from money control dot com
Over 300 dead birds are likely Gulf spill victims
Source : Reuters
More than 300 sea birds, nearly 200 turtles and 19 dolphins have been found dead along the US Gulf Coast during the first five weeks of BP's huge oil spill off Louisiana, wildlife officials reported on Monday.
The 316 dead birds collected along the shores of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida — plus 10 others that died or were euthanized at wildlife rehabilitation centers after they were captured alive, far outnumber the 31 surviving birds found oiled to date.
The raw tally of birds listed by the US Fish and Wildlife Service as dead on arrival at wildlife collection facilities include specimens obviously tainted with oil and some with no visible signs of oil contamination.
But all are being counted as potential casualties of the oil gushing since April 20 from a ruptured wellhead on the floor of the Gulf because of their proximity in time and space to the spill, said Jay Holcomb, who directs a rescue center for birds in Fort Jackson, Louisiana.
The same is true of nearly 200 sea turtles found dead and dying along the Gulf Coast, and 19 dead dolphins verified in the region since the oil drilling blowout on April 20.
Tissue samples collected eventually will be analyzed to determine more conclusively if the animals were contaminated with oil from the BP spill.
Holcomb, director of the California-based International Bird Rescue Research Center, said mortality for sea birds, many of them in the midst of their breeding season, is expected to climb sharply, especially if hurricanes move into the region and sweep more oil ashore.
"The potential for this being catastrophic is right there because there's a massive amount of oil in the water, and it's still pouring out, and there's a lot of nesting birds and a lot of birds using the coast," he told Reuters. "If the tropical storms take that oil and move it, that's when you're going to see the real impact, I think."
The size of BP's disaster in the Gulf could eclipse the scale of the 1989 Exxon Valdez spill in Alaska's Prince William Sound, in which an estimated 250,000 sea birds perished.
Diving birds hardest hit so far
The birds hardest hit by oil in the Gulf so far are those that feed by diving into the water for fish, including the Louisiana state bird, the brown pelican, removed last year from the US endangered species list, and the northern gannet, Holcomb said.
But shorebirds, wading birds and songbirds will increasingly be put in harm's way as more oil washes onto beaches and into marshlands.
Oil impairs the insulating properties of birds' feathers, exposing them to cold and making it difficult for them to float, swim and fly. Chemicals in the petroleum also can burn their skin and irritate their eyes. They also end up ingesting the oil when they preen, damaging their digestive tracts.
Other wildlife at immediate risk in the Gulf are sea turtles and marine mammals.
To date, 209 sea turtles have been found dead or debilitated along the Gulf Coast, about double the number reported late last week, a tally that wildlife officials said then could be considered normal for this time of year.
The latest figure includes 194 that washed ashore dead and 12 that were found stranded alive, two of which later died in rehab, said Dr. Michael Ziccardi, a veterinarian and professor at the University of California at Davis who is overseeing sea turtle and marine mammal rescue teams in Louisiana.
Three remaining turtles in the latest tally were found heavily oiled at sea but have survived, he said. Those three are the only ones with outward signs of oil contamination.
Necropsies, the animal equivalent of autopsies, have been performed on 40 turtle carcasses found intact, and a majority of the findings pointed to drowning or the aspiration of bottom sediments as the cause of death, Ziccardi said.
Although the results are "inconsistent with oil exposure as a primary cause of death," lab tests of tissue samples are still pending, so less visible factors remain to be determined, he said.
Nineteen dolphin deaths also have been confirmed since the spill began, but none of those animals showed any obvious external or internal signs of oiling, Ziccardi said.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
It's BP's Oil
An excerpt from a Mother Jones article on the oil coming ashore this past weekend.
The shoreline is packed with men in hats and gumboots and bright blue or white shirts. Nearly all are African-American, all hired from around New Orleans. They tell me they've been standing in these exact same spots for three days. It's breathtakingly hot. They rake the oil and sand into big piles; other workers collect the piles into big plastic bags, and still other workers take them to a plant where the sand is separated out and sent to a hazardous-waste dump and the oil goes on for processing. Then the tide comes in with more oil and everybody starts all over again. Ten dollars an hour. Twelve hours a day. When I joke with one worker that he should pocket the solid gobs of oil he's digging up to show me how far beneath the sand they go, he stops dead and asks me if BP's still trying to use the oil they all collect. "Aw, I knew it!"
here's the link http://motherjones.com/environment/2010/05/oil-spill-bp-grand-isle-beach
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Another week to add to BPs disaster
I'm so tired of waking up in trepidation of the news I may hear in the morning.
