Today we got news that the "static kill" was going well and BP felt that the well was finally stopped. Hopefully that is true. We could use some good news on this. However, no sooner did they say that, then the administration and BP forwarded a lie that equals "the check is in the mail," for audacity and obvious nonsense.
A couple of days ago, revised numbers put the amount of oil spilled from this disaster at just under 5 million barrels or right around 200 million gallons. This tops all previous estimates and makes this the largest marine oil spill ever anywhere. Add to that the 2 million gallons of dispersant and you have the largest environmental mess ever made.
Since this sounds really bad and takes away from Obama's "mission accomplished" moment when the well is finally plugged, the administration and their pals at BP needed some way to make it sound better. Since logic denies them this, they went with the next best thing - magic. Today, Obama point man Thad Allen happily announced that 76 percent of the spilled oil is simply gone. Vanished. Some was collected, some was burned, some skimmed. That part comes to under a million gallons or roughly 20 percent.
The rest? Around 50 percent of the spilled oil? Magically vanished. A combination of evaporation, dispersal and the mystic ability of the Gulf of Mexico to simply make oil go away. To be fair, the Gulf does have some life forms that can consume the oil. But they typically can consume less than 100,000 barrels per year. That is less than 2 days of this spill. On the evaporation thing, oil does not completely evaporate. It breaks down into several fairly toxic substances including tar. But it does not disappear. On the dispersal claim, that is just stupid. Dispersal means the oil is spread out over a greater area. Not less oil - more area.
But the administration, forever worried about PR and such, had none other than Carole Browner out today telling us that 76 percent of the oil had simply gone away. Thad Allen continues to refer to his aerial surveys. The White House and BP would have us believe that over half of the oil that leaked is just gone. Vanished. Consumed. Whatever. They want us to simply accept that it is gone.
This is with virtually no real science. In fact, real scientists at actual universities keep pointing out that there really is no precedent for this much oil and dispersant. Real researchers keep reporting elevated levels of oil in the water miles away and thousands of feet deep. And that is exactly what BP, Thad Allen and the rest of the administration and Congress wanted in the first place.
The problem to be invisible. Not gone. Not solved. Not dealt with. Just harder to see. And less photogenic. Has anyone noticed that the images from a mile below the surface pretty much disappeared from the news? That we no longer get a report of where the oil is or might be going? We no longer get a look at the damage in Plaquemines Parish where the worst of it is. Why?
Well, the administration and BP from the start wanted the oil kept off the surface. BP announced that almost immediately. Then we had the sham of the EPA order stopping the dispersant. Thad Allen and BP said no. EPA immediately backed down. When has that ever happened? When has EPA ever just backed down? This left it up to Obama's hand picked National Incident Commander Thad Allen, who was yielding to BP across the board.
So the 2 million gallons of dispersant was pumped onto and into the Gulf of Mexico with the explicit purpose of keeping the oil off the surface. BP said this. Thad Allen said this. For some reason, the same media that questions the cost of a wedding didn't notice that the oil was being hidden - right in front of them. And it obviously worked.
This is important to Team Obama. They were very slow to react to the situation when it happened and slow to really grasp the magnitude of it. They put everything through the bureaucracy, slowing it down even more. Congress is STILL working on reacting with something other than hearings. Overall, the government needs to show a rapid "mission accomplished" to try to overcome the failure to properly react initially.
So Obama gets his "mission accomplished" moment. The well appears to be finally stopped. They are still going to do the relief wells and such, but the oil seems to be finally and permanently stopped. But the oil that leaked is still mostly in the water - just hard to see. Thus they can announce that the oil had gone away on its own. And then they can run away as fast as they can. Just like the last time a president proclaimed mission accomplished when the original mission was not accomplished.
If you don't want to believe me, that is fine. Just ask any Gulf fisherman or resort owner. Ask the people whose lives this disaster destroyed. They'll tell you. Ask them - if you dare.
I am offering shirts with this design and will be sending the profits directly to the Plaquemines Parish Fund that is set up to help the folks most hurt by this mess.
I spoke to the good folks at Plaquemines and I have to say that for people living a horror show, they are some of the nicest and most grateful people you would ever want to talk to.
Please help out and get the message out at the same time.
You can order them here: http://www.itisnotagame.spreadshirt.com
Showing posts with label Billy Nungesser. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Billy Nungesser. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Monday, August 2, 2010
Static Lies
Sometime in the next 24 hours, BP - with the rubber stamp approval of Obama point man Thad Allen - will begin pumping drilling mud and eventually concrete into the top of the Macondo well. They will pump it through the already weakened and questionable blowout preventer that is part of the initial problem. And they will, at that point, have prevented any objective or scientific measure of the flow of oil into the Gulf of Mexico while managing to get away with pumping almost 2 million gallons of toxic chemicals into the Gulf alongside the estimated 150 million gallons of oil.
I am talking about the dispersants...again. This has been a theme on this blog for literally months. Suddenly, everyone wants to know about the dispersant. Congress is asking, the press is asking and Thad Allen is lying. He is doing his best to protect both the inept fools at BP who cooked up this chemistry experiment and the inept fools in the administration who allowed it.
Back on day three of this disaster, the Obama EPA ordered BP to stop using the dispersant. BP and their pal Thad Allen said no. EPA put a limit on the amount. Thad Allen's answer? Waive the limit repeatedly. Repeatedly as in 74 times in 48 days. And then ignore BP's violation of the waiver limit. Oh, he also managed to completely ignore the simple fact that the dispersant is designed for surface use and not the massive undersea application employed by BP.
According to Thad Allen, the goal of reducing the dispersant was "generally met." What? Generally met? As in ignored? As in disregarded? As in laughed at? Allen was supposed to be on our side in this mess, not BP's. Yet there he was this weekend, defending BP up and down the line.
Remember, BP's stated goal for the undersea dispersant use was to keep the oil from reaching the surface. It must have worked, since Thad Allen's measure of any success is to fly over the area and look for oil. Since the majority of the oil remains hidden below the surface, this means Allen can look out his airplane window and feel good about no surface oil.
He continues to deny any problem with oil beneath the surface and now forwards BP's newest lie - the magical ability of the Gulf to eliminate the oil by itself. This little fantasy is based on the Gulf's known ability to deal with tiny amounts of oil. perhaps a hundred barrels a month from tiny seeps in the sea floor. Not massive amounts measured in the tens of thousands of barrels per day.
But good old Thad, just like his boss Obama, prefers the simplistic attitude of "see no oil, have no oil." And that is his measure for success. They have managed to cover it up with toxic chemicals and screaming falsehoods. In fact, it is a lot like the way the Obama pre-failed economic team works. Just pretend it is getting better and it will. Much like the economy, they claim success in the Gulf based on a quick, superficial glance. Nothing on the surface today, must be good.
Yet, on the same days that Thad Allen does his "observational analysis," people on boats have no problem finding thick, mousse like oil mixed with dispersant on the surface. It is still exactly where it was 2 months ago and shows no signs of abating. Now Allen and new BP CEO Bob Dudley want to scale back the cleanup efforts based on - wait for it - Thad Allen's surface observations.
Well, if Obama wanted his "Mission Accomplished" moment, he has it. He and his appointed failure Thad Allen can now easily accomplish BP's mission and lie to the American people. They can tell us that the well is plugged and there is no oil on the surface. They can tell us that the fish is good to eat when the fishermen won't sell it because they don't trust it. They can tell us that the Gulf of Mexico has magic powers to absorb oil endlessly with no harm. Maybe they will tell us we can fly if we just all think good thoughts.
Why should we believe anything they tell us at this point? The cap was only for a 2 day test, yet it has been there for weeks. The flow of oil into the Gulf has been hidden since day one. There has been zero transparency in the entire mess. Allen was supposed to be working for us, but he has yielded to BP at every turn. When they lied, Thad made excuses. Same as Geithner and Goldman Sachs. Another administration appointee working for someone other than us.
Write this down. As soon as Allen and BP can confirm that the well is plugged, they are gone. Out of there. The administration, the media and BP will move on leaving the folks that live there to sort it out.
God help them because this government and BP won't.
I am offering shirts with this design and will be sending the profits directly to the Plaquemines Parish Fund that is set up to help the folks most hurt by this mess.
I spoke to the good folks at Plaquemines and I have to say that for people living a horror show, they are some of the nicest and most grateful people you would ever want to talk to.
Please help out and get the message out at the same time.
You can order them here: http://www.itisnotagame.spreadshirt.com
I am talking about the dispersants...again. This has been a theme on this blog for literally months. Suddenly, everyone wants to know about the dispersant. Congress is asking, the press is asking and Thad Allen is lying. He is doing his best to protect both the inept fools at BP who cooked up this chemistry experiment and the inept fools in the administration who allowed it.
Back on day three of this disaster, the Obama EPA ordered BP to stop using the dispersant. BP and their pal Thad Allen said no. EPA put a limit on the amount. Thad Allen's answer? Waive the limit repeatedly. Repeatedly as in 74 times in 48 days. And then ignore BP's violation of the waiver limit. Oh, he also managed to completely ignore the simple fact that the dispersant is designed for surface use and not the massive undersea application employed by BP.
According to Thad Allen, the goal of reducing the dispersant was "generally met." What? Generally met? As in ignored? As in disregarded? As in laughed at? Allen was supposed to be on our side in this mess, not BP's. Yet there he was this weekend, defending BP up and down the line.
Remember, BP's stated goal for the undersea dispersant use was to keep the oil from reaching the surface. It must have worked, since Thad Allen's measure of any success is to fly over the area and look for oil. Since the majority of the oil remains hidden below the surface, this means Allen can look out his airplane window and feel good about no surface oil.
He continues to deny any problem with oil beneath the surface and now forwards BP's newest lie - the magical ability of the Gulf to eliminate the oil by itself. This little fantasy is based on the Gulf's known ability to deal with tiny amounts of oil. perhaps a hundred barrels a month from tiny seeps in the sea floor. Not massive amounts measured in the tens of thousands of barrels per day.
But good old Thad, just like his boss Obama, prefers the simplistic attitude of "see no oil, have no oil." And that is his measure for success. They have managed to cover it up with toxic chemicals and screaming falsehoods. In fact, it is a lot like the way the Obama pre-failed economic team works. Just pretend it is getting better and it will. Much like the economy, they claim success in the Gulf based on a quick, superficial glance. Nothing on the surface today, must be good.
Yet, on the same days that Thad Allen does his "observational analysis," people on boats have no problem finding thick, mousse like oil mixed with dispersant on the surface. It is still exactly where it was 2 months ago and shows no signs of abating. Now Allen and new BP CEO Bob Dudley want to scale back the cleanup efforts based on - wait for it - Thad Allen's surface observations.
Well, if Obama wanted his "Mission Accomplished" moment, he has it. He and his appointed failure Thad Allen can now easily accomplish BP's mission and lie to the American people. They can tell us that the well is plugged and there is no oil on the surface. They can tell us that the fish is good to eat when the fishermen won't sell it because they don't trust it. They can tell us that the Gulf of Mexico has magic powers to absorb oil endlessly with no harm. Maybe they will tell us we can fly if we just all think good thoughts.
Why should we believe anything they tell us at this point? The cap was only for a 2 day test, yet it has been there for weeks. The flow of oil into the Gulf has been hidden since day one. There has been zero transparency in the entire mess. Allen was supposed to be working for us, but he has yielded to BP at every turn. When they lied, Thad made excuses. Same as Geithner and Goldman Sachs. Another administration appointee working for someone other than us.
Write this down. As soon as Allen and BP can confirm that the well is plugged, they are gone. Out of there. The administration, the media and BP will move on leaving the folks that live there to sort it out.
God help them because this government and BP won't.
I am offering shirts with this design and will be sending the profits directly to the Plaquemines Parish Fund that is set up to help the folks most hurt by this mess.
I spoke to the good folks at Plaquemines and I have to say that for people living a horror show, they are some of the nicest and most grateful people you would ever want to talk to.
Please help out and get the message out at the same time.
You can order them here: http://www.itisnotagame.spreadshirt.com
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
On the Surface..
Sometime early next week, BP will begin pumping mud down into the well in the Gulf of Mexico. This is supposedly intended to help plug the hole once and for all in conjunction wit the relief wells being drilled. This operation is dubiously named "static kill." I suspect the intent is to kill any potential of getting an accurate measurement of the oil that has already flowed into the gulf and thus mitigating the fine.
As a quick aside, for some inexplicable reason the relief wells were renamed relief tunnels last week. This makes little or no sense. They are mot tunnels. They are wells. I guess to some PR flack working for BP or Thad Allen, tunnels sounded cooler.
While the preparations for "static kill" are ongoing, retired admiral Thad Allen proudly declared that there is little oil on the surface as if that was the end of the problem. Of course, he fails to mention that he authorized the use of epic amounts of toxic chemicals to keep the oil from rising to the surface in the first place. Just like his new pals at BP, he was all about the imagery and not the reality.
In case anyone has forgotten, the stated reason for the use of over 2 million gallons of dispersant underwater was to keep the oil from the surface. And the only reason to do that was to prevent the images of millions of gallons of oil hitting every beach in the Gulf region. It was never about keeping the oil out of the ecosystem.
Last week, when Tropical Storm Bonnie was approaching, the ever inaccurate Jim Cantore at the Weather Channel came up with the analogy that the wave action created by the storm would have the same effect on the oil as shaking a bottle of vinaigrette. The oil emulsifies with the rest of the ingredients. Up to that point, Cantore was actually right. However, he then implied, as does Thad Allen, that the oil then magically disappears. It does not. Taking Cantore's bottle of salad dressing analogy, the oil is still there. It ends up on your salad.
The same applies to the Gulf. The oil is still there, no matter how badly Thad Allen and his real masters at BP want us to think otherwise. No matter how much the administration wishes, the oil will not simply go away just because we cannot see it. In fact, it is a bigger problem because we cannot see it and cannot collect it like we can surface oil.
