Gulf of Mexico oil spill debacle continues

13 Monday Sep 2010

Posted by cricketdiane in Cricket Diane C Sparky Phillips

Tags

cleanup and recovery efforts in the Gulf of Mexico, cricketdiane, Gulf of Mexico oil spill

Some interesting things coming from the BP oil spill mess -

At the town hall meeting in Houma, La., fund czar Kenneth Feinberg told hundreds of people who packed a convention center that he is reconsidering the requirement that cleanup wages be subtracted from claims. He said he understands the loud concerns raised by people who are still hurting.

( . . . )

Glenn Poche, a 61-year-old shrimper from Lafitte, La., said after the town hall meeting with Feinberg that he felt like he had more questions than answers about why he only received a $600 emergency payment for six months. He said he was making thousands each month from his business before the waters he worked in were shut down because of the spill.

“He gave me $3.30 a day to live on,” Poche said. “I can’t pay my bills.”

( . . . )

Feinberg also said he would consider giving people in certain situations a supplemental payment after their emergency payment. Currently, people are getting an emergency payment and then, down the road, a lump-sum final payment. The final payment requires recipients agree not to sue BP.

As of Monday, there were roughly 12,000 claims for emergency payments that have proper documentation that have yet to be paid, Feinberg said. Another 12,000 unpaid claims have inadequate documents. Five hundred claims filed are ineligible for money from the fund because they deal with impact from the oil drilling moratorium, while roughly 1,000 claims appear to be fraudulent, Feinberg said.

( . . . )

Feinberg told The Associated Press after the event that within the next week to 10 days, Gulf residents will have another key question answered: How much he is earning for his services. He declined to disclose that figure to the AP on Monday.

One after another, shrimpers, boat workers and other victims came up to a microphone and yelled their demands at Feinberg. Some cursed. Others shouted insults.

Their concerns included the slow payment process, the fact that some people in similar situations are receiving vastly different payments and the bureaucracy they have to go through to get their money.

(etc.)

The April 20 rig explosion killed 11 workers and led to 206 million gallons of oil spewing from BP PLC’s undersea well into the Gulf of Mexico.

http://www.comcast.net/articles/finance/20100913/US.Gulf.Oil.Spill.Claims/
By HARRY R. WEBER, AP
48 minutes ago
BP claim czar considers making key concession

****
Feinberg Vows Quick Response On Gulf Spill Claims

Thursday, 08/19/10 4:44am – Morning Edition

Wendy Kaufman

Appearing Wednesday on a small stage before about 300 people in Houma, La., Feinberg lectured, cajoled and asserted that once he takes over Monday, the process will be accessible, fast and fair.

“I will be extremely lenient in documentation,” Feinberg said. “I don’t need reams and reams of stuff. I don’t need a tax return. Do you have something you can show me? Well, the ship captain will vouch for me — fine. Well, my priest will — fine.”

Feinberg says legitimate claims from individuals for up to six months of lost income will be paid within 48 hours. Business claims will be addressed within seven days. That would be a huge improvement over the current process. While some individuals have been paid promptly, others have not.

Mike Ferdinand, head of the Economic Development Authority in Houma, said many businesses were given the run-around with multiple agents, and little or no money from BP.

( . . . )

Feinberg promised to make public by Monday the 10-page document detailing how the calculations will be made.

The audience listened intently, but as the meeting wore on, frustration began to emerge. Claimants wanted to know how Feinberg could say he’s independent when his salary is being paid by BP.

“I feel that you have a serious conflict of interest,” one audience member charged. “The Bible states one man should not serve two masters.”

Feinberg answered with a question: “How else would you do this? The cause of this is BP.”

Feinberg has been asked repeatedly to reveal his salary. He says he will — probably next month — but insists that he is not beholden to the oil company.

Another testy issue: The compensation that will be given to those who helped BP in the cleanup effort. The oil company asked many boat owners to assist, and they were paid — often handsomely.

Feinberg intends to deduct that money from their compensation package. He contends that although they couldn’t do their regular job, they were paid.

(etc.)

Perhaps, but Chauvin, a boat owner, said later that Feinberg’s approach means she and others did BPs dirty cleanup work for free.

http://www.vpr.net/npr/129293800/

***

The administrator of the new claims process for victims of the Gulf oil spill said Sunday most of the individual claims reviewed in the first week lacked the minimal documentation to be paid.

(etc.)

“There are thousands of claims that have been filed with no documentation at all,” Ken Feinberg told state officials at the Southern Governors’ Association convention.

Feinberg said profit and loss statements, tax returns and similar documents are not necessarily required. He said minimal proof is all that is needed, and a crew member of a fishing boat might get paid based on a letter from his captain detailing how the worker had been affected.

( . . . )

Feinberg said success will depend on the speed of processing claims, which will not be delayed.

Joining Feinberg at the meeting were incoming BP CEO Bob Dudley and retired Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen, the government’s point man on the spill.

BP is one of many companies that helped pay for the governors’ convention. BP officials said the organization has been a corporate affiliate of the Southern Governors’ Association for about 20 years and contributed $50,000 this year.

(also)

He said BP has no plans to try to use the well again or develop the Macondo oil field.

Dudley says BP officials will meet with representatives of Alabama’s governor and attorney general on Monday to discuss the state’s $148 million claim against BP for taxes lost due to the spill.

The attorney general sued BP the same day the governor filed the initial claim, which Dudley said complicated the handling. He said Monday’s meeting is a get-acquainted session, and he doesn’t expect a resolution.

http://www.nola.com/news/gulf-oil-spill/index.ssf/2010/08/oil_spill_claims_administrator_1.html
Feinberg says most spill claims lack documentation
Published: Monday, August 30, 2010, 8:20 AM Updated: Monday, August 30, 2010, 8:37 AM

****
. . . . but Feinberg’s message was the same. He would offer emergency payments—equivalent to six months of lost income—faster and better than BP’s justifiably criticized claims process, and that money would come without strings.
But if claimants decided to take an additional lump sum payments—meant to fully compensate them for the economic losses created by the spill—they would have to forego their right to sue BP for damages.

( . . . )
“I work for you,” Feinberg told the fishermen in Port Fourchon back in July. “And I want to make the claims system work for you.”

That much was obvious on Friday, when Feinberg released the initial rules for the claims process. (BP has been running the claims fund for the past few months—and not very well, according to many Gulf residents—but starting today Feinberg and his team have taken over.)

Fishermen who worked for BP during the clean-up process were angry that their income from those weeks would be deducted from any claims they were granted.

Business owners who depend on Gulf resources—like seafood for a restaurant far from the coast—were angry that Feinberg will take into account proximity to the coastline when evaluating claims.

Homeowners were angry that they would receive no compensation for any drop in property values due to the spill. State and local governments were unhappy that they couldn’t make damage claims through Feinberg’s process.

And just about everyone felt that was something fundamentally unjust in giving BP—and potentially other companies involved in the spill, though that’s less clear—a shield from further lawsuits.

By August 3 BP claimed that it had paid out $277 million on 140,000 separate claims. “I was born and raised in Louisiana,” BP vice president Darryl Willis, who heads the claims process, said in one oft-repeated ad. “I volunteered for this assignment because this is my home. I’ll be here in the Gulf as long as it takes to make this right.”

Problem is it’s never really worked out that way. Since the beginning of the claims process in May, the media has been flooded with complaints about slow payments, byzantine bureaucracy and insufficient funds, especially for the businesses hit hard by the spill and struggling to make payroll. Even BP’s official claims statistics show that only 28% of those 140,000 claims have received at least one payment. On my reporting trips to the Gulf, I repeatedly heard stories about how difficult it was to get a claim sorted—and how the money that was flowing wasn’t flowing fast enough.

But given the sheer confusion and chaos going on in the Gulf—the simple number of people who might have a damage claim—it’s hard to find solid, independent data on the claims process. The investigative nonprofit ProPublica is trying to change that, however. In its latest collaborative reporting initiatives, the website—working together with a number of newspapers and online news sites, mostly from the Gulf Coast—recently launched a callout for stories and data from people experiencing problems with their BP spill claims. (If you have a story you want to share, you can contact them here.)

The project is beginning to pay dividends. A ProPublica story posted this morning found that BP appeared to be purposefully delaying decisions about the validity of whole categories of spill claims, essentially punting the problem to Kenneth Feinberg, the independent administrator who will be taking over the claims process in mid-August:

The company’s claims process is guided by the Oil Pollution Act, a 1990 federal law that holds oil companies responsible for repaying direct “removal costs and damages” caused by a spill. But many claims are for damages that are not explicitly covered by the law — such as ruined start-up companies and lost income from commission payments — and many of those are in limbo.

The delays seemed especially acute for people who worked on commission—like real estate agents, who’ve repeatedly lobbied Feinberg for more recognition—though it was hard to tell how much of the delay was due to BP’s own decisions, and how much was due to paperwork problems. (BP’s own records indicate that the company has held up 43% off all claims for insufficient documentation, more than the total number of claims that have actually been paid out.)

(etc.)

Obama’s Executive ‘Pay Czar’ Feinberg Received Six-Figure Salary According to Documents Uncovered by Judicial Watch

http://news.yahoo.com/s/usnw/20100909/pl_usnw/DC62186_1

WASHINGTON, Sept. 9 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Judicial Watch, the public interest group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption, announced today that it has uncovered U.S. Treasury Department documents that reveal President Obama’s “Special Master for TARP Executive Compensation” Kenneth Feinberg received a $120,830 annual salary to establish executive compensation levels at companies bailed out by the federal government.

These documents contradict multiple press reports that Feinberg would not be compensated for this work for the Treasury Department. Judicial Watch received the documents pursuant to its Freedom of Information Act request filed July 20, 2010.

When President Obama appointed Washington lawyer Kenneth Feinberg “Pay Czar” in 2009, the press reported that he would perform his duties pro bono. Dozens of mainstream media stories confirmed that Feinberg, founder and managing partner of the Washington, D.C., firm Feinberg Rozen LLP, would not receive a salary to set pay limits for more than two dozen executives at companies receiving government bailouts. For example, Forbes magazine reported in August 2009, “Feinberg is receiving no compensation for his role.”

However, Judicial Watch has obtained the Treasury Department’s June 8, 2009, welcome letter to Feinberg, congratulating him for being selected “Special Master of Executive Compensation” and listing his annual salary at $120,830. Judicial Watch has also uncovered a “Notification of Personnel Action,” from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management dated June 8, 2009, also establishing Feinberg’s salary level at $120,830.

(etc.)

http://news.yahoo.com/s/usnw/20100909/pl_usnw/DC62186_1

****

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration‘s pay czar said Friday that he did not try to recoup $1.6 billion in lavish compensation to top executives at bailed-out banks because he wanted to avoid another public fight over banker pay.

Ken Feinberg said 17 banks receiving taxpayer money from the $700 billion financial bailout made “ill-advised” payments to their executives. But he stopped short of calling them “contrary to the public interest,” language that would have signaled a fight to get it back.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/jul/23/pay-czar-17-bailed-out-banks-overpaid-executives/

Pay czar: 17 bailed-out banks overpaid executives

By Daniel Wagner

Associated Press

Updated: 1:48 p.m. on Friday, July 23, 2010

****

So why did he have the job at all, if nothing was changed by his being there except to say – that banks were lavish in spending on executives despite being bailed out with taxpayer’s money?

- cricketdiane

And, then he gets paid to muck up the situation further in the Gulf of Mexico economic disaster from the oil spill?

Its very conflicting to see the $600 for six months emergency payment and arguing over funds paid for work done to cleanup the Gulf while the man doing the decision-making is obviously being paid six figures (in all likelihood) to do the job better than it is being done. I don’t get it.

Containment cap off the well right now – look for the live streaming videos of it right now to see it – and Adm. Thad Allen reported two more deaths related to the oil spill today just a little while ago in his briefing – and judge on moratorium yesterday had conflicts of interest with oil industry ownership of stock shares and network of same friends – and mine operator Massey sues US government about regulations on ventilation in mines – hm, hm, hm, – it is not good

23 Wednesday Jun 2010

Posted by cricketdiane in Cricket Diane C Sparky Phillips

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

BP, cleanup and recovery efforts in the Gulf of Mexico, cricketdiane, Halliburton, judges corrupted by the oil industry, mining, MMS, oil drilling, oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, Petroleum, TransOcean, two more deaths to add to the total from the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, uncapped containment on the Deepwater Horizon Macondo well right now

Today’s picture of the release of oil in the Gulf of Mexico since the containment cap has been removed – (from ABC news)

Photo: BP Oil Spill Disaster: Two Killed in Accidents; Containment Cap Removed: Gulf of Mexico Well Leaking at Full Force Again

This image from video provided by BP PLC early Wednesday, June 23, 2010 shows oil continuing to gush…

This image from video provided by BP PLC early Wednesday, June 23, 2010 shows oil continuing to gush from the broken wellhead, at the site of the Deepwater Horizon oil well in the Gulf of Mexico. The Coast Guard said Wednesday that BP has been forced to remove a cap that was containing some of the oil gushing into the Gulf of Mexico.

(BP PLC/AP Photo)

New Setback in Effort to Contol BP Oil Spill

The containment cap has been in place over the well since early June, about 50 miles south of the Louisiana coast. It had been channeling over 16,000 barrels per day to a surface vessel. Anywhere from 67 million to 127 million gallons have spilled since the April 20 explosion on the Deepwater Horizon.

http://abcnews.go.com/WN/bp-oil-disaster-deaths-reported-cleanup-containment-cap/story?id=10991773&page=2

***

And this is interesting from the same briefing above -

U.S. has received additional offers of foreign assistance in the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill/Qatar has offered containment booms/Sweden has followed up on an earlier offer to include skimmers – from June 15, 2010 State Department briefing (listed on post just before this one – I need to find a list of what all the countries have offered – that would be very interesting. – cd9)

***

From Today -

Coal mine owner sues federal government over ventilation regulations

By the CNN Wire Staff

June 23, 2010 9:57 a.m. EDT

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Massey owns mine where 29 workers died in April
Company says agency overstepped its authority
Design of ventilation systems at issue
Use of scrubbers also at issue

(CNN) — Massey Energy Company, which owns a West Virginia coal mine in which 29 workers died in April, has sued the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration over ventilation regulations, the company said Wednesday.

The company is suing over the agency’s use of regulatory authority to control the design of ventilation systems and to limit the use of scrubbers in underground mines.

“We hope the principal beneficiary will be miners, who will have cleaner air, safer mines and more secure jobs,” Massey CEO Don Blankenship said in a statement.

The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court in Washington, contends the federal agency exceeded its regulatory authority to enforce mine safety and health laws by effectively dictating the ventilation plan for each mine.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/06/23/massey.sues.government/

***

My Note -

That’s what I said yesterday when that ninny judge in New Orleans decided that the US government has no right to manage the safety and other issues involved in the oil drilling and consequently by precedent of his decision – mining operations and the leases of these oil and minerals operations. This means that Republican appointed judge gave away the rights of the American people and the US government in our interests to oversight of these facilities.

Now, that was utterly too stupid for words.

- cricketdiane

***

(and this)

Crack found in floor of West Virginia mine where 29 men died

Mine accidents in the United States

(and)

Bloomberg showed Commndr Thad Allen announcing that two deaths have occurred today in the Gulf of Mexico oil spill event and its cleanup – one was on a vessel of opportunity and one was a swimming accident. I’m going to go look up those two.