No one "in charge" of this disastrophe except Louisiana seems to feel the pain everytime oil comes ashore on our coast. Others should because the Corexit is probably killing or mutating sealife that comes in contact with it. The world spins happily along while hundreds if not thousands of fishers lose their means to make a living because of the disastrophe.
Too many people are trying to mix politics into this. Sure, politics play a part BUT - to many of us affected by this circus of fuckups - politics should not be made a part of this.
WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO PROTECT OUR COAST BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE.
There will be time for finger pointing, for discovery panels, for 'what should we do next time' committees.
The fragile nurseries of Louisiana are at stake here. Our wildlife are at stake here. Right now the oil is coming ashore, destroying brown pelican eggs and lord knows what else.
It's a depressing world here in southeast Louisiana.
No one "in charge" of this disastrophe except Louisiana seems to feel the pain everytime oil comes ashore on our coast. Others should because the Corexit is probably killing or mutating sealife that comes in contact with it. The world spins happily along while hundreds if not thousands of fishers lose their means to make a living because of the disastrophe.
Too many people are trying to mix politics into this. Sure, politics play a part BUT - to many of us affected by this circus of fuckups - politics should not be made a part of this.
WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO PROTECT OUR COAST BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE.
There will be time for finger pointing, for discovery panels, for 'what should we do next time' committees.
The fragile nurseries of Louisiana are at stake here. Our wildlife are at stake here. Right now the oil is coming ashore, destroying brown pelican eggs and lord knows what else.
It's a depressing world here in southeast Louisiana.
Saturday, May 22, 2010
It's not in my mind......
I smell oil in Slidell. I've smelled it for the past two days.
My 21 year old daughter doesn't smell it. But of course, she's younger and smarter than me. She doesn't think this oil spill means anything really, just a few oysters lost. Ah, the ignorance of youth.
Nolafemmes has penned a post about how things are, more than 30 days past the blast . Called "Stick a fork in me", it mirrors all of my depression and anger at this insane situation we southeastern Louisianians are facing.
Pray for us.
My 21 year old daughter doesn't smell it. But of course, she's younger and smarter than me. She doesn't think this oil spill means anything really, just a few oysters lost. Ah, the ignorance of youth.
Nolafemmes has penned a post about how things are, more than 30 days past the blast . Called "Stick a fork in me", it mirrors all of my depression and anger at this insane situation we southeastern Louisianians are facing.
Pray for us.
Friday, May 21, 2010
A human WTF: Spelling out the toll of the leak
text messages spelled out with humans.
From neworleans dot com:
Maybe it's a byproduct of watching that live BP oil footage streaming from the ocean floor for too long, but it feels like desperate times call for desperate measures as the leak rolls on.
Some are spelling out grievances on the beach. Matt Peterson of Global Green has shared photos from residents of Grand Isle spelling out human text messages of Never Again, Paradise Lost and WTF?! that were taken last weekend with locals.
I received the initial press release, and the photos have even more impact now that the Grand Isle beaches have been closed due to the Leak.
Peterson wrote on the Huffington Post, "Gulf Coast community members -- including fishermen, shrimpers, grandmothers and families who have been directly impacted by the massive Deepwater Horizon oil spill -- sent a human text message." Aerial artist John Quigley and Margaret Curole of Commercial Fisherman of America got the project on track despite the weather.
Curole told Peterson, "This was the first time these fishermen were ever involved in an action of any kind ... yesterday they said to me 'I get it, we did something.'"
From neworleans dot com:
Maybe it's a byproduct of watching that live BP oil footage streaming from the ocean floor for too long, but it feels like desperate times call for desperate measures as the leak rolls on.
Some are spelling out grievances on the beach. Matt Peterson of Global Green has shared photos from residents of Grand Isle spelling out human text messages of Never Again, Paradise Lost and WTF?! that were taken last weekend with locals.
I received the initial press release, and the photos have even more impact now that the Grand Isle beaches have been closed due to the Leak.
Peterson wrote on the Huffington Post, "Gulf Coast community members -- including fishermen, shrimpers, grandmothers and families who have been directly impacted by the massive Deepwater Horizon oil spill -- sent a human text message." Aerial artist John Quigley and Margaret Curole of Commercial Fisherman of America got the project on track despite the weather.
