Fire Earth

Earth is fighting to stay alive. Mass dieoffs, triggered by anthropogenic assault and fallout of planetary defense systems offsetting the impact, could begin anytime!

Archive for the ‘Gulf Oil Disaster’ Category

Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill – Latest Info

Posted by feww on August 17, 2010

Dispersants may have forced crude to the ocean floor: Report

The largest environmental disaster in American history will get larger still

University of South Florida researchers believe that crude oil from the Deepwater Horizon spill may have settled to the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico at levels toxic to marine life and further east than previously thought.

“The dispersant is moving the oil down out of the surface and into the deeper waters, where it can affect phytoplankton and other marine life,” said John Paul, a marine microbiologist at USF, CNN reported.

I’m a hypocrite and a liar? Tell the phytoplankton to sue me!


President B.O. and daughter Sasha swim at Alligator Point [sharks!] in Panama City Beach, Fla. August 14, 2010. Official White House [of horrors] Photo by Pete Souza.

See also:

Researchers in Georgia say most of the BP oil the government said was gone from the Gulf of Mexico is still there.

Related Links:


Posted in Alligator Point, disaster 2010, Gulf of Mexico oil Spill, Gulf Oil Disaster, Panama City Beach | Tagged: , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Energy, Mining Disaster Headlines – 20 July 2010

Posted by feww on July 20, 2010

Energy Dinosaurs’ Dirty Pawprints Cover Every Inch of Our Planet

I’m LIVID! All my life I have been a tri-colored heron. Guess who I look like now!


[Original caption: Plaquemines Parish Coastal Zone Director P. J. Hahan holds a tri-colored heron after spotting the seriously oiled bird along Queen Bess Island near Grand Isle, Louisiana July 17, 2010.  REUTERS/Sean Gardner. Image may be subject to copyright.

  • BP shares rise on cap news, Cameron ready to talk Libya

BP shares rose as a cap on its Gulf of Mexico Macondo oil well was holding, as Britain’s PM agreed to meet U.S. senators probing the oil giant’s  role in the release of a Libyan jailed for bombing a U.S. plane: Report

  • China says the report that it had surpassed the United States in 2009 to become  the world’s largest energy user is exaggerated: Report

“We believe that (IEA) did not understand fully the Chinese situation, in particular the efforts China made in energy saving, emission reductions and development in new energy sources,” said Zhou Xian, spokesperson for China’s National Energy Administration, reminding everyone that China’s population was 5 times larger than the U.S.

  • Undaunted, nonchalant U.S. issues first shallow-water drilling permit

“The U.S. Interior Department issued its first shallow-water drilling permit since offshore exploration companies were required to meet two sets of new safety regulations in response to the BP oil spill, a department official said on Monday.” A report said.

  • China hires a flotilla of 500 fishing boats to clean Dalian slick

“China has recruited a flotilla of 500 fishing boats to help clean up an oil slick that shut one of its biggest ports, Dalian, disrupting refinery operations and diverting cargoes elsewhere, but officials said the port would not return to normal until the end of the week.” A report said.

A pipeline explosion and large fire engulfed the Xingang port causing 1,500 tonnes of crude to leak into the sea with a 183 sq km (71 sq miles) slick covering the water surface.

  • Second Zijin mine spill in China hits export hub

“A second leak at Zijin Mining Group’s site in eastern Fujian province has now caused copper levels to soar two-thirds in the Guangdong section of the Ting river, threatening fish farmers’ livelihood, the China Daily said.” A report said.

The  spill was the second in less than a  month, after a massive discharge forced the authorities to order a halt to mining operations, until thorough checks were carried out.

  • U.S. envoy tells Canadians to cut oil sands emissions [The privilege of polluting must be retained for the end user!]

“I understand (the oil sands) importance to your country and to mine,” David Jacobson, Obama’s appointee said in speech to the Pacific NorthWest Economic Region Summit in Calgary.

“I’m aware of the significant steps that have been taken by the industry to the effects of the oil sands operations on the land, the water and the air, but I do not think I’m alone in saying that more needs to be done,” he said.

