Massive weathered oil plumes off Louisiana coast

by DWG

The New Orleans Times-Picayune has been reporting massive plumes of weathered oil off the Louisiana coast.

Just three days after the U.S. Coast Guard admiral in charge of the BP oil spill cleanup declared little recoverable surface oil remained in the Gulf of Mexico, Louisiana fishers Friday found miles-long strings of weathered oil floating toward fragile marshes on the Mississippi River delta.

The report was dismissed by the Coast Guard, which suggested the miles long orange plumes were likely to be algae.

It is déjà vu all over again.

continued at Daily Kos....

Chicken Little Updated for the Age of Peak Oil and Climate Change

by DWG

The Chicken Little fable* was created as a cautionary tale against panic and mass hysteria in uncertain times. But there are times when the sky is failing and Chicken Little needs to be careful of taking advice from smooth talking strangers wearing Wall Street tweed. On to our story.

Once upon a time, there was a Fox named Loxy, a shrewd little fellow with a big appetite. One fine summer's day, Foxy Loxy was on the prowl for unlocked henhouses when he overheard Farmer Brown proclaim to her husband that their well was running dry. Without water for the corn, feeding the hens was going to be a big problem.

Foxy Loxy had a plan. Pass the bad news to the hens and con them to take a little journey to his den.

Before we return to our story, note that Foxy Loxy in this enactment will be played by Charles Maxwell, senior energy analyst at Weeden & Co.

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Climate Zombie Lindsey Graham gushes for tar sands oil

by DWG

Lindsey Graham has just provided disturbing evidence that exposure to the Alberta tar sands impairs mental function. The U.S. Senator from South Carolina was in Alberta last week to visit the tar sands as part of a "fact-finding" mission. Graham does not have any energy-related committee assignments, so why he felt the need to conduct this taxpayer-funded mission is unclear. Perhaps the mission was to prove his loyalty to multinational oil companies after he committed the cardinal sin ofadmitting that climate change was real and we needed to transition to clean energy. His first step to mend fences with dirty energy companies and fellow Republican Climate Zombies was to proclaim that climate change did not need to be taken seriously.

"The science about global warming has changed. I think they've oversold this stuff, quite frankly. I think they've been alarmist and the science is in question.

His recent bizarre and deceptive statements about Canadian tar sands oil further establish his Climate Zombie credentials.

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"Environmental extremists" about to attack shale gas drilling in PA?

by DWG

One of the most clever smear campaigns ever devised was to equate environmental activism with terrorism. One testament to the success of that hyperbolic deception emerged recently in Pennsylvania, home to booming shale gas drilling operations in the Marcellus Formation. Abrahm Lustgarten at Propublica describes an intelligence briefing that went out to law enforcement officials in the state warning of possible acts of "environmental extremism."

As debate over natural gas drilling in the Marcellus shale reaches a fever pitch, state and federal authorities are warning Pennsylvania law enforcement that "environmental extremists" pose an increasing threat to security and to the energy sector.

Propublica, Sept 8, article by Abrahm Lustgarten

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What's next for coal ash?

by Sue Sturgis

Disaster has pushed Washington to call for new standards for handling waste from coal-fired power plants. It's invited citizens to weigh in, but will their voices carry above lobbyists fighting tough regulations?

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Power politics: Utilities vs. coal ash regulation

by Sue Sturgis

After years of inaction, federal officials are mulling new regulations to confront the growing problem of coal ash. But energy companies have fought off regulation before, and they're fighting the new rules every step of the way.

continued at Daily Kos....

Special investigation: Coal's dirty secret

by Sue Sturgis

Coal ash is one of the country's biggest waste streams and is full of toxic substances, yet it remains virtually unregulated. Can Washington overcome the fierce opposition of energy interests to protect communities and the environment?

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Rumors of debarment for BP

by DWG

In what would be the most fitting punishment for BP's many crimes, there are rumors that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is considering debarment for the company. Debarment is somewhere between corporal and capital punishment for scofflaw companies. The most severe form is "discretionary debarment," which would cancel all government contracts and leases on federal lands, a move that would cost BP at least 16 billion dollars a year. An article in ProPublica by Abrahm Lustgarten discusses the prospects for debarment for BP and gives even a cynic like me reason to smile. Let me touch on the points that had me licking my canine teeth.

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Baked Alaska: Minerals Management Stupidity

by DWG

The conclusion of a New York Times article on the actions of the Minerals Management Service office in Alaska left a bad taste in many mouths. Shortly after Interior Secretary Ken Salazar proposed reconfiguring the agency, John Goll, the head of the Alaska region, called an “all hands” meeting, according to a staff member there. Afterward, people lingered to eat a cake decorated with the words, “Drill, Baby, Drill.” Interesting choice of cake decoration by an agency pushing drilling in the Arctic Ocean while oil chokes the Gulf of Mexico.

continued at Daily Kos....