Comprehensive Daily Updates

Here's a link to find out the daily events relating to the Gulf Oil Spill.

Here's what today's report includes:

HYDRAULIC LEAK

Rep. Henry Waxman said his committee's investigation into the Gulf oil spill revealed that a key safety device, the blowout preventer, had a leak in a crucial hydraulic system. The California Democrat said in a second day of hearings into the spill that the investigation also discovered that the well had failed a negative pressure test just hours before the April 20 explosion.

A SMALLER FUNNEL

BP PLC announced Wednesday that a new containment box — a cylinder called a "top hat" — was on the sea floor near the wild well that has spewed at least 4 million gallons into the Gulf of Mexico. Engineers hope to work out ways to avoid the problem that scuttled an earlier effort with a much bigger box before they move the cylinder over the end of the 5,000-foot-long pipe from the well. The 100-ton box filled up with an ice-like slush of gas and water, lifting it up and clogging its nozzle.

ANOTHER PIPE

BP also has another plan it might try to siphon oil away from the unchecked well. BP chief operating officer Doug Suttles said Wednesday that engineers hope to link a second pipe to the end of the pipe that was supposed to pump oil from the sea floor before the Deepwater Horizon sunk. The pipe will funnel away the oil that's collected in that original piping, called the riser. Suttles said it could arrive Wednesday and be usable by Thursday or Friday.

LIKE STEAM FROM A GEYSER

Video released by BP showed oil spewing from a yellowish, broken pipe 5,000 feet below the surface. The oil looks like steam rushing from a geyser. The stream occasionally can be seen becoming lighter as natural gas mixes into the gusher. Natural gas has been flowing from the well since the beginning. Suttles said the rate natural gas has been flowing out hasn't changed in the 21 days since the Deepwater Horizon exploded.

FOOTING THE BILL

The White House has asked Congress to raise a liability cap that could limit how much BP has to pay in economic damages. The administration also wants to increase a per-barrel tax on oil companies to replenish a cleanup fund. President Barack Obama also sent a proposal to bring more unemployment assistance and food stamps to help fishermen along the Gulf Coast.

MORE TAR BALLS

The Coast Guard said 4-inch tar balls have been reported along beaches in eastern Alabama. Scientists still have to test the oil, which came ashore several miles west of the Florida state line, to see if it came from the spill. Coast Guard Rear Adm. Mary Landry said Wednesday that testing has confirmed tar balls that washed ashore west at Dauphin Island, Ala., on Saturday were from the spill. Landry said the Coast Guard also found tar balls at South Pass, La., at the end of the Mississippi River, and on the southern end of the Chandeleur Islands, east of New Orleans.

Louisiana officials also said tar balls were found on Whiskey Island off the coast of Louisiana, the farthest point west oil has been seen so far.

MEXICO

Mexican officials fear the Gulf oil spill could reach their coasts if the leak is not stopped by August, when seasonal currents start to reverse and flow south. So far, prevailing currents have carried at least 4 million gallons of spilled oil from a damaged BP well toward the north and east, away from Mexico and toward U.S. shores. But those currents start to shift by August. The currents will be completely reversed by October.

THE BLITZ

A Minerals Management Service official said a blitz inspection of deepwater drilling rigs turned up only "a couple of minor issues." At a hearing led by the MMS and the Coast Guard in Kenner, La., a Coast Guard official questioned whether the government had an effective safety net for the manufacturing and installation of blowout preventers. Michael Saucier of the MMS testified the government isn't required to inspect the safety devices before they are installed.

ENVIRONMENTALISTS' VIEWS

In the weeks after an oil rig exploded and killed 11 men in the Gulf of Mexico, worried environmental groups scoured the water for oil plumes, set up animal triage centers and stretched boom across shorelines. Activists hope their involvement doesn't end there. They contend this may be the catalyst that America's green movement needs to get Americans to pump less gasoline, buy hybrids and downsize their consumer lifestyle.

DEEPWATER DRILLING

The explosion of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig illustrates the energy industry's push to drill ever deeper in search of huge oil deposits, despite the mammoth risks and unique challenges associated with exploration in such a hostile environment. The lure of the deep is driven by technological advances that make previously inaccessible oil now reachable, and dwindling supplies at shallower depths due to years of exploration. High energy prices and lucrative government incentives have also made it more financially feasible.

