Gulf seafood deformities alarm scientists

[Riot]

Originally Posted by Antitrust32

this thread is about whatever we make of it!

Sigh ...

Then I'm sticking with penises on chins

[Antitrust32]

In April 2009, the Obama administration granted BP, a big supporter of Obama, a waiver of environmental regulations. But after the oil spill, it blocked Louisiana from protecting its coastline against the oil spill by delaying rather than expediting regulatory approval of essential protective measures. It has also chosen not to use what has been described as “the most effective method” of fighting the spill, a method successfully used in other oil spills. Democratic strategist James Carville called Obama’s handling of the oil spill “lackadaisical” and “unbelievable” in its “stupidity.”



Continue reading on Examiner.com Obama blocked clean-up of BP oil spill by America's allies; Failed to issue timely Jones Act waiver - Washington DC SCOTUS | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/scotus-in-wa...#ixzz1sWcEpI2D

[Antitrust32]

Originally Posted by Riot

Sigh ...

Then I'm sticking with penises on chins

i'm impressed you managed to avoid any response about the proof I offered of Obama's extremely terrible managment of the oil spill!

[Riot]

Originally Posted by Antitrust32

i'm impressed you managed to avoid any response about the proof I offered of Obama's extremely terrible managment of the oil spill!

I agree the spill could have been managed better on the oil companies end, and perhaps the goverment could have done more, but Obama wasn't personally responsible for turning the valve and cutting off the flow, was he? I would hardly call the government's response "terrible".

Should he have accepted oil skimmer offers to help mitigate the damage? Sure.

My point was that to say the government, especially Obama, ignored the spill and didn't appear to give a darn for 53 days, is unfairly and completely false - the government was on the scene at day one.

Words have meaning, and those words do not talk about the quality of the response by BP/Halliburton/TransOcean, nor their inability to cut off their well, nor the governments participation, they say there was no government response. That's ridiculous and not true, even if taken as the superficial ODS snark it was intended to be.

In retrospect it's easy to say "something more should have been done". As the oil companies have the physical workers and equipment, what could that have been? Scream louder and more frequently at them for not being able to cut the spill off? For taking shortcuts and causing the spill in the first place?

That's already been litigated to death. And when Deepwater Horizon is mentioned, the very first thing - or second or fifth thing - that comes to mind about the response and the entire incident is not, "Obama sucks".

The question for me is what should be done now, that we are seeing evidence that the dispersant used by the oil companies (the one they refused to identify) has harmed Gulf wildlife.

[Antitrust32]

I dont know what should be done now. I was very worried about the chemicals they were dumping in the gulf back when it was going on. I didnt think oil sinking to the bottom of the ocean was a very good thing.

You're the scientist.. what are your thoughts? (sorry couldnt resist)



All I know is what I can do... and that is eat seafood that comes from East of where I live, not West!

[Riot]

Originally Posted by Antitrust32

I dont know what should be done now.

You're the scientist.. what are your thoughts? (sorry couldnt resist)



All I know is what I can do... and that is eat seafood that comes from East of where I live, not West!

I agree, don't eat gulf seafood

They can save most of the species. The worry is the corals, oyster beds, etc, and wondering how long this will last, if it will be permanent, etc.

Then I say the government has to stop giving waivers for drilling (procedural requirements, equipment backup requirements, etc), and has to be tough on private industry standards of conduct - a stance completely and vocally opposed by virtually every politician in Washington, and the biggest lobby in Washington.

Drill, baby, drill. Frack, baby, frack. And don't let the government tell you how to do it or interfer.

Americans need to make the clear choice of what they want in America: no government control or government control that would have helped prevent this disaster - and future disasters - and order the politicians in Washington to do it.

[Rudeboyelvis]

Please forgive me for discussing politics in the "politics" room

Yes you are correct - all of us Obama Derangement types expected him to deep dive on the rig and fix it himself on day one. We were sorely disappointed.

How about not showing up for 9 days? How about James Carville, one of the strongest Democratic pundit's, Calling him out on live television - screaming in desperation from the banks of the Mississippi on CNN "Where is the President???!!!"

Well, the president played golf while the entire gulf coast was in a panic.

The president delayed his trip a second time, to attend a fund raising dinner in San Francisco - which clearly was more important than displaying the leadership that the people of the Gulf Coast desperately needed in their time of crisis by their commander in chief. Clearly more important at least, to him.

[Frost King]

you guys have all been sucked in! Who's interest is Al-Jezera representing? Of course, they are representing the interests of ARAB OIL. It is in there best interest to continue to add wood to the fire.