That was BP's plan all along. Hide the oil. Hide the true depth of this disaster. Avoid the ugly photos and avoid paying for the damage they have really done. By keeping the oil hidden, they can create the illusion that the crisis is over once they plug the well. And the Obama team of failed bureaucrats led by Thad Allen can declare victory and run home.
Ask any Gulf fisherman. He will tell you that the problem is in the water and on the bottom. Yes, some of the toxic compounds in the oil dissipate and yes, some biological entities eat some of the oil. But none of that accounts for the level of toxic dispersant or the sheer volume of oil present in the water column. That same fisherman will tell you that he is concerned about next year's catch, if there is to be any. He is worried about the edibility of that catch, given the chemistry experiment that BP conducted in the Gulf with Obama's permission.
Plugging the hole is not the beginning of the end as so many media types are fond of saying. It is barely the end of the beginning. It will be years before the mess is cleared. Years for the Gulf to recover form the reckless and unchecked chemical pollution intentionally added. Years for the mess that the administration authorized to be cleaned up. EPA allowed the dispersant at Allen's insistence. NOAA continues to hedge on the amount or concentration of oil and dispersant. Obama's team continues to go with quick visuals during overflights of the are and BP is happy to go with all of that.
Here is an easy way to know it is bad - if BP and Thad Allen like it, it is probably bad for everyone else. This has been the way through this entire disaster. BP acts in its own interests and Thad Allen, on behalf of Obama, endorses it. Every time.
Once that well is plugged, they are all going home. Allen, BP, the media. All of them. And those who depend on the Gulf for a living will just have to figure it out. Because destroyed lives don't make good video and ruined family businesses don't make for dramatic headlines.
This will be Obama's "Mission Accomplished" moment. He will declare victory while the enemy - in this case the oil - remains out there. His administration and the rest of our government will walk away feeling good. Sadly, the folks that live there will still be fighting and pushing. They will know that the mission is barely started.
Get that "Mission Accomplished" banner ready now. It will make a much better visual than the truth.
I am offering shirts with this design and will be sending the profits directly to the Plaquemines Parish Fund that is set up to help the folks most hurt by this mess.
I spoke to the good folks at Plaquemines and I have to say that for people living a horror show, they are some of the nicest and most grateful people you would ever want to talk to.
Please help out and get the message out at the same time.
You can order them here: http://www.itisnotagame.spreadshirt.com
As a quick aside, for some inexplicable reason the relief wells were renamed relief tunnels last week. This makes little or no sense. They are mot tunnels. They are wells. I guess to some PR flack working for BP or Thad Allen, tunnels sounded cooler.
While the preparations for "static kill" are ongoing, retired admiral Thad Allen proudly declared that there is little oil on the surface as if that was the end of the problem. Of course, he fails to mention that he authorized the use of epic amounts of toxic chemicals to keep the oil from rising to the surface in the first place. Just like his new pals at BP, he was all about the imagery and not the reality.
In case anyone has forgotten, the stated reason for the use of over 2 million gallons of dispersant underwater was to keep the oil from the surface. And the only reason to do that was to prevent the images of millions of gallons of oil hitting every beach in the Gulf region. It was never about keeping the oil out of the ecosystem.
Last week, when Tropical Storm Bonnie was approaching, the ever inaccurate Jim Cantore at the Weather Channel came up with the analogy that the wave action created by the storm would have the same effect on the oil as shaking a bottle of vinaigrette. The oil emulsifies with the rest of the ingredients. Up to that point, Cantore was actually right. However, he then implied, as does Thad Allen, that the oil then magically disappears. It does not. Taking Cantore's bottle of salad dressing analogy, the oil is still there. It ends up on your salad.
The same applies to the Gulf. The oil is still there, no matter how badly Thad Allen and his real masters at BP want us to think otherwise. No matter how much the administration wishes, the oil will not simply go away just because we cannot see it. In fact, it is a bigger problem because we cannot see it and cannot collect it like we can surface oil.
That was BP's plan all along. Hide the oil. Hide the true depth of this disaster. Avoid the ugly photos and avoid paying for the damage they have really done. By keeping the oil hidden, they can create the illusion that the crisis is over once they plug the well. And the Obama team of failed bureaucrats led by Thad Allen can declare victory and run home.
Ask any Gulf fisherman. He will tell you that the problem is in the water and on the bottom. Yes, some of the toxic compounds in the oil dissipate and yes, some biological entities eat some of the oil. But none of that accounts for the level of toxic dispersant or the sheer volume of oil present in the water column. That same fisherman will tell you that he is concerned about next year's catch, if there is to be any. He is worried about the edibility of that catch, given the chemistry experiment that BP conducted in the Gulf with Obama's permission.
Plugging the hole is not the beginning of the end as so many media types are fond of saying. It is barely the end of the beginning. It will be years before the mess is cleared. Years for the Gulf to recover form the reckless and unchecked chemical pollution intentionally added. Years for the mess that the administration authorized to be cleaned up. EPA allowed the dispersant at Allen's insistence. NOAA continues to hedge on the amount or concentration of oil and dispersant. Obama's team continues to go with quick visuals during overflights of the are and BP is happy to go with all of that.
Here is an easy way to know it is bad - if BP and Thad Allen like it, it is probably bad for everyone else. This has been the way through this entire disaster. BP acts in its own interests and Thad Allen, on behalf of Obama, endorses it. Every time.
Once that well is plugged, they are all going home. Allen, BP, the media. All of them. And those who depend on the Gulf for a living will just have to figure it out. Because destroyed lives don't make good video and ruined family businesses don't make for dramatic headlines.
This will be Obama's "Mission Accomplished" moment. He will declare victory while the enemy - in this case the oil - remains out there. His administration and the rest of our government will walk away feeling good. Sadly, the folks that live there will still be fighting and pushing. They will know that the mission is barely started.
Get that "Mission Accomplished" banner ready now. It will make a much better visual than the truth.
I am offering shirts with this design and will be sending the profits directly to the Plaquemines Parish Fund that is set up to help the folks most hurt by this mess.
I spoke to the good folks at Plaquemines and I have to say that for people living a horror show, they are some of the nicest and most grateful people you would ever want to talk to.
Please help out and get the message out at the same time.
You can order them here: http://www.itisnotagame.spreadshirt.com
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Avoiding the Fine
So now BP has a scheme to pump mud into the new cap to stop the oil flow. This after repeated delays in collecting oil via the new cap, which was the original plan. In case everyone - especially administration point man and chief BP toady - Thad Allen forgot, the idea was to get to tighter seal to stop the leakage, but never to stop the oil from being collected. At least that was the fiction BP kept putting out there.
The original plan called for 48 hours of leak testing and then a resumption of bringing the oil to the surface via a maze of new pipes and hoses. That was the plan. Well, we are now almost 7 days into that 48 hours and BP keeps convincing Allen that this was their plan all along. Sadly, Allen keeps going along with whatever lies they tell him. Seems the former admiral is just like his boss in the White House - lacking in any kind of spine to stand up to anyone about anything.
While Allen keeps extending the time they can pretend the well is sealed, BP is quietly moving in ships to collect 80,000 barrels per day if they have to. That is 20,000 more per day than the highest bogus estimate. And estimates are all we have since BP - with Allen's tacit endorsement - continues to refuse to allow any type of empirical measurement of the oil flow. Thus the plan to pump mud into the new cap.
Before I get into the why, let me say that this cap does not seal the well. There are leaks. Allen describes them as drips. He calls them insignificant. Well, they are significant enough to warrant dispersant. Thad Allen simply reads whatever BP hands him. The oil coming from the floor of the Gulf? Not this well, according to Allen. Actually according to BP as relayed by Thad Allen.
So why is BP so determined to prevent any measurement of the oil flow? Because any fine or penalty will be based on how much oil was spilled. The maximum fine is $4,300 per barrel if gross negligence is proven, and it does look like BP was amazingly negligent. As long as there are just estimates based on video and partial collection, then BP can fight any fine in court until the dinosaurs return. Without an empirical measurement, the fine is negotiable and subject to challenge.
It is not like the government has not ordered BP repeatedly to put instruments down there to measure the spill. They have. Multiple times. But Thad Allen has repeatedly let them off the hook. He has claimed that there is too much submersible traffic around the well, that it would slow the work of closing the well and so on. All of which are pure nonsense. BP knows exactly how much oil is coming out of that well. They knew on day one and they know today. The new cap actually has measurements for that. But Thad Allen is not interested in enforcing the orders of the government he pretends to work for.
In fact he has allowed BP to dictate this process all the way. Remember his promise of transparency? Never happened. Remember how he promised to get the flow rate measured. Never happened. And on and on. It was Thad Allen that green lighted the dispersant despite the EPA's order banning it. And it has been Thad Allen that has extended the "testing period" for the new cap repeatedly. In 24 hour increments.
If Allen had stuck to his word and forced BP to start collecting the oil, we would now know exactly how much oil was running hourly or daily. But BP does not want that to ever be known. To them that is the big secret and the big cover up. That flow rate number is their worst fear since it will determine the multi-billion dollar fine.
I thought Thad Allen was supposed to work for us. Obama put him there to represent the government. He is supposed to make sure that BP is following the rules. Instead, Obama and Allen allow BP to make the rules. And break them when it is convenient. Allen refers to him and BP as "us" and "we" but never them. He does not have our best interests at heart any more than any of BP's executives do.
In this regard, Thad Allen has failed. Just like the blowout preventer failed on the well itself. The very thing meant to protect us has turned out to be the very thing that is doing the damage. Another in a growing line of failed Obama appointees allowed to keep failing. And another that seems to think transparency is synonymous with secrecy.
When history writes this sad chapter, it will be called, "When government fails and people suffer."
I am offering shirts with this design and will be sending the profits directly to the Plaquemines Parish Fund that is set up to help the folks most hurt by this mess.
I spoke to the good folks at Plaquemines and I have to say that for people living a horror show, they are some of the nicest and most grateful people you would ever want to talk to.
Please help out and get the message out at the same time.
You can order them here: http://www.itisnotagame.spreadshirt.com
The original plan called for 48 hours of leak testing and then a resumption of bringing the oil to the surface via a maze of new pipes and hoses. That was the plan. Well, we are now almost 7 days into that 48 hours and BP keeps convincing Allen that this was their plan all along. Sadly, Allen keeps going along with whatever lies they tell him. Seems the former admiral is just like his boss in the White House - lacking in any kind of spine to stand up to anyone about anything.
While Allen keeps extending the time they can pretend the well is sealed, BP is quietly moving in ships to collect 80,000 barrels per day if they have to. That is 20,000 more per day than the highest bogus estimate. And estimates are all we have since BP - with Allen's tacit endorsement - continues to refuse to allow any type of empirical measurement of the oil flow. Thus the plan to pump mud into the new cap.
Before I get into the why, let me say that this cap does not seal the well. There are leaks. Allen describes them as drips. He calls them insignificant. Well, they are significant enough to warrant dispersant. Thad Allen simply reads whatever BP hands him. The oil coming from the floor of the Gulf? Not this well, according to Allen. Actually according to BP as relayed by Thad Allen.
So why is BP so determined to prevent any measurement of the oil flow? Because any fine or penalty will be based on how much oil was spilled. The maximum fine is $4,300 per barrel if gross negligence is proven, and it does look like BP was amazingly negligent. As long as there are just estimates based on video and partial collection, then BP can fight any fine in court until the dinosaurs return. Without an empirical measurement, the fine is negotiable and subject to challenge.
It is not like the government has not ordered BP repeatedly to put instruments down there to measure the spill. They have. Multiple times. But Thad Allen has repeatedly let them off the hook. He has claimed that there is too much submersible traffic around the well, that it would slow the work of closing the well and so on. All of which are pure nonsense. BP knows exactly how much oil is coming out of that well. They knew on day one and they know today. The new cap actually has measurements for that. But Thad Allen is not interested in enforcing the orders of the government he pretends to work for.
In fact he has allowed BP to dictate this process all the way. Remember his promise of transparency? Never happened. Remember how he promised to get the flow rate measured. Never happened. And on and on. It was Thad Allen that green lighted the dispersant despite the EPA's order banning it. And it has been Thad Allen that has extended the "testing period" for the new cap repeatedly. In 24 hour increments.
If Allen had stuck to his word and forced BP to start collecting the oil, we would now know exactly how much oil was running hourly or daily. But BP does not want that to ever be known. To them that is the big secret and the big cover up. That flow rate number is their worst fear since it will determine the multi-billion dollar fine.
I thought Thad Allen was supposed to work for us. Obama put him there to represent the government. He is supposed to make sure that BP is following the rules. Instead, Obama and Allen allow BP to make the rules. And break them when it is convenient. Allen refers to him and BP as "us" and "we" but never them. He does not have our best interests at heart any more than any of BP's executives do.
In this regard, Thad Allen has failed. Just like the blowout preventer failed on the well itself. The very thing meant to protect us has turned out to be the very thing that is doing the damage. Another in a growing line of failed Obama appointees allowed to keep failing. And another that seems to think transparency is synonymous with secrecy.
When history writes this sad chapter, it will be called, "When government fails and people suffer."
I am offering shirts with this design and will be sending the profits directly to the Plaquemines Parish Fund that is set up to help the folks most hurt by this mess.
I spoke to the good folks at Plaquemines and I have to say that for people living a horror show, they are some of the nicest and most grateful people you would ever want to talk to.
Please help out and get the message out at the same time.
You can order them here: http://www.itisnotagame.spreadshirt.com
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Oil By Any Other Name
This weekend brought reports that "tarballs" had shown up on Texas beaches. Tarballs. In other words, oil from the BP spill reached all the way to Texas. But the government and the media won't call it oil.