DOLPHINS

Federal wildlife officials are treating the deaths of six dolphins on the Gulf Coast as oil-related even though other factors may be to blame. Blair Mase of the National Marine Fisheries Service said Tuesday that the carcasses have all been found in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama since May 2. Samples have been sent for testing to see whether oil contributed to the deaths.

Scuzzbucket of the week

This young man really needs to watch what he posts. He proudly states that he graduated from Dartmouth. Too bad they didn't teach him a little common sense.


Gus Lubin, cub reporter at businessinsider dot com

Here's the part of the article that gnaws at me


While oil infiltrates the coastline, astronauts are watching the beautiful patterns of 315,000 barrels of oil released onto the open sea.

If you're not directly affected by the oil slick, they make for a great show.


Little Gus, didn't mommy teach you any compassion?

H/T Adrastos via Karen G.

Sarah Palin Quote

SarahPalinU5A I'm so heartbroken about this spill in the gulf situation. All those animals. They're polluting our oil.

Very grim photos

here's a link to hi res pictures taken of the oil spill in ghe Gulf.
Looks like hell.

The Gulf is bleeding

Needed: Hair & Fur

Homemade oil booms

For info, go to this website

Our Pantry

Another article from the NY Times:

“That marsh is really our pantry, and that’s why we are so afraid,” said Frank Brigtsen, the New Orleans chef who runs two restaurants that serve an abundance of Louisiana seafood.

In New Orleans, people are more philosophical. It is the Katrina effect, they say. Once you have lost your house and your boat, even members of your family, you learn not to worry about things you cannot control.

“So you buy 20 pounds of shrimp and put it in your freezer,” said Mirta Valdes, who has lived in New Orleans since emigrating from Cuba in 1963. “Tomorrow, there could be another storm and knock out all the electricity, and then you lose your stash anyway.”

Here's the link to the whole story: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/07/us/07food.html?pagewanted=2&th&emc=th

 

NYT Article on Oil Spill

The only thing about this article that got me was they quoted someone talking about "crayfish" and not "crawfish".  What can you expect from them.

Here's the link:  http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/07/us/07gulf.html?th&emc=th

And here's an excerpt:

The timing is a devastating blow to the city’s psyche. Since the Saints won the Super Bowl upon the backdrop of Mardi Gras, followed by the landslide election of a popular new mayor, Mitchell J. Landrieu, New Orleans had been, by all accounts, getting its groove back. Five years removed from Hurricane Katrina, the tangible signs of a real recovery are everywhere: in rebuilt homes and refurbished parks, in old restaurants come back to life and in new businesses thriving. With hurricane season still weeks away, people were feeling optimistic for the first time in a long time.

 

Another Friday, another odor in the air

It's four a.m. and I just walked out onto the patio to be greeted by the smell similar to burning crayons. My guess is that they're doing small in situ burning of the oil in the Gulf.

It's been more than two weeks since the blast that created this muck out in the Gulf. Every day I grow more and more depressed as I do my daily check of the current trajectory map of the oil spill. It looks worse each day and we've had a relatively calm week weather wise.

I recognize my emotions as similar to those post Katrina. A lot of anger and a boatload of sadness for both the fishers affected by this and the mass annihilation of wildlife. I pray that our estuaries are safe.

Yesterday's anger was focused on the fact that oil reached the Chandeleur Islands , a very small group of what appears to be large sandbars from a plane. There weren't enough booms to go around to protect these islands.

I'm angry over how the Asian fishers are being treated, but glad that there is a young lawyer helping in their plight. Spencer Aronfeld has been interviewed on WWL radio for few mornings this week and he's detailed how his clients are being treated by BP and how he intends to correct that.

Time to get to work. Wondering how strong the buring crayon smell will be at the spaceship factory. which is relatively close to the Gulf.

Be Wary of the National Media

from Although their livelihoods depend on knowing where the action is in the Mississippi River delta, charter fishing captains in Venice have never been so happy to bring their fares back empty-handed.

Angling for a big story, news reporters from around the world have been chartering boats to check out aerial reports of oil washing ashore from the massive Deepwater Horizon leak in the Gulf of Mexico.

A closer look has nearly always failed to substantiate the possible sightings, though reports of oil hitting the Chandeleur Islands were confirmed Thursday.

"I got more oil leaking out my boat's exhaust than they got in the west Delta," joked charter captain Brent Ballay.

Ballay and a couple of other captains took a 30-mile trip in and around Southwest Pass on Thursday morning to check out a news report of oil coming ashore there.