[GenuineRisk]

Balloon-juice, May, 2010:

Do you really think that you could have Anti-Government Republicans in charge for 30 plus years and actively working to destroy the infrastructure of government without causing system failures? If you do, then you are living in candy land (or a tea infused lotus dream).
The oil spill in the gulf is is just another result of snorting deregulation fairy dust with a Markets-Are-God hi-ball chaser night after night for decades. When you let industry capture regulators and dismantle effective governance, you guarantee a catastrophic failure. The spill is evidence of this, so was that mining disaster in West Virginia, same thing when it comes to that financial meltdown and the same thing will be true when the next system fails.
And when it does, like idiots, we will not blame the failed philosophy of the modern Conservative movement. Nope, we will blame President Obama, liberals and Democrats—because that is what we are used to doing. More than that, we will ignore facts and worry whether or not the optics of the response are right. We will all ask: is we yelling loud enough yet?

http://www.balloon-juice.com/2010/05...ow/#more-41527

[Riot]

Originally Posted by Rudeboyelvis

Please forgive me for discussing politics in the "politics" room

Yes you are correct - all of us Obama Derangement types expected him to deep dive on the rig and fix it himself on day one. We were sorely disappointed.

How about not showing up for 9 days? How about James Carville, one of the strongest Democratic pundit's, Calling him out on live television - screaming in desperation from the banks of the Mississippi on CNN "Where is the President???!!!"

What could he have done down there himself? He specifically said he didn't want to physically go right away because he didn't want the presence of a big poobah president to "grind everything to a halt" while the secret service restricted access, checked for bombs, etc. while everyone else was frantically working. You know that's exactly what would have happened.

And why should he physically go there? It's not like seeing New Orleans after Katrina. He can stand on shore - this is well before oil hit the shores - he went there to look at that - and look out to the gulf and know there's a disaster out there. What would be the point of that?

He sent the appropriate departments on day one. He was getting reports constantly.

Well, the president played golf while the entire gulf coast was in a panic.

Dude - he did NOT ignore this disaster. C'mon. Be fair.

[Riot]

2008

March 2008 – The mineral rights to drill for oil at the Macondo well, located in Mississippi Canyon Block 252 in the United States sector of the Gulf of Mexico about 41 miles (66 km) off the Louisiana coast, were purchased by BP at the Minerals Management Service's (MMS) Lease Sale No. 206, held in New Orleans.[6]

2009

February – BP files a 52 page exploration and environmental impact plan for the Macondo well with the MMS. The plan stated that it was "unlikely that an accidental surface or subsurface oil spill would occur from the proposed activities".[7] In the event an accident did take place the plan stated that due to the well being 48 miles (77 km) from shore and the response capabilities that would be implemented, no significant adverse impacts would be expected.[7]

April 6 – The Department of the Interior exempted BP's Gulf of Mexico drilling operation from a detailed environmental impact study after concluding that a massive oil spill was unlikely.[8][9]

June 22 – Mark E. Hafle, a senior drilling engineer at BP, warns that the metal casing for the blowout preventer might collapse under high pressure.[10]

October 7 – The Transocean Marianas semi-submersible rig begins drilling the Macondo well.[11]

November 9 – Hurricane Ida damages Transocean Marianas enough that it has to be replaced.[11]

2010

February

February 15, 2010 – Deepwater Horizon drilling rig, owned by Transocean, begins drilling on the Macondo Prospect.[11][12][13][14] The planned well was to be drilled to 18,000 feet (5,500 m) below sea level, and was to be plugged and suspended for subsequent completion as a subsea producer.[15]

March

March 8 – Target date for the completion of the well which had been budgeted to cost $96 million.[11]

March 17 – BP Chief Tony Hayward sells one third of his BP stock (223,288 shares).[16] Closing BP price on March 17 on the New York Stock Exchange is 58.15.

March – An accident damages a gasket on the blowout preventer on the rig.[10]

April
Fighting the fire on April 21

April 1 – Halliburton employee Marvin Volek warns that BP's use of cement "was against our best practices."[10]

April 6 – MMS issues permit to BP for the well with the notation, "Exercise caution while drilling due to indications of shallow gas and possible water flow."[17]

April 9 – BP drills last section with the wellbore 18,360 feet (5,600 m) below sea level but the last 1,192 feet (363 m) need casing. Halliburton recommends liner/tieback casing that will provide 4 redundant barriers to flow. BP chooses to do a single liner with fewer barriers that is faster to install and cheaper ($7 to $10 million).[11]

April 9 – Halliburton agrees to buy Boots & Coots, a company that provides pressure control services for oil and gas wells, for about $240 million worth of cash and stocks. The deal will be accretive in the first full year of operation, Halliburton said. The second largest oilfield services company will create a new product service line combining its existing coiled tubing and hydraulic workover operations with Boots & Coots' intervention services and its pressure control business. http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE63907A20100410

April 14 – Brian Morel, a BP drilling engineer, emails a colleague "this has been a nightmare well which has everyone all over the place."[11]

April 15 – Morel informs Halliburton executive Jesse Gagliano that they plan to use 6 centralizers. Gagliano says they should use 21. Morel replies in an email, "it's too late to get any more product on the rig, our only option is to rearrange placement of these centralizers." Gagliano also recommends to circulate the drilling mud from the bottom of the well all the way up to the surface to remove air pockets and debris which can contaminate the cement, saying in an email, "at least circulate one bottoms up on the well before doing a cement job." Despite this recommendation, BP cycles only 261 barrels (41.5 m3) of mud, a fraction of the total mud used in the well.[11]

April 15 – MMS approves amended permit for BP to use a single liner with fewer barriers.[11]

April 16 – Brett Cocales, BP's Operations Drilling Engineer, emails Morel confirming the 6 centralizer approach.