They use softer words: sheen, mousse, tarballs, patches, residue. All instead of the ominous and accurate "oil slick." Why would they do that? Well, the media generally takes its cues from the government and in this case, the government takes it cues from BP.
Look at the Texas case. As soon as reports of oil in Galveston had been made, the National Incident Commander, retired Coast Guard Commander Thad Allen, had his people issue a statement that the oil could not possible have reached Texas beaches via actual water currents. They claimed that it had to have been carried there by boats. Sure. Right. Boats picked up the oil and moved it to Texas. Not the Gulf currents. Not the still unmeasured oil gushing into the Gulf. Boats.
What does that statement tell us? It tells us that Thad Allen still takes his daily instructions from BP.
See, the last thing BP wants is another state to deal with. They (and Thad Allen) don't want the mess to get worse. The government is committed to putting a happy face on it. So not only won't they call it oil, but they also come up with these tortured theories to deny that the oil is spreading quickly and - thanks to the government's inability to stop the dispersant - invisibly underwater.
So they cal it all kinds of names. In Pensacola, the slick just offshore is called a "sheen." Really? In Alabama, it is called "patches of residue." Really? Off the Mississippi coast, it is called "mousse," and "emulsified oil." Seriously?
All of those are softer terms, dreamed up by some PR staff. It is more of the linguistic torment we face daily as our government continues to try to deceive us. The same government/Congress that calls pork barrel spending "an investment."
All of this is born and nurtured in the depths of the entrenched bureaucracy. The same bureaucracy that has existed for multiple administrations. The same folks that can't seem to process a simple claim in a timely manner and require a pile of forms just to get the form needed.
Want more examples of how the bureaucracy has made the oil spill worse than it needed to be?
Right off the top, there is that new oil collecting ship, the "A Whale," in the Gulf. It is a retrofitted tanker designed to collect upwards of 250,000 barrels of oil off the water per day. But it is not collecting anything. Seems that, even though it is fully tested and certified, Coast Guard and EPA are requiring more testing. Testing that requires smooth seas. And smooth seas have not been seen on over a week. So the ship sites relatively idle while petty bureaucrats generate paperwork and otherwise waste time and resources.
More?
Three weeks ago, several oil collecting barges that had been Coast Guard approved were pulled out of service by the Coast Guard so that they could count life vests. You read that right. Oil was not collected so some pathetic bureaucrat could check a box on a from. And when then Admiral Allen was asked, he said he was looking into it.
Looking into it? As I recall, Allen was an admiral. He had the power to put those barges back on the water. Did he? Nope. He deferred to the bureaucracy. As he did with the barrier island project and the oil vacuums and every other item that has come along. It all goes to the bureaucracy. And the bureaucracy has zero interest in moving quickly or efficiently.
Why don't we yet have an accurate measure of the oil flow? Allen has asked BP to put measuring devices down there. Asked - not ordered. Obama formed a group of scientists to estimate the flow rate and they are begging for these instruments to be in place. BP cannot or will not put them there. And Allen says we cannot just do it ourselves. Apparently, in his and Obama's minds, "Commander," actually means requester.
Obviously BP does not want an accurate measure. They will have to pay a fine based on that number. Thus the endless delay of collecting any oil except by BP and their leaky system. And the bureaucracy loves delay.
NOAA spent weeks denying the existence of underwater oil. In fact, it was only a week ago that they admitted it. Why? Because the scientists that kept finding it were not approved to do that research. Then they set the insane standard of "collectible oil." Huh? Is that like collectible mercury? Just how much is collectible? Enough to kill fish or enough to fill a barrel? Well, the bureaucracy at NOAA was not interested in an actual standard.
EPA still has not enforced any standard on dispersant. Even though they ordered it stopped and then limited. Now they say the dispersant dissolves in water. Well, duh! That is on the manufacturer's data sheet. The same data sheet that says this stuff is poison. EPA is testing. Translation - the EPA bureaucrats are avoiding the matter, but spending a lot of time and money doing so.
Volunteers for beach clean up are being turned away by the bureaucrats because they are not certified. Apparently it is OK for them to live with the oil and breathe the fumes without any certifications, but they cannot clean their own beaches without government approval. OSHA bureaucrats are demanding masks and suits for clean up workers, but no such protection for residents who live with it all day every day.
Similarly volunteers for animal rescue are turned away. Again, the bureaucracy wins over expediency. And again, the National Incident Commander defers to the paperwork.
I thought Obama put Allen there to cut through the red tape. Seems not. And why should he? Obama consistently defers to the bureaucracy. Procedure over substance. Perhaps that should be the slogan of this administration. It seems that every single action needed is submitted to the bureaucracy. If you ask me, this president doesn't seem to understand that he can eliminate all of that with a phone call. And he obviously has not given Thad Allen any real authority. Just a cool title and a paycheck. Oh, and of course a bureaucracy of his own.
The endless creaton of newer, softer words for "oil slick," is just another function of Thad Allen and Obama's bureaucracy. An attempt to lessen the need to act quickly and the severity of the problem. It is the application of politically correct linguistics to a disaster that will affect generations. And it is wrong.
This administration should be ashamed of itself. Setting aside all of the other problems and issues, the Gulf Oil Disaster is the measure by which they will be judged. It is this president's major crisis and this president's major failure.
When the final chapters of this disaster are written, the report should be entitled, "Red Tape You Can Believe In."
I am offering shirts with this design and will be sending the profits directly to the Plaquemines Parish Fund that is set up to help the folks most hurt by this mess.
I spoke to the good folks at Plaquemines and I have to say that for people living a horror show, they are some of the nicest and most grateful people you would ever want to talk to.
Please help out and get the message out at the same time.
You can order them here: http://www.itisnotagame.spreadshirt.com
They use softer words: sheen, mousse, tarballs, patches, residue. All instead of the ominous and accurate "oil slick." Why would they do that? Well, the media generally takes its cues from the government and in this case, the government takes it cues from BP.
Look at the Texas case. As soon as reports of oil in Galveston had been made, the National Incident Commander, retired Coast Guard Commander Thad Allen, had his people issue a statement that the oil could not possible have reached Texas beaches via actual water currents. They claimed that it had to have been carried there by boats. Sure. Right. Boats picked up the oil and moved it to Texas. Not the Gulf currents. Not the still unmeasured oil gushing into the Gulf. Boats.
What does that statement tell us? It tells us that Thad Allen still takes his daily instructions from BP.
See, the last thing BP wants is another state to deal with. They (and Thad Allen) don't want the mess to get worse. The government is committed to putting a happy face on it. So not only won't they call it oil, but they also come up with these tortured theories to deny that the oil is spreading quickly and - thanks to the government's inability to stop the dispersant - invisibly underwater.
So they cal it all kinds of names. In Pensacola, the slick just offshore is called a "sheen." Really? In Alabama, it is called "patches of residue." Really? Off the Mississippi coast, it is called "mousse," and "emulsified oil." Seriously?
All of those are softer terms, dreamed up by some PR staff. It is more of the linguistic torment we face daily as our government continues to try to deceive us. The same government/Congress that calls pork barrel spending "an investment."
All of this is born and nurtured in the depths of the entrenched bureaucracy. The same bureaucracy that has existed for multiple administrations. The same folks that can't seem to process a simple claim in a timely manner and require a pile of forms just to get the form needed.
Want more examples of how the bureaucracy has made the oil spill worse than it needed to be?
Right off the top, there is that new oil collecting ship, the "A Whale," in the Gulf. It is a retrofitted tanker designed to collect upwards of 250,000 barrels of oil off the water per day. But it is not collecting anything. Seems that, even though it is fully tested and certified, Coast Guard and EPA are requiring more testing. Testing that requires smooth seas. And smooth seas have not been seen on over a week. So the ship sites relatively idle while petty bureaucrats generate paperwork and otherwise waste time and resources.
More?
Three weeks ago, several oil collecting barges that had been Coast Guard approved were pulled out of service by the Coast Guard so that they could count life vests. You read that right. Oil was not collected so some pathetic bureaucrat could check a box on a from. And when then Admiral Allen was asked, he said he was looking into it.
Looking into it? As I recall, Allen was an admiral. He had the power to put those barges back on the water. Did he? Nope. He deferred to the bureaucracy. As he did with the barrier island project and the oil vacuums and every other item that has come along. It all goes to the bureaucracy. And the bureaucracy has zero interest in moving quickly or efficiently.
Why don't we yet have an accurate measure of the oil flow? Allen has asked BP to put measuring devices down there. Asked - not ordered. Obama formed a group of scientists to estimate the flow rate and they are begging for these instruments to be in place. BP cannot or will not put them there. And Allen says we cannot just do it ourselves. Apparently, in his and Obama's minds, "Commander," actually means requester.
Obviously BP does not want an accurate measure. They will have to pay a fine based on that number. Thus the endless delay of collecting any oil except by BP and their leaky system. And the bureaucracy loves delay.
NOAA spent weeks denying the existence of underwater oil. In fact, it was only a week ago that they admitted it. Why? Because the scientists that kept finding it were not approved to do that research. Then they set the insane standard of "collectible oil." Huh? Is that like collectible mercury? Just how much is collectible? Enough to kill fish or enough to fill a barrel? Well, the bureaucracy at NOAA was not interested in an actual standard.
EPA still has not enforced any standard on dispersant. Even though they ordered it stopped and then limited. Now they say the dispersant dissolves in water. Well, duh! That is on the manufacturer's data sheet. The same data sheet that says this stuff is poison. EPA is testing. Translation - the EPA bureaucrats are avoiding the matter, but spending a lot of time and money doing so.
Volunteers for beach clean up are being turned away by the bureaucrats because they are not certified. Apparently it is OK for them to live with the oil and breathe the fumes without any certifications, but they cannot clean their own beaches without government approval. OSHA bureaucrats are demanding masks and suits for clean up workers, but no such protection for residents who live with it all day every day.
Similarly volunteers for animal rescue are turned away. Again, the bureaucracy wins over expediency. And again, the National Incident Commander defers to the paperwork.
I thought Obama put Allen there to cut through the red tape. Seems not. And why should he? Obama consistently defers to the bureaucracy. Procedure over substance. Perhaps that should be the slogan of this administration. It seems that every single action needed is submitted to the bureaucracy. If you ask me, this president doesn't seem to understand that he can eliminate all of that with a phone call. And he obviously has not given Thad Allen any real authority. Just a cool title and a paycheck. Oh, and of course a bureaucracy of his own.
The endless creaton of newer, softer words for "oil slick," is just another function of Thad Allen and Obama's bureaucracy. An attempt to lessen the need to act quickly and the severity of the problem. It is the application of politically correct linguistics to a disaster that will affect generations. And it is wrong.
This administration should be ashamed of itself. Setting aside all of the other problems and issues, the Gulf Oil Disaster is the measure by which they will be judged. It is this president's major crisis and this president's major failure.
When the final chapters of this disaster are written, the report should be entitled, "Red Tape You Can Believe In."
I am offering shirts with this design and will be sending the profits directly to the Plaquemines Parish Fund that is set up to help the folks most hurt by this mess.
I spoke to the good folks at Plaquemines and I have to say that for people living a horror show, they are some of the nicest and most grateful people you would ever want to talk to.
Please help out and get the message out at the same time.
You can order them here: http://www.itisnotagame.spreadshirt.com
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Trying to Hide the Oil
I have been talking about the irresponsible and dangerous use of dispersant by BP for weeks. Not only about the unknown and untested health hazard, but also the fact that BP is using this stuff to hide the spilled oil beneath the surface. BP is so brazen that they bluntly tell us this. (Type "dispersant" into the search box on the right and see for yourself.)
They tell us that they are keeping the oil off of the surface because it is a good thing. They also told us that only 1,000 barrels per day were leaking, then 5,000. Then 13,000. Then they told us they collected more than that in a single day. Actually, BP told us nothing. 4-star puppet Thad Allen proudly told us all of that. After he told us that the flow rate was not "undetermined."
Well, guess what? A BP executive is rumored to be ready to tell Congress that the plan has always been to use the dispersant to hide the oil from sight and minimize the visuals. Using poison as PR. This screen shot was pulled this morning (6/30/10 at 11:10 AM EDT) and looky. Dispersant by the gallon! The white cloudy liquid is pure dispersant being pumped into the gulf at the wellhead.
I have said this before and I am going to say it again. The dispersant being used (Corexit) was never intended for underwater application. It was never meant to be used in these amounts - now approaching 1.5 million gallons. And it has never been tested to see what the long term effects are. This is not the fault of Corexit manufacturer Nalco. This is BP and the government.
At the outset, BP said the intent was to keep the oil off the surface. They made it sound good and the press - always eager to take an easy route - went along with it. Then BP was ordered to cease use of this stuff by EPA. Period. BP and Admiral Allen said no. The stuff was needed to keep the oil off the surface. EPA said limit it to 15,000 gallons per day. 15,000 gallons of poison per day. BP and the admiral said no. More was needed. EPA backed off. The administration backed off and accepted the "keep the oil off the surface" nonsense.
Nonsense? Yes. See, oil tends to rise to the surface in water where it can be seen and collected. It is the "seen" part that BP and the administration were eager to avoid. They desperately wanted to prevent images of huge oil slicks. Undersea application of dispersant seemed a magic answer. No horrible images to explain. Made it easier to sell the bogus 5,000 barrel numbers.
The truth? Well, that dispersed oil is just hidden beneath the Gulf. Where cameras cannot record it. Serious marine scientists were pointing this out almost immediately. The identification of undersea oil plumes was made day after day and denied daily by both BP and the administration. In fact is was not until late last week that anyone from the Obama team admitted there might be oil under the surface. And even then, they sought to minimize the reality.