"The water's crystal clear and beautiful," he said, sitting on a dock at the Venice Marina. "There's no oil anywhere."

What they did find was brown foam along the current line, where fresh water meets salt water.

The foam is a natural phenomenon caused by decomposing vegetation bubbling to the surface, said David Ballay, Brent's father who founded the marina in the 1980s and sold it in 2002.

"Looking down from a plane, you might think that's oil, but it's not," David Ballay said. "I'll go put my sandwich out there on those booms, smear it around and eat it. That's how confident I am that there's no oil there."

Concerned about the spill's effect on the charter fishing industry, Brent Ballay said he has stopped taking people out to look for oil.

"We're just shooting ourselves in the foot by doing that," he said. "I'd rather take someone out with a camera to show people all the fish they can catch instead of all the death and destruction that we aren't having."

"There's the real story, right there," he added, pointing to a man stepping off a charter boat with a huge bucket of redfish and speckled trout.

That has been an all too uncommon sight during what is supposed to be the busiest time of year for charter fishing.

"We've had a tough time getting people to come down because of all the negative publicity," charter capatin Jeff Fuscia said as he filleted a red fish with an electric knife.

Fuscia said he saw a national TV news report about oil hitting the coastline Wednesday night.

"I thought, 'That's news to me, and I'm down here,'" he said. "I don't want to downplay it because there's a lot of oil out there; it just hasn't hit the coast."

Tennessee Floods

To those that know what it's like to live thru a flood and wait for help, please help those in Tennessee needing help. Here's a link. Thanks.

Louisiana Seafood is GOOD, y'all

Don't hesitate to buy and eat seafood from Louisiana. The spill has affected only sites EAST of the Mississippi. However, the areas WEST of the Mississippi are open and producing. Nearly 75% of Louisiana's seafood (fin fish/shrimp/oysters/crabs) comes from the sites WEST of the Mississippi.





Bon Apetit, y'all!

Classic John Stewart

Hilarious.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Beyond Awful
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Tea Party

A list of items needed in oilspill cleanup

From Gulf response dot org:

We are currently working with our response partners to identify needs. Individuals interested in gathering supplies in their community should use the list below as a guide. We are in the process of identifying staging areas where donated materials can be accepted. When those locations are identified they will be posted here. Please check back for regular updates.


Water
Gatorade
Bug spray
Sunscreen
Safety glasses (clear and dark)
Chicken boots
E-tech gloves
Safety utility knives
Diesel cans (yellow)
5-gallon gas cans
Outboard motor oil
Dip nets (small mesh)
Pool cleaning nets
Mosquito head nets
Flat shovels
Spade shovels
Pitch forks
Duct tape
Work vests

P&G sends Dawn for Oil Spill Cleanup

CINCINNATI -- The Procter & Gamble Company is now lending a helping hand after the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

Over the weekend, P&G chartered a truck to deliver a 1,000 bottles of Dawn from the Kansas City plant to wildlife rescue centers in Louisiana and Alabama.

For the last 30 years, P&G has partnered with the International Bird Rescue Research Center and the Marine Mammal Center to assist in wildlife rescue efforts.

Rescuers have centers set up in the Gulf to clean the birds but they've encountered weather problems so it's taking longer than expected to rescue them.

Bird specialists say Dawn is the best product since it will cut through grease without hurting the skin.

"Those two benefits are really applicable when you think about the rescue efforts because the oil that's on these birds is extremely thick and the birds themselves have very delicate feathers and very sensitive skin so Dawn can aid in that rescue effort to clean the oil off of them," said Susan Baba with The Procter & Gamble Company.

P&G has a Facebook site set up to update folks on their current rescue efforts. For more information, click here.

Those Dead Sea Turtles

Necropsies completed on five of the 25 dead sea turtles found along Mississippi beaches in the past few days show no evidence of oil killing the reptiles.

In what my possibly be a coincidence, more than 30 dead turtles have been found stranded on Galveston and the Bolivar Peninsula south of Houston this month - an unusually high number that has puzzled researchers, in part because most are so decomposed that there are few clues left about why they died.

A few minutes after I posted this, I was alerted to this article about the public being barred from the autopsies done on the turtles. Something's up.

Bucket Brigade map of the Gulf

 from NOLA dot com:

 

The Louisiana Bucket Brigade has created an "Oil Spill Crisis Map'' that will allow Gulf Coast residents to report fishermen out of work, endangered wildlife, oil on shore, oil sheens and other impacts of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

 

Citizen reports can be submitted via text message, the web or e-mail. Those reports will appear on a web-based map of the Gulf Coast, the Bucket Brigade said in a news release today.