- cricketdiane (my note)

***

(also – )

the containment cap has been removed – check the pictures on bloomberg right now – unbelievable.

Oil Spill: NOAA expands closed fisheries, video report of sharks near coast, marine deaths

June 23, 7:29 AM

Gulf Oil Spill Examiner

Tony Pann

http://www.examiner.com/x-48107-Gulf-Oil-Spill-Examiner~y2010m6d23-Oil-Spil-NOAA-expands-closed-fisheries-video-report-of-sharks-near-coast-marine-deaths

After more than two months of oil leaking into the Gulf of Mexico, the spread continues to impact marine life. NOAA was recently opened some of the fisheries in the region, but had to expand the closures once again. The tally on marine deaths continues to mount, and a reporter took his camera into the shallow waters to find that sharks are being forced closer to the shore where there is a better supply of oxygen. That video report can be found below.

On June 22, coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen reported that record oil was captured due to all efforts of containment and burning. The daily catch of 26 thousand barrels is about half of the government estimate (just increased last week).

Oil Spill: June 23rd NOAA projection and weather maps, live feed video

Wednesday, June 23rd, 2010

On day 65 of the oil crisis, it continues to spill and spread. Coast Guard Adm Thad Allen did report that Tuesday crews were able to contain a record…
Keep Reading »

***

Cap removed from leaking BP oil well

Published: Wednesday, June 23, 2010, 11:18 AM Updated: Wednesday, June 23, 2010, 11:27 AM

The Coast Guard says BP has been forced to remove a cap that was containing some of the oil gushing into the Gulf of Mexico.

Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen says an underwater robot bumped into the venting system. That sent gas rising through vent that carries warm water down to prevent ice-like crystals from forming in the cap.

Adm. Allen says the cap has been removed and crews are checking to see if crystals have formed before putting it back on. In the meantime, a different system is stilling burning oil on the surface.

Before the problem with the containment cap, it had collected about 700,000 gallons of oil in the previous 24 hours. Another 438,000 gallons was burned.

http://www.nola.com/news/gulf-oil-spill/index.ssf/2010/06/cap_removed_from_leaking_bp_oi.html?mobRedir=false

***

Martin Feldman, judge who overturned Obama Gulf drilling ban, had investments in oil: 2008 report

BY Sean Alfano

Wednesday, June 23rd 2010, 7:18 AM

U.S. District Judge Martin L. C. Feldman

Handout

U.S. District Judge Martin L. C. Feldman

Related News

The federal judge who overturned the Obama administration‘s deepwater drilling ban in the Gulf of Mexico reportedly has extensive investments in the energy industry, financial disclosure reports reveal.

U.S. District Judge Martin Feldman owned roughly $15,000 in Transocean Ltd. stock in 2008.

Transocean owned the Deepwater Horizon rig that exploded April 20, killing 11 workers and triggering the worst oil spill disaster in U.S. history, with as much as 127 million gallons of oil leaked into the Gulf of Mexico.

Feldman’s other financial investments from the 2008 report include Halliburton, which was also involved with the Deepwater Horizon.

On Tuesday, Feldman ruled that the government overreacted, saying one rig’s explosion did not mean others would blow up, too.

“If some drilling equipment parts are flawed, is it rational to say all are? Are all airplanes a danger because one was? All oil tankers like Exxon Valdez? All trains? All mines? That sort of thinking seems heavy-handed, and rather overbearing,” Feldman wrote.

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal welcomed the decision, saying the ban could lead to “economic catastrophe” for the Gulf Coast.

Interior Department Secretary Ken Salazar vowed to appeal the decision immediately.

“I will issue a new order in the coming days that eliminates any doubt that a moratorium is needed, appropriate, and within our authorities,” Salazar said Tuesday.

Feldman, appointed in 1983 by President Ronald Reagan, also sits on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, which is devoted to national security cases.

Prior to Feldman’s ruling, the ban on deepwater drilling, pertaining to wells 500 feet or more below the surface, suspended drilling in 33 wells for up to six months.

With News Wire Services

***

Photo Gallery

Gulf Coast oil spill

The spill has gushed at least 1.6 million gallons of oil into waters off the coast.

***

Oil Spill (breaking) High Res Video: BP and NOAA Scientists dispute large oil plumes

Wednesday, June 9th, 2010

BP’s management of the oil spill continues to raise questions and cause them to loose public support. Beyond the early estimates of 5,000 barrels a…
Keep Reading »

See the Live streaming video and Oil Spill Counter (Interactive) in the Gulf of Mexico here.

**BP Attempts to Contain The Oil Spill**
LMRP Cap Top Kill Riser Insertion Tube and Skimming Cofferdam Containment Unit

(from)

http://www.examiner.com/x-48107-Gulf-Oil-Spill-Examiner~y2010m6d23-Oil-Spill-June-23rd-NOAA-projection-and-weather-maps-live-feed-video

***

Buffett to host concert on CMT for Gulf residents

Metromix St. Louis - ‎6 minutes ago‎

… performing a free concert in Gulf Shores, Ala., next month to demonstrate support for residents and businesses stricken by the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. …

Feds Halt Sand Berms Off Gulf Coast

Associated Content - ‎7 minutes ago‎

The BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill has almost reached the two month mark and the oil spill is taking its toll on the Louisiana Gulf Coast and wildlife. …

(***

Feds Halt Sand Berms Off Gulf Coast

Published June 23, 2010 by:
Mark Whittington

View Profile

Chaos Still Rules

The chaos along the Gulf Coast, caused mainly by the vacillation of the federal government, continues apace. The Fish and Wildlife Service has now stopped the building of sand berms designed to protect the Gulf Coast from the oil leak.

According to WDSU:

“The federal government is shutting down the dredging that was being done to create protective sand berms in the Gulf of Mexico.

“The berms are meant to protect the Louisiana coastline from oil. But the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Department has concerns about where the dredging is being done.”

The federal government has suddenly decided that the sand berm needs to be built two miles farther from the coast.

Two months into the BP oil leak disaster, this development, along with the incident involving the Coast Guard and oil skimming barges, suggests that the Gulf Coast operation is still in chaos, with no one and everyone in charge, and various federal bureaucracies and state governments tripping over one another and getting in each others’ way.

In the meantime, the oil leak continues to pump millions of gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. Hurricane season has begun, with the nightmarish prospect of a large storm blowing oiled waters far inland adding to the ordinary destruction that a hurricane usually causes.

(etc.)

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/5515824/feds_halt_sand_berms_off_gulf_coast.html

***

BP Oil Leak: Fallen Deepwater Horizon was Tapping Second Largest Oil Deposit in the World

Published May 25, 2010 by:
Maryann Tobin
View Profile

BP oil leak: Fallen Deepwater Horizon was tapping second largest oil deposit in the world

The real answer is – more than anyone wants to admit, because the well holds enough oil to make Saudi Arabian drillers jealous.

The oil field the Deepwater Horizon had tapped is said to be the second largest deposit in the world. Viewzone.com reports, “The site covers an estimated 25,000 square miles, extending from the inlands of Alabama, Florida, Louisiana and Texas. “

The oil deposit is so large, it could produce 500,000 barrels of a day for more than a decade.

Part of the reason the well exploded is because the site also contains large deposits of natural gas.

Speculation as to why BP has tried to hide the amount of oil spilling may be two-fold. There are legal issues and lawsuits in the works. The less said by BP now, the better it may play out for them in the future. The other, more alarming aspect, is the event of total wellhead failure before relief wells are completed in August.

Considering the size of the deposit, if BP loses control of the flow completely, the scope of the disaster would be unfathomable.

The New York Times has reported that scientists suspect the leak is thousands of times larger than what BP has been reporting. Some estimates are as high as one million gallons a day.

Rock particles, gas and oil escaping under pressure are pushing against the capstone on the sea floor that surrounds the actual well. If it collapses, the canyon of oil will escape with a vengeance.Neither BP nor anyone else wants to say what will happen it the wellhead gives way or the sea floor around it caves in. All anyone is certain of is that the worst case scenario is the one everyone wants to avoid.

BP, Obama Administration hide fear of irreversible damage from catastrophic Gulf oil spill

Deepwater Horizon oil spill disaster:Total wellhead failure raises fear of worst case scenario

(from)

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/5420430/bp_oil_leak_fallen_deepwater_horizon.html?cat=9

***

Thick pools of oil wash up along north Fla. coast

The Associated Press - Melissa R. Nelson – ‎16 minutes ago‎

Thick pools of oil from the spill in the Gulf of Mexico washed up along miles of Pensacola Beach overnight. Dozens of workers used shovels Wednesday to …

***

(from NOLA.com – )

Federal officials halt sand dredging to create Gulf of Mexico oil spill barrier 10:59 PM

State and federal officials give different accounts of the reason why

***

http://image3.examiner.com/images/blog/replicate/EXID48107/images/oilmap_Wed.JPG

***

Bump leads to oil spill cap removal

Published: June 23, 2010 at 1:31 PM

VENICE, La., June 23 (UPI) — The containment cap on a sunken Gulf of Mexico oil well was removed Wednesday after a robotic vehicle hit a vent. closing it, Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen said.

June 10 picture of the oil gushing out of the Deepwater Horizon Macondo Prospect well while the containment cap was still on it - today that containment cap was removed - image from UPI story

Allen, the national incident commander, said the bump raised the possibility of hydrates forming, so the cap was removed, allowing oil to flow unabated into the gulf, CNN reported.

The Transocean rig leased by BP has been spewing oil since April 20, making it the worst oil spill in U.S. history. Eleven workers died when the rig exploded.

On a somber note, Allen also said two oil recovery workers in the Gulf of Mexico died. One death was a swimming death while the other victim was an operator of a boat, he said.

(etc.)

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2010/06/23/Bump-leads-to-oil-spill-cap-removal/UPI-73541277298946/

***

BP’s containment cap over well removed

By the CNN Wire Staff

June 23, 2010 1:32 p.m. EDT

http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/06/23/gulf.oil.disaster/?hpt=Sbin

(CNN) — BP’s containment cap over a ruptured Gulf of Mexico well was removed Wednesday after a robotic vehicle apparently bumped into a cap vent and closed it, raising the possibility of hydrates forming, said Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen, the government’s response manager.

Allen also said that two oil recovery workers in the Gulf of Mexico have died. One died in a swimming accident; the other was an operator of a boat, he said.

Also Wednesday, the embattled oil giant tapped its managing director to lead a new and permanent oil disaster organization in the Gulf.

Dudley was appointed president and chief executive officer of BP’s Gulf Coast Restoration Organization, BP said in a statement.

(etc.)

[- my note, there are some interesting facts on international petroleum industry sites about Mr. Dudley including his work at TNK-BP and other goodies.]

http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/06/23/gulf.oil.disaster/?hpt=Sbin

***

From – SwissInfo.CH

Jun 23, 2010 – 18:15

More oil flows into Gulf of Mexico after accident

Oil is burned off the surface of the water near the source of the Deepwater Horizon spill

Image Caption: Oil is burned off the surface of the water near the source of the Deepwater Horizon spill (reuters_tickers)

By Kristen Hays and Ayesha Rascoe
HOUSTON/WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Oil gushed largely unchecked from BP’s ruptured Gulf of Mexico well on Wednesday after a collision involving an undersea robot halted efforts to contain the worst oil spill in U.S. history.

While the energy giant struggled to restart its oil collection operation, a top Obama administration official told lawmakers in Washington that initial findings showed “reckless conduct” in the days leading up to the April 20 explosion that blew up an offshore oil rig and ruptured the well.

BP also faced the threat of a new lawsuit from investors angry over the halving of its stock price since the start of the crisis.

The U.S. Coast Guard meanwhile reported the deaths of two workers helping to clean up the oil spill.

The deaths were unrelated to the collision between an undersea robot and the containment cap system, which channels leaking oil from BP’s blown-out well to a ship on the surface.

Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen, the Obama administration’s point man for the oil spill, told reporters the containment cap system could restart later on Wednesday after safety checks.

He said the flow of oil from the well was not completely unchecked. Some was still being burnt off on the surface.

The containment cap system installed on June 3 captured 16,600 barrels on Tuesday, BP said. A separate oil-flaring system that collected 10,5000 barrels is still operating. A team of U.S. scientists estimate the leak is spewing up to 60,000 barrels a day.

In Washington, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said he would soon issue a new ban on deepwater drilling off the U.S. coast that would be more flexible than the moratorium overturned a day earlier by a federal judge in New Orleans.

He said the ban would include criteria detailing when the ban, originally six months, would end. It might allow oil companies to drill in certain low-risk areas.

“We will in the weeks and months ahead take a look at how it is that the moratorium in place might be refined,” he told a Senate sub-committee.

Salazar did not indicate when he would reissue the ban.

He also said that preliminary investigations showed there was reckless behaviour involved in the Deepwater Horizon rig explosion in which 11 workers were killed.

However, he did not single out any company. BP leased the rig from Transocean and was a part owner in the ruptured well with Anadarko.

BP, already battling lawsuits and a criminal investigation, faced the threat of new legal action on Wednesday after New York Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli said the state pension fund planned to sue to recover losses from the drop in the company’s stock price.

(Writing Andrew Callus and Ross Colvin; Editing by Alan Elsner)

Reuters

http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/news/international/More_oil_flows_into_Gulf_of_Mexico_after_accident.html?cid=8986152

***

CNN just said – Earthquake in Canada?

And on Google – I noticed these on a quicke search -

Canada Earthquake? Toronto, Ottawa Report Ground Shaking

‎
Huffington Post (blog) – 18 minutes ago

A possible Canada earthquake shook Toronto and Ottawa at approximately 1:45 pm Eastern Time today, June 23, 2010, though the USGS has not yet confirmed the …

Earthquake shakes central Canada, US‎ – Globe and Mail
all 7 news articles »

Did you feel that? Earthquake confirmed in Canada

‎
WWMT – 4 minutes ago

The USGS is now saying that a 5.5 magnitude quake was centered at 49 km ( 31 mi) N of Cumberland, Canada. From the editor: Many of you have expressed …

Did you feel it? Earthquake reported in Canada, felt across Midwest

‎
MLive.com – 2 minutes ago

@LindsayKnake: Earthquake?! The building trembled! What is going on? haha @KarenEvansTM Anyone else in Southeast MI just feel the ground/building shake? …

Earthquake Reported: Canada Quake Felt In Toronto, Quebec, and …

‎
Long Island Press – 3 minutes ago

By Long Island Press on Jun 23rd, 2010 Social microblogging site Twitter began erupting with reports of an earthquake early this afternoon, as users from …

5.5 earthquake in Ottawa, Canada – very shallow? 10 miles from the surface according to CNN right now. Hm…..

Is that something they do there? But they have had some very funky sinkholes lately, including that one which swallowed a house and the family in it. That seems odd though.

I guess its a thing. Add it to the list -

- cricketdiane

***

Photo: BP Oil Spill Disaster: Two Killed in Accidents; Containment Cap Removed: Gulf of Mexico Well Leaking at Full Force Again

This image from video provided by BP PLC early Wednesday, June 23, 2010 shows oil continuing to gush…

(BP PLC/AP Photo)

New Setback in Effort to Contol BP Oil Spill

http://abcnews.go.com/WN/bp-oil-disaster-deaths-reported-cleanup-containment-cap/story?id=10991773&page=2

***

My Note -

Well, this part has some good info – but the fact is that the statement in it saying the oil hasn’t expanded since the rig fell into the ocean is bullshit. They need to look at some maps.

