by papicek
Author's Note: There is nothing new in this diary. I write this because, while many of us watch and comment on the car wreck that is BP's oil volcano, it behooves us to remember the effects of what we will all witness in the decades to come. This diary contains no links to video feeds, no fascinating images of sexy technology. We've been focused on this to the detriment of the real story: the long lasting biological effects that Gulf Coast residents will have to live with the rest of their lives. If you want to find those links, they're here. (Leave a rec there, please.) The material I choose here is largely taken from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and papers by Dr. Jeffrey Short. Any errors or misinterpretations are my fault, and corrections are welcome. Please donate a rec and help keep the BP Oilpocalypse Liveblog Mothership up. It costs nothing and if you don't do it, who will?
continued at Daily Kos....
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
"I don't ever remember doing this" - Rig Survivor
by Unenergy
Rig survivors: BP ordered shortcut on day of blast BP official wanted workers to replace heavy mud, used to keep the well's pressure down, with lighter seawater to help speed a process that was costing an estimated $750,000 a day and was already running five weeks late, rig survivors told CNN. BP won the argument, said Doug Brown, the rig's chief mechanic. "He basically said, 'Well, this is how it's gonna be.' " In the CNN interviews, the workers described a corporate culture of cutting staff and ignoring warning signs ahead of the blast. They said BP routinely cut corners and pushed ahead despite concerns about safety.
continued at Daily Kos....
Rig survivors: BP ordered shortcut on day of blast BP official wanted workers to replace heavy mud, used to keep the well's pressure down, with lighter seawater to help speed a process that was costing an estimated $750,000 a day and was already running five weeks late, rig survivors told CNN. BP won the argument, said Doug Brown, the rig's chief mechanic. "He basically said, 'Well, this is how it's gonna be.' " In the CNN interviews, the workers described a corporate culture of cutting staff and ignoring warning signs ahead of the blast. They said BP routinely cut corners and pushed ahead despite concerns about safety.
continued at Daily Kos....
Oilmageddon survivors: Safety was a four-letter word on rig
by Christian Dem in NC
In an interview due to air tonight on AC360, several survivors of the Oilmageddon explosion portrayed BP, and to a lesser extent Transocean, as being disturbingly cavalier about safety. In the most disturbing part, the survivors hint at one possible cause of the disaster--a potentially catastrophic decision by BP's company man. The BP official wanted workers to replace heavy mud, used to keep the well's pressure down, with lighter seawater to help speed a process that was costing an estimated $750,000 a day and was already running five weeks late, rig survivors told CNN. BP won the argument, said Doug Brown, the rig's chief mechanic. "He basically said, 'Well, this is how it's gonna be.' " "That's what the big argument was about," added Daniel Barron III. The workers also said that despite Transocean's stated policy that even the lowliest roughneck has stop-work authority, voicing safety concerns was a firing offense. For instance, Transocean once ordered a crane to keep operating despite high winds.
continued at Daily Kos....
In an interview due to air tonight on AC360, several survivors of the Oilmageddon explosion portrayed BP, and to a lesser extent Transocean, as being disturbingly cavalier about safety. In the most disturbing part, the survivors hint at one possible cause of the disaster--a potentially catastrophic decision by BP's company man. The BP official wanted workers to replace heavy mud, used to keep the well's pressure down, with lighter seawater to help speed a process that was costing an estimated $750,000 a day and was already running five weeks late, rig survivors told CNN. BP won the argument, said Doug Brown, the rig's chief mechanic. "He basically said, 'Well, this is how it's gonna be.' " "That's what the big argument was about," added Daniel Barron III. The workers also said that despite Transocean's stated policy that even the lowliest roughneck has stop-work authority, voicing safety concerns was a firing offense. For instance, Transocean once ordered a crane to keep operating despite high winds.
continued at Daily Kos....
Renewable Energy Round-Up
by mark louis
Before I get to energy news, I'd like to address news on energy legislation. It's been reported in various places that Maj. Leader Harry Reid will pursue an energy-only bill w/o a cap on carbon, & then allow Kerry/Lieberman to be offered as an amendment. Then today, Lindsey Graham announced that he would not vote for K/L, a bill he helped write. Here's my question: why isn't anyone paying attention to the Cantwell/Collins CLEAR bill? Is it any weaker than Kerry/Lieberman? And if you think it doesn't spur enough renewable energy investment, why not pair it with the ACELA bill written by Jeff Bingaman? Here are some links: CLEAR: Side by side w/ACES (PDF) & how it works (PDF). ACELA: Summary (PDF) I don't think ACELA is enough on its own. And it seems as though some momentum, however minimal, has swung behind CLEAR, & it has a Republican sponsor with the onions to put her name on it. With that, let's talk energy.
continued at Daily Kos....