"The Oil Spill Crisis Map compiles and maps eyewitness accounts of the oil's effects in real time," said Anne Rolfes of the Louisiana Bucket Brigade. "This is a tool for all of us to understand the extent of the damage."  

 

The map can be viewed at http://oilspill.labucketbrigade.org

 

The news release said reports can also be made at that site. Mobile phone users can text reports to 504. 27 27 OIL. Reports can also be sent to bpspillmap@gmail.com and through Twitter with the hashtag #BPspillmap. Eyewitness reports for the map require a description, and location information such as address, city and state, zip-code or coordinates. Citizen reporters can remain anonymous or disclose their contact information. Photos and video can be uploaded via the web.

 

Tulane University graduate students, Louisiana Bucket Brigade staff and California-based Radical Designs partnered to create the map, the news release said.

 

Donation site for oil spill

The Ritz-Carlton in downtown New Orleans is accepting donations of nylons, hair and fur on behalf of Matter of Trust (www.matteroftrust.org) to create booms to combat oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The hotel is currently the only donation location in New Orleans and one of only nine locations along the Gulf Coast. Help us with a PSA, an on-camera interview or a mention.

Donations can be dropped off at the entrance to the hotel at 921 Canal Street and will then be transported to the warehouse parking garage behind the hotel. Ritz-Carlton employees will work in teams to create booms by stuffing nylons with donated hair and fur. To find out more and see how the booms are made: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwQOD_Ir2vQ.

Spa Director Daisye Suduran has been collecting nylons for the past six months and is spearheading this effort. The contact with Matters of Trust is Lisa Gautier, who can be reached at 415-235-2403 or team@matteroftrust.org.

 

BP Playing Dirty

Alabama Attorney General Troy King said tonight that he has told representatives of BP Plc. that they should stop circulating settlement agreements among coastal Alabamians.

The agreements, King said, essentially require that people give up the right to sue in exchange for payment of up to $5,000.

King said BP's efforts were particularly strong in Bayou La Batre.

This is similar to BP's efforts in Louisiana to have workers in the cleanup process
sign away any rights they may have in the future to sue BP over losses, just by working for them. The work applications were later torn up due to "confusion".

These S.O.B.s will stop at nothing.

Update 5/3/2010:


Despite a Sunday federal-court decision to the contrary, BP representatives today were telling would-be cleanup mariners that they had to absolve the oil giant of any liability if they wanted to get the lucrative work.

The contracts handed out at the John A. Alario Center on the West Bank of Jefferson Parish included language that was supposed to have been struck after the ruling by Judge Ginger Berrigan Sunday. In addition to the liability provisions, a copy of the contract obtained by The Lens prohibited the sailors from talking to reporters, another provision voided by Berrigan.

another scuzzbucket

The brother of Louisiana senator Landrieu thinks and hopes the oil slick will just go away.

Taylor expects spill to break up naturally - Oil Spill - SunHerald.com

A Contact for Volunteering

The Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary is the fastest disappearing landmark on Earth! You can help save our home by joining us in supporting common-sense restoration solutions and by volunteering to restore our coastal heartland. - BTNEP Information

Location:
320 Audubon Ave (North Babington Hall, NSU)
Thibodaux, LA, 70310Phone:
1-800-259-0869Mon - Fri:
8:00 am - 4:30 pm

Here are their links
Facebook
Their Homepage

From American Zombie

Created by NOLA blogger American Zombie

BP builds containment boxes to place over spill - wtop.com

BP builds containment boxes to place over spill - wtop.com: "The chamber will be one of the largest ever built and will be used in an attempt to contain an oil leak related to the mobile offshore drilling unit Deepwater Horizon explosion. (AP Photo/U.S. Coast Guard, Petty Officer"

Opportunities for Fishermen

More training will be offered Monday, parish officials have said. Everhardt said St. Bernard Parish fishermen interested in working to fight the oil should attend a meeting at 7:30 Monday morning in the ballroom behind the Civic Center in Chalmette

The parish has also asked interested commercial fishermen to sign up at the parish's website, www.sbpg.net, at the "Contact Us'' button at the top of the page. Also, fishers can email Everhardt at feverhardt@sbpg.net, Councilman Wayne Landry at wlandry@sbpg.net, or parish executive assistant Karen Turni Bazile at kbazile@sbpg.net

Quote - May 1, 2010

"This event is a self-feeding fire," Environmentalist Richard Charter of the Defenders of Wildlife organization told CNN. "It is so big and expanding so fast that it's pretty much beyond human response that can be effective. ... You're looking at a long-term poisoning of the area. Ultimately, this will have a multi-decade impact."