- cricketdiane

(from the above article on page two)

Images from NASA satellites and surveys by NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, show that the oil slick has spread over much of the northern Gulf of Mexico, but has not greatly expanded since the first weeks after the Deepwater Horizon sank. Oil has been reported in the wetlands of the Mississippi delta at the southern tip of Louisiana, and tarballs have been found on the beaches of southern Mississippi, Alabama, and the Florida panhandle.

ABC News Radio and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

***

They must think we are all fools and idiots. Where do they get the people who say things like that?

- cricketdiane

***

(also some of the other stuff on this site from ABC, I suppose)

***

Sticky mousse reaches Pensacola shores (PHOTOS)

‎
The Northwest Florida Daily News – Tom McLaughlin – 4 minutes ago

She said she believed the latest influx of Deepwater Horizon oil residue had reached … the company responsible for the spill, comes forward with the money …

Sticky mousse reaches Pensacola shores (PHOTOS)

Comments 0 | Recommend 0

June 23, 2010 1:03 PM

Tom McLaughlin

Daily News

PENSACOLA — Heavy tar balls were reported washing ashore Wednesday on Pensacola area beaches and mousse, a far nastier form of oil residue, was being reported offshore.

“That’s the sticky, real thin stuff,” Okaloosa County Public Safety Director Dino Villani said when asked to describe mousse.

Kelly Cooke, a spokeswoman for Escambia County, confirmed at noon that a “heavy” coating of tar balls were washing ashore on beaches west of the Pensacola Pier. She said she had no reports of mousse making it to shore.

She said she believed the latest influx of Deepwater Horizon oil residue had reached Florida’s beaches overnight.

Latest Photos

The reports of mousse come on a day when Okaloosa County officials are slated to meet with DEP Secretary Mike Sole and United States Coast Guard Capt. Steve Poulin.

The county’s effort to install an air curtain that could help keep oil out of the Destin Pass and Choctawhatchee Bay has been halted until British Petroleum, the company responsible for the spill, comes forward with the money needed to pay for it, Villani said.

Earlier this week, county officials expressed their concern about BP’s failure to release needed funds to U.S. Senator Bill Nelson and Florida State Senate President Jeff Atwater. Both men said they’d look into the issue.

Villani said the issue would be addressed again today.

Villani said Jay Prothro, BP’s Okaloosa County representative, has provided vague assurances that the $200,000 needed to install the air curtain and $16,500 a day to operate it would eventually be allocated.

Prothro was not immediately available for comment.

Villani said barges have been staged at the entrance to the pass and will be used to block it and prevent oil from entering when it becomes necessary to do so.

Proposals to place experimental slip curtains and steel booms in the pass are not being acted on at this time, Villani said.

All of the extra measures are being taken to supplement booms that have been set up in the pass.

The Pensacola News Journal reported that hundreds showed up at Penscola Beach Wednesday morning to see the devastating influx of oil.

“This is one of the worst things I’ve ever seen; this is totally devastating,” Gary de Shazo told the News Journal as he pointed toward a 10-foot-long wave of oil approaching the white sands of Casino Beach. “I never imagined it would be like this.”

The News Journal reported slicks of oil 10 feet long and four feet wide had washed ashore near the fishing pier.

Santa Rosa County Island Authority Public Safety Director Bob West advised the public to stay out of the water and away from the shoreline and to not impede the BP workers on the beach.

Emergency directors from Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, Walton, Bay, Gulf, Franklin and Wakulla counties will be joining Sole and Poulin at 3 p.m. at the Emerald Coast Conference Center for a round table discussion.

(from)

http://www.nwfdailynews.com/news/font-30294-style-size.html

(and also)

Free fun on Sunday: Doobie Brothers, Kenny Loggins

HELP WANTED: 400 positions open for oil spill cleanup (APPLICATION)

(These were on their website – I didn’t check them to make sure they are completely above board – so do that. I’m still trying to find more information on the things that have happened today. And, I will check them later and remove them if they aren’t right. So, be wary please. my note, cd9)

***

Citizen Science: Count the Gulf’s Ghost Crabs

By Brandon Keim
June 23, 2010 |
2:35 pm |
Categories: Animals

While the oil disaster’s terrible toll on birds and turtles will at least be measured, less charismatic creatures tend to be ignored. That’s why conservationists are organizing a citizen science project to count the Gulf Coast’s ghost crabs.

Also known as sand crabs, they’re not classically cute, but they’re an important part of coastal food webs. Because the crabs are relatively easy to spot, it’s possible for people to help scientists estimate their numbers, providing baseline counts for comparison against future surveys.

“A lot of people are speculating that this spill could have severe effects on marine invertebrates,” said Drew Wheelan, a conservation coordinator for the American Birding Association, who came up with the idea for a ghost crab count. “Ghost crabs are conspicuous and easy to count.”

Wheelan modeled his project after an ongoing Gulf Coast bird count organized by the Audubon Society and Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Since early May, birders have submitted some 150,000 observations from Gulf states. That data will be invaluable to scientists trying to quantify the oil’s impacts, especially in areas where precise population counts didn’t previously exist.

University of Florida zoologist Sea McKeon designed the ghost crab counting methodology, which is described on Wheelan’s blog, along with instructions for submitting data. It involves measuring distances between tideline crab burrows at a specific time and place each day for as long as possible, and requires little more than a measuring tape, notebook and pen, GPS reading and some sunscreen.

Wheelan said counts need to start as soon as possible in areas where oil hasn’t yet come ashore. Pre-disaster data is needed, and BP — which is trying to bar journalists and citizens from many affected areas — may close beaches as oil approaches.

Wheelan is still counting birds too. During an ABA film project, Wheelan was interrogated by a policeman who appeared to take orders from BP.

But for now, “at least in Florida and Alabama and Mississippi, people are still able to travel on beaches” and count crabs, said Wheelan.

Image: Drew Wheelan

See Also:

Brandon Keim’s Twitter stream and reportorial outtakes; Wired Science on Twitter. Brandon is currently working on a book about ecological tipping points.

(from)

http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2010/06/gulf-crab-count/

***

My Note – Now, that is a good thing. Definitely.

- cricketdiane

***

Now, CNN is talking about BP preventing many opportunities for volunteers and organizations that are qualified to rescue the animals, marine wildlife and birds in the Gulf of Mexico from being involved. That’s true, unfortunately.

The BP incident command and the marine response corporation contractor continues to insist that only one group serve the rescue efforts.

The story segment is called the “Dragonfly Team.” But, there are many other stories of the denial from the government and BP incident groups of any approval for participation in the rescue efforts for animals and birds in the Gulf of Mexico spill areas. It is insane and obviously the one or two facilities they do have in operation are inadequate for the numbers of animals, marine animals, sea wildlife and birds affected by the oil and the toxic dispersants.

These people in command decision-making positions are making as much or more of the damage than the actual spill has made by denying multiple efforts that could help even by those qualified to be of help and in denying multitudes of products and systems from being utilized that could also help mitigate the damage.

- cricketdiane

And, the same problems with all that on Day 65 are the same as they were three weeks ago and two months ago and everywhere in between – now across several states instead of just one.

***

This one is really interesting – our Republican government of the last thirty years at work – and there’s no telling what else they did – but we will be finding out for a long, long, long time yet . . .

(my note)

EPA Reverses Controversial ‘Human Guinea Pig’ Rule

By Brandon Keim
June 22, 2010 |
4:50 pm |
Categories: Ethics, Government, Health

Under proposed changes to federal research ethics standards, the Environmental Protection Agency will no longer accept studies that use people as guinea pigs in chemical tests.

In 2006, under chemical-industry pressure, and over arguments that the studies were scientifically and ethically bankrupt, the EPA declared such data acceptable. On June 16, the EPA reversed its decision.

“What we were really concerned about is toxicity studies, where they’re trying to do a study on humans to determine the dose response of a chemical,” said Jennifer Sass, a senior scientist at the Natural Resources Defense Council, a liberal nonprofit. “If the EPA stops accepting them, there’s no motivation for companies to conduct them.”

Almost every standard code of medical ethics — including the Nuremberg Code, written in response to Nazi doctors’ nightmare studies — forbid human tests of drugs or chemicals that may cause harm, but can provide no direct benefit.

The chemical industry, however, has long argued that the EPA should accept data from tests in which healthy volunteers are paid for exposing themselves to pesticides and other known toxins. The industry says such data provide a more accurate picture of chemical effects than animal studies.

Critics say the resulting science is worthless, with companies running tests on small, non-representative groups of people, such as healthy young men, in order to create a false impression of safety. More importantly, the tests put people at potentially grave physical risk, with no benefit but a cash payment.

“These pesticides are intentionally designed to be toxic. Their whole purpose is to kill insects and invasive plants,” wrote senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and representative Henry Waxman (D-CA) in a 2005 report (.pdf) on the industry’s tests. “Yet in the experiments, test subjects swallowed insecticide tablets, sat in chambers with pesticide vapors, had pesticides applied to their skin, had pesticides shot into their eyes and noses, and were even exposed in their homes for six months at a time.”

Continued Waxman and Boxer: “The subjects were not told of the dangers of exposure to the pesticides. Sometimes, they weren’t even told the substances being tested were pesticides. They were misled into believing that they were participating in ‘drug’ trials, not pesticide experiments.”

Nevertheless, the Bush-era EPA — led by Stephen Johnson, a former tobacco-industry scientist — said they’d accept data from those studies. The NRDC, along with liberal nonprofits Pesticide Action Network and Earthjustice, filed suit in federal court.

Proposed rule changes announced by the EPA on June 16are the result of negotiations that accompanied the legal battle. They extend protections from the Common Rule (a widely accepted set of medical ethics that forbid intentional-dosing studies that have no benefit) to all people involved in EPA-accepted studies. Extra protections are given to children and pregnant women.

“EPA expects its tougher new rules will decrease the number of systemic intentional dosing toxicity studies conducted for pesticides,” reads the EPA website. “We expect the number of systemic toxicity studies to drop to as few as zero or one per year.”

The rules will be opened to public comment in January of 2011, and will need court approval to finally become law.

The American Chemistry Council, the major chemical industry trade group and an advocate of expanded human testing, did not respond to requests for comment.

According to Sass, Some data on human exposures to chemicals may still be used. Reports from accidental poisonings, worker exposures and other unintentional dosing exist, and “EPA could incorporate a lot of that unfortunate, real-world data,” she said.

“Pesticide companies should not be allowed to take advantage of vulnerable populations by enticing people to serve as human laboratory rats,” said Pesticide Action Network senior scientist Margaret Reeves in a press release.

Image: Flickr/Michelle Tribe

***

from that article -

Under proposed changes to federal research ethics standards, the Environmental Protection Agency will no longer accept studies that use people as guinea pigs in chemical tests.

***

My Note –

Now, they will contest the ruling and it might be reinstated along with the fact that nothing has made it illegal to do these studies in the United States even today. It is like living in Nazi Germany. Why did they remake the United States to be that way? No wonder some of my friends who participated in those studies got so sick. It may have been pesticides they were given instead of drugs for some insomnia study or schitzophrenia study drug. Damn those people who allowed this to be done to America’s citizens, especially the poor, the disabled, the mentally ill and the elderly – and apparently also, they did the tests on pregnant women and children as well. In the United States. In this modern time. In this day and age of knowing the real long-term damages and suffering they subjected these people to experience for their moments every day the rest of their lives. How can anyone be that cruel for no reason but to make a profit – when they are already making profits well over 300% as it is?

This is and has been a nightmare throughout the Republican years running of this country. What does it take to stop the kind of thinking that would engage in these kinds of choices to hurt people in such malicious and sadistic ways as corporate decisions to serve corporate interests of no other purpose? It is pathological, anti-social and psychotic. Why did the Republicans let them do that?

- cricketdiane

***

HMMMMMMM>

wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong – they have all the money, I guess that means they can do any damn thing they want to anybody.

And people support the Republicans and their twisted party all this time knowing they were doing stuff like this? How could they? Why would people do that?

****

Officials: Despondent Gulf Shores boat captain committed suicide

By Dana Beyerle Montgomery Bureau

Published: Wednesday, June 23, 2010 at 1:33 p.m.
Last Modified: Wednesday, June 23, 2010 at 1:33 p.m.

( page of 2 )

A Gulf Shores charter boat captain said to be despondent over the continuing Gulf oil spill was found dead on his boat today after his crew heard a “pop,” Baldwin County officials said.

Bumbling Idiots

It seems one of the ROV’s ran into a vent and BP has had to remove the cap that was containing some of the oil.

The result is that tens of thousands of gallons of more oil is leaking into the Gulf again.

Crews are working to put the cap back on.

This is but one example of the kind of things we will continue to face over the next two months since they can’t shut off the well and must opt only for containment.

We’ve already seen where mechanical failures, fires and weather have all caused a stoppage or lessening of the amount of oil recovered. Just wait to they have to completely shut down all recovery for an extended period due to tropical weather or a hurricane.

With the riser cut of and the leak at its highest rate, the worst of the spill may truly be yet to come.

http://www.louisianasportsman.com/lpca/index.php?section=reports&event=view&action=full_report&id=78202

***

Timmy Curran Joins the Cause on Larry King Live

‎
Surfline.com Surf News – 9 minutes ago

But longtime Hurely rider Timmy Curran found himself shoulder to shoulder with these celebs and many more at the Larry King Gulf Oil Spill Telethon that …

My Note –

Yes, he did and it was very, very nifty. It is good to see it, now if we can just get the artists that wrap islands with cloth to participate.

- cricketdiane

***

Oil spill: Health advisory for Escambia beaches

‎
Pensacola News Journal – 17 minutes ago

Those near Florida’s Gulf Coast may detect an odor because of the oil spill. Some people are more sensitive to these odors and may experience nasal …

WLOX.COM will stream special oil spill report at 7PM

‎
WLOX – 17 minutes ago

By WLOX Staff BILOXI, MS (WLOX) – The Gulf oil spill has impacted every central gulf state. Alabama is no different. In fact, plenty of oil has washed up on …

Oil soaks miles of Pensacola Beach

‎
CNN – Rich Phillips – 23 minutes ago

Workers clean a stretch of beach affected by oil in Pensacola Beach, Florida, on Wednesday. “It’s pretty ugly. …

***

Oil spill: Health advisory for Escambia beaches

June 23, 2010

http://www.pnj.com/article/20100623/NEWS01/100623011/Oil-spill-Health-advisory-for-Escambia-beaches

The Escambia County Health Department has issued a health advisory for parts of Pensacola Beach.

Escambia County officials announced at 12:20 p.m. that the Gulf waters from the Park West (Fort Pickens Gate) recreation area through Walkover 23 (just west of Portofino) are closed to all swimming and wading until further notice.

Double red flags have been posted. At the present time, swimming and wading is still allowed in the Gulf east of Walkover 23.

The sound side is still safe for swimming and the Gulf front beaches, above the mean high water line (above the contaminated areas), are still open for sunbathing and other typical beach activities.

The Escambia County Health Department offered the following tips for avoiding negative health impacts from an oiled shoreline:

· Avoid entering areas where oil can be seen (no wading, swimming or entering the water).

· Avoid direct skin contact with oil, oil-contaminated water and sediments.

· Avoid contact with dead or dying fish or other aquatic life.