“A number of environmental groups are also bitterly opposed to oil sands production. One green group put up billboards in U.S. cities last week urging Americans not to travel to Alberta, though the ambassador, a Chicago native, said the campaign was a too-simple response to a complicated issue.” Reuters reported.

“The notion of ‘don’t go to Alberta because it has oil sands’ makes just about as much sense as ‘don’t go visit Chicago because Illinois has coal’,” Jacobson said. “This is a complicated issue and I’m not sure that a billboard … is the way to go.”

  • OIL AND CATTLE DON’T MIX: GOM cattle ranchers fear toxins from BP oil spill

“Over 1,000 head of cattle graze on marshy islands off Louisiana’s southeast tip and thousands more are found in the coastal low-lying pastures highly susceptible to flooding.” A report said.

“Daddy’s here, boys!” shouts Philip Simmons from his flatboat on the Mississippi, catching a glimpse of two of his Brangus bulls grazing the native grasses at water’s edge.

Simmons’ family has been grazing cattle for generations on land that’s surrounded by backwater canals, natural bayous and the Mississippi, a watery oasis of mangroves and willows and wildlife like cranes and spoonbills.

“My cattle feed all the way to the water here,” he said, pointing to the bank of a winding canal, where one group gazed out quizzically from under a canopy of trees and high grasses.

“How am I going to get them out,” asked Simmons. “You’d have to get a helicopter to run them out of this grass. And it’s so hot it’ll kill them. So I’m just playing it by ear. Hopefully I’ll come out on the winning end.”

Related Links:

Posted in alberta oil sands, gulf of mexico oil leak, Gulf Oil Disaster, oil sands production, Zijin mine spill | Tagged: , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Oil Disaster Headlines – 19 July 2010

Posted by feww on July 19, 2010

Gulf seabed near ruptured BP well may be leaking

If what’s leaking from the seabed is methane it could mean oil was also leaking: Thad Allen

[And this time he may be telling the truth.]


Rain falls on oil sheen covering the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Louisiana Thursday, July 15, 2010.   Credit: AP Photo/Patrick Semansky. Image may be subject to copyright.

In the event the seepage was confirmed, he ordered BP to submit a plan to reopen the capped well to allow oil to be funnelled to the surface.

But BP says it would take three days to start this process.

During this time, the daily leakage of tens of thousands of barrels of oil, which had been capped last Thursday, could resume.

The well began leaking oil into the Gulf after BP’s Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded on 20 April, killing 11 workers, and capsized two days later.

BP had hoped the cap could stay in place until relief wells stopped the leak for good.

But with pressure readings from within the well lower than expected, scientists had raised concerns that oil could leaking into the surrounding undersea bedrock.

Allen said in a letter to BP chief managing director Bob Dudley: “Given the current observations… including the detected seep a distance from the well and undetermined anomalies at the well head, monitoring of the seabed is of paramount importance…

“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 wellhead be confirmed.” More …

CHINA

Dalian Xingang oil port, China’s largest oil reserve base, have been shut after a crude oil pipeline exploded spilling oil into the sea


A view shows crude oil in the sea near Dalian, Liaoning province July 18, 2010. REUTERS/China Daily. Image may be subject to copyright.

“The port was sealed right after the explosion. We have a one-week contingency plan, but are hoping that the oil spill can be cleaned up as soon as possible,” a PetroChina oil executive told Reuters.

The explosion occurred when an oil tanker was off-loading its crude oil, according to China Daily.

Related Links:

Posted in Collapse Diary, Dalian Xingang oil disaster, gulf of mexico oil leak, Gulf Oil Disaster | Tagged: , , , | Leave a Comment »

GOM Oil Disaster – Satellite Images – Headlines

Posted by feww on July 16, 2010

GOM Oil Disaster: Day 87


Above photo-like image was captured by MODIS on NASA’s Aqua satellite at 18:55 UTC on July 14, 2010,. Source: NASA E/O. Click image to enlarge.

Related News Headlines

“U.S. lawmakers on Thursday pressed the Environmental Protection Agency for assurances that BP was using safe agents to disperse its massive oil spill, saying they didn’t want the chemicals to become another ‘Agent Orange.'”