Well, that undersea oil is starting to come ashore all over the place. Slicks that were not on the surface suddenly appear on beaches. BP's concept of hiding the oil is not working and the administration remains totally unconcerned about the fact that the Gulf is now not only choked with oil at a still undetermined rate daily, but now also features the intentional addition of a known toxin with the sole purpose of hiding the oil.
Someone asked me after my least post on this topic why I keep pointing to Obama on this. Well, it is simple. He ran on an environmentalist platform. Save the environment. Keep it green. And so on. The spill itself, well, that is his administration's fault to an extent for issuing the permit without the environmental review. But the dispersant? All his. His EPA issued an order to BP to stop with the dispersant. They backed down. More than once.
BP and Admiral Allen simply refused to comply with an order. They claimed keeping the oil off the surface was a good thing. They seemed to be trying to tell us that the dispersant would magically make the oil go way. This despite repeated reports of undersea oil. Yet the administration, until last week, denied all of this. NOAA denied the existence of undersea oil despite pictures. EPA denied the toxicity of the dispersant. Everyone denied that the dispersant was a PR stunt. And now a BP exec is poised to tell the truth about this charade.
What does this mean? Well, in simple terms, Obama's EPA allowed the poisoning of the Gulf to save it. And it is not working. The oil will continue to come ashore. The Gulf will continue to be destroyed. Marshes and beached will continue to be ruined.
And the administration and BP can at least say they avoided some really nasty photos. Because to this administration, on this issue, it is all about symbolism and not at all about reality.
Perhaps Congress needs to focus a little here. But wait, the 2 Senators from Louisiana are flush with BP campaign money. And, in a moment of bipartisanship, there is one of each - a corrupt Democrat in Mary Landrieu and an equally corrupt Republican in David Vitter.
For shame on the lot of them. Poisoning the Gulf for PR purposes. Adding insult in the form of dispersant to the injury of the oil itself.
I am offering shirts with this design and will be sending the profits directly to the Plaquemines Parish Fund that is set up to help the folks most hurt by this mess.
I spoke to the good folks at Plaquemines and I have to say that for people living a horror show, they are some of the nicest and most grateful people you would ever want to talk to.
Please help out and get the message out at the same time.
You can order them here: http://www.itisnotagame.spreadshirt.com
They tell us that they are keeping the oil off of the surface because it is a good thing. They also told us that only 1,000 barrels per day were leaking, then 5,000. Then 13,000. Then they told us they collected more than that in a single day. Actually, BP told us nothing. 4-star puppet Thad Allen proudly told us all of that. After he told us that the flow rate was not "undetermined."
Well, guess what? A BP executive is rumored to be ready to tell Congress that the plan has always been to use the dispersant to hide the oil from sight and minimize the visuals. Using poison as PR. This screen shot was pulled this morning (6/30/10 at 11:10 AM EDT) and looky. Dispersant by the gallon! The white cloudy liquid is pure dispersant being pumped into the gulf at the wellhead.I have said this before and I am going to say it again. The dispersant being used (Corexit) was never intended for underwater application. It was never meant to be used in these amounts - now approaching 1.5 million gallons. And it has never been tested to see what the long term effects are. This is not the fault of Corexit manufacturer Nalco. This is BP and the government.
At the outset, BP said the intent was to keep the oil off the surface. They made it sound good and the press - always eager to take an easy route - went along with it. Then BP was ordered to cease use of this stuff by EPA. Period. BP and Admiral Allen said no. The stuff was needed to keep the oil off the surface. EPA said limit it to 15,000 gallons per day. 15,000 gallons of poison per day. BP and the admiral said no. More was needed. EPA backed off. The administration backed off and accepted the "keep the oil off the surface" nonsense.
Nonsense? Yes. See, oil tends to rise to the surface in water where it can be seen and collected. It is the "seen" part that BP and the administration were eager to avoid. They desperately wanted to prevent images of huge oil slicks. Undersea application of dispersant seemed a magic answer. No horrible images to explain. Made it easier to sell the bogus 5,000 barrel numbers.
The truth? Well, that dispersed oil is just hidden beneath the Gulf. Where cameras cannot record it. Serious marine scientists were pointing this out almost immediately. The identification of undersea oil plumes was made day after day and denied daily by both BP and the administration. In fact is was not until late last week that anyone from the Obama team admitted there might be oil under the surface. And even then, they sought to minimize the reality.
Well, that undersea oil is starting to come ashore all over the place. Slicks that were not on the surface suddenly appear on beaches. BP's concept of hiding the oil is not working and the administration remains totally unconcerned about the fact that the Gulf is now not only choked with oil at a still undetermined rate daily, but now also features the intentional addition of a known toxin with the sole purpose of hiding the oil.
Someone asked me after my least post on this topic why I keep pointing to Obama on this. Well, it is simple. He ran on an environmentalist platform. Save the environment. Keep it green. And so on. The spill itself, well, that is his administration's fault to an extent for issuing the permit without the environmental review. But the dispersant? All his. His EPA issued an order to BP to stop with the dispersant. They backed down. More than once.
BP and Admiral Allen simply refused to comply with an order. They claimed keeping the oil off the surface was a good thing. They seemed to be trying to tell us that the dispersant would magically make the oil go way. This despite repeated reports of undersea oil. Yet the administration, until last week, denied all of this. NOAA denied the existence of undersea oil despite pictures. EPA denied the toxicity of the dispersant. Everyone denied that the dispersant was a PR stunt. And now a BP exec is poised to tell the truth about this charade.
What does this mean? Well, in simple terms, Obama's EPA allowed the poisoning of the Gulf to save it. And it is not working. The oil will continue to come ashore. The Gulf will continue to be destroyed. Marshes and beached will continue to be ruined.
And the administration and BP can at least say they avoided some really nasty photos. Because to this administration, on this issue, it is all about symbolism and not at all about reality.
Perhaps Congress needs to focus a little here. But wait, the 2 Senators from Louisiana are flush with BP campaign money. And, in a moment of bipartisanship, there is one of each - a corrupt Democrat in Mary Landrieu and an equally corrupt Republican in David Vitter.
For shame on the lot of them. Poisoning the Gulf for PR purposes. Adding insult in the form of dispersant to the injury of the oil itself.
I am offering shirts with this design and will be sending the profits directly to the Plaquemines Parish Fund that is set up to help the folks most hurt by this mess.
I spoke to the good folks at Plaquemines and I have to say that for people living a horror show, they are some of the nicest and most grateful people you would ever want to talk to.
Please help out and get the message out at the same time.
You can order them here: http://www.itisnotagame.spreadshirt.com
Friday, June 25, 2010
Planning Behind
We are almost a full month into hurricane season and BP's plan for a tropical system in the Gulf is still the same. No contingency plan. No new equipment. In fact, BP and the Coast Guard are stumbling along with the attitude that they will somehow be immunized from any tropical system. As far as I can tell, they expect to have something by mid-July. Maybe.
Anyone that has lived in this part of the country for more than a couple of years can tell you that mid-July is late. Especially in the Gulf. Most of us have already gathered and planned for a storm. I know - the Weather Channel keeps repeating their poll that shows a lot of folks don't have a hurricane plan. Beyond the Weather Channel's propensity for making things up to suit their story and scare people, that poll covers most of the Eastern seaboard and not just the "hurricane coast."
For those of us that live in the actual target area for most storms, May is when planning starts and June is when it is done. One would think the Coast Guard and Thad Allen would know this. It is not as if the National Hurricane Center has not been warning of an active season. And last I looked, the Hurricane Center works for the ever redoubtable NOAA, which works for the same government as Thad Allen.
Of course one is the Interior Department and one is Homeland Security. If there is one thing the oil disaster has shown us it is that the government still has more problems communicating between cabinet departments than we do with most hostile nations.
Well, now there is the threat of a storm entering the Gulf of Mexico early next week. This is not a joking matter. The National Hurricane Center tends towards hesitance to talk about a storm unless there really is one.
And what is BP's plan should the storm show up next week? Well, they plan to leave. Most of the vessels currently working the spill/leak/disaster are not appropriate for the rough seas even a minor storm would bring. So they will have to simply leave and seek safe harbor.
What does this mean? It means that for at least a week - probably 2 weeks or longer, oil would flow into the Gulf unchecked and unobserved. It means that the disaster would simply get worse. It means that with all of the chatter about plans and reviews, not one of these self-proclaimed experts said, "What if a hurricane comes?" In fact, NOAA has been issuing reports trying to somehow minimize a storm's impact. Of course, this is the same NOAA that denied the existence of undersea oil plumes until yesterday.
Let's talk impact. NOAA says oil will not fall in the rain a storm would bring. Really? Does that include dispersant emulsified oil? The report only talks about raw crude oil. The winds and seas of a storm would radically change the state of the emulsified oil. What about just the dispersant? How does that work in a storm. Nobody knows because nobody ever dealt with this much dispersant.
One of the phenomena associated with tropical systems is "churning" or "upwelling." Basically this is what happens when the storm stirs the water, bringing up water from lower depths as it picks up the warmer surface water. Normally this is a good thing. However, that deeper water is now contaminated with untold amounts of oil and dispersant. What happens there? Well, it is fairly obvious. The dispersant laden oil would spread further and faster. Does NOAA have a comment on that? Nope.
How about the "millions of feet" of boom? What happens with that stuff? Again, no plan. No thought. No concept. What happens is the storm picks it up and moves it, along with the oil coating it. Depending on which way the storm goes, the oil soaked boom could end up inland or just become millions of feet of flying debris. Oil soaked toxic debris.
A serious storm will bring a dispersant and oil laden surge. Depending on strength or location, the prediction of an oil slick on Bourbon Street is not that far fetched. The marshes and wetlands that are now oil coated would be damaged beyond repair. The oil kills the grass which has the roots that hold the island together. Take away the roots and the island washes away. Forever.
Thad Allen says he would need 6-7 days to get everyone out of the way of even a minimal storm. And what happens to the oil over that week? Guess. Add another week to that for the getting everything back in place. And the oil? Still leaking out into the Gulf. The dispersant? Still poisoning everything it touches.
The government and BP? Pretending it won't happen. Just like they pretended the spill couldn't happen.
I hope there is no storm. Only the seriously demented - like Jim Cantore and The Weather Channel - hope for a storm. But I have lived here too long to not prepare for one.
The simple fact that there was not a cohesive storm plan in place immediately speaks volumes to the incompetence and poor planning that have become standard in handling this disaster. Perhaps when NOAA is through with their scary "climate change" chatter and FEMA is done with the endless scary hurricane chatter, they can actually do their jobs and put together a plan for a real storm in a real place based on real science.
Yeah, right.
I am offering shirts with this design and will be sending the profits directly to the Plaquemines Parish Fund that is set up to help the folks most hurt by this mess.
I spoke to the good folks at Plaquemines and I have to say that for people living a horror show, they are some of the nicest and most grateful people you would ever want to talk to.
Please help out and get the message out at the same time.
You can order them here: http://www.itisnotagame.spreadshirt.com
Anyone that has lived in this part of the country for more than a couple of years can tell you that mid-July is late. Especially in the Gulf. Most of us have already gathered and planned for a storm. I know - the Weather Channel keeps repeating their poll that shows a lot of folks don't have a hurricane plan. Beyond the Weather Channel's propensity for making things up to suit their story and scare people, that poll covers most of the Eastern seaboard and not just the "hurricane coast."
For those of us that live in the actual target area for most storms, May is when planning starts and June is when it is done. One would think the Coast Guard and Thad Allen would know this. It is not as if the National Hurricane Center has not been warning of an active season. And last I looked, the Hurricane Center works for the ever redoubtable NOAA, which works for the same government as Thad Allen.
Of course one is the Interior Department and one is Homeland Security. If there is one thing the oil disaster has shown us it is that the government still has more problems communicating between cabinet departments than we do with most hostile nations.
Well, now there is the threat of a storm entering the Gulf of Mexico early next week. This is not a joking matter. The National Hurricane Center tends towards hesitance to talk about a storm unless there really is one.
And what is BP's plan should the storm show up next week? Well, they plan to leave. Most of the vessels currently working the spill/leak/disaster are not appropriate for the rough seas even a minor storm would bring. So they will have to simply leave and seek safe harbor.
What does this mean? It means that for at least a week - probably 2 weeks or longer, oil would flow into the Gulf unchecked and unobserved. It means that the disaster would simply get worse. It means that with all of the chatter about plans and reviews, not one of these self-proclaimed experts said, "What if a hurricane comes?" In fact, NOAA has been issuing reports trying to somehow minimize a storm's impact. Of course, this is the same NOAA that denied the existence of undersea oil plumes until yesterday.
Let's talk impact. NOAA says oil will not fall in the rain a storm would bring. Really? Does that include dispersant emulsified oil? The report only talks about raw crude oil. The winds and seas of a storm would radically change the state of the emulsified oil. What about just the dispersant? How does that work in a storm. Nobody knows because nobody ever dealt with this much dispersant.
One of the phenomena associated with tropical systems is "churning" or "upwelling." Basically this is what happens when the storm stirs the water, bringing up water from lower depths as it picks up the warmer surface water. Normally this is a good thing. However, that deeper water is now contaminated with untold amounts of oil and dispersant. What happens there? Well, it is fairly obvious. The dispersant laden oil would spread further and faster. Does NOAA have a comment on that? Nope.
How about the "millions of feet" of boom? What happens with that stuff? Again, no plan. No thought. No concept. What happens is the storm picks it up and moves it, along with the oil coating it. Depending on which way the storm goes, the oil soaked boom could end up inland or just become millions of feet of flying debris. Oil soaked toxic debris.
A serious storm will bring a dispersant and oil laden surge. Depending on strength or location, the prediction of an oil slick on Bourbon Street is not that far fetched. The marshes and wetlands that are now oil coated would be damaged beyond repair. The oil kills the grass which has the roots that hold the island together. Take away the roots and the island washes away. Forever.