Curole told Peterson, "This was the first time these fishermen were ever involved in an action of any kind ... yesterday they said to me 'I get it, we did something.'"
A message from Garland Robinette
WWL radio host Garland Robinette reflects the mood of southeast Louisiana in this podcast of his show from Friday May 22, 2010. Take a look and then listen.
Click here for a partial list of products made from petroleum .
Click here for a partial list of products made from petroleum .
What Louisiana is up against (another Scuzzbucket)
From yubanet dot com
TUCSON, Ariz. May 21, 2010 - In response to a New York Times story (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/20/science/earth/20alaska.html?) revealing that the Alaska office of the Minerals Management Service systematically suppressed scientists and scientific reports, violated environmental policies, and served a cake topped with the words "Drill Baby, Drill," the head of the office yesterday apologized…for the cake.
Alaska Regional Director John Goll allowed the cake to be served at an all-staff meeting he called to discuss Interior Secretary Ken Salazar's decision to reform the agency in the wake of the Gulf oil spill disaster and a rapidly growing scandal caused by what President Obama describes as the agency's "too cozy" relationship with the offshore oil industry.
"Instead of apologizing for baked goods, Mr. Goll should apologize for overriding scientists, kowtowing to the oil industry, and putting Alaska's wildlife and communities at risk of a catastrophic oil spill," said Kierán Suckling, executive director of the Center for Biological Diversity.
The head of MMS's Alaska region since 1997, Mr. Goll recently approved a highly controversial and dangerous plan by Shell Oil to begin exploratory drilling in Alaska's Beaufort and Chukchi seas this July. He has refused repeated calls to revoke Shell's permits in the wake of the Gulf of Mexico crisis even though oil spill clean up would be vastly more difficult in the frigid, icy waters of the Arctic than in the Gulf of Mexico.
"Secretary Salazar should fire Mr. Goll immediately," said Suckling. "Goll's mocking of the secretary's plan to reform the agency by telling his employees to "Drill, Baby, Drill" is not just poor taste; it's clear evidence that Mr. Goll has no intention of being reformed. He symbolizes the scandal ridden, industry-dominated MMS of the past. He has no place in the agency's future."
The exact wording of Mr. Goll's apology is below:
From: Goll, John
Sent: Thursday, May 20, 2010 7:53 AM
To: MMS Employees Nationwide
Subject: Apology to MMS
As the manager in charge of the Alaska Region, I apologize to everyone in the Minerals Management Service with regard to the cake at a recent Alaska Region All Hands meeting, as reported in a New York Times article today. The cake had the words "Drill, Baby, Drill', plus other words which were meant to take light of the words.
This was simply wrong to have. I failed in preventing this from happening in my office.
jg
John Goll
Regional Director, Alaska
U.S. Minerals Management Service
TUCSON, Ariz. May 21, 2010 - In response to a New York Times story (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/20/science/earth/20alaska.html?) revealing that the Alaska office of the Minerals Management Service systematically suppressed scientists and scientific reports, violated environmental policies, and served a cake topped with the words "Drill Baby, Drill," the head of the office yesterday apologized…for the cake.
Alaska Regional Director John Goll allowed the cake to be served at an all-staff meeting he called to discuss Interior Secretary Ken Salazar's decision to reform the agency in the wake of the Gulf oil spill disaster and a rapidly growing scandal caused by what President Obama describes as the agency's "too cozy" relationship with the offshore oil industry.
"Instead of apologizing for baked goods, Mr. Goll should apologize for overriding scientists, kowtowing to the oil industry, and putting Alaska's wildlife and communities at risk of a catastrophic oil spill," said Kierán Suckling, executive director of the Center for Biological Diversity.
The head of MMS's Alaska region since 1997, Mr. Goll recently approved a highly controversial and dangerous plan by Shell Oil to begin exploratory drilling in Alaska's Beaufort and Chukchi seas this July. He has refused repeated calls to revoke Shell's permits in the wake of the Gulf of Mexico crisis even though oil spill clean up would be vastly more difficult in the frigid, icy waters of the Arctic than in the Gulf of Mexico.
"Secretary Salazar should fire Mr. Goll immediately," said Suckling. "Goll's mocking of the secretary's plan to reform the agency by telling his employees to "Drill, Baby, Drill" is not just poor taste; it's clear evidence that Mr. Goll has no intention of being reformed. He symbolizes the scandal ridden, industry-dominated MMS of the past. He has no place in the agency's future."
