Goal For The Green

Last week, BP placed a containment cap on the broken oil rig. Now, they are claiming that they have collected more than 42,000 barrels of crude oil. An expert spoke with the New York Times, and said that he not only disagrees with that statement, but believes that the BP containment cap, has made the oil spill worse.  It does seem that way.

Professor Ira Leifer spoke with the Times and said, “The well pipe clearly is flexing way more than it did before. By way more, I don’t mean 20 percent. I mean multiple factors.”

Professor Stephen Wereley, is a member of the Flow Rate Technical Group. He said, that the group will pay careful attention to the rate, to determine how much oil is actually flowing.  It is difficult to determine, how much the flow has increased, from watching the video.

President of Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, Billy Nungesser, spoke about the figures and said, “They  (BP) don’t want us to know how much is coming out.” Their estimate vs. scientists’, leaves  a lot of uncertainty, and  there is a general lack of faith in the numbers, that we are being told.  So, does anybody know the truth?

Federal authorities have given BP, until Friday to devise contingency plans, for the continued collection of gushing oil, into a containment cap in the event of  yet another operational failure, or severe weather.

In a letter written Tuesday, the government’s on-scene administrator, Coast Guard Rear Adm. James Watson, instructed BP Chief Operating Officer, Doug Suttles, to lay out the process for the recovery of oil,  still spewing into the Gulf of Mexico.

“BP shall provide the plans for these parallel, continuous and contingency collection processes, including an implementation timeline, within 72 hours of receiving this letter,” Watson wrote. “Current collection efforts, may not be interrupted to implement these plans.”

The deadline came, as Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen, said Wednesday that, slightly more than 15,000 barrels of oil — more than 630,000 gallons — had been recovered from the ruptured BP well, in the 24 hours ending Tuesday at midnight.

BP said, it has collected about 57,500 barrels (2.4 million gallons) of oil since last week, when it placed a loose-fitting containment cap atop its ruptured well.  They also, said by next week, the gushing oil, should be down to a trickle, from what it appears to be doing today.

In addition to the letter to Suttles, Allen has written to BP Chief Executive Officer Tony Hayward, asking for the development of better redundancies, in the company’s short- and long-term containment plans.

Allen highlighted concerns, over BP’s ability to effectively process damage claims, associated with the Gulf disaster. He asked Hayward, to provide more detailed information, including claim numbers and personal identifiers such as the last four digits of Social Security numbers.

“Access to this level of detail, is critical to informing the public, as to how BP is meeting its obligations as a responsible corporation,” Allen wrote.

Also Wednesday, Suttles denied that BP has ordered cleanup workers not to talk to reporters. He said, that it might take some time before all 25,000 people working for BP, are made aware of the policy.

“Recent media reports have suggested that individuals involved in the cleanup operation, have been prohibited from speaking to the media, and this is simply untrue,”  Suttles said, in a letter e-mailed to CNN, by a company spokesman.

On Capitol Hill, oil drilling issues took center stage, on Day 51 of the disaster as lawmakers debated everything from safety to cleanup to liability.

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, defended the Obama administration’s six-month moratorium on deepwater drilling, which has come under fire from critics who argue that the drilling is vital, for reducing the dependence on foreign oil and key to the region’s economic health.

“It was our view that we press the pause button … not the stop button,” Salazar told the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. “It’s a pause button so that we can make sure that we move forward with OCS [outer continental shelf] drilling — that it can be done in a way that is protective of people and protective of the environment as well.”

Salazar, and Deputy Interior Secretary David Hayes, said government scientists estimate the spill’s flow rate after last week’s cut of the well’s riser pipe, increased by 4 percent to 5 percent. That’s well below, the projected  increase, of as much as 20 percent that administration officials had indicated could happen.

As the environmental crisis worsens, states are tracking the disaster’s health impact, including respiratory and skin irritation problems in Louisiana and Alabama, health officials have said.

In Louisiana, Department of Health and Hospitals, is aware of 71 cases of oil spill-related illness as of Wednesday, said state health officer Dr. Jimmy Guidry. Of those cases, 50 involved workers on oil rigs, or who participated in cleanup efforts, and 21 came from the general public.

Symptoms have included throat irritation, cough, chest pain, headaches and shortness of breath, he said. Eight workers were hospitalized, for an average of one day each, the department said. The monitoring of Louisiana’s air has not found chemicals from oil, that would cause a large negative health impact, Guidry said.

In Alabama, 15 cases of illness have been reported. Florida, Mississippi and Texas, have received no reports of illness connected to the oil spill, officials have  said, at this time.

Democrats, renewed their push Wednesday, for legislation that would remove oil spill liability caps — a move some Republicans warned, would lead to stronger monopolies, in the energy sector, while increasing U.S. dependence on foreign oil sources.

Among other things, Democrats are targeting the 1990 Oil Pollution Act, which could LIMIT BP’s liability, for economic damages caused by the Gulf disaster to $75 million.

“If you or I … got into an accident that we caused, [we’d be] responsible for all the damages,” said Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-California, chairwoman of the Environment and Public Works Committee. There would be “no caps in that case, and there should be no caps in this case.”

There should be NO breaks, or limits set for BP.  They seem like, they are calling all the shots, and taking their sweet time, with this NIGHTMARE.  Many have come forward, with ideas and proven ways, to clean up the spill.  But, they seem to be, being put off, because BP, still seems to have the says so, as to what will happen, and when it will happen.  Or, is that IF, it will happen.

President Obama, has plans to visit the Gulf Coast again next week.

His Monday and Tuesday, itineraries will include stops in Mississippi, Alabama and Florida, the White House announced. It will be his fourth trip, to the region since the disaster began, in late April.

Government and BP officials, are under increasing pressure from fishermen and officials, members of Congress, and environmental advocacy groups, to stop the relentless flow of oil into the Gulf. Better yet, get more help to process claims , and get help to these PEOPLE!

This disaster has spurred grass-roots action. Hands Across the Sand, and Sierra Club leaders, announced Wednesday a “National Day of Action” for June 26, when they will call on Americans, to gather on beaches across the country and hold hands for 15 minutes in opposition to offshore drilling.

Federal agencies, responsible for monitoring the toll to wildlife, said Wednesday that 442 oiled birds have been collected alive; 633 were dead. The report said 50 sea turtles have been collected alive; 272 were dead.

When, will we be ready to get off of oil, and look more to our other resources? If a tragic disaster like this, doesn’t cause us to take action, in the area of solar, electric cars, bio-fuels, Algae bio-fuels, geo-thermal, wind, and renewable  energy sources, WHAT WILL?  I hope we start working soon, toward many better, and “greener” tomorrows!