Thad Allen says he would need 6-7 days to get everyone out of the way of even a minimal storm. And what happens to the oil over that week? Guess. Add another week to that for the getting everything back in place. And the oil? Still leaking out into the Gulf. The dispersant? Still poisoning everything it touches.
The government and BP? Pretending it won't happen. Just like they pretended the spill couldn't happen.
I hope there is no storm. Only the seriously demented - like Jim Cantore and The Weather Channel - hope for a storm. But I have lived here too long to not prepare for one.
The simple fact that there was not a cohesive storm plan in place immediately speaks volumes to the incompetence and poor planning that have become standard in handling this disaster. Perhaps when NOAA is through with their scary "climate change" chatter and FEMA is done with the endless scary hurricane chatter, they can actually do their jobs and put together a plan for a real storm in a real place based on real science.
Yeah, right.
I am offering shirts with this design and will be sending the profits directly to the Plaquemines Parish Fund that is set up to help the folks most hurt by this mess.
I spoke to the good folks at Plaquemines and I have to say that for people living a horror show, they are some of the nicest and most grateful people you would ever want to talk to.
Please help out and get the message out at the same time.
You can order them here: http://www.itisnotagame.spreadshirt.com
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Under the Surface....
This just in - NOAA discovers underwater oil plumes partially caused by dispersant linked to BP oil spill.
I did not make that up. NOAA has finally stepped up and admitted the glaringly obvious. There are undersea plumes of oil - despite BPs' continued denials - and they seem to be chemically dispersed droplets. Why the delay in calling these what they are? Well, NOAA administrator Jane Lubchenco was way too busy denying their existence and calling other research "premature."
And where was NOAA and their illustrious leader? She was way too busy yapping about "climate change" to take serious notice that the Gulf of Mexico was rapidly changing into chemically enhanced sludge. Rather than take on her EPA pals and identify the dispersant as a problem, Lubchenco fell back on the tried and true bureaucratic method. She just denied the problem. Well, those days are over. Her own scientists have proven her wrong.
As recently as 3 days ago, this sterling example of a scientist turned bureaucrat was making reference to "collectible concentrations of oil" in her denying of reality. She was repeatedly parroting the BP/Thad Allen mantra that the dispersant was harmless and not an issue. In fact, her agency was busy producing spill maps and forecasts that were far rosier than the reality.
Collectible oil. Now that would be funny were it not so obviously designed to conceal the existence of the plumes that oceanographers have been pointing to for weeks now. It would be an interesting phrase if it was not the end result of BP's (with government endorsement) ongoing use of these dispersants to hide the bulk of the spilled oil from plain sight. Collectible oil would be an interesting phrase if it did not imply non-collectible oil. Oil intentionally diluted and kept sub-surface with dispersants just to prevent a larger visible surface slick.
I have been saying this for weeks and weeks. The dispersants compound and worsen the problem. The use of millions of gallons of what is a very dangerous and caustic chemical is meant to do just one thing - hide the oil. Keep it from the surface. The endless pumping of this stuff into the oil a mile below the surface is meant to minimize the surface slick.
Exactly. A chemical known to be dangerous to humans - let alone aquatic life - is being used in unheard of quantities for PR purposes. And Obama's EPA is OK with this. The only reason to use this much dispersant undersea is to keep the oil from coming up to the surface where it can be seen and collected. The intent from the start was to try to hide the severity of the problem.
Instead, the frivolous use of dispersant has allowed the oil to spread much further than is obvious and do so under the surface where it cannot be easily seen, tracked or collected. The wanton pumping of this stuff into the oil has created a new problem that we will be dealing with for decades. The oil is now spread in near microscopic droplets over a massive area where fish can consume it. Since it is now tiny particles that don't rise to the surface, the oil and dispersant is now able to infiltrate the entire Gulf of Mexico life cycle.
See, oil and water don't normally mix well. Oil tends to want to float. This floating tendency has always given us the ability to track and pick up spilled oil. But the dispersant allows an emulsion of oil, water and dispersant to form. This alters the actual water itself. Now the emulsified oil/dispersant mixture is small enough to ride along with the water wherever it goes. At any depth.
University researchers and marine experts have been saying this for weeks. Environmentalists and fishermen have been saying this. I have been saying it. But, until today, the government has been ignoring it, preferring the "out of sight, out of mind" method of crisis management.
In interviews, Lubchenco seems to be parroting BP Chief Executive Tony Hayward when it comes to the size of the spill - both surface and hidden.
According to her, "It is a big Gulf out there." Yeah, a big Gulf. A big dying Gulf.
I am offering shirts with this design and will be sending the profits directly to the Plaquemines Parish Fund that is set up to help the folks most hurt by this mess.
I spoke to the good folks at Plaquemines and I have to say that for people living a horror show, they are some of the nicest and most grateful people you would ever want to talk to.
Please help out and get the message out at the same time.
You can order them here: http://www.itisnotagame.spreadshirt.com
I did not make that up. NOAA has finally stepped up and admitted the glaringly obvious. There are undersea plumes of oil - despite BPs' continued denials - and they seem to be chemically dispersed droplets. Why the delay in calling these what they are? Well, NOAA administrator Jane Lubchenco was way too busy denying their existence and calling other research "premature."
And where was NOAA and their illustrious leader? She was way too busy yapping about "climate change" to take serious notice that the Gulf of Mexico was rapidly changing into chemically enhanced sludge. Rather than take on her EPA pals and identify the dispersant as a problem, Lubchenco fell back on the tried and true bureaucratic method. She just denied the problem. Well, those days are over. Her own scientists have proven her wrong.
As recently as 3 days ago, this sterling example of a scientist turned bureaucrat was making reference to "collectible concentrations of oil" in her denying of reality. She was repeatedly parroting the BP/Thad Allen mantra that the dispersant was harmless and not an issue. In fact, her agency was busy producing spill maps and forecasts that were far rosier than the reality.
Collectible oil. Now that would be funny were it not so obviously designed to conceal the existence of the plumes that oceanographers have been pointing to for weeks now. It would be an interesting phrase if it was not the end result of BP's (with government endorsement) ongoing use of these dispersants to hide the bulk of the spilled oil from plain sight. Collectible oil would be an interesting phrase if it did not imply non-collectible oil. Oil intentionally diluted and kept sub-surface with dispersants just to prevent a larger visible surface slick.
I have been saying this for weeks and weeks. The dispersants compound and worsen the problem. The use of millions of gallons of what is a very dangerous and caustic chemical is meant to do just one thing - hide the oil. Keep it from the surface. The endless pumping of this stuff into the oil a mile below the surface is meant to minimize the surface slick.
Exactly. A chemical known to be dangerous to humans - let alone aquatic life - is being used in unheard of quantities for PR purposes. And Obama's EPA is OK with this. The only reason to use this much dispersant undersea is to keep the oil from coming up to the surface where it can be seen and collected. The intent from the start was to try to hide the severity of the problem.
Instead, the frivolous use of dispersant has allowed the oil to spread much further than is obvious and do so under the surface where it cannot be easily seen, tracked or collected. The wanton pumping of this stuff into the oil has created a new problem that we will be dealing with for decades. The oil is now spread in near microscopic droplets over a massive area where fish can consume it. Since it is now tiny particles that don't rise to the surface, the oil and dispersant is now able to infiltrate the entire Gulf of Mexico life cycle.
See, oil and water don't normally mix well. Oil tends to want to float. This floating tendency has always given us the ability to track and pick up spilled oil. But the dispersant allows an emulsion of oil, water and dispersant to form. This alters the actual water itself. Now the emulsified oil/dispersant mixture is small enough to ride along with the water wherever it goes. At any depth.
University researchers and marine experts have been saying this for weeks. Environmentalists and fishermen have been saying this. I have been saying it. But, until today, the government has been ignoring it, preferring the "out of sight, out of mind" method of crisis management.
In interviews, Lubchenco seems to be parroting BP Chief Executive Tony Hayward when it comes to the size of the spill - both surface and hidden.
According to her, "It is a big Gulf out there." Yeah, a big Gulf. A big dying Gulf.
I am offering shirts with this design and will be sending the profits directly to the Plaquemines Parish Fund that is set up to help the folks most hurt by this mess.
I spoke to the good folks at Plaquemines and I have to say that for people living a horror show, they are some of the nicest and most grateful people you would ever want to talk to.
Please help out and get the message out at the same time.
You can order them here: http://www.itisnotagame.spreadshirt.com
Thursday, June 17, 2010
It's the Dispersant, Stupid!
I happen to be working pretty late tonight, and as always, I have one of the video feeds from the floor of the Gulf open on my other computer. I looked over and saw this image. For the record, this is a screen capture from the Skandi Rov2 feed taken at 2:33 AM Eastern time. The label applied to this feed by BP is "Dispersant Ops." The white liquid is the dispersant.
Apparently, while still unable to stop the leak, the folks at BP have come up with a way to increase the amount of dispersant being intentionally pumped into the Gulf. The orange ring that is pumping the dispersant out is something new. At least, I have never seen it. Up until now, the dispersant has been coming through single hoses. This is a growing secondary problem that I firmly believe will soon be a huge problem.
We hear about unintended consequences all the time. Be it related to war or development or hastily passed laws, it is a phrase being used more often daily. Well the dispersant is going to prove to be the unintended consequence of this mess. What makes it all the worse is that this stuff was not supposed to be used at all.
In the interests of actual transparency, I am not an engineer, chemist or scientist. But I can read and think.
Let me first say that this is in no way directed at Nalco, the manufacturer of Corexit. They make a product designed for surface use. Corexit is basically a surfactant, sort of like dishwashing liquid. It breaks the surface tension of the oil and allows it to be washed away. It does not disappear it anymore than dishwashing liquid disappears the food from your pans. It just allows it to wash off and into the drain.
The problems with the dispersant use are numerous. First and foremost, the overall effect on the environment is unknown since this product is not intended for underwater use and not in these quantities. Latest estimates run around 64,000 gallons per day. To my knowledge, there has never been any level of testing of this much Corexit being used.
Next up is BP's brazenly stated reason for using the stuff this way. They say they are keeping the oil off the surface. That is their sole reasoning. Before I get into this, let me add that this reasoning is endorsed by Admiral Allen, and therefore okey-dokey with the environmental president. The problem with keeping it off the surface like this is two-fold.
First off, the oil that does reach the surface could be picked up at sea if we had the equipment (a different issue altogether). Oil that is broken up and remains below the surface never goes away. It is dispersed over a much larger area throughout the water column and across more of the Gulf. And, since it is now laden with Corexit, it poses an almost unresolvable problem. It cannot be collected or even gathered.
The other problem is that since the Corexit breaks the oil up from large visible patches into tiny little pieces, this makes it a lot easier for it to enter the food chain. Smaller fish can consume it as they swim, which transfers it it up the food chain to larger fish and eventually the dinner plate. And, the smaller oil particles will do more damage to the plankton and the reefs since they remain underwater. As an added attraction, the oil is safely kept away from the sun, which at least could evaporate the worst of the volatile chemicals in the oil.
As to the Corexit, well, that is a problem all by itself. Look at what the manufacturer provides in public information. This is taken from their product data sheets:
WARNING
Eye and skin irritant. Repeated or excessive exposure to butoxyethanol may cause injury to red blood cells (hemolysis), kidney or the liver. Harmful by inhalation, in contact with skin and if swallowed. Do not get in eyes, on skin, on clothing. Do not take internally. Use with adequate ventilation. Wear suitable protective clothing. Keep container tightly closed. Flush affected area with water. Keep away from heat. Keep away from sources of ignition - No smoking.
May evolve oxides of carbon (COx) under fire conditions.
PRIMARY ROUTES OF EXPOSURE : Eye, Skin
HUMAN HEALTH HAZARDS - ACUTE
EYE CONTACT : Can cause moderate irritation.
SKIN CONTACT : Can cause moderate irritation. Harmful if absorbed through skin.
INGESTION : May be harmful if swallowed. May cause liver and kidney effects and/or damage. There may be irritation to the gastro-intestinal tract.
INHALATION : Harmful by inhalation. Repeated or prolonged exposure may irritate the respiratory tract.
SYMPTOMS OF EXPOSURE :
Acute : Excessive exposure may cause central nervous system effects, nausea, vomiting, anesthetic or narcotic effects.
Chronic : Repeated or excessive exposure to butoxyethanol may cause injury to red blood cells (hemolysis), kidney or the
liver.
AGGRAVATION OF EXISTING CONDITIONS : Skin contact may aggravate an existing dermatitis condition.
HUMAN HEALTH HAZARDS - CHRONIC : Contains ethylene glycol monobutyl ether (butoxyethanol). Prolonged and/or repeated exposure through inhalation or extensive skin contact with EGBE may result in damage to the blood and kidneys.
This is not a harmless chemical. In fact, Obama's EPA initially ordered BP to cease the use of Corexit and use a less harmful chemical. Well, BP and Admiral Allen were having none of that. The first limit was supposed to be 15,000 gallons per day. Based on that, I estimated a total of around 2.5 million gallons of this stuff used until the relief wells are complete. Much like the oil estimates, that is now up to between 8 and 10 million gallons.
There is no way this does not have a long term effect. It is a lot of dangerous chemical pumped into the Gulf along with the oil. Except the oil is an accident. The dispersant is intentional. And the government is allowing it. Perhaps instead of using his speech the other night to call for "clean energy," President Obama should have called for a stop to this intentional extra poisoning of the Gulf. We already have oil in there. We should not be adding more stuff if we don't have to.
One of these days, a scientist is going to let us know how harmful this stuff is. If the oil spill is Obama's Katrina, then the dispersant is the levees failing.
I am offering shirts with this design and will be sending the profits directly to the Plaquemines Parish Fund that is set up to help the folks most hurt by this mess.