Before I get to energy news, I'd like to address news on energy legislation. It's been reported in various places that Maj. Leader Harry Reid will pursue an energy-only bill w/o a cap on carbon, & then allow Kerry/Lieberman to be offered as an amendment. Then today, Lindsey Graham announced that he would not vote for K/L, a bill he helped write. Here's my question: why isn't anyone paying attention to the Cantwell/Collins CLEAR bill? Is it any weaker than Kerry/Lieberman? And if you think it doesn't spur enough renewable energy investment, why not pair it with the ACELA bill written by Jeff Bingaman? Here are some links: CLEAR: Side by side w/ACES (PDF) & how it works (PDF). ACELA: Summary (PDF) I don't think ACELA is enough on its own. And it seems as though some momentum, however minimal, has swung behind CLEAR, & it has a Republican sponsor with the onions to put her name on it. With that, let's talk energy.
continued at Daily Kos....
Gulf Citizens take matters into their own hands -- Updated
by jamess
Here's a Town, that said "Hell No, to the Crude" -- NOT on their Watch! Magnolia Springs, Alabama, Weeks Bay. Updated: Tuesday, June 8, 2010
continued at Daily Kos....
Here's a Town, that said "Hell No, to the Crude" -- NOT on their Watch! Magnolia Springs, Alabama, Weeks Bay. Updated: Tuesday, June 8, 2010
continued at Daily Kos....
BP crims advised: say 'goodnight," hire nastiest lawyers
by Gorette
Waking this morning thinking: Bloody British Petroleum! Bloody Petroleum! Criminals. That's how most Americans view BP today, myself included. Bloody friggin criminals. Bloodied our Gulf and precious wildlife. Had a diary ready to go about the criminals known as BP which I'll put below these first remarks that will tell you why you need to be even more angry at and afraid of BP. Below you get two diaries for the price of one. Read about their criminality. Yet I'm torn in writing this because of my love of Britain and Brits. Roots half British (Eaton and Wickwire). Obsessed with British detective novels. Spent time there, and made lifelong friends. Majored in English and grew up watching old British films with my mom (fav: "I Know Where I'm Going" with Dame Wendy Hiller.) Ah! London plays with Guinness, Guilgud, Finney and Scofield. Ballet, Dame Margot Fonteyn in her 50's was young Juliet.
continued at Daily Kos....
Waking this morning thinking: Bloody British Petroleum! Bloody Petroleum! Criminals. That's how most Americans view BP today, myself included. Bloody friggin criminals. Bloodied our Gulf and precious wildlife. Had a diary ready to go about the criminals known as BP which I'll put below these first remarks that will tell you why you need to be even more angry at and afraid of BP. Below you get two diaries for the price of one. Read about their criminality. Yet I'm torn in writing this because of my love of Britain and Brits. Roots half British (Eaton and Wickwire). Obsessed with British detective novels. Spent time there, and made lifelong friends. Majored in English and grew up watching old British films with my mom (fav: "I Know Where I'm Going" with Dame Wendy Hiller.) Ah! London plays with Guinness, Guilgud, Finney and Scofield. Ballet, Dame Margot Fonteyn in her 50's was young Juliet.
continued at Daily Kos....
Bhopal 25+ Years Later: A Cautionary Tale
by soothsayer99
"In the early hours of December 3, 1984, chaos and panic broke out as a poisonous cloud, twice as heavy as air, enveloped the Indian city of Bhopal, wafting into homes, schools, temples, everywhere..... This was the world’s worst industrial disaster: 25,000 people died while another 100,000 to 200,000 people were estimated to have crippling injuries, according to independent sources."
continued at Daily Kos....
"In the early hours of December 3, 1984, chaos and panic broke out as a poisonous cloud, twice as heavy as air, enveloped the Indian city of Bhopal, wafting into homes, schools, temples, everywhere..... This was the world’s worst industrial disaster: 25,000 people died while another 100,000 to 200,000 people were estimated to have crippling injuries, according to independent sources."
continued at Daily Kos....
On Taking Down British Petroleum, Do We Really Want That?
by Something the Dog Said
Is it time for the United States to break British Petroleum? It is within the power of the government to do so in a lot of ways, but with all big moves there are going to be serious consequences. The case against the world’s fourth largest corporation(the other three are Royal Dutch Shell, Exxon Mobile and Wal-Mart) is pretty strong. They have flouted the law time and again. There have been criminal environmental charges which BP plead guilty to; there are the deaths associated with the explosions at both Deepwater Horizon and the Texas City refinery; then there is the apparent ass-covering moves in reporting the amount of oil which is spewing from the broken well in the Gulf. One of my fathers axioms was "Greed knows no boundaries". When greed is involved the only thing that can limit the actions of a huge corporation is the law. This is what led him to spend much of his life taking cases for clients that sued insurance companies and automakers for their callus actions in pursuit of a few dollars more profit. The law is what needs to be deployed against BP. "Originally posted at Squarestate.net"
continued at Daily Kos....