The exact wording of Mr. Goll's apology is below:
From: Goll, John
Sent: Thursday, May 20, 2010 7:53 AM
To: MMS Employees Nationwide
Subject: Apology to MMS
As the manager in charge of the Alaska Region, I apologize to everyone in the Minerals Management Service with regard to the cake at a recent Alaska Region All Hands meeting, as reported in a New York Times article today. The cake had the words "Drill, Baby, Drill', plus other words which were meant to take light of the words.
This was simply wrong to have. I failed in preventing this from happening in my office.
jg
John Goll
Regional Director, Alaska
U.S. Minerals Management Service
Scuzzbucket of the Week
Sportscaster Chris Myers. He just can't give it up, five years after Katrina.
Here's a wrapup of his story from mediamatters.org
As you probably heard, Myers stepped in it big time when he recently guest hosted a nationally syndicated sports radio show and ridiculed Katrina survivors. Specifically, Myers, in a heartless gesture, compared the hurricane survivors of New Orleans with the recent flood survivors in Nashville, and announced the Midwestern, water-logged victims were better; even vaguely more American:
It's a great country here. We have disasters issues when people pull together and help themselves and I thought the people in Tennessee, unlike -- I'm not going to name names -- when a natural disaster hits people weren't standing on a rooftop trying to blame the government, okay. They helped each other out through this.
Here's the thing, Myers was riffing off a dreadful essay that right-wing country picker Charlie Daniels wrote last week, in which he compared New Orleans and Nashville victims, and concluded the Midwestern ones were better, and vaguely more American. (More religious, too.)
What I want to write about is the people of Tennessee and the true volunteer spirit of the Volunteer State. In the limited coverage given the flood by the national media did you see anybody on a rooftop waiting for a coast guard chopper to pick them up?
h/t nolafemmes dot com
Here's a wrapup of his story from mediamatters.org
As you probably heard, Myers stepped in it big time when he recently guest hosted a nationally syndicated sports radio show and ridiculed Katrina survivors. Specifically, Myers, in a heartless gesture, compared the hurricane survivors of New Orleans with the recent flood survivors in Nashville, and announced the Midwestern, water-logged victims were better; even vaguely more American:
It's a great country here. We have disasters issues when people pull together and help themselves and I thought the people in Tennessee, unlike -- I'm not going to name names -- when a natural disaster hits people weren't standing on a rooftop trying to blame the government, okay. They helped each other out through this.
Here's the thing, Myers was riffing off a dreadful essay that right-wing country picker Charlie Daniels wrote last week, in which he compared New Orleans and Nashville victims, and concluded the Midwestern ones were better, and vaguely more American. (More religious, too.)
What I want to write about is the people of Tennessee and the true volunteer spirit of the Volunteer State. In the limited coverage given the flood by the national media did you see anybody on a rooftop waiting for a coast guard chopper to pick them up?
h/t nolafemmes dot com
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Needed Levity
NOLA blogger Michael Homan has created a short flick about the oil spill that - in true Louisiana fashion - will make you laugh instead of cry in these disasterous times. Thanks Mike!
Oil Spill Events - May 19, 2010
By The Associated Press (AP) – 16 hours ago
Events May 19, Day 30 of a Gulf of Mexico oil spill that began with an explosion and fire April 20 on the drilling rig Deepwater Horizon, owned by Transocean Ltd. and leased by BP PLC, which is in charge of cleanup and containment. The blast killed 11 workers. Since then, oil has been pouring into the Gulf from a blown-out undersea well at a rate of at least 210,000 gallons per day.
THE BLAME GAME
Leading Republicans including John Mica of Florida sought to pin blame for the Gulf of Mexico oil spill on President Barack Obama's administration. During a House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee hearing Wednesday, Mica cited Interior Secretary Ken Salazar's acknowledgment Tuesday that his agency could have more aggressively monitored the offshore drilling industry. Mica said the administration failed to heed warnings about the need for more regulation and issued "a carte blanche" for disaster when it approved drilling for dozens of wells including the Deepwater Horizon site leased by oil giant BP PLC. Committee Chairman James Oberstar, D-Minn., called that inflammatory and wrong. He said the drilling was approved early in the Obama administration, by career officials.
NEXT SHOT
BP said it hopes to begin shooting a mixture known as drilling mud into the blown-out well in the Gulf of Mexico by Sunday. The "top kill" method involves shooting heavy mud into crippled equipment on top of the well, then aiming cement at the well to permanently keep down the oil. Even if it works it could take several weeks to complete.