· Do not swim or ski in areas affected by the oil spill, and if traveling through the area by boat take precautions when hoisting the boat anchor. If oil makes contact with the skin, wash it off with grease-cutting liquid dishwashing detergent and water.

· Do not fish in oil spill-affected waters.

· Do not harvest or eat dead fish, fish with oily residue, or fish that have a petroleum odor.

· Avoid boating through oil slicks or sheens.

· Young children, pregnant women, people with compromised immune systems, and individuals with underlying respiratory conditions should avoid the area.

· Prevent pets from entering oil-contaminated areas.

· Those near Florida’s Gulf Coast may detect an odor because of the oil spill. Some people are more sensitive to these odors and may experience nasal irritation and feelings of nausea. In combination with seasonal allergies, such as sensitivity to pollen, or pre-existing respiratory conditions such as asthma, some people may experience more severe symptoms.

· Individuals experiencing respiratory symptoms that are aggravated by the odors from the oil spill should consider:

– Staying indoors in air-conditioning and avoiding strenuous outdoor activity.

– If symptoms do not improve, contact a primary care physician or other health care professional for medical advice.

– Individuals who have pre-existing medical conditions such as asthma or other respiratory illnesses should contact their physician if feeling symptomatic.

The health department is posting signs at the affected area; a copy of the sign is attached. Residents can participate in activities that are above the high tide line. If they experience respiratory problems, they should leave the area and contact a physician, as they deem necessary.

The health department will continue to work with the Emergency Operations Center, and will notify the public, through the media and its website (www.EscambiaHealth.com), when the health advisory is no longer in effect.

For more information contact:

o Escambia County Health Department at (850)595-6700

o Escambia County Citizen’s Information Line at 471-6600 from 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. CDT (Monday – Sunday) or www.escambiadisasterresponse.com

o Florida Oil Spill Information Line at (888)337-3569.

(from)

http://www.pnj.com/article/20100623/NEWS01/100623011/Oil-spill-Health-advisory-for-Escambia-beaches

***

( and also)

Oil spill: Buffett plans beach concert

***

From Alabama –

WLOX.COM will stream special oil spill report at 7PM

Posted: Jun 23, 2010 4:14 PM GDT

Wednesday, June 23, 2010 11:14 AM EST

Updated: Jun 23, 2010 8:30 PM GDT

By WLOX Staff

BILOXI, MS (WLOX) – The Gulf oil spill has impacted every central gulf state. Alabama is no different. In fact, plenty of oil has washed up on the beaches of Gulf Shores and Orange beach in recent weeks. So far, Mississippi beaches have been spared for the most part. Because of that, the Raycom News Network will air a one hour special report tonight, focusing on the spill’s impact on the Alabama coast. WLOX is part of the Raycom News network.

Many Mississippians have traveled to or are very familiar with the Alabama coast. The two state’s interests are tied together. So, we will be airing the special report on WLOX.COM beginning at 7pm tonight. Just click on the link at the top of the home page to watch this important one hour special. You will come away with more knowledge about the devastating effects of this spill on every state in the region.

In addition, newsmakers, including the governor of Alabama will be interviewed. And you will have a chance to post questions on-line for possible answers. Again, click on WLOX.COM at 7pm tonight to watch the live streamed special report.

http://www.wlox.com/Global/story.asp?S=12695563

WLOX.COM will stream special oil spill report at 7PM

WLOX-TV on Facebook

Parrottheads flock to get tickets to Buffett benefit concert

Posted: Jun 23, 2010 4:10 PM GDT

Wednesday, June 23, 2010 11:10 AM EST

Updated: Jun 23, 2010 4:20 PM GDT Wednesday, June 23, 2010 11:20 AM EST

BILOXI, MS (WLOX) – Parrottheads lined up at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum Wednesday to get their hands on tickets to Jimmy Buffett’s Gulf Coast benefit concert. The Coast native is organizing a free concert July 1, in Gulf Shores, Alabama.

Buffett’s website says the concert is to demonstrate support for the people, businesses and culture of the Gulf Coast, as oil continues to spew off-shore. A list of country music stars will join him, including Kenny Chesney, Zac Brown Band, Sonny Landreth, Jesse Winchester and Allen Toussaint.

A souvenir T-shirt is being designed for the event. It’ll be available online and at the show. Although the concert is free, tickets are required. You can get them at Ticketmaster or CMT.com. If you can’t make it in person, you can watch the concert live on CMT and then repeated over the Fourth of July weekend.

http://www.wlox.com/Global/story.asp?S=12695540

***

Oil soaks miles of Pensacola Beach - June 23, 2010 (CNN IReport Photo ) - http://www.cnn.com/2010/TRAVEL/06/23/pensacola.beach.oil/

Oil soaks miles of Pensacola Beach

By Rich Phillips,

June 23, 2010 4:01 p.m. EDT

More than two months after the Deepwater Horizon disaster, Pensacola awoke Wednesday to the largest onslaught of black crude on Florida’s coast, as more than nine miles of white shoreline and beaches were soaked with syrupy oil.

A health advisory has been issued by Escambia County for parts of Pensacola Beach and Fort Pickens.

“It’s pretty ugly. There’s no question about it,” Florida Gov. Charlie Crist said. “It does break your heart.”

Oil also washed up on nearby Perdido Key, where workers cleaned up 8 tons of tar balls.

See more photos of oil in Pensacola

http://www.cnn.com/2010/TRAVEL/06/23/pensacola.beach.oil/

(lot’s more on that article – not nifty but good information and worth knowing regardless. – my note)

***

BP Considering Anadarko Suit: Report TheStreet

John Tesh Radio Show Wants You to ‘Adopt A Fisherman’ Beliefnet

(that’ll work.)

***

House committee approves subpoena for BP documents

By MATTHEW DALY (AP) – 29 minutes ago

WASHINGTON — The House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday subpoenaed BP claims documents, after its chairman said the company has not complied with requests to provide information on its payments.

The committee’s voice vote showed bipartisan agreement for Chairman John Conyers’ efforts to release claims information to the public.

The committee also voted, 16-11, to approve a bill eliminating limits on the amount of money that vessel owners had to pay for deaths and injuries. The bill would allow family members to collect payments for non-monetary damages such as pain and suffering.

Introduced by Conyers, D-Mich., the bill was sent to the full House, where it will be considered along with other legislation resulting from the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

(etc.)

They also would repeal a law limiting that limits a vessel owner’s liability death and injury to the value of a vessel and its cargo. Rig owner Transocean Ltd. has sought to use the law to limit its liability to the discounted salvage value of the rig, estimated at $27 million.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hSsGsiZ18JYxHwuLGeC7Tu4T2nLwD9GH6HDO5

***

eBay Promises To Remove Jimmy Buffett Tickets

‎
WKRG-TV – Jessica Taloney – 23 minutes ago

“This concert is to benefit the Gulf Coast, not to benefit ticket scalpers … bring people back to the Gulf Coast in the wake of the massive oil spill that …

***

Oil Spillcam

http://globalwarming.house.gov/spillcam

The oil spillcam is linked to multiple cameras in place by BP and linked by the U.S. House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming. It may lock up while you are viewing because of the hundreds of thousands of people viewing the video. The best advice is to be patient. It will eventually finish buffering and you’ll see the leak in real time. BP released the video link following a demand from Rep. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) who is chairman of the committee.

Oil Spill Links

For specific information about the federal-wide response, visit http://www.whitehouse.gov/deepwater-bp-oil-spill.
For information about validated environmental air and water sampling results, visit www.epa.gov/bpspill.
For National Park Service updates about potential park closures, resources at risk, and NPS actions to protect vital park space and wildlife, visit http://www.nps.gov/aboutus/oil-spill-response.htm.
For daily updates on fishing closures, visit http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov.
DeepWater Horizon Unified Command site: DeepWaterHorizonResponse.com
State of Louisianan emergency site: emergency.louisiana.gov
U.S. Coast Guard: http://www.uscg.mil/
Earthobservatory.nasa.gov: http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/
LSU EarthScan Laboratory: http://www.esl.lsu.edu/home/
LSU Coastal Studies Institute: http://www.csi.lsu.edu/
LSU Wave-Current-Surge site: http://www.wavcis.lsu.edu/
EPA spill response site: http://www.epa.gov/bpspill/
NOAA site; link to spill response updates: http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov/
NOAA real-time data on response events: http://www.geoplatform.gov/gulfresponse/

Main site for Deepwater Horizon Response:

http://www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com/go/site/2931/

(also)

Price gouging law in effect following State of Emergency declaration

Louisiana price gouging laws are now in effect. If you suspect price gouging, contact the Louisiana Attorney General’s Office at 800-351-4889 or visit www.agbuddycaldwell.com and click “Emergency Preparedness.”

More information will be posted or updated as it becomes available.

(from)

http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/national/92451559.html

June 15, 2010

(also )

Oil Spill phone numbers:

To discuss spill related damage claims, call 1-800-440-0858. For those who have already pursued the BP claims process and are not satisfied with BP’s resolution, can call the Coast Guard at 1-800-280-7118. More information about what types of damages are eligible for compensation under the Oil Pollution Act as well as guidance on procedures to seek that compensation can be found here .
Report oiled shoreline or request volunteer information: (866) 448-5816
Submit alternative response technology, services or products: (281) 366-5511
Submit your vessel for the Vessel of Opportunity Program: (281) 366-5511
Submit a claim for damages: (800) 440-0858
Report oiled wildlife: (866) 557-1401
Medical support hotline: (888) 623-0287
To contact the Deepwater Horizon Joint Information Center, call (985) 902-5231.

Main site for Deepwater Horizon Response:

http://www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com/go/site/2931/

***

SPILL-HOUMA Jun-22-2010 (780 words) With photos. xxxn

Gulf residents live with the unknown about long-term effects of spill

By Janet Marcel
Catholic News Service

SCHRIEVER, La. (CNS) — Fishing, swimming and interacting at all with the water off the coast of Louisiana is off-limits to residents, and their livelihoods and quality of life are suffering, said the pastor of Our Lady of the Isle Parish in Grand Isle.

“They can’t fish; they can’t swim; they can’t interact with the water; they can’t live off the food from the water,” Father Mike Tran told the Bayou Catholic, newspaper of the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux. “This oil spill has had a traumatic impact on the people of the island.”

Grand Isle is a barrier island at the mouth of Barataria Bay where it meets the Gulf. The island is connected to the mainland of Louisiana by a causeway.

“There are no more tourists; basically everything is shut down. We can’t even enjoy the fresh air when we go outdoors because of the smell of the oil that is continually washing up on the beach,” the priest said. “And now, with the beginning of hurricane season, the stress levels of the residents have risen even more.”

Father Tran also reported that the number of people attending Mass at the Grand Isle church has decreased on weekends and collections are down by approximately $1,000 a week so far. He said he is worried about the future of the parish.

Grand Isle residents and their counterparts across the Houma-Thibodaux Diocese and the rest of the Gulf Coast were waiting anxiously for word that BP has been able to contain the oil flowing into the Gulf of Mexico from the company’s blown-out drilling rig called Deepwater Horizon.

Since the April 20 explosion and fire that killed 11 workers on the rig, millions of gallons of oil have been pouring into the Gulf each day; and containment efforts by BP to date have been only partially successful.

There is much uncertainty about the long-term impact of the man-made environmental disaster, which is being called this country’s worst, on the people of south Louisiana who live and make their living on the water.

Father Thomas Kuriakose, pastor of St. Charles Borromeo Parish in Point-aux-Chenes, said a lot of his parishioners are fishermen and although their future livelihood is being threatened, currently many of them were working for BP to help in some way with the cleanup of the spill.

“At this time, most of the people here don’t need much financial assistance, but I have spoken to a lot of people who are depressed about the uncertainty of what the future holds for them and for the seafood industry in this area,” said Father Kuriakose.

He said he has noticed an increase in the number of people coming to Mass at his church since the accident and that for now parish collections remain steady.

“This is a terrible tragedy that is not only affecting the people along the coast of Louisiana, and several other states, but also the land and wildlife, as well,” said the priest.

He said he has had two meetings with Michel Claudet, president of Terrebonne Parish, a civil entity, and other church members to discuss the tragedy and how it is affecting local residents.

Counseling, prayer services and pastor visits are some of the ways St. Charles Borromeo Parish is helping the victims of the spill.

At Our Lady of the Isle, parish staff has been busy trying to identify those families truly in need and to offer any assistance they can.

Prayer services were being held once a week for all islanders to give them a chance to pray, socialize and express any fears or concerns they may have. Father Tran also is making himself available to anyone who needs to talk about the situation.

Kathryn Anderson, associate director for parish social ministry at Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux, said the agency has made case workers available to residents.

She also noted that from the beginning, Matthew 25 disaster response teams have been present in their communities.

“Matthew 25 volunteers are used to getting their hands dirty right after a disaster. When we have a hurricane they respond quickly by serving meals or helping with the cleanup,” she told the Bayou Catholic. “They haven’t had that opportunity in this situation because the cleanup work is being performed by contract labor or wildlife specialists.

“However, that may change as we continue with the recovery efforts,” said Anderson.

“Most of the people who come to us are visibly upset, but by the time they leave, they feel better,” said Maryal Mewherter, a case worker at the Grand Isle Community Center. “Sometimes I get a hug just for giving them one $100 food voucher.”

http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/1002587.htm

***

Wednesday Edition

June 23, 2010

Updated continually

2theadvocate.com

Baton Rouge, LA

” href=”http://media.2theadvocate.com/images/oil+daily+graphic+062210.jpg”>

Click Image to Enlarge

Louisiana’s annual exposure — if every sales dollar from every business in coastal parishes were yanked — is $148 billion, according to Dun & Bradstreet. Comparable totals are $274 billion for Florida, $64.5 billion for Alabama and $45.9 billion for Mississippi.

On the fishing front, D&B estimates the size of Louisiana’s dockside catch at $177.2 million a year, not far from the state’s dockside estimate of $260 million. Pastro said D&B’s database of 167 million firms doesn’t include some small sole proprietors.

But when 1,034 Louisiana fishing firms in its database are joined by boating and marine service businesses, the number of firms top 5,000, employees approach 20,000 and annual sales exceed $700 million, D&B’s report said.

Gov. Bobby Jindal, using estimates from the Louisiana Department of Economic Development, has said total sales tied to commercial marine fishing in the state are $2.3 billion. Because of that stake, Jindal asked President Barack Obama last week for support in funding a $457 million Louisiana seafood certification program for the next two decades to counter concerns about petroleum in the Gulf environment.

http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/96857229.html

***

(also from this site – )

***

My Note -

I think the only real hurricane preparedness in this case is going to be leaving the entire Gulf Coast area to the crude oil and toxic dispersants mixed with crude oil that the oil industry has covered the ocean and the coast with – people need to be leaving there now while they can and before they are too sick or too poor to leave.

