Now that BPâs jury-rigged contraption to contain its massive Gulf of Mexico oil spew has failed, the companyâs only resort is to continue pumping massive amounts of dispersant into the water near the wellhead, in an attempt to â what exactly? The dispersant goes by the trade name âCorexit.â Itâs supposed to be a pun … Read More
Gulf of Mexico
Message from a Blow-out: Donât Blame Me
Predictable and cynical. Two words used by the New York Times in its editorial today to describe the behaviour of Big Oil at a Senate hearing yesterday. The three senior executives from BP, Halliburton and Transocean â predictably and cynically â tried to blame each other for the spill, to the point that the âhearings … Read More
Voters demand clean energy as Big Oil squabbles over spill
New research by the influential pollster Joel Benenson, who was the key strategist for Barack Obama during the 2008 election, shows that in the aftermath of the Gulf oil disaster, American voters âoverwhelming support a comprehensive clean energy bill.â Nearly two thirds of Americans â some 61% of voters â now support a bill âthat … Read More
Putting Tar Sands in Your Tank …
Disaster One. New estimates put the amount of oil per day pouring into the Gulf of Mexico at one million gallons a day. If this is so, BPâs disaster may have spilt more oil than the Exxon Valdez, when at least eleven million gallons poured from the stricken tanker. Disaster Two. There is another ecological … Read More
EPA Says Effect of Dispersants at Depth “Unknown”
Just days ago, BPâs CEO Tony Hayward said that the company would keep the oil from the beaches. It is yet another broken promise from the oil giant. Oil has now reached shore in Louisiana on the Chandeleur Islands, an important breeding and nesting area for birds. So far oiled birds such as gannets and … Read More
The Gulf of Oil
Venice, LA â Iâm down at the oil spill on the Gulf of Mexico or what for now is the Gulf of Mexico. Rick Steiner, a marine conservationist and oil spill expert flew over the gulf Wednesday morning and said, âItâs not the Gulf of Mexico any more. Itâs the gulf of oil.â Rickâs been … Read More
Exclusive: No Toxicity Tests on BPâs Dispersant
Whilst the media have been focussing on the untested nature of the 4 story dome or âcofferdamâ that is going to be lowered over BPâs spill at the sea bed, its use of dispersant is also coming under scrutiny. Alarmingly, according to the dispersant manufacturer, no toxicity tests have been conducted on this product. The … Read More
Tar Sands Lobby Tries to Exploit Spill
I was talking to a colleague who works on oil issues yesterday about the Gulf of Mexico spill. As we chewed over the unfolding disaster, he said âthe trouble is that the spill might make Canadaâs tar sands more attractive for American politicians.â Right on cue, hours later another colleague sent an article from the … Read More
BP: âThis was not our accidentâ
In the middle of potentially Americaâs worst environmental disaster, BP is attempting to squarely shift the blame for the Deepwater Horizon disaster from itself to Transocean. As BPâs CEO Tony Hayward prepares to meet key Congressmen in Washington today, you can see part of BPâs PR strategy in play with the simple message: We are … Read More
Lessons of the Gulf
BPâs Drilling Disaster is quickly unfolding to become one of the worldâs worst ever environmental catastrophes. Credible sources already are saying that the volume of oil gushing into the Gulf exceeds the Exxon Valdez, and shockingly, there is no end in sight. As oil continues to gush into the Gulf of Mexico, as fisherman watch … Read More