I spoke to the good folks at Plaquemines and I have to say that for people living a horror show, they are some of the nicest and most grateful people you would ever want to talk to.
Please help out and get the message out at the same time.
You can order them here: http://www.itisnotagame.spreadshirt.com
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
And the Game Continues....
I am sitting here listening in on the Congressional hearing featuring BP chief executive Tony Hayward. This hearing promises to be one for the books. Documents have come forth in recent days revealing BP's decisions to vary from general oil industry practices to save time and money. Some of those decisions undoubtedly led to the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon, the deaths of 11 men and the ongoing spill. I am not qualified to draw a firm conclusion on this, but I can read.
Before I continue, I do want to comment on BP chairman Carl-Henric Svanberg's unfortunate translation error yesterday. He noted that BP cared about the "small people." I knew what he meant when he said it. He did not mean small as an insult. The man barely speaks English. And a quick look at a Swedish-English translation would tell anyone that cared to look that "small people" and the media's preferred "little people" translate exactly the same in Swedish. There is plenty to be angry at BP about, but this is a media generated tempest in a teapot. If we are the gracious people we claim to be, we let this pass as what it is - an error in translation, just like the instructions that come with imported stuff.
That said, the opening statements by the committee reveal that Congress remains incapable of setting aside partisan nonsense in the face of a national emergency. Here we have a growing disaster that threatens the lives and livelyhoods of an entire region and promises economic consequences for the entire nation. That is not at question. It is a sad fact. The Gulf Coast is being slowly killed by the relentlessly encroaching oil and dispersants.
This is one of those times that we the people hope and pray that our elected leaders can set aside the politics as usual, the daily game of spitball and act as one in the best interests of the nation. It is a time when we need to look long and hard not just at BP and their actions, but at the government's amazing failure to effectively enforce the regulations that exist and the government's staggering failure to respond aggressively and rapidly to the spill.
It is not a partisan matter. It is an American matter. The oil and dispersant know nothing of party affiliation or the next election. The good people along the Gulf coast who are bearing the brunt of this are from all parties. Listen carefully to the folks in the Gulf region. They are not making partisan complaints. They are angry at BP and angry at the government for failing to do their job.
So this morning on Capitol Hill we were treated to the ugly partisanship and opportunism that dominates Congress. To them , this is just another phase of their power game.
Yesterday, the administration and BP agreed to an open ended fund to cover the victims. The fund will initially have $20 billion of BP's money in it. It is to be administered by Ken Feinberg, who did an admirable job managing the 9/11 compensation fund. Feinberg has proven himself to be fair and even handed in these matters. This is a good thing and one of the first real signs of progress from an administration that has been very slow to action.
One would think that Congress would embrace this progress in a bipartisan fashion. Not going to happen. Almost immediately, Republicans were looking for ways to spin this for the election. Perhaps none was so obvious as Joe Barton from Texas. In his opening statement this morning, he apologized to BP and called the fund a "shakedown" and a "slush fund." Even other Republicans were somewhat taken aback. It is worthy of note at this point that Barton gets a lot of campaign dollars from the oil industry. Sadly, Barton is not alone in his blind partisanship. Yesterday, Michele Bachmann from Minnesota suggested the administration was taking over the oil industry and that this fund was a problem.
Are they kidding? People in the Gulf region are getting wiped out. BP's claims process has been slow, bureaucratic, dishonest and in a lot of cases simply bad. This fund has the hope of getting the money into the hands of the people most affected more quickly and more fairly. Yet some Republicans seem incapable of setting aside their mindless quest for power in the interests of the folks that they pretend to represent.
Democrats should not take comfort here. The number of Democrats, starting with President Obama, that are using this disaster to forward their political agenda is just as bad if not worse. Waxman sees an opportunity to beat up an industry he openly despises and to end the drilling he has always wanted to stop. Obama has been beyond slow and beyond political. As I noted yesterday, Obama took the opportunity of this spill to attempt to forward his stalled energy agenda. Democrats all over capitol Hill are trying to somehow blame Bush and the GOP for a disaster that is 100 percent the responsibility of the Obama administration. the well was licensed by Obama's administration. MMS was not cleaned up at all as was promised. And the response has been laconic at best.
For shame on the lot of them. People are losing generations old family businesses to this oil. The impact of the dispersant remains unknown. The rate of oil pouring into the Gulf changes so often that it is now not believed by anyone. Yet, the entire elected government continues to play the game. Congress continues to remain blindly partisan. Gone is the hope that these charlatans in Congress could set aside the same old part bickering for the good of the people. The only people that benefit here is Congress.
As today's hearing goes on and Hayward continues to answer questions, it is important that we listen. More importantly is that Chairman Stupak call the administration to task in the same forum for their failures. While the well and the explosion are BP's doing, the lack of oversight and the poorly coordinated response is Obama's doing. Someone needs to call Thad Allen to the carpet to explain his endless failure to serve the people he swore an oath to. His job was to get things moving and clear the bureaucratic morass. He has not done so and needs to held as accountable for his failure as Tony Hayward.
If the committee stops here and does not further investigate the response (or failure to respond) then they become part of the problem. This is not a time for the party spitball game, and unless those clowns on the Hill set it aside, then they need to be replaced. If Congress cannot lay off the partisan game in the face of a massive disaster, then they serve no useful purpose.
The good people of the Gulf coast deserve better. It is up to all of us to see that they get it.
I am offering shirts with this design and will be sending the profits directly to the Plaquemines Parish Fund that is set up to help the folks most hurt by this mess.
I spoke to the good folks at Plaquemines and I have to say that for people living a horror show, they are some of the nicest and most grateful people you would ever want to talk to.
Please help out and get the message out at the same time.
You can order them here: http://www.itisnotagame.spreadshirt.com
Before I continue, I do want to comment on BP chairman Carl-Henric Svanberg's unfortunate translation error yesterday. He noted that BP cared about the "small people." I knew what he meant when he said it. He did not mean small as an insult. The man barely speaks English. And a quick look at a Swedish-English translation would tell anyone that cared to look that "small people" and the media's preferred "little people" translate exactly the same in Swedish. There is plenty to be angry at BP about, but this is a media generated tempest in a teapot. If we are the gracious people we claim to be, we let this pass as what it is - an error in translation, just like the instructions that come with imported stuff.
That said, the opening statements by the committee reveal that Congress remains incapable of setting aside partisan nonsense in the face of a national emergency. Here we have a growing disaster that threatens the lives and livelyhoods of an entire region and promises economic consequences for the entire nation. That is not at question. It is a sad fact. The Gulf Coast is being slowly killed by the relentlessly encroaching oil and dispersants.
This is one of those times that we the people hope and pray that our elected leaders can set aside the politics as usual, the daily game of spitball and act as one in the best interests of the nation. It is a time when we need to look long and hard not just at BP and their actions, but at the government's amazing failure to effectively enforce the regulations that exist and the government's staggering failure to respond aggressively and rapidly to the spill.
It is not a partisan matter. It is an American matter. The oil and dispersant know nothing of party affiliation or the next election. The good people along the Gulf coast who are bearing the brunt of this are from all parties. Listen carefully to the folks in the Gulf region. They are not making partisan complaints. They are angry at BP and angry at the government for failing to do their job.
So this morning on Capitol Hill we were treated to the ugly partisanship and opportunism that dominates Congress. To them , this is just another phase of their power game.
Yesterday, the administration and BP agreed to an open ended fund to cover the victims. The fund will initially have $20 billion of BP's money in it. It is to be administered by Ken Feinberg, who did an admirable job managing the 9/11 compensation fund. Feinberg has proven himself to be fair and even handed in these matters. This is a good thing and one of the first real signs of progress from an administration that has been very slow to action.
One would think that Congress would embrace this progress in a bipartisan fashion. Not going to happen. Almost immediately, Republicans were looking for ways to spin this for the election. Perhaps none was so obvious as Joe Barton from Texas. In his opening statement this morning, he apologized to BP and called the fund a "shakedown" and a "slush fund." Even other Republicans were somewhat taken aback. It is worthy of note at this point that Barton gets a lot of campaign dollars from the oil industry. Sadly, Barton is not alone in his blind partisanship. Yesterday, Michele Bachmann from Minnesota suggested the administration was taking over the oil industry and that this fund was a problem.
Are they kidding? People in the Gulf region are getting wiped out. BP's claims process has been slow, bureaucratic, dishonest and in a lot of cases simply bad. This fund has the hope of getting the money into the hands of the people most affected more quickly and more fairly. Yet some Republicans seem incapable of setting aside their mindless quest for power in the interests of the folks that they pretend to represent.
Democrats should not take comfort here. The number of Democrats, starting with President Obama, that are using this disaster to forward their political agenda is just as bad if not worse. Waxman sees an opportunity to beat up an industry he openly despises and to end the drilling he has always wanted to stop. Obama has been beyond slow and beyond political. As I noted yesterday, Obama took the opportunity of this spill to attempt to forward his stalled energy agenda. Democrats all over capitol Hill are trying to somehow blame Bush and the GOP for a disaster that is 100 percent the responsibility of the Obama administration. the well was licensed by Obama's administration. MMS was not cleaned up at all as was promised. And the response has been laconic at best.
For shame on the lot of them. People are losing generations old family businesses to this oil. The impact of the dispersant remains unknown. The rate of oil pouring into the Gulf changes so often that it is now not believed by anyone. Yet, the entire elected government continues to play the game. Congress continues to remain blindly partisan. Gone is the hope that these charlatans in Congress could set aside the same old part bickering for the good of the people. The only people that benefit here is Congress.
As today's hearing goes on and Hayward continues to answer questions, it is important that we listen. More importantly is that Chairman Stupak call the administration to task in the same forum for their failures. While the well and the explosion are BP's doing, the lack of oversight and the poorly coordinated response is Obama's doing. Someone needs to call Thad Allen to the carpet to explain his endless failure to serve the people he swore an oath to. His job was to get things moving and clear the bureaucratic morass. He has not done so and needs to held as accountable for his failure as Tony Hayward.
If the committee stops here and does not further investigate the response (or failure to respond) then they become part of the problem. This is not a time for the party spitball game, and unless those clowns on the Hill set it aside, then they need to be replaced. If Congress cannot lay off the partisan game in the face of a massive disaster, then they serve no useful purpose.
The good people of the Gulf coast deserve better. It is up to all of us to see that they get it.
I am offering shirts with this design and will be sending the profits directly to the Plaquemines Parish Fund that is set up to help the folks most hurt by this mess.
I spoke to the good folks at Plaquemines and I have to say that for people living a horror show, they are some of the nicest and most grateful people you would ever want to talk to.
Please help out and get the message out at the same time.
You can order them here: http://www.itisnotagame.spreadshirt.com
What He Said
Like most Americans, I watched the president's speech last night. Unlike many, I clicked the TV off before the pundits and spinners could get revved up. I wanted to be able to evaluate his words without the questionable help of pundits from any side of the issue. Needless to say, the pundits are still blabbing on.
As I type this, Obama is sitting down with the executives from BP. It is about time. One of the more admirable elements of his speech last night was his determination to hold BP accountable for the mess they made. Something he did not do to Wall Street or the auto industry.
Back to the speech itself. The first part was spot on. He described the problem and laid out a plan to deal with not only the leaking oil but also the Gulf coast cleanup and the needs of the people who have been put out of work because of the mess. I was also fairly impressed that he took the hit for the continuing scandals at MMS.
This is a large part of the Obama problem. He rehired the exact same MMS crew that had been caught in scandal before he took office, just like the pre-failed economic team. For some reason, this president hired the same people that were always there and then expects a different result. Not going to happen.
It was the second part of the speech that was problematic for me. Once Obama got into the moratorium on deep water drilling and his energy legislation, he lost me. While I know we need to deal with those things, the issue at hand is the oil gushing into the Gulf, cleaning up the mess and finding a way to keep the good folks down there in their homes and businesses.
This is not about opportunistic exercises in policy making, no matter what the ever redoubtable Rahm says. This is not about advancing a stalled energy agenda. This is about a national emergency. A disaster of unimaginable size and scope and how the president and his staff are going to deal with it. It is about expediting the inspections and reviews of the existing oil projects in the Gulf to keep those folks working.
One of the things lost in this entire thing is that the only platform that has leaked is the BP one. The evidence available thus far says that BP intentionally took shortcuts that were dangerous and led to the explosion, the deaths of 11 workers and the mess we now see every day on our coastline. No other oil company has these issues and they should not be penalizes for the actions of one of them.
There is a lot of chatter about not forcing BP to put the money in an escrow account. This is silly. BP has shown that it is not willing to honor its promises to the people in the Gulf region. Day after day, we hear stories about what BP has not done. 40 percent of claims remain unpaid and many are locked in a bureaucratic morass that rivals Washington.
I have even heard some say that BP is being unfairly demonized. Seriously? The same folks that are willing to condemn entire religions are unwilling to condemn the obvious culprit? Sounds like politics as usual to me. BP made this mess and BP has the responsibility to clean it up and pay for what they did - in money. Period.
But with all of that, the president missed the mark last night. Not by much, but he missed it. What was missing? Well, how about telling us that he has just sent this or that to the Gulf. How about activating FEMA? While he did describe actions being taken, he did get into the what will happen on the short term or what he can do now.
He also missed the mark by simply passing along BP's schedule of events for capping the well. No mention of outside review or the fact that BP has been late on every schedule thus far. They are obviously not to be believed.
But the real error was in using this time to press his stalled energy agenda. It was his introduction of politics into a disaster. This is not to say that Republicans are exactly innocent of playing politics with this. They are not. But they are also not currently in the White House, and, at the end of the day, it is the occupant of the Oval office that bears this responsibility.