- cricketdiane

****

Gulf of Mexico – air quality and sea filled with crude oil and dispersants that have benzene in it among other dangerous chemicals – BP oil spill from Deepwater Horizon

18 Friday Jun 2010

Posted by cricketdiane in cricketdiane, Oil Petroleum Natural Gas Industries Gasoline Oil Spill Diesel Fuel

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

benzene, BP, cleanup and recovery efforts in the Gulf of Mexico, cricketdiane, crude oil, crude oil drilling accident in the Gulf of Mexico, dispersants, EPA, NIH, oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico

NOAA Conducts Tests to Determine Fate of Whale Found Dead in Gulf of Mexico

June 17, 2010
Consolidated Fish and Wildlife Collection Report – June 17, 2010 (256.80 KB)

NOAA: May Global Temperature is Warmest on Record

AUDIO RELEASE: Coast Guard Seeks Assistance Preventing Boom Vandalism

Report oiled shoreline or request volunteer information: (866)-448-5816

Submit alternative response technology, services or products: (281) 366-5511

Submit your vessel for the Vessel of Opportunity Program: (281) 366-5511

Submit a claim for damages: (800) 440-0858

Report oiled wildlife: (866) 557-1401

Key contact numbers

Report oiled shoreline or request volunteer information: (866) 448-5816
Submit alternative response technology, services or products: (281) 366-5511
Submit your vessel for the Vessel of Opportunity Program: (281) 366-5511
Submit a claim for damages: (800) 440-0858
Report oiled wildlife: (866) 557-1401

Deepwater Horizon Incident
Joint Information Center

Phone: (713) 323-1670
(713) 323-1671

UNIFIED COMMAND URGES CITIZENS TO HELP PROTECT LOUISIANA’S COAST

BY NOT TAMPERING WITH BOOM

HOUMA, La. – The Unified Command today released a public service announcement (PSA) regarding boom vandalism currently taking place on Louisiana waters.

The PSA urges citizens to help protect Louisiana’s shoreline and marshes by not cutting, tampering or moving boom currently in place. Boom is an essential part of the ongoing response efforts and by damaging boom, the effort to protect Louisiana’s coastline and natural inhabitants is jeopardized.

Citizens are encouraged to report any boom vandalism to local law enforcement, the U.S. Coast Guard or by calling (866) 448-5816.

The Unified Command has been established to manage response operations to the April 20, 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill. A Unified Command links the organizations responding to an incident and provides a process for those organizations to make consensus decisions. The Houma Unified Command is responsible for all operations in Louisiana.

Click here to listen the PSA. For more information about the response effort visit www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com.

For information about the response effort, visit www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com

(from)
http://ht.ly/2024W

***

Deepwater Horizon Response The vacuum barges in Louisiana have been deemed safe to re-join the fight against the oil spill in the Gulf. The vacuum barges were temporarily removed from service after safety concerns occurred including stability and the lack of lifesaving and firefighting equipment. All concerns have been addressed and the vessels …are safe for all crewmembers aboard. Read more: http://ht.ly/20189

Unified Command for the BP Oil Spill | Vacuum Barges Deemed Safe to Join Oil Spill Response

ht.ly

The official site of the Deepwater Horizon Response Unified Command. Find the latest information about the BP Gulf oil spill response.

Yesterday at 11:35pm

http://www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com/go/site/2931/

***

My Note -

I received a comment on my post which I will put here about a test that anyone can do (non-invasive) for benzene exposure. It costs 36 pounds and can be purchased online. However, I’ve only briefly looked into it and what I want to do is find the other tests available for the specific chemicals that are in the crude oil and dispersants in the Gulf of Mexico air and water such that people can take those samples themselves and test what is there.

We have a lot of boats going out into those areas and if many are taking samples where the fumes are assaulting them – maybe a better idea of the overall health risks can be developed and proven in ways that the EPA and health agencies cannot ignore. As much as they know it is dangerous, they continue to say it doesn’t require respirators or eye protection for those being exposed to the crude oil and dispersant and crude oil burnoff vapors concentrated in the area and coming ashore.

This is the one of those tests. This one is for exposure to benzene. It doesn’t say how quickly after exposure that the test has to be made for it to be correct. And, there are other tests available to get information about what is in the air and water including some handheld devices used for sampling that tech teams, scientists, some environmental groups, miners and industries use. I will look for them.

This one is from the company BIOMARK. This is the comment I received -

Dr Latha Ball
biomark.co.uk
lathanball@biomark.co.uk
86.177.129.222

2010/06/18 at 9:33 am

Those involved with the oil spill clean-up and those living and working close to the affected shoreline will be exposed to benzene. With airborne monitoring it is not possible to say exactly how much benzene an individual has been exposed to. Biomonitoring, the measurment of a chemical or a breakdown product from that chemical in the body of an individual allows a much more accurate measurment of a persons exposure to that harmful chemical. For example the measurement of a specific urinary metabolite of benzene called S-PMA allows a persons exposure to benzene to be determined. Biomark Limited have recently launched a simple to use and cost-effective benzene biomonitoing test. This test allows large numbers of sample to be taken and quickly measured. Details of this test can be found at http://www.biomark.co.uk. The test is available on-line to individuals, environmental organisations, companies and governments. This test could be a very powerful tool for determining benzene exposure and assessing the long-term inpact of this environmental disaster.

CONTACT DETAILS -

Biomark Limited
14 Camelot Way
Thornhill
Cardiff
CF14 9AN

Telephone ++44 (0)29 20521890

E-mail info@biomark.co.uk

For simple, rapid and cost-effective biomonitoring (biological monitoring)
On-line Benzene Biomonitoring / Benzene Biological Monitoring now available

http://www.biomark.co.uk/biomark%20contact.html

Biomark Limited
Registered in England and Wales Company No. 6034383

Biomark’s test measures the urinary biomarker S-phenylmercapturic acid (S-PMA). S-PMA is specific to benzene and presence of this metabolite in urine confirms inhalation, ingestion or absorption of this harmful chemical.

S-PMA is recommended as a biomarker by:

The American Conference of

Governmental Hygienists (ACGIH)

The UK Health and Safety

Executive (HSE)

The German DFG – Deutsche

Forschungsgemeinschaft

The UK Institute of Petroleum

Singapore Ministry of Manpower

http://www.biomark.co.uk/on-line%20benzene%20biomonitoring.html

***

NOAA Conducts Tests to Determine Fate of Whale Found Dead in Gulf of Mexico

Whale Not Found in Oiled Water, but Cause of Death Unknown

June 17, 2010

NOAA Ship Pisces.

High resolution (Credit: NOAA)

On Tuesday, June 15, the NOAA Ship Pisces reported a dead sperm whale floating 77 miles due south of the Deepwater Horizon spill site. NOAA is currently in the process of conducting thorough testing to determine the circumstances surrounding the mammal’s death, as well as collect information about its life. This is the first dead whale reported since BP’s rig exploded on April 20 It was not found in oiled waters; however, its location of death is unknown.

As soon as the whale was sighted, Pisces Field Party Chief Paul Felts called the marine mammal hotline to report the finding to the Wildlife Branch of the Unified Command and NOAA’s marine mammal experts.

Based on the estimated size of the whale, scientists believe it is a sub-adult. Its condition suggests it may have been dead for between several days to more than a week. Although it was not found in oiled water, NOAA marine mammal experts are using hindcasting analysis to look into the location from which the whale carcass may have drifted.

While it is impossible to confirm whether exposure to oil was the cause of death, NOAA is reviewing whether factors such as ship strikes and entanglement can be eliminated. Samples collected from this carcass will be stored under proper protocols and handed off when the Pisces comes to port on July 2, or possibly if another boat is sent to meet the Pisces. Full analysis of the samples will take several weeks.

In accordance with the Wildlife Branch protocols, NOAA’s Southeast Regional Marine Mammal Stranding Coordinator Blair Mase requested that the NOAA field crew take photographs of the approximately 25-foot whale, collect skin swab for oil analysis, collect blubber and skin samples for analysis, and measure its height in the water. Although the whale is very decomposed, the photographs and samples will help scientists better understand how long it has been dead. The blubber and skin samples will be used for genetic analysis and to determine the sex of the animal. Measurements of the whale floating in the water will be used to determine how far and how fast it might have floated from where it died. The carcass has been marked so that aerial reconnaissance teams will be able to identify the individual and will not report it as a new mortality.

NOAA and the Unified Command Wildlife Branch have had numerous reports of sperm whales seen swimming in the oil, but this is the first confirmed report of a dead whale since the BP oil spill began. NOAA remains concerned about sperm whales, which are the only endangered resident cetaceans in the upper Gulf of Mexico. Sperm whales spend most of their time in the upper Gulf offshore area, live at depth in areas where subsurface dispersants and oil are present, and feed on deepwater squid, which may also be impacted by the oil and dispersants.

The NOAA Ship Gordon Gunter sailed yesterday for a multi-week cruise to do photo identification, assessments, tagging, biopsies, and prey-density studies for sperm whales and Bryde’s whales. Nearshore and offshore response efforts are continuing, and include investigations to determine cause of death or illness for dolphins that have stranded and aerial surveys for cetaceans throughout the area. The information gained from these efforts will help assess the impacts of this event on cetaceans in the Gulf of Mexico.

http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2010/20100617_whale.html

***

Two of the things I’ve noticed in the last few days about the oil spill -

1. That the five biggest oil companies are paying ZERO royalties for the 141 wells they are operating in the Gulf of Mexico. (said by a Representative in the Hearings earlier this week. I looked it up and apparently that is true.)

2. That the ideas, products, inventions, and solutions being put into the email to the Senators, Representatives, the Department of Energy and elsewhere including on the BP website form page are going to a team of six people somewhere in the Unified Command and they’ve received 100,000 plus – maybe because they are all shipping them over to the same place when people and companies are sending the ideas to them.

And, although Tony Hayward yesterday in hearings said that they are incorporating some of those ideas into the oil spill recovery and oil spill containment and well containment – there is no evidence of that, except where local leaders are putting them to use in a few cases on their own. But, they are not using the ideas being submitted to BP or the Unified Command because those are not being made available to them.

- cricketdiane

***

Finally, CNN is showing a few pictures where people working in the spill areas do have a few respirators. David Michaels, Assistant Secretary of Labor at OSHA is speaking now about the respirators and suggesting that now they are saying that some workers are being told to wear respirators. But apparently that is not being required in the areas of the marshes and many other places.

One thing he just noted – (on CNN) is that to include requirements for respirators is to require a fit test and another test to make sure they are being used correctly so as not to be damaging to the heart and in the heat – these respirators are apparently very difficult on the body as well. Hmmmm……

So, he is excusing the fact that OSHA is not requiring those standing in oil in the marshes or on boats being subjected to the oil or leaning over the oil in the marshes to clean it up with absorbent towels from the grasses who are being exposed to benzene and other chemical hazards found in crude oil.

Hmmm……..

Testing the air, testing the water – finding too little chemicals to be of concern but meanwhile – people are being overcome by the fumes and made sick by them. What is wrong with this picture? Why does it continue to be wrong? And is this the best we can offer these workers, respirators that are worse than what they would be breathing even when it is known to be extremely hazardous chemicals? That mentality of how much trouble it would be to fit test everyone who might need to be using a respirator.

***

By the way -

I’m very glad that the $20 Billion dollars was put into an escrow account by BP and I’m very proud of our President and our team in the White House for their tough negotiations with BP’s Chairman and executives to accomplish it.

However, I’ve noticed that there are already statements made by Tony Hayward yesterday about these funds being expected to cover virtually everything for the next ten years and I don’t think that is realistic. What is realistic is that having this money set aside into escrow will protect it in the event that BP, its subsidiaries involved in this event or by separation of the oil spill event into a separate company – that any of them go into bankruptcy. That is important as is that the money is protected in the event of a merger or the numerous ways that corporate structures can be manipulated to sidestep continuing financial liabilities.

And, the other thing I noticed is how much Mr. Barton of Texas spoke directly for the views of the Republican Party yesterday in the hearings as he apologized to BP for the “shakedown”. When he was speaking, he mentioned that he found it distasteful that a business or an individual legitimately at fault could be required to set aside some measure of assets in this way (my paraphrase – what he said was even better).

The thing is that he and his Republican counterparts decided during the Reagan years forward, that any business, corporation or individual who was found accused (long before being found guilty in any court of law or mounting any sufficient defense,) of violating any number of US laws would immediately find their homes, businesses, vehicles, properties, assets, bank accounts, belongings and every other thing confiscated by the law enforcement agencies of the US. If that is not a shakedown – I don’t know what is.

And long before any of the cases could go to court, all that property was confiscated and often, auctioned off before it was ever ascertained that the action had been appropriate in the first place. So, get off it – The Republican Party policy makers had determined to do that and to push for sovereignty laws across the US and to push lower and lower what standards could be used to facilitate taking property through eminent domain laws, including to use them for the mineral rights under our national public lands, national parks, and federal lands.

Mr. BP representative Barton (R) Texas didn’t mind when all that has been going on and the Republican Party were the ones who decided on it being that way. So, what is their problem when one of their favorite friends have to put up a bit of money for what they’ve done. In fact, based on the laws of the United States as the Republicans have remade them, all of BP’s assets could be frozen right now and literally confiscated – all of it.

And, on CNN yesterday – although I’ve noted it on earlier posts and elsewhere online it can be found through the US Treasury Department, the State Department and through International Petroleum websites – BP owns and operates facilities in conjunction with Iran and for Iran and together serves the needs of Iran. CNN noted that one massive investor with 24 million shares of BP stock was found to be Iran’s own – but I don’t know that it can be substantiated by the public. The laws of the United States and the European Union, along with the UN facilitators and other agencies within the US departments do know however, as does the UK government oversight members. So, that will get fixed before it is all over.

What struck me most yesterday watching the two hearings yesterday – the subcommittee with BP and the other one with the Minerals Management Service – was to watch the sidestepping of the Republicans in the MMS hearings of the subcommittee on natural resources.

Instead of using the time to ask pertinent and appropriate questions to investigate the situation and others that may be accidents waiting to happen, at least two of the Republican representatives used that time to push, push, push Republican Party policy position paper statements about the oil drilling moratorium on the 33 wells in deepwater of the Gulf of Mexico.

I wish they would use the time properly or just shut up and let somebody else do it. What a waste of time, effort and opportunity when Republicans are doing it that way when in this once in a lifetime hearing event when decisions and investigations are occurring – they use it as a chance to further intentionally instigate and promote oil industry interests in a continuing stream of read and re-read statements straight out of the Republican party conservative thinktanks and Wall Street backers consumed with the Oil play.

How could they do that? And, I was proud to see some of the Republican Representatives in the hearings with Tony Hayward of BP finally getting into the real deal of trying to understand what has happened, why it happened, how it might happen again even yet, and how the recovery efforts are being done. At first their statements were the same old stuff and then they started getting angry with the bullshit too.

BP doesn’t seem much like an oil company and I can see now why the other oil executives from the large oil companies in hearings earlier started distancing themselves away from BP. It seems that the executives in BP have acted more like Wall Street members than oil industry members. Maybe their only job is to maneuver deals, manage mergers and sustain the corporate hierarchy to cut costs, deliver layoffs, drop overhead and increase profits as a result.

Maybe they have no abilities to fund and implement reasonable safety measures and safe operations in that business and corporate model as it is now. To them (given that structure) – safety measures and R&D into better, safer ways would simply look like a column on a balance sheet to cheat out of the needed resources in order to boost profits on a continually short term basis but always immediately out in front of them. They could literally say that safety was their first priority even as severe financial and resource cuts were made to each and every safety system and safety based measure in use.