“Oil is no longer spewing into the Gulf of Mexico — at least temporarily — as BP Plc said it choked off the flow from its undersea well that ruptured in April and caused the worst offshore oil spill in U.S. history.”

Related Links:

Posted in gulf of mexico oil leak, Gulf of Mexico oil Spill, Gulf of Mexico oil Spill satellite photo, Gulf Oil Disaster | Tagged: , , | Leave a Comment »

Deepwater Drilling OK: Court of Appeals

Posted by feww on July 9, 2010

Judges Have Second Homes on Mars?

Or Simply More Concerned About Pleasing the Big Oil?

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in New Orleans has ruled 2-1 against the administration’s request to stay a lower court decision that lifted the 6-month drilling m moratorium, arguing the admin had failed to demonstrate “how it would be irreparably harmed if it were not granted,” a report said.

Meanwhile, the Interior Department confirmed that it was finally getting its act together and would issue a new order on deepwater drilling below 500 feet, but failed to say when the new ban would come into effect.

“Based on what we have learned since the BP oil spill, it has become increasingly clear that companies may not have adequate containment and response capabilities to respond to a spill and therefore, as the secretary has said previously, he will be issuing a new moratorium,” Interior Department spokesperson said. More …

Related News:

Related Links:


Posted in Deepwater Horizon, Deepwater Horizon Oil Slick, gulf of mexico oil leak, Gulf of Mexico oil Spill, Gulf Oil Disaster | Tagged: , , , | Leave a Comment »

Gulf of Mexico: Different Shades of Crude Oil

Posted by feww on July 6, 2010

Could it Get any Worse?

Yes, it probably could!

Growing Oil Slick in the Gulf of Mexico


Oil from BP’s damaged Macondo oil well (Deepwater Horizon platform) swamps the Mississippi Delta on July 4, 2010. Natural-color image captured by MODIS on NASA’s Terra satellite. Source: NASA E/O.  Click image to enlarge. Download large image (4 MB, JPEG)

Related Links:


Posted in gulf of mexico oil leak, Gulf of Mexico oil Spill, Gulf of Mexico oil Spill satellite photo, Gulf Oil Disaster, Macondo well | Tagged: , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Mississippi Barrier Islands Attacked by Oil Slick

Posted by feww on June 30, 2010

Mississippi Barrier Islands and Gulf Coast Satellite Images


Petit Bois Island is 10 km (6 miles) long and is  is one of 7 barrier islands included in the Gulf Islands National Seashore.
“As of June 27, 2010, the entire gulf-facing beachfront of several barrier islands in eastern Mississippi (offshore of Pascagoula) had received a designation of at least “lightly oiled” by the interagency Shoreline Cleanup Assessment Team that is responding to the disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. A few small stretches of Petit Bois Island had been labeled heavily or moderately oiled.” Image acquired by ALI on NASA’s EO-1 satellite on June 26, 2010. Source: NASA E/O. Click image to enlarge. Download large image (3 MB, JPEG)

Related News:

Oil from a BP Plc spill in the Gulf of Mexico washed ashore at one of the largest tourist beaches in Mississippi on Monday, forcing tourists to pack their bags and evacuate the shore.

Related Links:


Posted in 2010 disasters, gulf of mexico oil leak, Gulf of Mexico oil Spill, Gulf of Mexico oil Spill satellite photo, Gulf Oil Disaster | Tagged: , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Gulf of Mexico Oil Disaster: Headline News

Posted by feww on June 26, 2010

1. As BP stock plunges to a 14-year Low, UK PM fears the firm’s “destruction”

“It is also in all our long-term interests that there is some clarity, some finality, to all of this, so that we don’t at the same time see the destruction of a company that is important for all our interests,” UK PM David  Cameron told Canadian broadcaster CBC.

2. Gulf braces for storm, halt to oil containment

“Federal officials Friday say a tropical storm or hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico could shut down spill-containment operations at BP’s leaking oil well for two weeks, a report said.

3. Govt asks appeals court to keep deepwater drilling ban

Enemy of Earth Judge Feldman had ordered the moratorium be lifted because he decided it was “too broad” and did not justify the impact on the economy. “On Thursday, he denied a stay request by the Obama administration.