Mr. President, drop the clean energy thing for now. Drop the legislative nonsense. Congress isn't going to do anything for you. Never have, never will. This ball is in your court. And only you, the President of the United States, has the power and authority to deal with it. So, as you promised on January 20, deal with it. Serve the people. They don't care about clean energy right now. What they want are clean marshes and beaches. Cut the red tape the way only a president can. No panels, commissions or agency heads. Exercise the amazing power and authority that comes with that office. You wanted the job, you got the job, now do the job.
The buck may stop at the Oval Office, but the real action begins there.
I am offering shirts with this design and will be sending the profits directly to the Plaquemines Parish Fund that is set up to help the folks most hurt by this mess.
I spoke to the good folks at Plaquemines and I have to say that for people living a horror show, they are some of the nicest and most grateful people you would ever want to talk to.
Please help out and get the message out at the same time.
You can order them here: http://www.itisnotagame.spreadshirt.com
As I type this, Obama is sitting down with the executives from BP. It is about time. One of the more admirable elements of his speech last night was his determination to hold BP accountable for the mess they made. Something he did not do to Wall Street or the auto industry.
Back to the speech itself. The first part was spot on. He described the problem and laid out a plan to deal with not only the leaking oil but also the Gulf coast cleanup and the needs of the people who have been put out of work because of the mess. I was also fairly impressed that he took the hit for the continuing scandals at MMS.
This is a large part of the Obama problem. He rehired the exact same MMS crew that had been caught in scandal before he took office, just like the pre-failed economic team. For some reason, this president hired the same people that were always there and then expects a different result. Not going to happen.
It was the second part of the speech that was problematic for me. Once Obama got into the moratorium on deep water drilling and his energy legislation, he lost me. While I know we need to deal with those things, the issue at hand is the oil gushing into the Gulf, cleaning up the mess and finding a way to keep the good folks down there in their homes and businesses.
This is not about opportunistic exercises in policy making, no matter what the ever redoubtable Rahm says. This is not about advancing a stalled energy agenda. This is about a national emergency. A disaster of unimaginable size and scope and how the president and his staff are going to deal with it. It is about expediting the inspections and reviews of the existing oil projects in the Gulf to keep those folks working.
One of the things lost in this entire thing is that the only platform that has leaked is the BP one. The evidence available thus far says that BP intentionally took shortcuts that were dangerous and led to the explosion, the deaths of 11 workers and the mess we now see every day on our coastline. No other oil company has these issues and they should not be penalizes for the actions of one of them.
There is a lot of chatter about not forcing BP to put the money in an escrow account. This is silly. BP has shown that it is not willing to honor its promises to the people in the Gulf region. Day after day, we hear stories about what BP has not done. 40 percent of claims remain unpaid and many are locked in a bureaucratic morass that rivals Washington.
I have even heard some say that BP is being unfairly demonized. Seriously? The same folks that are willing to condemn entire religions are unwilling to condemn the obvious culprit? Sounds like politics as usual to me. BP made this mess and BP has the responsibility to clean it up and pay for what they did - in money. Period.
But with all of that, the president missed the mark last night. Not by much, but he missed it. What was missing? Well, how about telling us that he has just sent this or that to the Gulf. How about activating FEMA? While he did describe actions being taken, he did get into the what will happen on the short term or what he can do now.
He also missed the mark by simply passing along BP's schedule of events for capping the well. No mention of outside review or the fact that BP has been late on every schedule thus far. They are obviously not to be believed.
But the real error was in using this time to press his stalled energy agenda. It was his introduction of politics into a disaster. This is not to say that Republicans are exactly innocent of playing politics with this. They are not. But they are also not currently in the White House, and, at the end of the day, it is the occupant of the Oval office that bears this responsibility.
Mr. President, drop the clean energy thing for now. Drop the legislative nonsense. Congress isn't going to do anything for you. Never have, never will. This ball is in your court. And only you, the President of the United States, has the power and authority to deal with it. So, as you promised on January 20, deal with it. Serve the people. They don't care about clean energy right now. What they want are clean marshes and beaches. Cut the red tape the way only a president can. No panels, commissions or agency heads. Exercise the amazing power and authority that comes with that office. You wanted the job, you got the job, now do the job.
The buck may stop at the Oval Office, but the real action begins there.
I am offering shirts with this design and will be sending the profits directly to the Plaquemines Parish Fund that is set up to help the folks most hurt by this mess.
I spoke to the good folks at Plaquemines and I have to say that for people living a horror show, they are some of the nicest and most grateful people you would ever want to talk to.
Please help out and get the message out at the same time.
You can order them here: http://www.itisnotagame.spreadshirt.com
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Awaiting the President
As I type this, the president is wrapping his most recent trip to the despoiled Gulf and preparing for his first Oval Office speech. I am sure that somewhere between Air Force One and the White House, speech writers, spinmeisters and political advisers are going over every word and inflection of tonight's speech. Nuances are being nuanced. Synonyms are being examined. Inflections are being inflected.
This is wrong.
I sincerely hope that Obama does not go the typical and predictable route of a carefully crafted speech designed to satisfy all while irritating none. This is not a situation that calls for a rally type speech or a sermon from the desk. No, this calls for the kind of leadership America looks for in a time of crisis.
Over the years, presidents have had to face awful disasters. And they have had to explain them to the American people and describe the presidential actions being taken. More than ever, in these moments, all of America wants to hear a strong and proactive leader. We want our president to take charge.
Perhaps the best example of that in recent history is former President Bush's declaration from the rubble of Ground Zero. Bush knew that he did not have the magic answer. He knew that the culprits were still out there somewhere. In fact he knew that he did not know exactly who did it or where they were. But he knew one thing.
George Bush knew that the American people wanted their president to take the lead and declare what we all felt - we were going to get the people that did this to us. And he went out without a written speech, without teleprompters and he gave us just that. A rallying point.
Obama has that chance tonight. He has an opportunity to do what presidents have done in times of crisis - take charge. Show the true power of the office.
It is always nice to be diplomatic and thoughtful. It matters when trying to pass complex legislation or soothe allies. This is not that time.
Our Gulf coast is being deluged with tides of oil and dispersant. The people responsible are known. The time for pleasant chats and working relationships has ended. But only Obama can say this with authority. Only the President of the United States can declare that the time for talk has ended. That the time for allowing BP to call the shots is done. That we are going to finally commit our resources.
But not with a nuanced speech or pretty words. The use of Oval Office speeches has always been sparing. They denote a seriousness that is unequaled in American life. The image of a president behind the desk addressing America has a power to it that is almost immeasurable.
It takes plain solid talk. This is not about England or Canada. This is not about the stupid partisan nonsense being served up even now by Congress and the pundocracy. This is about millions of Americans who are paying for BP's malfeasance and what our government is going to do about it.
If I could offer one tip to the president as he finalizes this speech it is this: Remember the signs you saw yesterday in the Gulf region. Remember that the same people that despise FEMA are now begging for you to send them in. Take that as a symbol of just how bad the mess is in the region. They want FEMA back.
And, just this once, forget the fancy words, overpaid advisers and political angling. Just get up there and say it plain and simple. And strong.
Like the rest of America, I await his words. They better be good.
I am offering shirts with this design and will be sending the profits directly to the Plaquemines Parish Fund that is set up to help the folks most hurt by this mess.
I spoke to the good folks at Plaquemines and I have to say that for people living a horror show, they are some of the nicest and most grateful people you would ever want to talk to.
Please help out and get the message out at the same time.
You can order them here: http://www.itisnotagame.spreadshirt.com
This is wrong.
I sincerely hope that Obama does not go the typical and predictable route of a carefully crafted speech designed to satisfy all while irritating none. This is not a situation that calls for a rally type speech or a sermon from the desk. No, this calls for the kind of leadership America looks for in a time of crisis.
Over the years, presidents have had to face awful disasters. And they have had to explain them to the American people and describe the presidential actions being taken. More than ever, in these moments, all of America wants to hear a strong and proactive leader. We want our president to take charge.
Perhaps the best example of that in recent history is former President Bush's declaration from the rubble of Ground Zero. Bush knew that he did not have the magic answer. He knew that the culprits were still out there somewhere. In fact he knew that he did not know exactly who did it or where they were. But he knew one thing.
George Bush knew that the American people wanted their president to take the lead and declare what we all felt - we were going to get the people that did this to us. And he went out without a written speech, without teleprompters and he gave us just that. A rallying point.
Obama has that chance tonight. He has an opportunity to do what presidents have done in times of crisis - take charge. Show the true power of the office.
It is always nice to be diplomatic and thoughtful. It matters when trying to pass complex legislation or soothe allies. This is not that time.
Our Gulf coast is being deluged with tides of oil and dispersant. The people responsible are known. The time for pleasant chats and working relationships has ended. But only Obama can say this with authority. Only the President of the United States can declare that the time for talk has ended. That the time for allowing BP to call the shots is done. That we are going to finally commit our resources.
But not with a nuanced speech or pretty words. The use of Oval Office speeches has always been sparing. They denote a seriousness that is unequaled in American life. The image of a president behind the desk addressing America has a power to it that is almost immeasurable.
It takes plain solid talk. This is not about England or Canada. This is not about the stupid partisan nonsense being served up even now by Congress and the pundocracy. This is about millions of Americans who are paying for BP's malfeasance and what our government is going to do about it.
If I could offer one tip to the president as he finalizes this speech it is this: Remember the signs you saw yesterday in the Gulf region. Remember that the same people that despise FEMA are now begging for you to send them in. Take that as a symbol of just how bad the mess is in the region. They want FEMA back.
And, just this once, forget the fancy words, overpaid advisers and political angling. Just get up there and say it plain and simple. And strong.
Like the rest of America, I await his words. They better be good.
I am offering shirts with this design and will be sending the profits directly to the Plaquemines Parish Fund that is set up to help the folks most hurt by this mess.
I spoke to the good folks at Plaquemines and I have to say that for people living a horror show, they are some of the nicest and most grateful people you would ever want to talk to.
Please help out and get the message out at the same time.
You can order them here: http://www.itisnotagame.spreadshirt.com
Friday, June 11, 2010
Let the Game Resume
Congress is back from their week long one day holiday and they have wasted no time in adding the Gulf Oil Spill to their list of things to be used to win elections and look pretty.
Right off the top, Nancy Pelosi in her role as Speaker said that BP should not pay the quarterly dividend to their stockholders. Really? Unless she owns BP stock (disclosure - I do not) or is an officer of BP or the SEC, she really has no business even commenting on it. To be accurate and fair, Obama made much the same remarks. That is equally inappropriate.
The dividend is between BP and their stockholders. It is based on earnings last quarter and represents part of the de facto contract between stockholder and company. Whether to pay it is the sole jurisdiction of the BP board. Obama and the false queen Nancy can gripe about it and even condemn the payment, but to suggest it not be paid at all is just out of line.
I am sure that Obama and Pelosi are adapting what they think is a good line against BP. After all, the British Petroleum Corporation is rapidly filling the role of villain these days. BP is the easy target for politicians and fairly so most of the time these days.
I understand and have been fairly clear that BP is a company that has lied, misled, obstructed and otherwise been less than good regarding the oil spill. In fact, it is fairly accurate to say they have been intentionally dishonest. But the dividend is a matter separate from the spill and from the concerted effort by BP executives to lie and mislead.
In fact, BP recently issued a statement saying they had no idea why their stock price has declined so sharply. Really? No idea why? So the open ended liability in the Gulf has nothing to do with it? the prospect of reduced profits or even a loss for the next several quarters not a factor? Seriously? As stupid and obvious a lie as this is, it is between BP and those that still hold their stock.
But for Obama and Pelosi to once again attempt to affect the investors and corporations at the shareholder level only points out their antipathy towards a truly free market. For them to suggest that BP not pay a dividend that shareholders are entitled to is a pretty solid form of proof that these 2 and their minions have zero respect for the marketplace. The decline in BP stock is how the market functions. Punishing the shareholders because the executives lie is just wrong.
And BP execs lie. A lot.
Hayward, Suttles and the rest lie almost automatically every time they speak. That said, they work for the board and the stockholders. Their dishonesty and lack of transparency is an issue that needs to be addressed. One that is best addressed in open, televised Congressional hearings.
In the past, I have been fairly critical of hearings designed for PR sake. And a lot of hearings are just that - huge expensive campaign appearances. However, in some of those hearings, useful and interesting information happens. Usually by accident, but it happens.
Yesterday, Minority Leader John Boehner stepped to the press podium to decry the hearings regarding the oil spill. In fact he pretty much labeled them pointless with a comment about plug the damn leak. Setting aside the fact that Congress is actually not the branch of government that is supposed to do that, this sounds more like the traditional partisan garbage.
Why would Boehner object to the hearings? As I said, I am not a huge fan of endless Congressional inquisitions, but sometimes they have a place and purpose. Perhaps Boehner forgot that in his haste to slap some Democrats around. Perhaps he forgot that his oath of office is to the Constitution and not the party.
Why are hearings needed now? Well, to put it bluntly, BP is doing everything it can to avoid any information getting out. They have dropped a cone of silence on the oil spill and have made a concerted effort to exclude the press and the public from what is going on. The administration has not been exactly transparent either. From estimates of the amount of oil flowing into the Gulf to the wildlife cleanup effort, the press and the public have been excluded as much as possible.
Congressional hearings can help cause transparency. Witnesses and materials can be subpoenaed. Testimony is under oath and questions are asked that must be answered. Since it is obvious that there is no voluntary information flow, then Congress has to get it.
The flow rate of the leaking oil is an example of the lack of honesty and transparency. For weeks we have been told either 5,000 barrels by the government and BP or the more recent 12,000 to 19,000 barrels. Jut a couple of days ago, Obama's "point man," Thad Allen proudly told the press that BP had collected 15,000 barres via the cap. 15,000? That is more than BP or Allen ever admitted to. Anyone that has a television knows that the cap is still allowing a gusher of oil into the Gulf.