Hmmmm……

- cricketdiane

***

June 17, 2010
Consolidated Fish and Wildlife Collection Report – June 17, 2010 (256.80 KB)

Birds Collected Dead – 829

829 Birds Collected Dead as of 06-17-10

Total Birds Collected – 1468

42 Birds Cleaned and Released

Total Sea Turtles Collected – 461

Sea Turtles Collected Dead – 358

Of the 461 turtles verified from April 30 to June 16, a total of 355 stranded turtles were found dead, 34 stranded alive. Four of those subsequently died. Four live stranded turtles were released, and 26 live stranded turtles are being cared for at rehabilitation centers. Turtle strandings during this time period have been much higher in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and the Florida Panhandle than in previous years for this same time period. This may be due in part to increased detection and reporting, but this does not fully account for the increase.

The above note from June 16, 2010 – NOAA website -

http://response.restoration.noaa.gov/dwh.php?entry_id=809

***

Dolphins Collected Dead – 44

Total Dolphins Collected – 46

(and one reptile collected alive)

Plus One Sperm Whale Collected Dead

And as noted elsewhere – from NOAA ships – there are thousands of sea cucumbers dead in the waters that have been observed and photographs taken of their numbers floating dead in the waters along with man of war, jellyfish, and other similar animals floating dead in the Gulf of Mexico waters.

I haven’t found the condition of the coral reefs at the pinnacles however, there was a mention on CNN by some members of local governments that the bottom of Barataria Bay is covered in oil and oil mixed with dispersants, tar balls and thick gooey oil product.

(my note)

***

There were also nests destroyed and pelican chicks and eggs along the coastal marshes that were reported in the last couple days where they had either been stepped on by cleanup workers or bags of petroleum crude oil had been thrown over on top of them awaiting collection of those bags. It doesn’t make sense – do you know there are UV protective clothing with specially made fabrics to be cool that are used in Death Valley and Sahara races and neck bandanas made in Australia that cool the body. There have to be the better designed respiration equipment somewhere and yet, everywhere I look, the Coast Guard, the National Guard, and workers hired to cleanup or place boom are not required to wear respirators and none of these things listed above are available to them even though the heat index in some areas is around 110.

Its as if I am watching a cleanup and recovery operation designed in the 1960 time period predating the computer access to all these things across the world and prior to the time when these products and their companion technologies existed. It is also as if none of the things that have been known for the last one hundred years, especially throughout the last fifty years have been added to the mix of what is available to bring to bear on a situation from knowledge and information to products, inventions, discoveries and options.

It is maddening. And, I still think that the contractors are getting more of the decision making about who and what and where assets are placed along with how they are used and which contractors or subcontractors are allowed to do them. That is the most insanely irresponsible manner to operate this approach that has ever existed ever. It is almost been worse than doing nothing at all in many cases and it ties up resources and assets which could be used to put them into permanently idling on the docks or out of the action which costs immeasurably every single minute it is happening.

That has to be changed immediately or it will go on this same way over the next six months of this operation and continue making it worse on a daily basis as reasonable courses of action are withheld.

- cricketdiane

***

Oh yeah and yesterday, Mr. Hayward said that the find at Macondo Prospect where the Deepwater Horizon was drilling was expected to yield 100 million barrels but there were items I posted on earlier posts which indicated that BP was expecting it to be a find much larger than that of around a billion barrels. He had to know that and one thing I noticed is that he did know about that argument on the Deepwater Horizon which had been reported by a number of employees had been “repudiated” under oath at another investigative hearing. So, isn’t that interesting considering that vast array of things he either didn’t know or didn’t testify to in a correct manner such as him saying that everyone on the Deepwater Horizon rig agreed to go forward on the operation despite a great deal of evidence to the contrary of what he said.

Apparently, he didn’t mind saying that however, knowing damn full well it wasn’t true when he said it – not only once, but twice during these hearings.

- cricketdiane

***

And why is it that oil rigs and semi-permanent drilling rigs and semisubmersible rigs or whatever oil drilling platforms can be used in the Gulf of Mexico and our national waters that register in the Marshall Islands and elsewhere but skimming boats and other types of recovery vessels can’t come help us that are registered in other nations? Does that make any sense at all? Are they just making up this stuff as they go along or is it that rules are applied just however it suits depending on whose benefit they want to serve?

I still don’t understand why the Coast Guard stopped those boats from getting the oil out of the marshes and sent them back to port – why couldn’t they just hand them some lifejackets and a fire extinguisher temporarily with an inspection for those things to be added appropriately once the boats were taken back to port after getting up the oil for the day? Some of this stuff just absolutely defies any good sense whatsoever.

Now, they’ve made it harder to get the NOAA forecast for the oil spill. I went to the NOAA incident page and then where it used to be easy to get the current map, now it is a separate page which my computer browser insisted in through an untrusted site, then it leads to a pdf that is incomplete. And, maybe the onshore trajectory has been divided up from the offshore trajectory maps. Also – as if it isn’t bad enough that their information typically runs a full day behind – now its harder to get it, slow and difficult to share. Thanks a lot for denouncing every concept of transparency. Do they have nothing better to do than try to botch up the only three things that were actually working correctly or close at least?

Whose goals are causing these aberrations from the Incident Response Team?

In fact the map that it sent me to see – is from 06-04-10. God, I hate them.

http://response.restoration.noaa.gov/book_shelf/2119_TMF24-2010-06-03-2100.pdf

Another work of Jane Lubchenco, no doubt. She is such a piece of work. Wasn’t she the one saying that there was no chance this oil would come ashore and that it wouldn’t get into the loop current and that the amount of release was only 5,000 barrels a day long after it was known that was a lie?

I don’t doubt she and the Commerce Department is manipulating things to serve the interests of the tourism industry or who the hell ever this time that is lobbying them to make things appear better than they are and to thwart the truth being made available to the American people and the international communities. I think she isn’t a member of the scientific community at all. She acts more like an administrator (and one with specific interests benefiting business and industry) than anyone with concerns for the biological species in the Gulf of Mexico. Nor does her emphasis seem to be transparency and availability of information easily accessible to the American people. I’ve had it with the whole bunch of them. They are going to keep mucking up things until finally they do find themselves brought up to tar and feathering – and I don’t mean in the nice chambers of the House Congressional hearings either.

It is just a matter of time.

- cricketdiane

Here is the nearshore trajectory map for the oil spill from today – only available now as a pdf unless I go to the Chinese websites, European websites and Persian websites that will allow me to get it as an html doc or jpg image – what kind of bullshit is that?

http://response.restoration.noaa.gov/book_shelf/2209_TMF48-2010-06-17-2100.pdf

And here is the other one -

Trajectory Forecast Maps
24, 48 and 72 hour oil spill trajectory forecasts. Updated daily.

Nearshore
[ 24 Hour | 48 Hour | 72 Hour ]
Offshore
[ 24 Hour | 48 Hour | 72 Hour ]

http://response.restoration.noaa.gov/dwh.php?entry_id=809#downloads

That’s it – I hate them.

I tried printing the trajectory map for today and I was going to scan it so I could post it and although the document properties says it will print – it isn’t printing. Not only did it buggar my computer waiting to see the thing after sending me to the one for 06-03/04-10 first off the bat – then it won’t print.

They aren’t trying to make this all better – they are trying to avoid, evade, make things far more difficult than they already are, deny people the protective gear that would maintain their health and well-being, stop the use of any other things to fight the spill than those things on the “original plans” which used techniques, products and methods that didn’t work even in 1969 when they were also used without change from then to now and they are doing everything possible to thwart any full public disclosure of the facts from any and all sources. That isn’t American. That isn’t freedom of the speech. That isn’t their job. That isn’t effectively fighting this spill and recovery of the ocean and coasts from this oil spill nightmare. That isn’t fixing the spill nor the containment of the well. Who the hell are they serving?

NOAA Deepwater Horizon BP oil spill nearshore and onshore trajectory map for 06-18-10

There is another map which shows the offshore trajectory – and apparently – the expansiveness of it is part of why they are making it harder to post around the internet. Gee, do they really think that nobody on this planet can see what is going on in the Gulf of Mexico or is it simply to make it harder so people will stop making it available?

What a waste of resources the indecent incident command group has become – they aren’t trying to deal with this – they are doing something to keep the information about how many animals are killed out of the public eye and to keep these documents from being readily available at every turn, including those from the Minerals Management Service which were submitted in the first place about this operation and those about the Spill Response Plans which have to be accessed in person at the federal depositories with an id check and “shakedown” to make sure somebody isn’t coming in there to do something foul . . .

That was put into place by the Bush administration but this was not – this is the current incident command groups doing this shit including preventing our media from taking pictures of animals and birds covered with oil or speaking to workers and using the funds intended to get Gulf Coast towns and coastal areas prepared to keep the oil off the beaches and out of the estuaries which is being diverted to cover toys for the state police and other goodies they want like studying whether cows (who don’t reside at the Gulf Coast nor drink sea water) are getting crude oil or its constituents in their drinking water from the Gulf Coast oil spill. It is horrendous.

This isn’t America. I don’t know if it is the nation of fealty to whom but it isn’t the United States of America. But, then it probably hasn’t been for my entire adult lifetime and I just didn’t know what to do about it. As I have watched police brutality across this country for the least and most petty offenses like jaywalking or refusing to sign a citation – while the greatest of thieves and murderers like Goldman Sachs and BP go free – there are no words to describe the what the historical evidence suggests as the yield of such things. It is not going to work, to put it mildly and our leaders having filled our streets with cameras, and surveillance online and unwarranted search and seizure laws, unwarranted phone and electronic surveillance laws and similar heavy handed coverage of armies of police in multiple layers of police and 16 layers of national security agencies – I would say they have been expecting it wouldn’t work for a long, long time.

But, this is different. Just wait and see.

- cricketdiane

And do you know this is one of the largest oil field finds in North America – United States in a hundred years – and they are burning off our much needed petroleum resources from this find that belong to our Nation?

Subsea operational update:

•	For the last 12 hours on June 17th (noon to midnight), approximately 8,020 barrels of oil were collected and approximately 4,770 barrels of oil and 24.5 million cubic feet of natural gas were flared.

•	Optimization of the dual recovery system continues; on June 17th, total oil recovered was aprox. 25,290 barrels. approximately 16,020 barrels of oil were collected, approximately 9,270 barrels of oil were flared, and approximately 50.3 million cubic feet of natural gas were flared.

•	Total oil recovered from both the LMRP Cap and Q4000 systems since they were implemented is approximately 204,200 barrels.

•	The free standing riser installation is progressing for the long term containment option.

•	The next update will be provided at 6:00pm CDT on June 18, 2010.


	Updated June 18 at 9:00am CDT / 3:00pm BST

***
From the CNN coverage – right now -
The American people want Republicans like Cheri Jacobus, Representative Barton and Michelle Bachman along with their other Republican cronies of all varieties to shut the fuck up – that is enough. They caused this problem and as usual – somebody else has to fix it and the American people have to pay for it. The entire Republican Party including that bitch are not worth the space between their ears that apparently is taken up by recorded materials input by the oil industry, Wall Street and the Republican Party. They can all go to hell.

And as usual – they want it to be twenty or thirty years from now when the “little people” and “small people” get anything to make up for lost families, lost communities, lost health and lost incomes from some disaster that was directly caused by the Republican Party policies of the last thirty years.

Who spawned these demonic Republican and Corporate entities that have spread sickness, disease, murder, death and suffering across such wide swaths of time and measure? The permanent and irrevocable damages they have caused by direct intervention of de-regulation, big business favored laws and self-regulation of their activities has cost our entire economy, our future and our communities irretrievably. They caused the biggest bailouts necessary in the history of our world, the biggest disasters economic and ecological in the history of our world, the biggest unemployment in the history of our world and at the same time, made it more difficult for small businesses and start up businesses with such a host of trite and petty regulations and fees as to be no more than an intentional stumbling block and hindrance to anyone interested in starting or having a business in America.

That is only the tip of the iceberg in the real lives they have destroyed, the real deaths they have caused and the real suffering that continues unabated to this day – I would hope they would all be given a bath in the Gulf of Mexico as it is today at their re-imaging of America. And, in fact – they ought to have to be placed in that crude oil killing everything out there in the Gulf of Mexico. It would be the first of several things that would be appropriate to what they’ve done. But, no – they get air time, kudos and money in a never ending stream along with every respect and fealty from vast arenas. The fires of hell are awaiting them for doing this to people and to our nation – yet they still worship that brass bull on the street of New York and they still are given the honor of seats of power and money even as their damages continue to be experienced and will be for multiple generations.

If it wasn’t for the Republicans in power all these years, we already would be far from dependent on foreign oil because we would be driving our cars and trucks powered by many other things. Our air would be clean and it would have cost nearly nothing in comparison to the damages that have been done which must be cleaned up now in every nation on the earth from their horrendous shoddy business practices. And, it could’ve been profits plus safety throughout the entire time – it never had to be this way. It is what they wanted. And, our nation would’ve been seeing an entirely different event today in the Gulf of Mexico from the pride of having resourced the largest find in the last hundred years to successfully and safely harvesting it for our nation’s petroleum needs as well as being able to buy virtually every other possible source of fuels for transportation and types of vehicles.

But no – Representative Barton and his Republican cronies didn’t want that.

They wanted to fill the Gulf of Mexico with a crude oil petroleum toxic dispersant swamp that gives no value to the American people but to watch our national resources being burned off into the air and watch the full and complete destruction of every last wildlife resource that we’ve had for centuries. Goddamn every one of those bastards. There isn’t anything strong enough to say about them. They were the decision makers and then to have the audacity to send Michelle Bachman onto a CNN show to explain how the Obama administration was responsible for bailing out Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac when the Bush administration Republicans did that and accuse the administration of causing this disaster when their use of the Minerals Management Service, the Department of Energy, the Department of Interior and the Bureau of Land Management to steal every last national resource and give it damn near for free to the corporations they have been serving – no. Damn hell – no.

and Ms. Palin and Republican Stevens who decided to create cutouts in the national wildlife preserves of Alaska to make it possible to drill for oil there, strip mine for minerals there and destroy the last remaining wildlife preservation areas – need to be treated to prison cells for absolute treason and violations of every treaty and law we’ve ever signed about it. And, they did do it with intention – absolute intention. Yeah – using our USGS to define the shale oil and minerals so that your friends in industries, mining and oil companies can destroy the last of the lands and mineral resources in our nation to line their own pockets – no, just don’t even get me started. It is and has been treachery of the highest order serving interests that do not serve our nation at all but certainly serve those foreign corporations and nations that came to harvest and profit from these activities while robbing the American people and the American Treasury blind and bankrupting every state along the way along with many generations to come.

Who decided to remake the Highways Safety and Transportation board into an industry representative and agent working for the auto industry?

The Republican Party did that.

Who decided to remake the Consumer Product Safety Board into an agency representing the corporations they were supposed to be regulating and enforcing regulations upon?

The Republican Party did that too.

Who decided to remake the Department of Agriculture into a place that didn’t enforce regulations and inspections of our food supply to favor large corporations involved in food processing and food distribution?

The Republican Party did that one.

Who decided to remake the Minerals Management Service, the Bureau of Land Management and the Department of Interior into a giveaway program for our national resources, oil, natural gas, and minerals along with serving the interests of the oil and mining industries instead of America?

Hmmm? The Republican Party did that.

Who decided to remake our national economic foundation into a parlor game of casino gambling with financial instruments that destroyed our national economy, destroyed many of the world’s economies and decimated every state economy in our nation?

Yes, The Republican Party did that.

Who decided to serve up every agency in our federal and state governments to act as agents and representatives serving the interests of those industries they were missioned to regulate and supervise and make safe?

