barrels per year. It certainly has some degree of processing ability.

So if it can process 500K, dumping an extra 5M barrels is no biggie?

I can process 2-3 meals a day. Should I assume then that I can process 20-30?

(it would be awesome though )

Do natural seeps have massive amounts of Corexit applied to them? And the total is probably closer to a million barrels of natural seepage a year in the gulf from what I've read. Certainly there are plenty of unknowns still about the spill, so let's not automatically assume because the gulf regularly "processes" seepage that natural processes will make the remaining oil a non-issue. We need to study the hell out of this event to really get a handle on what the heck is happening to oxygen levels, etc. in the gulf long term in relation to the spill/leak.

Edit, meant to share this background info on seeps.

[noxiousdog]

The Gulf is notorious for oil seepage. Something like 500,000 barrels per year. It certainly has some degree of processing ability.

So if it can process 500K, dumping an extra 5M barrels is no biggie?

Of course it's not 'no biggie.' It might or might not be a valid explanation. But to ignore it would be just silly.

I can process 2-3 meals a day. Should I assume then that I can process 20-30?

(it would be awesome though )

I assume that you can't replicate yourself the way bacteria would in the presence of a large food supply. Of course, that has it's own issues to contend with.

[LawBeefaroni]

Do natural seeps have massive amounts of Corexit applied to them?

About the Corexit. How do they apply it to oil that they can't find?

[noxiousdog]

Do natural seeps have massive amounts of Corexit applied to them?

About the Corexit. How do they apply it to oil that they can't find?

I thought they were applying it at the wellhead as well.

[Enough]

Do natural seeps have massive amounts of Corexit applied to them?

About the Corexit. How do they apply it to oil that they can't find?

I thought they were applying it at the wellhead as well.

That was my understanding as well.

[LawBeefaroni]

They weren't applying it immediately and the EPA halted the process at one point as well (for a week maybe?).


In other news:

The White House is facing a growing challenge to its claim that most of the oil from the Deepwater disaster has disappeared from the Gulf of Mexico, as at least two independent teams of scientists reported new evidence of oil persisting deep under the surface of the sea.

Earlier this month, government scientists reported that about 75% of the oil had been captured, burned off, evaporated or broken down in the Gulf.

But University of South Florida scientists, returning from a 10-day research voyage, said they found oil on the ocean floor in the DeSoto canyon, a prime spawning ground for fish far to the east of BP's rogue oil well. Preliminary results suggested that oil was getting into the phytoplankton, the microscopic plants at the bottom of the Gulf food chain.

And the Gulf Coast Fund, a citizens' group, maintains that oil is still washing ashore in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and the Florida panhandle. "Just because the oil is no longer on the surface, it does not indicate the area is healthy," said Wilma Subra, a chemist advising the group. "We've received reports from residents all along the coast who continue to see oil on and off shore, as well as reports of hundreds of dead fish, crabs, birds, dolphins, and other sea life."

Congress is due to examine the White House claims at a hearing tomorrow on the fate of the 5m barrels of oil that leaked into the Gulf from BP's well. The energy and commerce committee will also look at official claims that Gulf seafood is safe to eat.

[Victoria Raverna]

http://edition.cnn.com/2011/12/05/us/bp ... index.html" target="_blank

BP is accusing Halliburton of having "intentionally destroyed evidence" related to the explosion aboard an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico that led to the worst oil spill in U.S. history.

[Smoove_B]

Gizmodo is linking to a story published by Al Jazeera covering the mutant sea life that's being pulled up by fisherman in the Gulf area.

There's also a short Youtube video.

Prior to the spill, only one tenth of one percent of Gulf fish had lesions or sores on them. After the spill, according to the University of South Florida, many locations showed 20 percent of fish having lesions with as much as 50 percent in other areas.

[LawBeefaroni]

Corexit did do a great job of hiding the oil.

Oil from Deepwater Horizon spill still causing damage in gulf 2 years later, scientists find

Every now and then, a tar ball as big as a fist washes ashore. That's the only apparent sign that the worst environmental disaster in U.S. history tainted these sugar-white sands two years ago.

But with an ultraviolet light, geologist James "Rip" Kirby has found evidence that the oil is still present, and possibly still a threat to beachgoers.

Tiny globs of it, mingled with the chemical dispersant that was supposed to break it up, have settled into the shallows, mingling with the shells, he said. When Kirby shines his light across the legs of a grad student who'd been in the water and showered, it shows orange blotches where the globs still stick to his skin.

"And I'd have gotten away with it too, if it weren't for those meddling kids..."

[Enough]

Corexit did do a great job of hiding the oil.

Oil from Deepwater Horizon spill still causing damage in gulf 2 years later, scientists find

Every now and then, a tar ball as big as a fist washes ashore. That's the only apparent sign that the worst environmental disaster in U.S. history tainted these sugar-white sands two years ago.

But with an ultraviolet light, geologist James "Rip" Kirby has found evidence that the oil is still present, and possibly still a threat to beachgoers.

