Weekly Mulch: If Cancun Climate Talks Falter, Blame the U.S.

by The Media Consortium

by Sarah Laskow, Media Consortium blogger

continued at Daily Kos....

Widening Gulf between Oil and Security

by Jan Barry

The massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico from BP's drilling platform that exploded and killed 11 workers fouled key fishing areas, befouled wildlife and relentlessly threatened to ruin the region's beaches and tourism industry. But perhaps the biggest shock was the out-of-control oil plume's jolt to Americans' sense of national security.

continued at Daily Kos....

BP and the Gov't: Setting Precedent, Reforming Image*

by scorpiorising

The Gulf of Mexico, her marine life and the people of the Gulf coast are a political sacrifice, and one that the Obama administration had no right to make.

The lies of BP and our government are as toxic as the oil that remains in the Gulf, and the dispersant that BP continues to be used in full view, and apparently with approval from, our government. There is a massive cover-up taking place on the Gulf coast, in full view of the "public", the people, in full view of the corporate media, in full view of the world.

continued at Daily Kos....

BP and the Gov't: Setting Precedent, Reforming Image

by scorpiorising

The Gulf of Mexico, her marine life and the people of the Gulf coast are a political sacrifice, and one that the Obama administration had no right to make.

The lies of BP and our government are as toxic as the oil that remains in the Gulf, and the dispersant that BP continues to be used in full view, and apparently with approval from, our government. There is a massive cover-up taking place on the Gulf coast, in full view of the "public", the people, in full view of the corporate media, in full view of the world.

continued at Daily Kos....

BP and the Gov't: Setting Precedent, Reforming Image

by scorpiorising

The Gulf of Mexico, her marine life and the people of the Gulf coast are a political sacrifice, and one that the Obama administration had no right to make.

The lies of BP and our government are as toxic as the oil that remains in the Gulf, and the dispersant that BP continues to be used in full view, and apparently with approval from, our government. There is a massive cover-up taking place on the Gulf coast, in full view of the "public", the people, in full view of the corporate media, in full view of the world.

continued at Daily Kos....

eKos: The Case of the Texas Dead Zone & the Lost Oil

by FishOutofWater

We will never know if this year's Gulf dead zone was the largest ever. The cruise sampling the Gulf was terminated in, apparently, the middle of a large dead zone, before it was fully sampled. PDF

"This is the largest such area off the upper Texas coast that we have found since we began this work in 1985." She commented that "The total area probably would have been the largest if we had had enough time to completely map the western part."

Oxygen concentration in bottom-water across the Louisiana-Texas shelf from July 25-31, 2010. The black line outlines values less than 2 mg/L, or hypoxia. Letters indicate transects. Black dots are sampled stations.

continued at Daily Kos...

Getting astroturfed: what do Sandra Bullock, Lenny Kravitz and Blake Lively have in common?

by Desmogblog

Other than all being heavyweight celebrities, Sandra Bullock, Lenny Kravitz and Blake Lively - along with many other celebs - have all starred in a Youtube ad created by an oil company (including BP) sponsored organization called the America's Wetlands Foundation that is running a campaign to get the federal government to pay for the restoration of the oil-soaked Gulf coastline.

continued at Daily Kos...

Former tech: Deepwater Horizon gas alarm system was disabled

by Christian Dem in NC

The former chief electronics tech at Deepwater Horizon dropped a bombshell in testimony today--the main gas alarm had been deliberately disabled.

The worker, Mike Williams, chief electronics technician aboard the Transocean rig, said the general safety alarm was habitually set to "inhibited" to avoid waking up the crew with late-night sirens.

"They did not want people woke up at 3 a.m. from false alarms," Mr. Williams told the federal panel of investigators in this New Orleans suburb. Consequently, the alarm did not sound during the emergency, leaving workers to relay information through the loudspeaker system.

Williams also said that for at least five years, a system for removing dangerous gas from the drilling shack had been in bypass mode--and apparently Transocean's entire fleet ran similar systems in bypass.

If I'm the official who ordered those alarms disabled, I'd have a lawyer on speed dial.

continued at Daily Kos...

Breaking – reports of a seep found near the BP well

by deepsouthdoug

Reuters:

Engineers monitoring BP's damaged well in the Gulf of Mexico detected seepage on the ocean floor that could mean problems with the cap that has stopped oil from gushing into the water, the U.S. government's top oil spill official said on Sunday.

snip

But late on Sunday, the U.S. government released a letter to BP Chief Managing Director Bob Dudley from retired Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen that referred to seepage near the mile-deep (1.6 km-deep) well as well as "undetermined anomalies at the well head."

"I direct you to provide me a written procedure for opening the choke valve as quickly as possible without damaging the well should hydrocarbon seepage near the well head be confirmed," Allen wrote.

continued at Daily Kos....

NOAA & BP Keep Key Oil Data from Scientists & Public

by FishOutofWater

Scientists have been refused access to key data that NOAA has given to BP. Data access is necessary to plan research, investigate damage, and assess critical environmental effects. University researchers and other independent scientists have requested data from the government so that they can track the oil and its effects on the water chemistry and ecosystem of the Gulf of Mexico, but NOAA has refused to release the data.

Independent scientists, and science bloggers including me, have been strongly questioning the use of dispersants in deep water because dispersed oil in deep water could potentially cause oil plumes dead zones that might last for years. The EPA allowed BP to use dispersants in 5000 ft. deep water despite the lack of data on the effects of dispersing oil in deep water.

continued at Daily Kos....