April 17 – Deepwater Horizon completes its drilling and the well is being prepared to be cemented so that another rig will retrieve the oil. The blowout preventer is tested and found to be "functional."[18] Gagliano now reports that using only 6 centralizers "would likely produce channeling and a failure of the cement job."[11]

April 18 – Gagliano's report says "well is considered to have a severe gas flow problem." Schlumberger flies a crew to conduct a cement bond log to determine whether the cement has bonded to the casing and surrounding formations. It is required in rules.[10][11]

April 19 – Halliburton completes cementing of the final production casing string.[19]

April 20 –

7 am – BP cancels a recommended cement bond log test. Conducting the test would have taken 9–12 hours and $128,000. By canceling the cement test BP paid only $10,000. Crew leaves on 11:15 am flight.[11] BP officials gather on the platform to celebrate seven years without an injury on the rig.[20] The planned moving of the Deepwater Horizon to another location was 43 days past due and the delay had cost BP $21 million.[21]

April 20, 2010 21:49 (CDT), Block 252, Mississippi Canyon Andrea Fleyras had been monitoring the dynamic positioning system on the bridge of the Horizon when she felt a jolt. Before she could make sense of it – a rig shaking shock that came out of nowhere – magenta warnings began flashing on her screen. Magenta meant the most dangerous level of combustible gas intrusion.[22]

9:45 pm CDT – Gas, oil and concrete from the Deepwater Horizon explode up the wellbore onto the deck and then catches fire. The explosion kills 11 platform workers and injures 17 others; another 98 people survive without serious physical injury.[23]

[Rupert Pupkin]

The most disgraceful thing about the whole thing is that they were allowed to pour 800,000 gallons of the poison dispersant into the gulf. As others have stated, the toxic dispersant may turn out to be a bigger disaster than the oil itself.

I honestly think it was somewhat of a joint conspiracy between BP and the government. They thought they could fool people into thinking the spill wasn't that bad if there wasn't too much visible oil. They didn't really care if the dispersant was dangerous or not. The dispersant makes the oil going down to the bottom of the sea where nobody can see it. The oil being at the bottom of the sea is just as dangerous, if not more dangerous for the ecosystem than if the oil was sitting on top of the ocean. I think it's actually better if the oil is on top of the ocean because at least that can be cleaned up.

The government and BP didn't care how dangerous the dispersant was. I think they were much more interested in having less visible oil for public relations purposes.

[Riot]

Originally Posted by Rupert Pupkin

The most disgraceful thing about the whole thing is that they were allowed to pour 800,000 gallons of the poison dispersant into the gulf. As others have stated, the toxic dispersant may turn out to be a bigger disaster than the oil itself.

I agree with you 100%

I honestly think it was somewhat of a joint conspiracy between BP and the government.

There could have been. When scientists came back a couple years ago ? and said all that oil was still there, just rolling around on the bottom, the outcry wasn't what it should have been.

[Antitrust32]

Originally Posted by Riot

I agree with you 100%



There could have been. When scientists came back a couple years ago ? and said all that oil was still there, just rolling around on the bottom, the outcry wasn't what it should have been.

yeah it seemed like once they plugged the hole, everyone just got back on with their normal lives and forgot there were miles of oil plumes floating around in the gulf.

[Rudeboyelvis]

Reporter from Ecowatch claims proof that BP, Exxon, and Chevron colluded to hide facts -

>>>Evidence now implicates top BP executives as well as its partners Chevron and Exxon and the Bush Administration in the deadly cover-up—which included falsifying a report to the Securities Exchange Commission.

Yesterday, Ecowatch.org revealed that, in September 2008, nearly two years before the Deepwater Horizon explosion in the Gulf of Mexico, another BP rig had blown out in the Caspian Sea—which BP concealed from U.S. regulators and Congress.<<<

http://ecowatch.org/2012/part-2-bp-c...ter-horizon-2/

[hoovesupsideyourhead]

While there is much to be discussed regarding what lead to the failure of Deepwater Horizon, and the management of the disaster, the phrase, "And while the well spewed millions and millions of gallons of oil into the gulf... for 53 days ... before the president could be bothered to interrupt his fund raising/golf outings to appear to give a crap" is a bunch of completely false baloney, and everyone knows it.

your way wrong again..i live here and trust me the gov and obama were not in anyway pro active. they were more into placing blame and not helping out as far as support/ships navy vessles diving equipment ect.it was all done by bp.shamefull.

[bigrun]

Originally Posted by Antitrust32

what is hilarious is Miss "government is the answer for everything" is okay with the government sitting on its hands for this MAJOR incident.

Right, the Bushes were in New Orleans at the height of Katrina..