Tiny globs of it, mingled with the chemical dispersant that was supposed to break it up, have settled into the shallows, mingling with the shells, he said. When Kirby shines his light across the legs of a grad student who'd been in the water and showered, it shows orange blotches where the globs still stick to his skin.

"And I'd have gotten away with it too, if it weren't for those meddling kids..."

Zoinks! Dude, that's totally like globular!

[miltonite]

Maybe if this spreads a bit more people will stop asking for the fish I catch.

[Combustible Lemur]

Maybe if this spreads a bit more people will stop asking for the fish I catch.

Seriously dude, how's that third nipple working for you?

[miltonite]

Well it gets a bit itchy at times but overall I think it took root well.


I would never eat anything that looked like that and if I did pull up some shady looking fish I think I would find a new place to fish. We fish inland marshes where there were never any traces of oil.

My mother also went to school with a guy that owns a marina down in Plaquemines parish and he has never seen anything like this site is claiming either. He wouldn't lie about it to us because the 100lbs we buy is nothing compared to the thousands he ships out daily. He sells to us as a favor to a childhood friend.

[BooTx]

Pfft, call me when they have three eyes.

[miltonite]

I am trying to get the 3rd arm first. The growing is easy, it is the placement that is the hard part.

[Isgrimnur]

What would be the ideal placement? And are you going for right or left handed? Perhaps a nice 4-finger, two thumb number?

[Isgrimnur]

Baldwin v. Costner. Stephen and Kevin, respectively, and yes, it's the ones you know of.

Jury selection was scheduled Monday for Stephen Baldwin's federal lawsuit against fellow actor Kevin Costner over their investments in a device BP used in trying to clean up the huge Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

Both are expected to testify. U.S. District Judge Martin Feldman ruled last month that every litigant must be in court every day "because of the seriousness of the claims and issues raised by the parties" and in case of mid-trial settlement talks.

The federal lawsuit claims Costner and a business partner duped Baldwin and a friend out of their shares of an $18 million deal for BP to buy oil-separating centrifuges after the April 2010 spill.

Baldwin and his friend, Spyridon Contogouris, said they didn't know about the deal when they agreed to sell their shares of Ocean Therapy Solutions, a company that marketed the centrifuges to BP, for $1.4 million and $500,000, respectively.

"Maybe one of the directions that Mr. Costner might go as a defendant in this case is that he had taken a great deal of risk as it relates to these machines," legal analyst Chick Foret told CBS New Orleans affiliate WWL-TV.
...
Baldwin and Contogouris claim they were deliberately excluded from a June 8 meeting between Costner, his business partner Patrick Smith and BP executive Doug Suttles, who agreed to make an $18 million deposit on a $52 million order for the 32 devices, according to the lawsuit.
...
Baldwin and Contogouris say they were entitled to shares of BP's deposit. Their lawsuit claims Costner and Smith schemed to use BP's deposit to buy their shares in Ocean Therapy Solutions.

"The source of the funds to buy plaintiffs' interest was never disclosed to them, and OTS funds were secretly and improperly converted to effect the purchase," a plaintiffs' summary of the case says.
...
Baldwin and Contogouris are seeking more than $21 million in damages. Costner and other defendants also are seeking damages in counterclaims.

[Isgrimnur]

BP pleads guilty:

Oil company BP has agreed to plead guilty to misconduct and negligence charges and pay a record $4.5-billion fine in connection with the massive Gulf of Mexico oil spill, one of the nation’s worst environmental disasters.

In an announcement Thursday morning from its London headquarters, BP confirmed that it had reached an agreement with the U.S. Justice Department to resolve all federal criminal charges and all claims by the Securities and Exchange Commission against the company stemming from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon rig explosion, the subsequent oil spill and the response.

As part of the agreement, BP said it has agreed to plead guilty to 11 felony counts of misconduct or neglect in connection with the 11 people who died in the explosion. In all, the company agreed to plead guilty to 14 criminal charges including one count of obstruction of Congress.
...
According to the company, the agreement means that no further federal criminal charges can be filed in connection with the incident, enabling the company to concentrate on defending itself against future civil claims. Under pressure from the government, BP established a $20-billion fund to cover claims and has been paying out billions of dollars since the accidents.
...
Thirteen of the 14 criminal charges pertain to the accident itself and are based on the negligent misinterpretation of the negative pressure test conducted on board the Deepwater Horizon, the company said.
...
The total cost of the package will exceed $4.5 billion and includes a civil penalty of $525 million to be paid in three installments to the Securities and Exchange Commission for alleged securities violation in connection with oil flow estimates in the early days after the accident. The package also includes an extra $350 million to the National Academy of Sciences to be paid over five years, the company said.

The agreement also provides for the appointment of two monitors, each to serve for four years. One will monitor safety and the other ethics issues, the company said.

[Enough]

While dispersant may have helped hide the extent of the spill to assuage the public it actually increased toxicity 52 times.