I Pledge Allegiance: BP Oil Spill 9July10

by FishOutofWater

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

As a writer and photographer covering the oil spill in the Gulf, I've been frustrated by the well-documented efforts by BP and the U.S. Government to limit media access to the damage. The restrictions tightened last week, when the Coast Guard announced rules that prevent the public--including news photographers and reporters--from coming within 20 meters (about 65 feet) of any response vessels or booms on the water or beaches. Violate the "safety zone" rule and you can be slapped with a $40,000 fine and prosecuted under a Class D felony.

Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen defended the buffer, saying it is "not unusual" to enact measures for "marine events" or "fireworks demonstrations."

continued at Daily Kos....

Is BP Trying to Cover Up Its Mess on Alabama Beaches?

by RogerShuler

Cross Posted at Legal Schnauzer

Multiple reports are surfacing of BP and law-enforcement officials restricting access of the press to Alabama beaches.

One report involves Alabama conservationist John Wathen, who has shot perhaps the two most dramatic videos of the Gulf oil disaster and recently was featured on Countdown With Keith Olbermann.

continued at Daily Kos....

'Special Places at Risk...'

by hold tight

Cross-posted in a slightly different form at 1Sky.org.

Yesterday, a guest blog at 1Sky posted a heart-wrenching story about oil from the  BP spill coming ashore at Florida's Gulf Island National Seashore. Sadly, this location is one of 15 special places identified as at-risk of contamination from the BP oil spill,in a report by the Rocky Mountain Climate Organization and the Natural Resources Defense Council. "Special Places at Risk in the Gulf of Mexico' (in .pdf form that can by accessed at this link), was written in late May to summarize the ecological value of only a few of the many National Parks, Wildlife Refuges, Seashores, and State Wildlife Management Areas at potential risk from the spill that has now been flowing for more than 2 months.

continued at Daily Kos....

Black Plague of Death Lurks Below, BP Booms the Press

by FishOutofWater

Weathering of dispersed plumes of BP Oil has depleted the oxygen from water below a thin surface layer. Fish have migrated into the top 50 feet of water. Creatures that can't swim aren't so fortunate. A black zone of death sucks the life out of everything below.

continued at Daily Kos....

Conditions Go From Bad to Worse Off Alabama Coast

by RogerShuler

Cross Posted at Legal Schnauzer

The news seems to worsen by the day on the Alabama coast, as damage from the BP oil spill hits closer and closer to home.

A low-oxygen dead zone is choking life on the sea floor in places off the Alabama shoreline, according to a report yesterday in the Mobile Press-Register. Also, submerged oil on the seafloor has been documented in state waters.

On top of that, a public official says a 15-mile-long oil slick is expected to hit the beaches of Baldwin County today.

continued at Daily Kos....

Creator of Oil-Spill Videos Makes Us Proud to be from Alabama

by RogerShuler

Cross Posted at Legal Schnauzer

It's not often that a progressive gets to say, "I'm proud to be from Alabama."

But we had an opportunity to feel that way Wednesday night when environmentalist John Wathen appeared on Countdown With Keith Olbermann to discuss his dramatic videos of damage from the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

On issues of national importance, the most prominent Alabama voices usually belong to Larry (U.S. Senator Richard Shelby), Moe (U.S. Senator Jeff Sessions), or Curly (Governor Bob Riley). I hate to tarnish the Three Stooges' comic legacy by linking them to conservative Alabama politicians, but it's the best comparison I can think of.

So it was indeed refreshing to see a progressive Alabamian make heart-felt and intelligent comments on national television--even if it was about an ongoing environmental catastrophe.

continued at Daily Kos....

Oil Enters Food Chain & Deep Dead Zones Grow in Gulf

by FishOutofWater

Oil spewing from the blown BP well is entering the food chain. Marine biologists have discovered oiled crab larvae in uncontaminated marshes. Oil from the Gulf is being taken into otherwise uncontaminated areas by contaminated crabs.

Offshore, in deep water, methane levels as high as 10,000 above normal have been confirmed by new data.

On June 26, a lake of oil built offshore of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and the Florida panhandle, before winds and waves from hurricane Alex swept across the Gulf.

continued at Daily Kos....

John Boehner Contradicts John Boehner on BP Oil Disaster

by TheGreenMiles

John Boehner is a formidable opponent. For John Boehner.

You see, John Boehner thinks President Obama is doing too little to respond to the BP oil disaster. But John Boehner, on the other hand, thinks President Obama is doing too much.

It depends on which John Boehner you're talking to. Is it the John Boehner trying to pander to voters? Or the John Boehner trying to suck up to Big Oil?

continued at Daily Kos....

Video: Dolphins and Whale Struggle to Survive in BP Oil Slick

by RogerShuler

Cross Posted at Legal Schnauzer

A new video from an Alabama environmental investigator shows more than 50 dolphins, some of them dying, in the BP oil slick. The video also shows a sperm whale with oil all around its blow hole and red splotches down its back, as if it's been "basted in crude."

John Wathen provided perhaps the most dramatic early images of the oil spill and uttered the unforgettable phrase: "The Gulf appears to be bleeding." In his latest video--filmed June 21--Wathen provides disturbing images of the struggle for life in the Gulf of Mexico.

continued at Daily Kos....

Gulf Coast Attorneys File RICO Class Action Lawsuits Against BP

by bdemelle

Gulf Coast law firms Levin Papantonio, Eastland Law and others have begun filing a series of civil RICO actions in Florida, Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama to hold BP accountable for the false assurances it gave the American people that it could handle a worst-case scenario deepwater oil spill. The suits allege that BP committed mail fraud, wire fraud and potentially other RICO predicate act violations when the company sought permits from the federal government for deepwater offshore drilling, knowing that it did not possess the technical expertise or equipment necessary to respond to an emergency such as the ongoing Deepwater disaster.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...

continued at Daily Kos....