For those of you outside the Gulf Coast who WILL be impacted by this tragedy, this has the history.

Welcome to our world.

the ugly truth

go to this link

I'm sick

Our birds are in good hands

People like Jay Holcomb and company


Dish soap in hand, Jay Holcomb and his team from the International Bird Rescue Research Center are ready to help our feathered friends survive the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Holcomb talks to Tonic — and shares thoughts on how you can help.

"Right now, it's quiet," Jay Holcomb says on his cell phone from the shore in Louisiana.

But is it the quiet before the storm?

"That's the million-dollar question," he says. "The oil's already starting to hit the shore. I don't know how bad and how far it's going to go."

Since the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico April 20, millions of gallons of oil have leaked into the sea. And while visions of the Exxon Valdez disaster, with shores full of dying, black-covered birds and marine life have rattled in everyone's heads ever since, the oil has — thankfully — stayed off-shore. Until now.

"We have one bird in already," says Holcomb. "A Northern Gannet." An elegant, white bird with black-tipped wings that has no business mucking around in mankind's black gold.



That one bird — being cared for on May 1 — may never know how lucky it was to land in the hands of the best of the best.

Holcomb, the executive director of California's International Bird Rescue Research Center (IBRRC) since 1988, was on the ground after the Exxon Valdez cracked its hull, and has overseen more than 150 oil spill relief efforts around the globe. So whether they know it or not, in times of crisis, he's our feathered friends' best friend.

"You pay attention to what the currents and the wind are doing. There's all kinds of sophisticated equipment to track this stuff. But the reality is, as much as we all had our fingers crossed this week, mother nature is tricky," Holcomb says. "We have high tides. I could say, fairly certainly, that the potential for this being massive is there."

It's why the IBRRC has joined forces with Tri-State Bird Rescue & Research of Delaware and local organizations to mobilize in advance of the potential onslaught — getting washing trailers ready in more than one spot along the coast, and accepting shipments of cases of Dawn dishwashing detergent (still the preferred oiled-bird cleanser after all these years), donated by Proctor & Gamble.

read the whole story here.

From Venice, LA

Peace Marvel, fisherman from Venice, La

 

They knew....

Video shows federal officials knew quickly of potential for massive oil flow in Gulf spill

Video from NOAA site shows officials knew quickly of potential for massive oil flow

A National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration video, shot as officials coordinated response to the Deepwater Horizon disaster, shows that federal officials almost immediately worried that the oil well could leak up to 110,000 barrels per day, or 4.6 million gallons.

In it, officials are discussing the search for survivors of the Deepwater Horizon explosion. There is a hand-drawn map of the spill dated April 22. At one point, the video freezes on a sign next to a door that reads, "War Room."

In one scene, officials say that the estimate for the leak is between 65,000 and 100,000 barrels per day. A dry erase board on the wall reads "Estim: 64,000 to 110,000 bbls/day. CNN reported 300,000/day."

Buy stock in Dawn detergent!

From npr dot org


concern grew about animals and plants on the ecologically fragile coastline. A rescue operation at Fort Jackson, about 70 miles southeast of New Orleans, had its first patient Friday, a young northern gannett found offshore. The bird is normally white with a yellow head and long, pointed beak but was covered in thick, black oil. Workers with Delaware-based Tri-State Bird Rescue and Research

For each bottle of Dawn detergent purchased, $1 is donated to help save wildlife

Louisiana has contributed $375K so far.

Get involved. Buy Dawn dishwashing detergent, go to that link and help save Gulf Coast wildlife from this horrific tragedy.

500 cleanup job openings

Advanced Industrial Services is looking to hire 500 people to help with the oil spill clean-up. Below you will find the pre-screen requirements, job description.

Go to JOB1 Business and Career Solutions, 2330 Canal Street, New Orleans. They will be accepting applications on Saturday 5/1/2010 from 9:30am to 3pm and Monday-Friday 9am to 3pm.

Pre-Screen Requirements:... See More


Must be able to lift 40lbs

Must be able to work 7 days a week

Must have a valid U.S. I.D.