TAR BALLS
Tar balls that floated ashore in the Florida Keys were not linked to the oil spill, the Coast Guard said Wednesday. That did little to soothe fears the blown-out well gushing a mile underwater could spread damage along the coast from Louisiana to Florida.
WHERE IS IT GOING?
Thousands of barrels of oil are still pouring into open waters every day, and some of it has washed ashore as far east as Alabama. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration scientists said a small part of the oil slick from the blown-out well has reached a powerful current that could take it to Florida. They said diluted oil could appear in isolated locations in Florida if persistent winds push the current toward it, but that oil could evaporate before reaching the coast.
CUBA
U.S and Cuban officials are holding "working level" talks on how to respond to the oil spill, a State Department official told The Associated Press. The talks add to signs of concern that strong currents could carry the slick far from the spill's origin off Louisiana, possibly threatening the Florida Keys and pristine white beaches along Cuba's northern coast. The talks mark a rare moment of cooperation between two countries locked in conflict for more than half a century.
HOW MUCH?
Questions remained about just how much oil is spilling from the well. New underwater video released by BP showed oil and gas erupting under pressure in large, dark clouds from its crippled blowout preventer on the ocean floor. The leaks resembled a geyser on land.
SUGGESTIONS
A suggestion box or publicity stunt? BP has received thousands of ideas from the public on how to stop the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, but some inventors are complaining that their efforts are getting ignored. Oil-eating bacteria, bombs and a device that resembles a giant shower curtain are among the 10,000 fixes people have proposed to counter the growing environmental threat. BP is taking a closer look at 700 of the ideas, but has yet to use any of them nearly a month after the deadly explosion that caused the leak.
BP has fielded some 60,000 calls from the public that led to 10,000 tips. About 2,500 people sent in forms spelling out their ideas in greater detail, and BP advanced 700 to the next phase.
MONITORING
Environmental groups are asking the federal government to take over all monitoring and testing related to the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. In remarks prepared for congressional testimony, National Wildlife Federation President Larry Schweiger says BP is keeping too much information from the public.
INSPECTIONS
Senate Democrats are calling for the Obama administration to improve inspections of deepwater oil rigs such as the one that exploded last month in the Gulf of Mexico. The lawmakers said oil companies should pay for the emergency inspections, not taxpayers.
In a letter Wednesday to President Barack Obama, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and other Democrats urged immediate and enhanced inspections of all offshore drilling rigs and platforms that could pose a significant environmental threat.
LAWSUITS
More than 100 lawsuits against BP and other companies involved in the vast Gulf of Mexico oil spill should be combined quickly in one federal court to avoid legal chaos and delayed payment of billions of dollars in damages, an attorney said Wednesday. Louisiana lawyer Daniel Becnel wants lawsuits pending in five Gulf Coast states consolidated in federal court in New Orleans or elsewhere in Louisiana, the state hit hardest so far.
TURTLE
Officials say the first sea turtle to be rescued from the Gulf of Mexico oil spill is being cared for in New Orleans. Audubon Aquarium spokeswoman Meghan Calhoun says the endangered Kemp's ridley turtle was found by a biologist looking for oiled animals in the slick. The baby turtle arrived in New Orleans Tuesday night. Calhoun says the turtle has been bathed from the inside of its mouth to the tips of its flippers and stubby tail. It will have several more baths.
PROFESSOR
A St. Louis scientist who was among a select group picked by the Obama administration to pursue solutions to the Gulf of Mexico oil spill has been dropped because of controversial writings on his website. The Energy Department confirmed Wednesday that Washington University physics professor Jonathan Katz was removed because his previous writings had "become a distraction." Katz's website includes articles defending homophobia and questioning the value of diversity efforts. He did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
source google news
Events May 19, Day 30 of a Gulf of Mexico oil spill that began with an explosion and fire April 20 on the drilling rig Deepwater Horizon, owned by Transocean Ltd. and leased by BP PLC, which is in charge of cleanup and containment. The blast killed 11 workers. Since then, oil has been pouring into the Gulf from a blown-out undersea well at a rate of at least 210,000 gallons per day.
