The Unknown Costs of the Oil Spill

This post on Mongabay.com discusses whether we'll ever know the full extent of the oil spill's impact on wildlife. There are many animals that are "charisma species" that capture our attention, like pelicans and turtles, but what about the animals farther down on the food chain that we don't see. They may not be cute and charismatic, but they are the ones that support those that are.

Obama to Reopen Offshore Oil Drilling in Shallow Waters

He is going to add new safety regulations, but I don't like off-shore oil drilling AT ALL! At least BP will hopefully get nailed with lots of penalties. Although it doesn't really matter because those dead animals will never get their lives back and who knows if the habitat will ever fully recover.

From the Wall Street Journal....

The Obama administration, facing rising anger on the Gulf Coast over the loss of jobs and income from a drilling moratorium, said Monday that it would move quickly to release new safety requirements that would allow the reopening of offshore oil and gas exploration in shallow waters.

Gulf Coast residents, political leaders and industry officials said delays in releasing the new rules, along with the administration's six-month halt on deepwater drilling—both issued amid public pressure—threatened thousands of jobs.

Well-owner BP PLC, meanwhile, faces penalties "in the many billions of dollars," for the Deepwater Horizon drilling disaster that has been spewing an estimated minimum 12,000 to 19,000 barrels of oil a day into the Gulf, said White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs. The costs of the spill will "greatly exceed" the amount BP could recoup by selling any of the captured oil on the market, he said Monday.

BP CEO Seems Like A Jerk

He definitely doesn't endear himself to me.

Update on Gulf Oil Spill

Wildlife getting hit hard. What a mess.

Here's a good update on where we're at.

Dissatisfaction with Oil Spill Cleanup Increases

People are apparently getting more pissed at both Obama AND BP.

This situation totally sucks. I just think the minute that rig blew up, the result was inevitable. I think that the magnitude of this disaster is not a question of cleanup, but of prevention in the first place. We can get mad at BP and Obama, but the problem is that this was a disaster waiting to happen. If not BP, then it would have been someone else.

And whose fault is that? Ours. For not paying attention and allowing oil companies to get away with "voluntary compliance."

More Bad Press for BP

In this article, they admit they underestimated the scope of the oil slick.

This article talks about how BP skipped some testing of cement linings hours before the explosion occured. These cement linings were basically the well's seal. How did this decision contribute to the disaster?

Oil Spill Visuals Finally Arriving

Yep, the spill is reaching land and you can go here for a slide show of the impacts.

Funny how Governor Bobby Jindal is one of those Republicans who wants less government, but then holds out his hands for federal government help on the cleanup.

Gulf Oil a Looming Threat to Marine Life

So far, we're not seeing the large-scale impact of this oil spill on marine life. But there are concerns out there. It may not be immediate, like oil-coated birds, but slower and more subtle, like the effect on oxygen levels in the sea. This is a complex ecosystem we're dealing with.

From NPR...

Especially troubling to scientists are the effects the oil and dispersants could be having on dissolved oxygen levels in the water. Scientists fear the oil will make it difficult for marine animals to obtain the oxygen they need to survive. Scientists have already observed some dying fish.

Suit Filed Against the Minerals Management Service

Good!

From Blue Ridge Outdoors Magazine...

The Southern Environmental Law Center and Defenders of Wildlife filed suit challenging the Minerals Management Service’s (MMS) complicity in the Gulf oil disaster and continued lax oversight of oil drilling operations, including its failure to require a thorough examination of spill risks from exploratory drilling operations like the Deepwater.

Canada Fears Oil Spills in its Own Waters

They should fear oil spills because, I'm sorry, Canada is not the best in terms of environmental safeguards, laws or requirements.

They've had oil spills before, but nowhere near the scale of the one in the Gulf of Mexico. The industry is not as developed, but it's heading in that direction. It would therefore benefit the Canadians to prepare. As long as they allow offshore oil drilling, a massive spill is a definite possibility.

More Disturbing Information on BP Emerges

Here's a good article in the Seattle Times about BP corporate misbehavior.

I had no idea. You really have to hand it to their PR people.

Oil to Hit US Shore Either this Sunday or Monday

That's when the full impact of the oil spill on wildlife will be seen. Right now, there are still no confirmed deaths due to the spill, but rescue groups are gearing up for the worst. The animals threatened most by the spill are bluefin tuna, sea turtles, brown pelicans, shrimp and sharks.

Mary Landrieu is Stupid

This Louisiana Senator is just a slave to these oil interests and I'm sick of her.

