50-Year Oil Spill Lingers in Brooklyn

Until the current disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, this was the largest oil spill in U.S. History. It took several decades to happen, and even longer to clean up. It's the oil spill that sent by some EPA estimates more than 30 million gallons of crude and petro-chemicals underneath the streets in the Greenpoint section of Brooklyn. Clean Skies Lee Patrick Sullivan went to the streets of Brooklyn to check on the on going clean up of this massive spill.
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Poll: Americans Are Willing to Make Energy Sacrifices for a Better Future

Maybe it's something in the air--or in the Gulf--but Americans have finally decided that they are willing to make personal sacrifices for the betterment of both the environment and the economy. In a recent national survey commissioned by GE, 79% of those polled said they would adjust their energy consumption habits and behaviors in the short term to ensure bigger changes in the long-term--most likely because 72% of respondents believe that their energy use can directly harm the country's economic growth. As part of their commitment to change, 88% of those polled said they would be willing to use a smart device like a smart meter, thermostat, or smart appliance. That's encouraging news for companies like GE that are investing big bucks in smart grid-aware microwaves, oven ranges, hot water heaters, dryers, and more. These surveys are tied into larger concerns about the economy, as reported in a poll this week from the New York Times and CBS. According to the poll, 48% of Americans disapprove of the way the President is handling the economy, and only 34% believe that Obama has a clear plan for creating jobs. And while GE's survey indicates that Americans are willing to take charge on energy issues, the CBS poll shows that they also want government leadership. Fifty-nine percent of those polled think that Obama doesn't have a plan to deal with the Gulf oil disaster, and the majority of respondents want more environmental regulation for offshore drilling. Changing attitudes about energy use might not be directly related to the Gulf oil disaster, but the heartbreaking images of oil-soaked animals certainly have an effect. And as long as environmental issues impact our checkbooks, Americans will continue to care. 
Via Fast Company





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Obama's Remarks To Nation On Oil Spill

President Obama's remarks to the nation on the BP oil spill:

 Good evening. As we speak, our nation faces a multitude of challenges. At home, our top priority is to recover and rebuild from a recession that has touched the lives of nearly every American. Abroad, our brave men and women in uniform are taking the fight to al Qaeda wherever it exists. And tonight, I've returned from a trip to the Gulf Coast to speak with you about the battle we're waging against an oil spill that is assaulting our shores and our citizens.
On April 20th, an explosion ripped through BP's Deepwater Horizon drilling rig, about 40 miles off the coast of Louisiana. Eleven workers lost their lives. Seventeen others were injured. And soon, nearly a mile beneath the surface of the ocean, oil began spewing into the water.
Because there has never been a leak this size at this depth, stopping it has tested the limits of human technology. That is why just after the rig sank, I assembled a team of our nation's best scientists and engineers to tackle this challenge — a team led by Dr. Steven Chu, a Nobel Prize-winning physicist and our nation's Secretary of Energy. Scientists at our national labs and experts from academia and other oil companies have also provided ideas and advice.
As a result of these efforts, we have directed BP to mobilize additional equipment and technology. In the coming weeks and days, these efforts should capture up to 90% of the oil leaking out of the well. This is until the company finishes drilling a relief well later in the summer that is expected to stop the leak completely.
Already, this oil spill is the worst environmental disaster America has ever faced. And unlike an earthquake or a hurricane, it is not a single event that does its damage in a matter of minutes or days. The millions of gallons of oil that have spilled into the Gulf of Mexico are more like an epidemic, one that we will be fighting for months and even years.
But make no mistake: We will fight this spill with everything we've got for as long it takes. We will make BP pay for the damage their company has caused. And we will do whatever's necessary to help the Gulf Coast and its people recover from this tragedy.

Tonight I'd like to lay out for you what our battle plan is going forward: what we're doing to clean up the oil, what we're doing to help our neighbors in the Gulf, and what we're doing to make sure that a catastrophe like this never happens again.

First, the cleanup. From the very beginning of this crisis, the federal government has been in charge of the largest environmental cleanup effort in our nation's history — an effort led by Admiral Thad Allen, who has almost 40 years of experience responding to disasters. We now have nearly 30,000 personnel who are working across four states to contain and cleanup the oil. Thousands of ships and other vessels are responding in the Gulf. And I have authorized the deployment of over 17,000 National Guard members along the coast. These servicemen and women are ready to help stop the oil from coming ashore, they're ready to clean beaches, train response workers, or even help with processing claims — and I urge the governors in the affected states to activate these troops as soon as possible.
Because of our efforts, millions of gallons of oil have already been removed from the water through burning, skimming and other collection methods. Over five and a half million feet of boom has been laid across the water to block and absorb the approaching oil. We have approved the construction of new barrier islands in Louisiana to try and stop the oil before it reaches the shore, and we are working with Alabama, Mississippi, and Florida to implement creative approaches to their unique coastlines.