THE BLAME GAME
Leading Republicans including John Mica of Florida sought to pin blame for the Gulf of Mexico oil spill on President Barack Obama's administration. During a House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee hearing Wednesday, Mica cited Interior Secretary Ken Salazar's acknowledgment Tuesday that his agency could have more aggressively monitored the offshore drilling industry. Mica said the administration failed to heed warnings about the need for more regulation and issued "a carte blanche" for disaster when it approved drilling for dozens of wells including the Deepwater Horizon site leased by oil giant BP PLC. Committee Chairman James Oberstar, D-Minn., called that inflammatory and wrong. He said the drilling was approved early in the Obama administration, by career officials.
NEXT SHOT
BP said it hopes to begin shooting a mixture known as drilling mud into the blown-out well in the Gulf of Mexico by Sunday. The "top kill" method involves shooting heavy mud into crippled equipment on top of the well, then aiming cement at the well to permanently keep down the oil. Even if it works it could take several weeks to complete.
TAR BALLS
Tar balls that floated ashore in the Florida Keys were not linked to the oil spill, the Coast Guard said Wednesday. That did little to soothe fears the blown-out well gushing a mile underwater could spread damage along the coast from Louisiana to Florida.
WHERE IS IT GOING?
Thousands of barrels of oil are still pouring into open waters every day, and some of it has washed ashore as far east as Alabama. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration scientists said a small part of the oil slick from the blown-out well has reached a powerful current that could take it to Florida. They said diluted oil could appear in isolated locations in Florida if persistent winds push the current toward it, but that oil could evaporate before reaching the coast.
CUBA
U.S and Cuban officials are holding "working level" talks on how to respond to the oil spill, a State Department official told The Associated Press. The talks add to signs of concern that strong currents could carry the slick far from the spill's origin off Louisiana, possibly threatening the Florida Keys and pristine white beaches along Cuba's northern coast. The talks mark a rare moment of cooperation between two countries locked in conflict for more than half a century.
HOW MUCH?
Questions remained about just how much oil is spilling from the well. New underwater video released by BP showed oil and gas erupting under pressure in large, dark clouds from its crippled blowout preventer on the ocean floor. The leaks resembled a geyser on land.
SUGGESTIONS
A suggestion box or publicity stunt? BP has received thousands of ideas from the public on how to stop the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, but some inventors are complaining that their efforts are getting ignored. Oil-eating bacteria, bombs and a device that resembles a giant shower curtain are among the 10,000 fixes people have proposed to counter the growing environmental threat. BP is taking a closer look at 700 of the ideas, but has yet to use any of them nearly a month after the deadly explosion that caused the leak.
BP has fielded some 60,000 calls from the public that led to 10,000 tips. About 2,500 people sent in forms spelling out their ideas in greater detail, and BP advanced 700 to the next phase.
MONITORING
Environmental groups are asking the federal government to take over all monitoring and testing related to the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. In remarks prepared for congressional testimony, National Wildlife Federation President Larry Schweiger says BP is keeping too much information from the public.
INSPECTIONS
Senate Democrats are calling for the Obama administration to improve inspections of deepwater oil rigs such as the one that exploded last month in the Gulf of Mexico. The lawmakers said oil companies should pay for the emergency inspections, not taxpayers.
In a letter Wednesday to President Barack Obama, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and other Democrats urged immediate and enhanced inspections of all offshore drilling rigs and platforms that could pose a significant environmental threat.
LAWSUITS
More than 100 lawsuits against BP and other companies involved in the vast Gulf of Mexico oil spill should be combined quickly in one federal court to avoid legal chaos and delayed payment of billions of dollars in damages, an attorney said Wednesday. Louisiana lawyer Daniel Becnel wants lawsuits pending in five Gulf Coast states consolidated in federal court in New Orleans or elsewhere in Louisiana, the state hit hardest so far.
TURTLE
Officials say the first sea turtle to be rescued from the Gulf of Mexico oil spill is being cared for in New Orleans. Audubon Aquarium spokeswoman Meghan Calhoun says the endangered Kemp's ridley turtle was found by a biologist looking for oiled animals in the slick. The baby turtle arrived in New Orleans Tuesday night. Calhoun says the turtle has been bathed from the inside of its mouth to the tips of its flippers and stubby tail. It will have several more baths.
PROFESSOR
A St. Louis scientist who was among a select group picked by the Obama administration to pursue solutions to the Gulf of Mexico oil spill has been dropped because of controversial writings on his website. The Energy Department confirmed Wednesday that Washington University physics professor Jonathan Katz was removed because his previous writings had "become a distraction." Katz's website includes articles defending homophobia and questioning the value of diversity efforts. He did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
source google news
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