Republicans did that also.

And – Who decided that the FAA should serve the interests of airlines and air transportation companies instead of the public’s safety?

Well, gee – let’s see. Oh yeah, the Republicans did that too.

And who did they steal from and who is paying for what they did when they were doing it and are paying for it today?

I am.

And the American people across the board are paying for it – not the corporations, not the banks, not the bankers, not the CEOs, not the politicians, not the foreign interests stealing our national resources, not the old officials that made the decisions, and not the Republican Party.

Nope, I am paying for it.

My children are paying for it and have been paying for it their entire lives.

My family is paying for it.

My grandparents paid for it and my uncles and my aunts and my cousins and my friends have all paid for it.

The Republican Party and their conservative right-wing jackoffs took over our churches, bankrupted our American businesses of our last hundred and fifty years along with small businesses at the rate of 40,000 bankruptcies a month even today, foreclosed on houses that our families had paid on for many years, destroyed all the jobs that might possibly be available and made it possible for someone from Bahrain in Bahrain to get a business grant made to them from our small business administration while our businesses were denied any access to money and nothing but a sea of stupid, petty, trite and unwieldy state and federal legislated regulations and taxes and fees and can’t do’s and don’t do’s and won’t work’s and nonsense. It has been a nightmare of factual and exact proportions that has reached into every arena of life from walking through our neighborhoods destroyed and destitute to fighting for the few beds in homeless shelters to having no other recourse than to accept never having a home, an income or a life of any value.

There is no way to say how it is in the fullness of evil, horrific and decimations of life that have been done by these things at the hands of the Republicans who have run this country into the ground on top of us. And, I mean nearly everyone who are all paying for it while the people at the top thrive and smile and vacation and go to spas and play and fuck everything that isn’t nailed down regardless of its age or sex or sexual orientation.

Who remade the IRS into a bully that would beat small businesses out of the marketplace?

The Republicans did that.

Who remade the Small Business Administration into a clearinghouse for bankers to get loan candidates so the loans could be resold and profits made by a select few with no investment or risk whatsoever?

Republicans did that too.

Who remade the federal government into a whipping boy for state projects to blame while taking every last dime they could get to do with in whatever way they pleased including those things in violation of the Constitution and Federal laws?

Hmmm – let’s see – yes, that was the Republican Party that did that in every state they’ve run and in every government office they held, were appointed to or elected to and from every seat they used to serve their own agendas in the highest offices and Congressional and Senate seats in our nation.

The Truth – Republican ideas that have been in use these last thirty years are not from the Republican Party as it was originally created and mandated and are not in the manner of the principles which is its foundation and claim.

- cricketdiane

***

Now, I’ve paid for this shit the Republicans have done and so have my children and my children’s children as have my parents and my grandparents, my friends, my fellow citizens of America, my relations, my community, my state, and my family. There is nothing that our President today can do that will not be stopped by these same Republicans and their cronies behind the scenes and from their continuing positions of power in our churches, in our media, in our Congress and in our states. They want it the way they remade it and will not today nor every do anything to help fix it, to make the damages less severe, nor to correct the damages that have been done, nor to help solve the problems they’ve created. They like it this way. They want to keep it this way.

The Republicans and the Republican Party policies and interests do not serve the American people. They are serving something else and my guess is that whatever the Republican Party has been serving and is continuing to serve today is not user-friendly to humanity nor to continued life in America nor even to life on our planet in general. That is devoid of conjecture. Every evidence of fact points exactly to that in every case and every arena.

Don’t believe me? – look at the Gulf of Mexico and see if any living thing survives what they’ve done there. And at every turn, the Republican Party continues to work with every resource at their command to thwart fixing anything or correcting any of it or recovering from any of it or restoring any of it to something that supports life, families, individuals, communities and living into a future of decency and safe, thriving lifetimes.

Oh but wait – there’s more . . .

Who took the best and the brightest of our American people – young and strong to be killed, permanently maimed and their precious irreplaceable lives destroyed to fight in the deserts of hell to serve the industries’ interests of the Republican Party?

Hmmmm —-

Gee, let me think?

Who would’ve done that? And then gone to them and paid back their lives with nothing but an endless hole to sink our national tax dollars to rebuild while our own country and their lives has nothing?

Who did that?

Republicans and their idea of economic policy did that. Economics by the stimulation of that economy through war did that and those lives meant absolutely nothing to them in pursuit of Republican Party interests and thieving their own profits from it.

Who made these people that have been calling themselves Republicans because surely it was not anything of goodness, mercy, kindness, love nor nature nor God. Or is it just what they did with it that was somewhere twisted away from anything of good?

And Republicans and their idea of international interdependency as foreign policy has left our nation a big dead rock in the middle of two oceans, without any means to take care of our own national needs for survival and progress.

But, since they have enough money to live anywhere on the planet, why would that matter to any Republican Party policy maker, politician or big business interest backing them? Maybe they will live in France – no wait, there are bizarre floods there. Maybe they can live in Australia – no wait, the desertification is increasing exponentially there with wildfires and flooding consuming cities and territories in short periods of time. Maybe they can live in Saudi Arabia or Dubai – no wait, there are floods happening there, too where it has rarely been recorded in their entire history and the sandstorms are tremendous and far too common. Maybe they can live in Mexico and any number or other nations around the world – no, wait there are wars of discontent and economics there from the vast poverty they’ve created and sustained, along with the most vile pollution ever seen by mankind.

They still don’t get the reasonable interpretation of what has been found on other planets – there is no Kroger and limo service, no restaurants to cook their food and if they want to leave to come back as it suits them, that would be a problem – and yet, they didn’t mind destroying this planet as they went in order to have today what they could’ve never spent throughout the rest of history even if they started spending it twenty years ago.

There is no good in it. And yet, the Republican Party made the SEC into a porn feeding site as if it had nothing better it could be doing and funding it the whole way to serve the needs and interests of Wall Street instead of fairness and decency and financial responsibility for the American people’s interests as well as the interests of the international communities where it plays.

And the Republican Party continues to host great dinners at $10,000 a plate where President Bush and Vice President Cheney’s words are treated like a gospel from the right hand of God and where Rush Limbaugh and his cohorts are treated like prophets and saints even as the lies they spew forth resemble the very worst of disinformation campaigns and propaganda.

No wonder the rest of the world has surpassed us in damn near everything from science to technology to new discoveries to health to well-being to strong middle classes to greater distribution of higher education across greater populations of their people to magnificent creations, inventions, cities and buildings, to massive new technological advances in energy and fuels and electronics and engineering and architecture and physics and health and just about every damn thing else. And this – while our nations’ states are being forced to cut education resources to our people and our adults and to our children and to our university students and even to our business people.

It is insane. And, don’t tell me I don’t know what I’m talking about because every last bit of this can be found almost anywhere, online – in books, in libraries around the world, in archives, in databanks, in government resources of nations around the world, in facts, in evidence, in scientific and social data, and in academic studies made to the highest scrutiny. This isn’t a matter of opinion. The facts are available to anyone.

What I don’t understand is why anyone would not be willing to look at it for themselves and decide.

- cricketdiane

***

And one more, then I’m going to go take a bath and wash the filth of this off of me -

Who took our peace officers intent on serving the community good and made them over into a psychotic anti-social abusive cruel and sadistic gang of thugs under the name of police?

The Republicans did that at every level and every state they’ve run.

Who took our national resources and polluted them, gave them away to industries and served nothing in return to the American people except the costs of cleaning it up and repairing the damages they caused?

The Republican Party did that.

Who took our valued information resources and data and changed it to result in a poor reflection of reality to serve their own purposes including the structuring of data about unemployment and our GDP to look better than the facts actually show?

The Republicans did that too.

And, who took the USGS and used it to serve the interests of mining companies owned by foreign nationals and to serve the interests of oil companies also owned by foreign entities – so they could rape, pillage and plunder our natural and national resources without returning much for it besides death, destruction and permanent damages to our nation?

Hmmmm…….

Republicans wanted it that way so they did it that way.

And one last one -

Who was it that decided to keep Americans poor, to prevent Americans from starting small business or establishing thriving businesses, to destroy educational resources and the opportunities to higher education to most Americans and to exclude over 60% of our population from participating in jobs, communities and opportunities in America including populations born and raised in America?

Republicans idea of a good time.

They can all go to hell. That is where they belong.

And, obviously there is not one moment that the Republican Party or its members and policy makers and pundits and politicians are ever going to help fix one single thing they have so utterly re-made into a destructive force on life and on mankind and on America’s people.

- cricketdiane

***

I didn’t tell them to do it that way.

(***(

From wikipedia -

The Gulf of Mexico (Spanish: Golfo de México) is the ninth largest^[1] body of water in the world.

It is an ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba.

The shape of its basin is roughly oval and is approximately 810 nautical miles (1,500 km) wide and filled with sedimentary rocks and debris.

It is part of the Atlantic Ocean and is connected to it through the Florida Straits between the U.S. and Cuba, and with the Caribbean Sea (with which it forms the American Mediterranean Sea) via the Yucatan Channel between Mexico and Cuba. With this narrow connection to the Atlantic, the Gulf experiences very small tidal ranges.

The size of Gulf basin is approximately 615,000 mi² (1.6 million km²). Almost half of the basin is shallow intertidal waters.

At its deepest it is 14,383 ft (4,384 m) at the Sigsbee Deep, an irregular trough more than 300 nautical miles (550 km) long.

The basin contains a volume of roughly 660 quadrillion gallons (2.5 × 10¹⁵ m³).

It was probably formed approximately 300 million years ago as a result of the seafloor sinking.^[1]

(from)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulf_of_Mexico

***

The basin contains a volume of roughly 660 quadrillion gallons (2.5 × 10¹⁵ m³).

The Gulf of Mexico’s eastern, north, and northwestern shores lie along the US states of Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas. The US portion of the Gulf coastline spans 1,680 miles (2,700 km), receiving water from thirty-three major rivers that drain 31 states.^[6]

The outer margins of the wide continental shelves of Yucatán and Florida receive cooler, nutrient-enriched waters from the deep by a process known as upwelling, which stimulates plankton growth in the euphotic zone. This attracts fish, shrimp, and squid.^[7]

Map of northern part of Gulf of Mexico - from wikipedia entry

(from)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulf_of_Mexico

***

(also from the same site)

The Gulf of Mexico is an excellent example of a passive margin. The continental shelf is quite wide at most points along the coast, most notably at the Florida and Yucatán Peninsulas.

The shelf is exploited for its oil by means of offshore drilling rigs, most of which are situated in the western gulf and in the Bay of Campeche.

Another important commercial activity is fishing; major catches include red snapper, amberjack, tilefish, swordfish, and various grouper, as well as shrimp and crabs. Oysters are also harvested on a large scale from many of the bays and sounds.

Other important industries along the coast include shipping, petrochemical processing and storage, military use, paper manufacture, and tourism.

(and)

The gulf’s warm water temperature can feed powerful Atlantic hurricanes causing extensive human death and other destruction as happened with Hurricane Katrina in 2005. In the Atlantic, a hurricane will draw up cool water from the depths and making it less likely that further hurricanes will follow in its wake (warm water being one of the preconditions necessary for their formation). However, the Gulf is shallower and its entire water column is warm. When a hurricane passes over, although the water temperature may drop it soon rebounds and becomes capable of supporting another tropical storm.^[8]

The Gulf is considered aseismic: however, mild tremors have been recorded throughout history (usually 5.0 or less on the Richter scale).

A 6.0 tremor was recorded on September 10, 2006, 250 miles (400 km) off the coast of Florida which caused no damage, but could be felt throughout the Southeastern United States.

Various biota include chemosynthetic communities near cold seeps and nonchemosynthetic communities such as bacteria and other microbenthos, meiofauna, macrofauna, and megafauna (larger organisms such as crabs, sea pens, crinoids, and demersal fish and cetaceans including endangered ones) are living in the Gulf of Mexico.^[11]

(and from another entry)

The Gulf Coast is a highly productive economic region with many industries relating to fishing, aerospace, agriculture, biomedical research, and tourism. The region is anchored by the cities of Houston, New Orleans, Mobile, and Tampa, all the centers of their respective metropolitan areas and containing large ports.

Much of the land along the Gulf Coast is, or was, marshland. Ringing the Gulf Coast is the Gulf Coastal Plain which stretches from Southern Texas to the western Florida Panhandle.

These landforms protect numerous bays and inlets providing as a barrier to oncoming waves. The central part of the Gulf Coast, from eastern Texas through Louisiana, consists primarily of marshland. The western part of the Gulf Coast, predominantly Florida, is dotted with many bays and inlets.

The Gulf Coast is a major center of economic activity. The marshlands along the Louisiana and Texas coasts provide breeding grounds and nurseries for ocean life that drive the fishing and shrimping industries. The Port of South Louisiana (between New Orleans and Baton Rouge in Laplace) and the Port of Houston are two of the ten busiest ports in the world by cargo volume.^[1] As of 2004, seven of the top ten busiest ports in the U.S. are on the Gulf Coast.^[2]

The discovery of oil and gas deposits along the coast and offshore, combined with easy access to shipping, have made the Gulf Coast the heart of the U.S. petrochemical industry. The coast contains nearly 4,000 oil platforms.

Besides the above, the region features other important industries including aerospace and biomedical research, as well as older industries such as agriculture and — especially since the development of the Gulf Coast beginning in the 1920s and the increase in wealth throughout the United States — tourism.

The petrochemical industry, launched with the major discoveries of oil in Texas and spurred on by further discoveries in the Gulf waters, has been a vehicle for development in the central and western Gulf which has spawned development on a variety of fronts in these regions.

Texas in particular has benefited tremendously from this industry over the course of the 20th century and economic diversification has made the state a magnet for population and home to more Fortune 500 companies than any other U.S. state.

Florida has grown as well, driven to a great extent by its long established tourism industry but also by its position as a gateway to the Caribbean and Latin America.

As of 2006, these two states are the second and fourth most populous states in the nation, respectively (see this article).

Other areas of the Gulf Coast have benefited less, though economic development fueled by tourism has greatly increased property values along the coast, and is now a severe danger to the valuable but fragile ecosystems of the Gulf Coast.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulf_Coast

***

American Association of Petroleum Geologists

http://www.aapg.org/

The Division of Environmental Geology (DEG) offers AAPG members an opportunity to increase their knowledge about the environment and the petroleum industry. DEG approaches basic environmental issues from a geological standpoint, so the profession’s understanding of geological, geochemical, geophysical and hydrogeological principles and methodologies can be applied to environmental problems.

http://deg.aapg.org/

***

Coordinated Actions to solve energy / oil spill / transportation – just use the stuff we’ve designed over the years – how about that?