She's calling for MORE frigging oil drilling in spite of the catastrophe in the Gulf.

I'd like to shove her face in a vat of oil and not bring her up for a long, long time.

And Obama STILL Wants Offshore Oil Driling?

What a mess.

And it looks like BP has some answering to do.

By the way, this mess is threatening the Breton National Wildlife Refuge at crucial breeding time.

Polar Bear Supporters Lose Court Case

Another story from last week, but worth mentioning. From KTUU in Anchorage...

A federal appeals court made a final decision Wednesday on whether Fish and Wildlife could allow oil companies to interfere with polar bears.

The complaint is that the government isn't doing enough to protect marine animals from the effects of oil and gas development...

The Center for Biological Diversity filed a lawsuit because it felt the U.S. Fish and Wildlife service wrongfully issued authorization for oil companies to work in areas that could potentially hurt the bears.

They claimed Fish and Wildlife failed to consider effects of climate change and had a false idea of how many polar bears would be affected.

But the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a lower court's decision allowing the Fish and Wildlife Service to issue its own regulations on incidental take.

Incidental take, in this case, is the killing or harassing of polar bears resulting from oil and gas operations on the Beaufort Sea coast.

Obama Disappoints with Support of Off-Shore Drilling

What can I say? I'm disappointed in him.

Start Paying Attention to the Arctic

Supposedly, there's a hell of a lot of oil and gas in the Arctic and everyone's salivating over it. The US might even ratify the Law of the Sea treaty to get a fair shot at the prizes up north.

Animal rights and environmental advocates need to pay attention to this. Look who lives in the Arctic: polar bear - caribou - musk ox - wolf - wolverine - arctic fox - ermine - lemming - arctic hare - arctic ground squirrel - birds - whales - harp seal - walrus.

Here's a great article giving an overview of the politics. Alaskan Senator Lisa Murkowski is pushing for treaty ratification. Always watch out when Alaska is in support of something.

Bush Lifts Executive Ban on Off-Shore Drilling

Screw Bush.

The move will have no practical effect unless Congress acts, too. Both executive and legislative bans must be lifted before offshore exploration can happen....

The president's direct link between record gas prices and offshore drilling glossed over a key point. Even if Congress agreed, the exploration for oil would take years to produce real results. It is not projected to reduce gas prices in the short term. Even the White House routinely emphasizes there is no quick fix.

That did not stop Bush from building his case around today's prices at the pump.

He said every extra dollar that families must spend on gas is one they could be using to put food on their table or to send a child to school. The American people, he said, are now "waiting to see what the Congress will do."

The White House says that acting now on a long-term solution would send a serious signal to the market that more oil supply will be coming on line. That, in turn, could ease oil prices, advocates say. Business groups and many Republican lawmakers applauded the move to expand the energy supply in the U.S.

Democrats were unmoved.

"The Bush plan is a hoax," responded House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. "It will neither reduce gas prices nor increase energy independence."

We'll see where this ends up. I have a feeling the Dems will cave. That's what they do best.

Bush and McCain Say "F*&* U" to the Oceans

Dubya came out this week in support of John McCain's call for "environmentally friendy" offshore oil drilling.

President George W Bush has called on Congress to end a 27-year ban on drilling for oil in US coastal waters, to reduce dependence on imports.

Mr Bush said existing restrictions on offshore drilling were "outdated and counter-productive".

His move comes as US consumers are calling for action to tackle high oil prices that have pushed prices at the pump to more than $4 (£2) a gallon....

Republican John McCain favours offshore oil drilling, whereas his Democratic rival, Barack Obama, opposes it.

At least McCain is opposed to drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, but how long will that position last?

Pressure Increases to Add Polar Bears to Endangered Species List

Now that the US government is about to start selling oil and gas rights in the Chukchi Sea in Alaska, activists are trying to get the polar bear listed as an endangered species. If they are an endangered species, then authorities would need to go through US Fish and Wildlife for approval to drill in an individual's habitat.

The Bush Administration is offering to list it as "threatened." According to activists, this would allow for loopholes and exemptions.

But the Bushies are playing for time.

The US Fish and Wildlife Services last month announced it was putting off a decision on listing the polar bear as a threatened species until after the sell-off of oil and gas drilling rights in Alaska.

"They are trying to wait it out, get the lease-sale through and then make the decision," said {IFAW's Brandon} Frazier.

"That way, they could list the lease-sale as an exemption," he added.

Photo by PlagueX1.