“What remains to be determined is whether the benefits of dispersing the oil by using Corexit are outweighed by the substantial increase in toxicity of the mixture,” said Snell, chair of the School of Biology. “Perhaps we should allow the oil to naturally disperse. It might take longer, but it would have less toxic impact on marine ecosystems.”

[KKBlue]

So depressing. I think my trust in people who are in charge of things (clean up for example) is making me less trust worthy of people I'm suppose to trust. Not feeling very sunshinny now a days, too much questioning people that should have the world's (including floria and fauna) best interst in mind.

[Smoove_B]

I'm sure everything is fine -- "Unidentified substance is leaking from Deepwater Horizon":

An "unidentified substance inconsistent with oil" is emitting from several areas of BP's Deepwater Horizon rig wreckage, but no sources of leaking oil were identified. That's according to the Coast Guard, which oversaw BP's recent week-long mission to inspect the undersea wells and wreckage from the 2010 explosion.

The exact content of the leaking substance and how much is coming out is one mystery. But if it's not oil, then it means the source of recurring oil sheens that have recently been spotted around the Deepwater Horizon site remains unknown.

[Kraken]

I recommend penicillin injections, just to be safe.

[Moliere]

movie trailer

[Isgrimnur]

Meanwhile...

An oil spill that has been quietly leaking millions of barrels into the Gulf of Mexico has gone unplugged for so long that it now verges on becoming one of the worst offshore disasters in U.S. history.

Between 300 and 700 barrels of oil per day have been spewing from a site 12 miles off the Louisiana coast since 2004, when an oil-production platform owned by Taylor Energy sank in a mudslide triggered by Hurricane Ivan. Many of the wells have not been capped, and federal officials estimate that the spill could continue through this century. With no fix in sight, the Taylor offshore spill is threatening to overtake BP’s Deepwater Horizon disaster as the largest ever.
...
The Taylor Energy spill is largely unknown outside Louisiana because of the company’s effort to keep it secret in the hopes of protecting its reputation and proprietary information about its operations, according to a lawsuit that eventually forced the company to reveal its cleanup plan. The spill was hidden for six years before environmental watchdog groups stumbled on oil slicks while monitoring the BP Deepwater Horizon disaster a few miles north of the Taylor site in 2010.
...
The Interior Department is fighting an effort by Taylor Energy to walk away from the disaster. The company sued Interior in federal court, seeking the return of about $450 million left in a trust it established with the government to fund its work to recover part of the wreckage and locate wells buried under 100 feet of muck.

Taylor Energy declined to comment. The company has argued that there’s no evidence to prove any of the wells are leaking. Last month, the Justice Department submitted an independent analysis showing that the spill was much larger than the one-to-55 barrels per day that the U.S. Coast Guard National Response Center (NRC) claimed, using data supplied by the oil company.

The author of the analysis, Oscar Garcia-Pineda, a geoscience consultant who specializes in remote sensing of oil spills, said there were several instances when the NRC reported low estimates on the same days he was finding heavy layers of oil in the field.
...
For every 1,000 wells in state and federal waters, there’s an average of 20 uncontrolled releases of oil — or blowouts — every year. A fire erupts offshore every three days, on average, and hundreds of workers are injured annually.

[GreenGoo]

Ouch. Better get to work on extracting oil from salt water tech, asap.

[Isgrimnur]

WaPo

Over the nearly 15 years since Hurricane Ivan knocked down a production platform operated by Taylor Energy Co., the company has claimed that less than three gallons a day were seeping out. But video exclusively obtained by The Washington Post, and verified by federal officials familiar with the site, shows a large volume of oil pouring out of an erosion pit where the tower was destroyed.
...
For Couvillion, who was belittled by Taylor Energy as too inexperienced for such a complicated job, told that a containment effort was all but impossible and sued by the company when he dared to press on, success is a vindication.

His business, the Couvillion Group, conceived and designed a containment system weighing more than 200 tons, built it in shops all over southern Louisiana and pieced it together deep underwater. The system has recovered about 63,000 gallons since March, according to Couvillion — virtually eliminating a rainbow-colored slick that has stretched as far as 21 miles.
...
Even Taylor Energy has acknowledged the Couvillion Group’s success. However, the company has sued Luttrell for ordering the cleanup, threatening to fine it $40,000 per day, hiring Couvillion and cutting it out of a $7 million project Taylor Energy must ultimately pay for.

“While the initial report from the Coast Guard is encouraging, the government refuses to share with Taylor Energy any verifiable scientific information or data despite the company’s multiple requests,” Taylor said in a statement. “Taylor Energy remains committed to its role as the Responsible Party and continues to advocate for a response that is grounded in science and prioritizes the well-being of the environment.”

In the suit against Couvillion, the company argued that he “was not professionally qualified” to perform the work and was “reckless and grossly negligent” for attempting it. The lawsuits were combined by a federal judge in New Orleans and are now pending.