Must NOT have a Class X Felony under 20 years (Class X Felony being murder, attempted murder, or manslaughter)

Must NOT have a violent felony conviction within the past five years (aggravated assault or aggravated battery)

Job Description:


General Labor positions will be responsible for:


Debris Removal

Placing protective barriers along shorelines and beaches

Basic menial tasks

$10 - $12 DOE

Crew Leader positions will be responsible for:


Supervising up to 10 people

Debris Removal

Placing protective barriers along shorelines and beaches

Basic menial tasks

$12 - $16 DOE

Site Supervisor positions will be responsible for:


Supervising up to 10 Crew Leaders

Debris Removal

Placing protective barriers along shorelines and beaches

Basic menial tasks

$14 - $18 DOE

Site Safety Representative positions will be responsible for:


Enforce safety scope of project

PPE oversight

OSHA enforcement

Basic knowledge of EPA and environmental issues

HAZMAT experience

HAZWOPER experience

Lead Safety Representative positions will be responsible for:


Manage Site Safety Representatives

Develop overall safety scope of project

Define all PPE requirements

Strong understanding OSHA requirements

Strong knowledge of EPA and environmental issues

Ability to train HAZMAT

Ability to train HAZWOPER

Scuzzbuckets in L.A.

From the LATIMES dot com website:

Gulf oil spill: The Big Easy takes the news with shrug

In New Orleans, there is a sort of surreal atmosphere about the gulf oil spill disaster: Locals are aware of how grave the situation is, but many of them – particularly in the retail, tourism and restaurant industries – are swamped serving happy out-of-town revelers in town for the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival.

At the Louisiana Music Factory, a specialty record store in the French Quarter, clerk Mike Robeson said that none of the tourists visiting the shop really mention the spill – and during the day he's too busy to really ruminate on it.


“There’s so much going on there’s almost no time to talk about it,” he said.

But on his way home Thursday night, Robeson stopped by the Nelly Deli grocery store, at Bourbon and Ursulines streets, to buy a half-pint of Jim Beam. The news was on television, and it suddenly it hit hard.

“The clerk was almost crying over the brown pelicans,” he said.

Hair soaks up oil

Hairdressers take note: Loose hair can be stuffed into nylon stockings which we double up and tie together to make "booms" that surround and contain as well as soak up oil spills.

We also sort through boxes of hair to make sure there is no garbage and then pay to send it off to nonwoven needlepunch factories to make batches of hairmats. These mats are for emergency oil spills and for oiled bird and mammal cages.

Go to matteroftrust.org to find out how to donate to the gulf oil spill cleanup.

Coast Guard's Flickr Album

The U.S. Coast Guard has a flickr album of the oilspill here

Fishers Frustrated

Fishermen feel frustrated that they're not being used in helping during the oil spill. But PB is in charge and don't seem interested.

What does this look like?

An oil hurricane. Creepy

Feeling helpless

From the Houma Comet

The spill threatens to have far-reaching consequences.

It could cause widespread damage to wildlife in an area of highly sensitive marshes, wetlands and estuaries that produce one-quarter of the seafood consumed in the USA, said Rep. Charlie Melancon, D-La., whose district includes Louisiana's southeast coast. "Every American is going to feel this if it gets as bad as they say it might," he said.

Melancon said he was "waiting for answers" from the federal government as to what equipment was available to stop the oil from spreading, and when it could get there. "You just feel helpless," he said. "This is an area that has been through an awful lot."

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal warned that billions of dollars' worth of coastal restoration projects undertaken after hurricanes Katrina and Rita hit in 2005 are at risk. The disaster also could affect a pillar of Obama's energy plan - an initiative announced a month ago that could open up new areas off the Atlantic Coast and elsewhere to offshore drilling.

Local fisherman Acy Cooper said he was frustrated that the cleanup effort - headed by the Coast Guard and the oil rig's operator, global energy giant BP - waited until Thursday to begin recruiting local fishermen to help.

"We should've been the first one they contacted," Cooper said "We know the bayous better than anyone else."

The face of tragedy

PHOTO BY TED JACKSON (nola.com) Worry and concern shows on the faces as Louisiana fishers talk outside the front doors of the council chambers in Chalmette, La. following in an emergency meeting Wednesday, April 28, 2010 to see how they can use their resources to help fight the oil spill spewing from from the Deepwater Horizon oil rig disaster that is threatening the Louisiana coastline and its estuaries.

Oil washes ashore.....

Just walked outside in Slidell. The oil smell has made it this far.