When asked, Allen did a little tap dance claiming he wasn't a number person and deferring to the scientists charges with figuring the flow rate out. But the scientists are methodically denied access to any useful information while Thad Allen simply forward BP's lies. Congress can - without long legal battles - simply subpoena the people and information. They can ask why the huge discrepancy.
Congress can enact a relief bill. And fix the laws that are in place that allowed BP to operate with such impunity. First they need to ask what the situation is. Hear what the problems are.
But John Boehner thinks that would be a waste of time. Why? Is he hiding something? Probably not. More likely he is afraid that Congres will act in a bipartisan manner, thereby hurting John Boehner's plans for the upcoming election. See, for him, it is not about the oil spill or the truth. It is about his pathetic little power game.
Same for Obama and Pelosi. All about the game and the people be damned. And that is the problem. The people of the Gulf coast are currently being damned by the oil. And our self proclaimed leaders will only do what makes them look good or forwards their agendas. I think onc the leak is plugged, we should consider new leadership. perhaps some that can actually see beyond their own reflection.
I am offering shirts with this design and will be sending the profits directly to the Plaquemines Parish Fund that is set up to help the folks most hurt by this mess.
I spoke to the good folks at Plaquemines and I have to say that for people living a horror show, they are some of the nicest and most grateful people you would ever want to talk to.
Please help out and get the message out at the same time.
You can order them here: http://www.itisnotagame.spreadshirt.com
Right off the top, Nancy Pelosi in her role as Speaker said that BP should not pay the quarterly dividend to their stockholders. Really? Unless she owns BP stock (disclosure - I do not) or is an officer of BP or the SEC, she really has no business even commenting on it. To be accurate and fair, Obama made much the same remarks. That is equally inappropriate.
The dividend is between BP and their stockholders. It is based on earnings last quarter and represents part of the de facto contract between stockholder and company. Whether to pay it is the sole jurisdiction of the BP board. Obama and the false queen Nancy can gripe about it and even condemn the payment, but to suggest it not be paid at all is just out of line.
I am sure that Obama and Pelosi are adapting what they think is a good line against BP. After all, the British Petroleum Corporation is rapidly filling the role of villain these days. BP is the easy target for politicians and fairly so most of the time these days.
I understand and have been fairly clear that BP is a company that has lied, misled, obstructed and otherwise been less than good regarding the oil spill. In fact, it is fairly accurate to say they have been intentionally dishonest. But the dividend is a matter separate from the spill and from the concerted effort by BP executives to lie and mislead.
In fact, BP recently issued a statement saying they had no idea why their stock price has declined so sharply. Really? No idea why? So the open ended liability in the Gulf has nothing to do with it? the prospect of reduced profits or even a loss for the next several quarters not a factor? Seriously? As stupid and obvious a lie as this is, it is between BP and those that still hold their stock.
But for Obama and Pelosi to once again attempt to affect the investors and corporations at the shareholder level only points out their antipathy towards a truly free market. For them to suggest that BP not pay a dividend that shareholders are entitled to is a pretty solid form of proof that these 2 and their minions have zero respect for the marketplace. The decline in BP stock is how the market functions. Punishing the shareholders because the executives lie is just wrong.
And BP execs lie. A lot.
Hayward, Suttles and the rest lie almost automatically every time they speak. That said, they work for the board and the stockholders. Their dishonesty and lack of transparency is an issue that needs to be addressed. One that is best addressed in open, televised Congressional hearings.
In the past, I have been fairly critical of hearings designed for PR sake. And a lot of hearings are just that - huge expensive campaign appearances. However, in some of those hearings, useful and interesting information happens. Usually by accident, but it happens.
Yesterday, Minority Leader John Boehner stepped to the press podium to decry the hearings regarding the oil spill. In fact he pretty much labeled them pointless with a comment about plug the damn leak. Setting aside the fact that Congress is actually not the branch of government that is supposed to do that, this sounds more like the traditional partisan garbage.
Why would Boehner object to the hearings? As I said, I am not a huge fan of endless Congressional inquisitions, but sometimes they have a place and purpose. Perhaps Boehner forgot that in his haste to slap some Democrats around. Perhaps he forgot that his oath of office is to the Constitution and not the party.
Why are hearings needed now? Well, to put it bluntly, BP is doing everything it can to avoid any information getting out. They have dropped a cone of silence on the oil spill and have made a concerted effort to exclude the press and the public from what is going on. The administration has not been exactly transparent either. From estimates of the amount of oil flowing into the Gulf to the wildlife cleanup effort, the press and the public have been excluded as much as possible.
Congressional hearings can help cause transparency. Witnesses and materials can be subpoenaed. Testimony is under oath and questions are asked that must be answered. Since it is obvious that there is no voluntary information flow, then Congress has to get it.
The flow rate of the leaking oil is an example of the lack of honesty and transparency. For weeks we have been told either 5,000 barrels by the government and BP or the more recent 12,000 to 19,000 barrels. Jut a couple of days ago, Obama's "point man," Thad Allen proudly told the press that BP had collected 15,000 barres via the cap. 15,000? That is more than BP or Allen ever admitted to. Anyone that has a television knows that the cap is still allowing a gusher of oil into the Gulf.
When asked, Allen did a little tap dance claiming he wasn't a number person and deferring to the scientists charges with figuring the flow rate out. But the scientists are methodically denied access to any useful information while Thad Allen simply forward BP's lies. Congress can - without long legal battles - simply subpoena the people and information. They can ask why the huge discrepancy.
Congress can enact a relief bill. And fix the laws that are in place that allowed BP to operate with such impunity. First they need to ask what the situation is. Hear what the problems are.
But John Boehner thinks that would be a waste of time. Why? Is he hiding something? Probably not. More likely he is afraid that Congres will act in a bipartisan manner, thereby hurting John Boehner's plans for the upcoming election. See, for him, it is not about the oil spill or the truth. It is about his pathetic little power game.
Same for Obama and Pelosi. All about the game and the people be damned. And that is the problem. The people of the Gulf coast are currently being damned by the oil. And our self proclaimed leaders will only do what makes them look good or forwards their agendas. I think onc the leak is plugged, we should consider new leadership. perhaps some that can actually see beyond their own reflection.
I am offering shirts with this design and will be sending the profits directly to the Plaquemines Parish Fund that is set up to help the folks most hurt by this mess.
I spoke to the good folks at Plaquemines and I have to say that for people living a horror show, they are some of the nicest and most grateful people you would ever want to talk to.
Please help out and get the message out at the same time.
You can order them here: http://www.itisnotagame.spreadshirt.com
Monday, June 7, 2010
The Dispersant Question
One of the great unanswered and unaddressed issues arising as a result of BP's blunder in the Gulf is the overall effect - long and short term - of the dispersants being pumped into the oil leak undersea. As of this weekend, over 1 million gallons of Corexit have been dumped into the Gulf of Mexico. The main reason, as stated by BP and Admiral Allen is to keep the oil from coming to the surface.
That statement alone should raise flags. Keep it from the surface? As in where we can't see it or measure it? As in hiding it? Note that nobody says the dispersant makes the oil just go away. The clue to what is going on is right there is the word "dispersant."
The stuff is designed to disperse oil. Spread it out. make it smaller. And in doping so, keep it underwater and far more subject to the existing currents than the surface oil. It just spreads it out over a larger area. Loosely put, the overt underwater overuse of these chemicals is for cosmetic purposes and serves no actual productive purpose.
Based on the data sheets available from Corexit manufacturer Nalco, this stuff is meant to used on the surface to dispel slicks or to remove oil from beaches and boats. None of the manufacturer data has any indication of underwater injection and certainly none at depths 5,000 feet. Yet, BP is using this stuff like it was as harmless as water.
It is not. Here is what Nalco says about the stuff:
WARNING
Eye and skin irritant. Repeated or excessive exposure to butoxyethanol may cause injury to red blood cells (hemolysis), kidney or the liver. Harmful by inhalation, in contact with skin and if swallowed. Do not get in eyes, on skin, on clothing. Do not take internally. Use with adequate ventilation. Wear suitable protective clothing. Keep container tightly closed. Flush affected area with water. Keep away from heat. Keep away from sources of ignition - No smoking.
May evolve oxides of carbon (COx) under fire conditions.
PRIMARY ROUTES OF EXPOSURE : Eye, Skin
HUMAN HEALTH HAZARDS - ACUTE
EYE CONTACT : Can cause moderate irritation.
SKIN CONTACT : Can cause moderate irritation. Harmful if absorbed through skin.
INGESTION : May be harmful if swallowed. May cause liver and kidney effects and/or damage. There may be irritation to the gastro-intestinal tract.
INHALATION : Harmful by inhalation. Repeated or prolonged exposure may irritate the respiratory tract.
SYMPTOMS OF EXPOSURE :
Acute : Excessive exposure may cause central nervous system effects, nausea, vomiting, anesthetic or narcotic effects.
Chronic : Repeated or excessive exposure to butoxyethanol may cause injury to red blood cells (hemolysis), kidney or the
liver.
AGGRAVATION OF EXISTING CONDITIONS : Skin contact may aggravate an existing dermatitis condition.
HUMAN HEALTH HAZARDS - CHRONIC : Contains ethylene glycol monobutyl ether (butoxyethanol). Prolonged and/or repeated exposure through inhalation or extensive skin contact with EGBE may result in damage to the blood and kidneys.
Note the repeated "Human Health Hazards." If this stuff was anywhere near a school, people would go to prison. Well, it is near schools. Schools of fish. Fish that will find their way into our food supply. And nobody has ever studied that.
By injecting it at the leaking wellhead, BP has created an unknown hazard. We already know all too well the hazards of crude oil. But Corexit? No studies. No data. No scientific examination of long term effects of long term usage. And it will be long term.
Wjen you look at the images of the leaking well on the floor of the Gulf, those white streams mixed in with the oil are Corexit. In fact, 2 of the cameras monitor "Dispersant Ops." And they go non-stop.
Despite an initial order from the apparently toothless Obama EPA to cease use, BP keeps pumping the stuff. And EPA backed off, allowing no more than 15,000 gallons per day. If we start on June 1 and assume use until August 31, that is 92 days at 15,000 gallons per day or another 1.4 million gallons of this stuff. Add that to the already pumped in million or so gallons and you have the makings of a secondary environmental catastrophe.
I live in Southeast Florida. Down here, so-called environmental science types have been tinkering with the ecosystem since I was a kid. They introduce one insect to get rid of another insect, and lo and behold, the new insect becomes a new unexpected problem. Every time these folks try to use an introduced species to fix something, they "break" something else.
And that is exactly what BP is doing with all of this dispersant. Introducing a toxic chemical in an attempt to neutralize a toxic chemical. They believe that keeping the oil off of the surface is a solution and it is not. The only way to really get rid of the oil is to allow it to rise to the surface and then remove it. Keeping it below the surface, mixed with Corexit, makes it impossible to track, evaluate and remove. By keeping it below the surface, the millions of feet of boom are almost silly.
As it now stands, BP continues to deny and underwater plumes of oil, even though they have been detected and tracked repeatedly. Worse is the fact that by dispersing the oil with Corexit undersea, the affected area increases with no detection until it is too late. We are very good at identifying and tracking surface oil slicks. We know how to deal with them (setting aside the endless failure to do so promptly in the Gulf).
I do want to make it very clear that I am not pointing at the engineers and scientists working night and day to stop this leak. Those folks have been at it for 7 weeks without a rest. They are doing literally everything they can. I respect their efforts.
It is the senior executives at BP that are lying about this stuff and their reasons for using it and senior administration officials that keep quietly looking the other way. When was the last time EPA backed down immediately on anything? It is not as if there is adequate science here.
I have to wonder why EPA backed off so quickly on Corexit. There are other approved products that are not nearly as toxic. And I wonder why nobody has yet to call BP out for their blatant effort to keep the spilled oil invisible and therefore unmeasurable. It is only a matter of time until we find out the effects of this stuff. Sadly, it appears that we are all test subjects in this large scale study.
There are already reports of people getting sick with some of the above symptoms in Louisiana. BP contends it is food poisoning. Well, food poisoning doesn't cause respiratory distress. Corexit does. None of the workers down there have respiratory protection, as recommended by Nalco. Many do not have the appropriate gloves and clothing. Yet, the chemical continues to be used and dismissed as somehow not a problem.
While I am not a scientist or engineer, I can do basic math. And that math tells me that BP is using Corexit in a non-recommended manner and massive quantities to attempt to conceal the sheer size of this spill. That same math also tells me that the EPA and the rest of the self-proclaimed "green" administration is not as interested in the environment as they are in minimizing the awful visuals that oil spills bring.
At this point, the continued use of Corexit in these quantities calls to mind the phrase, "Burning down the village to save it."
I am offering shirts with the design at the top of the post and will be sending the profits directly to the Plaquemines Parish Fund that is set up to help the folks most hurt by this mess.
I spoke to the good folks at Plaquemines to make sure they had a fund set up and how to send the money. I have to say that for people living a horror show, they are some of the nicest and most grateful people you would ever want to talk to.
Please help out and get the message out at the same time.
You can order them here: http://www.itisnotagame.spreadshirt.com
Friday, June 4, 2010
Time to Help
I have been writing about how little is being done to help the Gulf Coast with the spill. And then it occurred to me that all I have been doing is writing about it. Well, that is about to change.
I am offering shirts with this design and will be sending the profits directly to the Plaquemines Parish Fund that is set up to help the folks most hurt by this mess.
I spoke to the good folks at Plaquemines this morning to make sure they had a fund set up and how to send the money. I have to say that for people living a horror show, they are some of the nicest and most grateful people you would ever want to talk to.
Please help out and get the message out at the same time.
You can order them here: http://www.itisnotagame.spreadshirt.com
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