4. BP oil spill: Suicide of fisherman ‘distraught at spill’

“Captain William Allen-Kruse was found dead with a gun on board his boat by fellow workers. Coroner Stan Vinson told US media that witnesses believe Mr Kruse, who had been a charter boat fisherman for 20 years, had been distraught at the spill.”

Related Links:

Posted in Gulf of Mexico oil Spill, Gulf of Mexico oil Spill satellite photo, Gulf of Mexio, Gulf Oil Disaster | Tagged: , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Gulf of Mexico in BP Crosshairs

Posted by feww on June 24, 2010

Oil in GOM: 4.2 Million Barrels and Rising

Undersea remote control vehicle (RCV) damages the ruptured wellhead’s “vent system”

Oil gushed unhindered from BP’s ruptured wellhead after an undersea RVC collided with a makeshift vent system placed above the wellhead to capture some of the crude from the world’s deadliest oil spill. [Watch this space.]


Oil Continues to gush out of the BP’s Black Death Oil Well at a rate of about 69,000bpd (±16 %).

News Links:

Related Links:


Posted in gulf of mexico oil leak, Gulf of Mexico oil Spill, Gulf Oil Disaster, gulf oil spill site | Tagged: , , , | Leave a Comment »

Oil Leak in Gulf of Mexico – New Estimate and Satellite Photo

Posted by feww on June 9, 2010

Fire Earth Estimate for Crude Oil and Gas Spewed into the Gulf: 69,000 BPD

Fire Earth Estimate for the rate of crude oil and associated gas leak from the undersea ruptured wellhead into the Gulf of Mexico is based on the analysis of recent video images released by BP, which are available via Internet, and other information.

The Moderators estimate that about 69,000 barrels of crude oil and associated gas per day (BPD) are currently spewing out of the damaged wellhead. The associated error margin is ± 16%. [Updated June 13, 2010]

Oil Slick in the Gulf of Mexico


Worsening  Oil Slick in the Gulf of Mexico.
Photo-image acquired by (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite on June 7, 2010. Source: NASA.  Click image to enlarge. Download large image (12 MB, JPEG)

Big Oil and “Homeland Security”

“The White House Action Comedy: A Roomful of Voyeurs”


“[Our parents thought they had] voted in a hands-on President and all we got was a roomful of [lousy voyeurs.] Original caption: U.S. President Barack Obama (C) listens during a briefing about the situation along the Gulf Coast following the BP oil spill, at the Coast Guard Venice Center, in Venice, Louisiana, in this White House handout photo taken on May 2, 2010 and released on June 7, 2010.

Black Pelicans


A pelican sits covered with oil from the Deepwater Horizon wellhead in Barataria Bay, Louisiana just off the Gulf of Mexico, June 6, 2010. Greenpeace Handout (via Reuters).

BP Submarine Volcano


Gas and oil continue to surge out from the containment cap at the Deepwater Horizon oil spill site in the Gulf of Mexico, in this frame grab taken from a BP live video feed on June 8, 2010.  BP Handout (via Reuters).

Related Links:

Posted in deepwater drilling, Deepwater Horizon, gulf of mexico oil leak, Gulf of Mexico oil Spill, Gulf of Mexico oil Spill satellite photo, Gulf Oil Disaster, gulf oil spill site | Tagged: , , | Leave a Comment »

Resentment Brewing Among Gulf Coast Communities

Posted by feww on May 31, 2010

THEY ARE ANGRY!

BP + Obama + Scientists + Academia + Economists + Energy Dinosaurs … Put them Out of Business

Gulf Coast communities are resentful and angry, and this is just the starters!

Image of the Day:


A roadside sign expresses the fishing communities’ take on British Petroleum (BP) and U.S. President Barrack Obama over the  Deepwater Horizon oil disaster, in Grand Isle, Louisiana May 30, 2010.  Credit: REUTERS/Lee Celano. Image may be subject to copyright. More images…

Related Links:

Posted in BP oil disaster, Deepwater Horizon, Gulf Oil Disaster, Top Kill | Tagged: , , , , | 2 Comments »