BP insisted that the blowout and resulting oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico wasn’t all its fault, and the government agrees. [More]
environmental disasters
Internal BP Report Deflects Blame Onto Contracted Rig Workers
By 9.8.10
An BP internal investigation has found that responsibility for the Gulf spill lies less with its corner-cutting practices and more with poor decisions and bad judgment calls by Transocean and Halliburton workers on the doomed oil rig. Gee, what a surprise. [More]
Gulf Fish "Trying To Crawl Out Of The Water"
By 8.25.10
“Jubilee” is a fun word. Down in the Gulf, it means when fish, crabs, eels and shrimp flood to the shoreline to escape oxygen-deprived waters. It’s a big party as locals scoop up seafood by the bucket-load. While the phenomenon naturally occurs when strong winds stir up hypoxic water from the bottom, for the first time ever it’s being seen occur in open water, with the fish flocking to the water’s surface. Said one fisherman, “It looks like all of the sea life is trying to get out of the water.” [More]
BP Gulf-Sized Spilling Occurs In Nigeria Annually, But Nobody Cares
By 6.15.10
For America, the BP spill in the Gulf is a “tragedy that never should have happened,” requiring, “the largest environmental response in this country’s history. In Nigeria, they just call it “Thursday.” [More]
BP Sucking Off 1,000 Barrels/Day From Spill, Only Thousands More To Go
By 5.17.10
By attaching a mile-long pipe to its leaking well, BP is now able to slurp off 1,000 barrels of oil daily. The Gulf of Mexico spill currently emits about 5,000 barrels of oil per day, according to BP/Coast Guard/NOAA estimates, which have been challenged by independent scientists who put the figure more at 70,000 barrels per day, and criticized BP for using methodology specifically not recommended for measuring large oil spills. BP’s response: we’re here to stop the oil, not measure it. Scientists are also concerned that the oil could reach a major stream that would ferry it into the Florida Keys and up the East Coast. Looks like we’re gonna need a bigger milkshake straw. [More]
BP's Oil Cap Misses, Crude Still Spews
By 5.10.10
BP failed in its efforts this weekend to stop the worst of the Gulf of Mexico oil leaks with a 98-ton concrete and steel cap. The company said the dome’s aperture became clogged by gas hydrates, and the hydrates also nearly built up to a level that would have lifted and dislodged the the stopper. “I wouldn’t say it has failed yet,” said Doug Suttles, a BP officer, at a news conference Saturday. “What I would say is what we attempted to do last night didn’t work.” BP said later this week they will try to plug the hole with rubber. [More]