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Obama to address nation on Gulf spill, demand BP damage fund

 President Obama plans to address the nation this week about the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, the worst in U.S. history. White House adviser David Axelrod told NBC's Meet the Press Sunday that Obama will discuss the disaster after he returns from a visit to the region Monday and Tuesday, reports the Associated Press. "The president will announce several steps" for handling the spill's fallout, Alexrod said. Scientists estimate the Gulf spill has spewed anywhere from 40 million gallons of oil to more than 100 million gallons since the Deepwater Horizon rig, run by energy giant BP, exploded April 20.
Axelrod said Obama, who meets Wednesday at the White House with BP executives, will demand the company fund an escrow account that a third-party panel will administer to distribute damage claims from individuals and businesses hurt by the Gulf spill, reports POLITICO.

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US experts find undersea oil from spill

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Gulf oil spill reaches day 50, Obama wants an 'ass to kick,' residents just want a solution

The Gulf Coast has had its behind beaten for the past seven weeks. Now President Obama wants an "ass to kick."
When an offshore oil rig near the Louisiana coast exploded April 20, no one immediately anticipated the blast would spark the worst oil spill in U.S. history.
Fifty days later, the environmental catastrophe is crystal clear.
In the following weeks, Americans have watched the CEO of the company responsible for the disaster jam his foot into his mouth repeatedly while efforts to stop the massive spill failed.
The government's response, lacking sufficient outrage according to the public, has been equally unable to keep thousands of gallons of oil each day from spewing into the Gulf.
BP CEO Tony Hayward has recently apologized for comments like, "I want my life back," that the Gulf was "a big ocean" and that "the environmental impact of this disaster is likely to be very, very modest."
President Obama used the gaffes to fire back, most notably saying in a "Today" show interview that he would fire Hayward if he were his boss and that he's looking for an "ass to kick."
All this while black ooze smothers the region's wildlife and economy.
Thad Allen, the Coast Guard admiral in charge of the government effort, summed up the chaos and confusion.
"Everyone wants certainty," he said. "With an oil spill like this, there isn't any."
Even the numbers are murky. Estimates peg the amount of oil floating in the ocean between 23 million and 49 million gallons.

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BP: Gulf oil spill costs have reached $1.25B

BP says the cost of the company's response to the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has reached about $1.25 billion.
The company announced the total in a news release Monday. BP says the figure does not include $360 million for a project to build six sand berms meant to protect Louisiana's wetlands from spreading oil.
The news comes as the government's point man on the spill warned that the battle to contain the oil is likely to stretch into the fall.
Millions of gallons of oil have spilled since the Deepwater Horizon rig exploded 50 miles off the coast of Louisiana on April 20, killing 11 workers.





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BP Gulf Oil Spill Update

Florida Oil Update:

Satellite imagery has confirmed as early as the beginning of this week that large sheens of oil were approaching the beaches of Florida. It’s really been a guessing game for the residents of Florida as to when exactly the oil would start hitting the beaches.  
Musician Jimmy Buffett, wearing his Margaritaville-brand flip-flops, stood Saturday on a pier at tar-ball blotched Pensacola Beach and led a pro-beach rally, urging Floridians to "not get a 'sky is falling' attitude" over the looming oil slick.
Buffett said he has survived hurricanes, getting shot at in Jamaica and a plane crash, and he insisted he's ready to ride out the oil-spill disaster that in the last two days has hit the white sand beaches of the Florida Panhandle.
"This is an environmental disaster nobody asked for, but Floridians are  tough people," Buffet said to the crowd of 1,000 beachgoers.
Tar balls swept along by strong winds hit more of the Panhandle coast Saturday, including Perdido Key at the far west end of the state and Grayton Beach, about 60 miles east of Pensacola Beach. A dozen tar mats — slabs of thickened crude as long as 30 feet  — were found near Navarre Beach.
As spill-response workers collected oil blobs in the background, Buffett was joined by Gov. Charlie Crist. Although the expanding slick is largely offshore, it continues to drift east and threatens to devastate the state's crucial tourism industry.      See Full Story

Containment Cap Update:

A containment cap that sucked some of the oil from a blown-out well in the Gulf of Mexico offered a small sign of progress for a region that has seen its wildlife coated in a lethal oil muck, its fishermen idled and its beaches tarnished by the nation's worst oil spill.
Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen said Saturday that after its first full day of work, the cap placed on the gusher near the sea floor trapped about 252,000 gallons of oil, which is somewhere between a quarter to half of the oil flowing from the well, according to government estimates.
Next, engineers at BP PLC must attempt to close vents on the cap that were deliberately allowing streams of oil to escape the system so water cannot get inside. When water and gas combined in an earlier containment box, it formed a frozen slush that foiled the system.
Allen, who said the goal is to gradually increase the amount of the oil being captured, compared the process to stopping the flow of water from a garden hose with a finger: "You don't want to put your finger down too quickly, or let it off too quickly."
While BP plans to eventually use an additional set of hoses and pipes to increase the amount of oil being trapped, the ultimate solution remains a relief well that should be finished by August.  Click For Full Story 







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