Is it time for the United States to break British Petroleum? It is within the power of the government to do so in a lot of ways, but with all big moves there are going to be serious consequences. The case against the world’s fourth largest corporation(the other three are Royal Dutch Shell, Exxon Mobile and Wal-Mart) is pretty strong. They have flouted the law time and again. There have been criminal environmental charges which BP plead guilty to; there are the deaths associated with the explosions at both Deepwater Horizon and the Texas City refinery; then there is the apparent ass-covering moves in reporting the amount of oil which is spewing from the broken well in the Gulf. One of my fathers axioms was "Greed knows no boundaries". When greed is involved the only thing that can limit the actions of a huge corporation is the law. This is what led him to spend much of his life taking cases for clients that sued insurance companies and automakers for their callus actions in pursuit of a few dollars more profit. The law is what needs to be deployed against BP. "Originally posted at Squarestate.net"
continued at Daily Kos....
Reid Abandons Climate Bill, Wastes Crisis
by RLMiller
President Obama and Senate leaders have committed to pass a bill in response to the Gulf disaster. But will it be a climate-and-energy bill, or a stand-alone energy bill with a possible (but hard-to-pass) climate amendment? Suddenly, the American Power Act (Kerry-Lieberman "climate bill") is being abandoned in favor of the toothless American Clean Energy Leadership Act that passed the Energy & Natural Resources Committee nearly a year ago. This morning, aides to Senator Harry Reid (N-NV) state that he's planning to move an energy-only bill to the Senate floor, letting the climate bill be considered as an easily defeatable amendment. The Financial Times sums up Reid's plan: climate legislation could be buried for a generation. Action alert! below the fold.
continued at Daily Kos....
President Obama and Senate leaders have committed to pass a bill in response to the Gulf disaster. But will it be a climate-and-energy bill, or a stand-alone energy bill with a possible (but hard-to-pass) climate amendment? Suddenly, the American Power Act (Kerry-Lieberman "climate bill") is being abandoned in favor of the toothless American Clean Energy Leadership Act that passed the Energy & Natural Resources Committee nearly a year ago. This morning, aides to Senator Harry Reid (N-NV) state that he's planning to move an energy-only bill to the Senate floor, letting the climate bill be considered as an easily defeatable amendment. The Financial Times sums up Reid's plan: climate legislation could be buried for a generation. Action alert! below the fold.
continued at Daily Kos....
Humans Destroying Major Food Source: Fish
by Steven D
This isn't a story about BP's oil gusher in the Gulf, though God knows when all is said and done if the "moderate impact" of that catastrophe may very well mean the end to much of the edible marine life, including shrimp and fish stocks, in the Gulf of Mexico for decades to come. No, bad as the BPocalypse may be, that's not the main reason for this story. You see, human activity, from pollution and overfishing, has been rapidly depleting fish stocks around the world and destroying the fragile ecosystems of the world's oceans. (Also at Booman Tribune)
continued at Daily Kos....
This isn't a story about BP's oil gusher in the Gulf, though God knows when all is said and done if the "moderate impact" of that catastrophe may very well mean the end to much of the edible marine life, including shrimp and fish stocks, in the Gulf of Mexico for decades to come. No, bad as the BPocalypse may be, that's not the main reason for this story. You see, human activity, from pollution and overfishing, has been rapidly depleting fish stocks around the world and destroying the fragile ecosystems of the world's oceans. (Also at Booman Tribune)
continued at Daily Kos....
BP Catastrophe Day 49 - Liveblog Mothership Day 14
by Liveblog
Please unrec this diary and rec today's mothership #15 here to make room on the rec list. The current ROV DIARY: BP Oilpocalypse ROV #75 Rules of the Road Let's keep this a meta diary. To volunteer to host a liveblog submersible (ROV), leave a comment here. Please rec this mothership diary, not the ROVs. Please be kind to fellow kossacks who may have limited bandwidth and refrain from posting images or videos. PLEASE visit Crashing Vor and Pam LaPier's diaries to find out how you can help the Gulf now and in the future. We don't have to be idle! And thanks to Crashing Vor and Pam LaPier for working on this! .
continued at Daily Kos....
Please unrec this diary and rec today's mothership #15 here to make room on the rec list. The current ROV DIARY: BP Oilpocalypse ROV #75 Rules of the Road Let's keep this a meta diary. To volunteer to host a liveblog submersible (ROV), leave a comment here. Please rec this mothership diary, not the ROVs. Please be kind to fellow kossacks who may have limited bandwidth and refrain from posting images or videos. PLEASE visit Crashing Vor and Pam LaPier's diaries to find out how you can help the Gulf now and in the future. We don't have to be idle! And thanks to Crashing Vor and Pam LaPier for working on this! .
continued at Daily Kos....
Smudged Green ...
by A Siegel
We would, truly, like to think that Kermit was wrong -- that it really is easy to be green. We want Kermit to be wrong ... and, well, while he was wrong, he's right.
continued at Daily Kos....
We would, truly, like to think that Kermit was wrong -- that it really is easy to be green. We want Kermit to be wrong ... and, well, while he was wrong, he's right.
continued at Daily Kos....
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