Hello, Tomorrow

From noaa.gov, tomorrow's prediction of this manmade disaster:

Yes, it's just a prediction and it looks bad.
But we will work through this, right?

Anatomy of an oil spill

This is the best depiction of what's going on out in the Gulf right now. Click on picture to go to website.
From livescience dot com

Louisiana Oil Spill Website

emergency.louisiana.gov

 

 

 

I can smell it

Going outside at lunchtime I realized that I could actually SMELL the oil

from the Gulf of Mexico.  It's THAT close.  WWL radio confirmed that oil

is what I'm smelling by reporting that there have been several calls around

the New Orleans area from people smelling the same thing.  It's actually

pretty nauseating. 

 

Thanks, BP.

 

 

Navy coming to help with oil spill cleanup

The U.S. Navy sent equipment to help with cleanup of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill and the Defense Department said Thursday it stands ready to expand its response to the disaster.

Navy spokesman Lt. Myers Vasquez said Thursday that 66,000 feet (20,000 meters) of inflatable boom and seven skimming systems were on their way to the Navy base in Gulfport, Miss. The help is being provided under an existing pollution cleanup agreement between the Navy and Coast Guard.

The Pensacola Naval Air Station in Florida is in use as a staging area for more booms, recovery barges, tractor trailers, pumps and other related equipment used by Coast Guard contractors, Vasquez said.

He was unaware of any military personnel who might be sent to help with the cleanup.

The White House has asked the Defense Department to discuss possible additional requests. Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell said the military is assessing how it might help and what resources could be deployed. He did not say how long that might take.

"There is a full-blown effort within this department to try to find the kinds of things that could be helpful," Morrell said.

He said the federal response is far wider than the Pentagon and should involve a close partnership with the energy industry. For example, he said, industrial research on submersible vehicles that can operate at great depth outpaces the military's.

Morrell said the focus of military efforts now is on helping to contain the spill at sea, but that the Pentagon would be ready to offer other kinds of help should the spill reach shore. He would not speculate on what that additional assistance might include, but one possibility would be an influx of U.S. troops to help with shoreline cleanup.

 

Obama's support (NOT)

Wow, the prez gave a less than 1 minute mention on the upcoming disastrophe.

 

He said they're sending "swat teams" to inspect all rigs.

And he said they're going to find out what caused the explosion of the rig.

 

WTF?  The Gulf Coast is in danger of an ecological disaster and he's sending SWAT TEAMS???

 

 

 

 

Help to lay boom

Any fishermen out there who are interested in helping to lay out boom,

here is some contact info:

 

Be sure to have your Vessel's dimesion/Specs/Location info ready

 

Call 425-745-8017

 

Or email

  vince.mitchell@lamor.com

  grant.johnson@bp.com

 

Thanks

 

 

Our State Agencies' Activities

Noon 4/29/10: Jindal declares state of emergency (48 hours late)

Actions By State Agencies

Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF):

Yesterday (4/28), the Coast Guard began working to protect the Pass-A-Loutre Wildlife Management area by placing 55,000 feet of oil containment boom around the affected area. Due to weather conditions, only around 9,000 feet of boom have been placed at Pass-A-Loutre. The 55,000 feet of boom was requested by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF). LDWF has requested 100,000 feet of boom to be staged at Venice. LDWF is working alongside their federal partners today to identify more priority areas to protect. Governor Jindal noted that these priority areas are where there is a concentration of wildlife and nesting birds.

LDWF is working with federal partners to see about the possibility of involving the fishing industry with the clean-up effort. LDWF’s biologists are also assessing the water to determine any potential closures for commercial and recreational fishermen. The earliest closures would come at some point late Friday or early Saturday morning.

After consulting with key fishing industry leaders and fisheries biologists, LDWF is also announcing that a special shrimp season will open this evening at 6PM in the portion of Breton and Chandeleur Sounds commonly-known as the “double-rig line.” “Reports have indicated that a number of large white shrimp are available in this portion of state waters and LDWF is making every effort available to the commercial fishing industry to harvest this marketable crop before the potential impact of the oil spill. These waters will remain open to shrimp harvesting until further notice.

The Governor stressed that Louisiana seafood is currently safe to eat and LDWF and other appropriate agencies will continue to monitor the fisheries. LDWF is also considering partnering with the Department of Corrections to train prisoners to help clean birds that may be impacted by the oil.

A toll-free number has been issued by the federal government to report oiled or injured wildlife. To report affected wildlife call (866) 557-1401.

Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ):

The Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) has 40 regional staff members with oil spill and hazard experience deployed.

Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA):

The Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) is evaluating models associated with the Caernarvon Diversion to identify the best way to use water from the Mississippi River to help mitigate the impact of the spill on Louisiana’s coast.

Department of Health and Hospitals (DHH)

The Department of Health and Hospitals (DHH) will be issuing advisories if it is not safe to swim. Additionally, they are monitoring oyster beds and will take appropriate action shortly if oil impacts these areas. At this point, DHH does not anticipate a drinking water problem.

GOHSEP:(Governor's Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Preparedness)

GOHSEP has deployed its mobile command center to the Unified Area Command in Robert, Louisiana.

Why are they in ROBERT, LOUISIANA?????

A word about the "Unified Command"

From the Louisiana Environmental Action Network

We believe that releases of information from the Unified Command are glossing over the environmental aspects of this oil spill and failing in their duty to provide the public with accurate and unbiased information. From our experience and the experience of all of our colleagues in dealing with oil spills, once the oil is in the water it is impossible to eliminate all environmental impact. We believe that the government agencies in charge must make a full and accurate assessment of the environmental impacts of this spill.

"The vast majority of this slick will be addressed through natural means." This sounds an awful lot like: The vast majority of the oil slick will be left in the environment. What impact will this have to the Gulf environment?

The chemical dispersants are essentially a soap like material that emulsifies the oil and causes it to sink into the water column and to the sea floor. What impact will this sub-surface oil have on marine life, on the oyster beds and benthic organisms?

Oil booms proved to be pretty ineffective during the fuel-oil barge spill in the Mississippi River in 2008. How effective will booms be in rough seas?

We do agree that burning the slick is preferable to the surface oil coming on to shore but we also ask that the Agencies involved make a full and accurate assessment of the environmental impacts of the burning of the surface oil.

We simply ask that an honest and accurate assessment of the full environmental impacts of this spill be conducted by the relevant government agencies and then released to the public.

To report affected wildlife, call 1-866-557-1401.

For more information regarding the Deepwater Horizon incident, contact the joint information center at (985) 902-5231 or (985) 902-5240.

You can contact us at 1-866-msriver.

Where are the booms?

Garland Robinette is talking to Billy Nungusser, president of Plaquemines Parish about preparations for the oil spill coming ashore on WWL radio right now. Billy said there are 6 hours left before the winds shift to the south. There are hundreds of fisher people willing to lay the boom out to protect Plaquemines. There are no booms in Plaquemines Parish. What gives?

This video said there's boom out there



Billy is close to tears out of frustration. It's unbelievable, just like Katrina. The Coast Guard and BP are "handling" this horrendous situation while our fragile wetlands and coastline sit unprotected.

Our president tells BP they're paying for the whole mess. You think this is gonna happen? Obama is stepping up the government's response to the Gulf of Mexico oil spill by sending three Cabinet members to oversee the effort. Do they have booms?

Joining Interior Secretary Ken Salazar at the site will be Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and environmental protection administrator Lisa Jackson.

White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said the administration also may send military ships and personnel to help control damage from the spill. Will they be here this afternoon??

Just give the booms to the fishermen in St. Bernard and Plaquemines, y'all. We can protect ourselves, as those in charge have their heads up their asses, as usual.

BP

From the comments section of this article:

You know, as a former news reporter who covered South Louisiana and wrote stories on offshore oil rig blowouts, I am absolutely amazed over how British Petrolium has been able to spoon-feed their version of the Deepwater Horizon catastrophe in the Gulf of Mexico. Further, I am amazed over how the White House, the U.S. Coast Guard, the Environmental Protection Agency and NOAA have allowed British Petrolium to woefully minimize this catastrophe for so long a time. Case in point: we just "learned" late yesterday that there was "a second leak" from the floor of the Gulf, and that the outflow into the Gulf is 5,000 barrels instead of 1,000 barrels per day. This morning we read where apparently there is "a third leak" from the floor of the Gulf. Now how can this be? Simply because these types of platforms are used to drill multiple wellheads on the ocean floor--as many as a dozen or more for obvious reasons: to extract the oil more quickly and economically and increase profits. So, Associated Press, New York Times, Washington Post, CBS, NBC, ABC, CNN, etc. , please ask your reporters why they haven't "discovered" this fact, and demand that they get off their butts and begin doing some legwork instead of relying on British Petroleum's "spoon-fed news"!