17 Thursday Jun 2010

Posted by cricketdiane in Alternative Fuels, Transportation, Vehicles, Energy Alternatives, Electric Cars, Electric Trucks, Electric Vehicles, Ships, High-Speed Rail, Railroads, Shipping, Start a Business - Tech StartUps - Innovation - Entrepreneurship Business Info - Business How To - Business StartUp Financing Capital

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Alternative Energy, alternative fuel, BP, cleanup and recovery efforts in the Gulf of Mexico, cricketdiane, crude oil, crude oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, Oil Crisis, oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, Petroleum

According to the ETA, 2010′s top 10 most polluting cars are:

1. Lamborgini Murcielago
2. Ferrari 612 Scaglietti
3. Bentley Motors Brooklands
4. Bentley Motors Arnage
5. Bentley Motors Azure
6. Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano
7. Aston martin V12 Vantage
8. Cadillac Escalade
9. Bentley Motors Continental
10. Aston Martin DBS

The ETA’s top 10 least polluting cars are:

1. Toyota iQ
2. Honda Insight
3. Volkswagen New Polo
4. Toyota Yaris
5. Toyota Prius
6. Nissan Pixo
7. Suzuki Alto
8. Honda Civic Hybrid
9. Ford Fiesta
10. Mazda 2

Toyota Motor's 'iQ' cars

Lean and green: The Toyota iQ can do 72.4 miles per gallon of fuel

The group (ETA) looked at 5,000 models, ranking them on power, emissions, fuel efficiency and noise creation, in order to help consumers choose the greenest vehicles.

The Environmental Transport Association (ETA) lobbies for sustainable travel and ethical motoring, in an attempt to increase environmental awareness and reduce carbon emissions.

http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/Business/Lamborghini-Murcielago-Least-Environmentally-Friendly-Car-In-World-Says-Lobby-Group-The-ETA/Article/201006315650162?lpos=Business_Third_Home_Page_Article_Teaser_Region__5&lid=ARTICLE_15650162_Lamborghini_Murcielago_Least_Environmentally_Friendly_Car_In_World_Says_Lobby_Group_The_ETA

***

My Note -

A couple days ago, Mr. T. Boone Pickens was on a CNN show – probably Larry King, and stated that the best time to plant a tree is twenty years ago and the second best time to plant that tree is today (paraphrased – but close). I want to say -

We planted a tree thirty years ago and now we have “trees” of green technologies, alternative fuels and alternative energy systems, new battery technologies, electric cars and various other solar, wind, geothermal and clean coal systems that did not exist in enough study and capacity before that. We have these things. We have better hydropower generating turbines, systems for ocean wave and tidal generating power systems, for geothermal systems and for transportation choices where the work has already been done to design, to study, to create manufacturing systems for them, to alter them to fit specific situations and extremes – and on and on . . .

So, those trees have been planted long ago. Most of them are mature now in forests of many trees also planted throughout these years. What we don’t have is the need for them as evidenced by the fact that they are not adopted, not funded, not pushed forward, not accepted and not wholly put into use.

I don’t know how to fix that. There are multiple choices which simply could be on the menu both for leaders when deciding and for individuals although most of those new technologies are not handily available for individuals to pursue – and for whatever reason, when decision-making occurs – these are not on the menu of choices (especially for leaders at any level of funding and decision-making.)

That is a continuing problem which brings me back to the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, the filthy air from our transporting ourselves one by one with cars and encouraging developing economies to do the same, polluted lands and air and water such that many days in a multitude of places where walking outside is dangerous and eating fish from those waters is damaging to health and playing in the dirt is a nightmare whether gardening or digging to China with a spoon. We have mines exploding, oil rigs sinking, bizarre sudden flash flooding in places where it had never been, horrendous fires and drought that shouldn’t be occurring, deep and violent snows and blizzards, melting ice in glaciers that would’ve been in place for another 100 million years before changing, and tremendous loss of life in every preventable arena.

Still, here we are – same choices, same menu. What I see with some clarity is that there are two really big problems that must have immediate attention. One of those problems is how we organize ourselves and our resources to approach quickly and efficiently to challenge disasters successfully. And, second – that everything possible, everything known, everything that could be and everything from throughout the world and throughout history along with everything that is just now be created – needs to be on the list of options available to use in the situations in front of us – whatever those situations might be and however dire (or far-reaching.)

If we could fix those two things, we could probably fix the rest of them. We would have the tools to move forward and solve the problems and crisis that are occurring, in a much more proficient and successful (and timely) manner. We could incorporate decisions to include things that are available into the mix which right now are being expected for some other time, some other place, some other event, some other situation somewhere in the future. But, they are available and could be used right now.

I don’t care how used to the same old answers our systems and leaders may be – without embracing these new things (some of which are twenty or thirty years old) as part of the available assets to bring to bear upon these things creating crisis around us – we are sure to continue sustaining the incredible, disheartening and expensive losses that we’ve been seeing throughout this time.

That is, after all – why the new ways to do things and new concepts and new ideas and new solutions were created in the first place. They were an answer to the known difficulties and failures and problems and crisis parameters where we failed at times before this. They are the innovations and solutions created to solve it.

- cricketdiane

***

Just a quick nifty note -

James Bond's Aston Martin DB5 007′s Aston Goes Under The Hammer

(from SkyNews)

And, it was my understanding that President Obama was going to address the people of the United Kingdom also and I haven’t found it yet. It would’ve been after the address to America and before meeting with the BP executives and chairman of the board. I don’t know – maybe he didn’t – I’ll keep looking.

However, there is this -(in about four places) -on SkyNews

Smoke filters through Hogwarts Castle during the grand opening celebration for The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at the Universal Studio Resort in Orlando, Florida

Florida Pins Hopes On Harry Potter

The boss of the new Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando tells Sky News that Florida is hoping for a big tourism boost.

http://news.sky.com/skynews

***

My Note -

Here is one of the things I was wondering today – what are the states doing with the money they were given to prepare and protect the coast before the oil came this close – and did they spend it or use it for budget deficits – or spend it on advertisements trying to con people that everything is fine?

Also – each state has emergency funds of their own in their budgets and access to other funds for emergencies – and about eight times now, at least – President Obama has said for the states to bring forward their national guard and they aren’t doing it – Why? And, then they complain about not having the people to tackle this – why aren’t they bringing the resources to bear upon this that are available to them at the state and local levels?

Every two towns could share a tractor to get the oil up off the beach like the one in several news stories being used on one beach. That definitely is within their means to do. Any of the towns, counties and parishes could be buying the tiger dams or NOAQ type protective booms / containment type systems and place them – any of these cities, towns and counties could be purchasing the types of equipment that are needed and placing them along with bringing up their National Guard which takes a bit of time to call up, stage and place.

It is ridiculous.

So, I found this -

- cricketdiane

***

State reports details of spending on Gulf oil spill response

Published: Wednesday, June 16, 2010, 12:32 PM Updated: Wednesday, June 16, 2010, 12:33 PM

: Wednesday, June 16, 2010, 12:33 PM

Robert Travis Scott, The Times-Picayune

BATON ROUGE — Gov. Bobby Jindal‘s office has released information about how state agencies are spending BP and federal disaster money in response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

BP gave the state a $25 million grant to address short-term expenses. The items below refer to how the state has spent or intends to spend that money. About $2.5 million of the BP money spent by agencies in the early stages of the response is not included below.

The state also has Pollution Removal Fund Authorizations to spend $16.7 million from the federal Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund, a federal program overseen by the National Pollution Funds Center under the Coast Guard.

(etc.)

Here is a breakdown of how state agencies are spending these BP and federal trust fund resources as of June 15.

Department of Wildlife & Fisheries
Trust Fund: $5,769,078 for preventing and minimizing negative impacts of fisheries and wildlife, public safety protection, maritime security and crime prevention and detection. Assist with identification of fisheries and wildlife impact areas.
BP grant: $3.1 million for enforcement and situational awareness including patrol vessels. $1.6 million for fisheries including motors, trailers, trucks, landing craft; ATVs and a bioremediation contract. $1.2 million for Wildlife division including a crew boat, quarter barge, airboats, bay boat and outboard motors.

Attorney General Buddy Caldwell
BP grant: $5 million for state legal costs.

Department of Public Safety & Corrections
Trust Fund: $1.5 million for State Police for designated primary responders, command staff related to event, financial liaison with federal and responsible party funds. $349,290 for corrections division for wildlife preservation in the cleaning of contaminated birds and wildlife.
BP grant: $960,595 for State Police for equipment and supplies including emergency response and patrol vehicles and inflatable flotation device, 20 kilowatt trailer-mounted generator, thermal imaging equipment and atmospheric monitoring equipment. $1,580,000 in IT support including wireless communication that expands capacity and coverage for first responders in coastal areas, point-to-point wireless links, computer hardware and software, credentialing system and wireless monitoring system. $340,000 for the Office of State Fire Marshall which includes emergency response vehicles, office equipment and a variety of safety equipment (chemical gloves, boots, level b suits) and GPS devices.

Department of Health & Hospitals
Trust Fund: $3,179,985 to monitor seafood safety to protect health of consumers and viability of the seafood industry. Guarantee safety of drinking water. Monitor beaches.

Department of Social Services
BP grant: $3.1 million to implement a comprehensive technical support plan for businesses and workers and fund coastal organizations with capacity to provide education, financial analysis and support for claims assistance.

Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness
Trust Fund: $1,250,000 for state emergency Operations Center support, parish coordination support, communications support, state’s Mobile Command Post.
BP grant: $985,000 for mobile command center. $1.5 million for water and MREs. $400,000 for transportation for hurricane assisted evacuation. $15,000 for high resolution imagery.

Louisiana National Guard and Department of Military Affairs
Trust fund: $394,178 to support removal activities of National Guard, staging areas for Guard units, support of local civil authorities and support of emergency response mission.
BP grant: $2 million in supplies and equipment.

Department of Environmental Quality
Trust Fund: $1,802,310 to identify oiled resources, map oiled shorelines, identify sensitive areas and resources and monitor status of cleanup.
BP grant: $529,200 to outfit ground teams and aerial assessment teams with specific air monitoring devices equipped to detect hydrocarbons (oil), select inorganic compounds, and radiation sources.

Office of Coastal Protection and Restoration
Trust fund: $1,807,200 to formulate defense strategies for coastal areas, evaluate response options for oil spill removal in wetlands and on barrier islands and support other agency responses.

Department of Natural Resources
Trust fund: $541,822 to assist in direct planning and coordination of response activities, GIS mapping tools, proper disposal of recovered oil and related waste, discharge oil analysis.

Department of Transportation and Development
Trust fund: $97,058 for support of first responders related to truck permit issuance, structural capacity analysis concerning heavy equipment needs and for operating equipment as needed.

Department of Economic Development
BP grant: $220,000 for increased public services.

Department of Agriculture
Trust fund: $34,967 to monitor drinking water for cattle and potential impact to agriculture in affected areas.

http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2010/06/state_reports_details_of_spend.html

***

BP Announces Second Block Grant of $25 Million to the State of Mississippi

Release date: 10 June 2010

Today BP announced it is providing the State of Mississippi with an additional $25 million grant to continue implementation of the State’s Area Contingency Plan.

This $25 million grant is in addition to a previous $25 million block grant that BP announced on May 5 to help accelerate the implementation of the State’s Area Contingency Plan, and a $15 million tourism grant announced on May 17.

“Working in partnership with the State is important to an effective spill response. So we are pleased to make these additional funds available per the Governor’s request,” said Doug Suttles, BP’s Chief Operating Officer, Exploration and Production.

“This money will be used to ensure we’re aggressive in attacking any part of the spill that comes our way and to provide additional protection for our most environmentally sensitive areas along our coastline,” said Governor Haley Barbour. “This also prevents us from tapping into state money to fight the spill, and I appreciate BP’s timely response to our request.”

This additional grant is another example of BP’s commitment to help mitigate the impact of the oil and gas spill from the MC252 well on the State of Mississippi.

BP Press Office London: +44 20 7496 4076
BP Press office, US: +1 281 366 0265
Unified Command Joint Information Center:+1 985-902-5231
www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com
www.bp.com/gulfofmexicoresponse

http://www.bp.com/genericarticle.do?categoryId=2012968&contentId=7062869

***

My Note -

Oh my – look what the Republicans are doing -

For once – and for all – I wish they would stop.

- cricketdiane

***

Aiding coastal parishes fight Gulf oil spill the focus of Senate panel

Published: Tuesday, June 15, 2010, 8:19 AM Updated: Tuesday, June 15, 2010, 8:22 AM

BATON ROUGE — A Senate committee is weighing whether to side with the Gov. Bobby Jindal and strip Gulf oil spill response money in a state budget bill for coastal parishes in favor of seeking direct payment from BP.

The $24.9 million provision for the parishes is likely to be changed when the panel passes the budget legislation today, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Mike Michot said.

Gov. Bobby Jindal said that the parishes should get their response money directly from BP rather than trying to tap the state’s $25 million grant from the company. The state has spent some of the BP money, and the Governor’s Office released details Monday of what state agencies want to buy with the remainder.

Even if such plans were made, the timing of when money would trickle down to the parishes, and whether it would arrive in time for the parishes to use it during the defense phase of the oil spill, is unclear.

BP in May gave five southeastern coastal parishes $1 million each and also granted $500,000 each to Orleans and St. Tammany parishes, but local officials say that money will run out soon, if it hasn’t already. Personnel overtime, fuel costs and emergency operations center costs are among the financial drains. Rather than giving new grants, BP started a program to assess the details of the needs of each parish on a monthly basis.

Parish officials recently reported a lack of money to pay for hazmat suits, skimmers, suctions, extra spotting vessels, water current or oil-impact analyses, boom and vessel repairs and other items.

The resource shortage complicates their problems, because they need to act fast when materials become available. Some parishes are considering hiring materials brokers that would bear the financial responsibility up front with the expectation of parish payment later, if BP makes a reimbursement.

The state is getting federal financial backing for extensive National Guard operations with about 1,100 personnel to spot oil sheens and build land bridges, special dams and sand barriers.

Mississippi and Alabama have used their BP grants to give money directly to their coastal counties.

Jindal’s office on Monday released a list of items that Louisiana agencies plan to purchase using the state’s $25 million BP grant. For example, the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries will spend $3.1 million for “enforcement and situational awareness” including patrol vessels; $1.6 million for motors, trailers, trucks, landing craft and a bio-remediation contract; and $1.2 million for a crew boat, barge, airboats, bay boats and outboard motors.

The Department of Social Services will spend $3.1 million to “implement a comprehensive technical support plan for businesses and workers” and assist coastal organizations in relief efforts. The Department of Public Safety needs about $1 million for emergency response equipment such as patrol vehicles, generators and atmospheric monitoring devices and $1.6 million for wireless communication and information technology support.

Louisiana state agencies also have been provided $11 million through the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund, a program run by the National Pollution Funds Center under the Oil Pollution Act. The fund can be tapped to provide upfront money to national, state and local agencies while the federal authority pursues compensation from the companies responsible for the spill.

The fund has been a primary source of public and private compensation for about 11,000 oil spills since 1990, but its has been a mostly ancillary tool for financing the Deepwater Horizon response in favor of direct appeals to BP. Congress is working on legislation to make the federal oil spill fund larger and easier to tap.

Louisiana House members two weeks ago added an amendment to the state supplemental budget bill for the current year that authorizes $24.9 million divided among the coastal parishes from the state’s Oil Spill Contingency Fund, which is a depository for the state’s BP grant, federal aid and potentially other sources of pollution control financing.

http://www.nola.com/news/gulf-oil-spill/index.ssf/2010/06/aiding_coastal_parishes_fight.html

***

My Note -

So, I guess the list above this article in the more recent article from the same source is essentially what they’ve decided to do. Where are cattle drinking from the oil polluted water (sea water) of the Gulf of Mexico? They are insane and it is no wonder there is oil in the marshes. They knew to protect it – they had the money to do it. They had the boats and local fishermen and volunteers that would help do it. What they hell are they doing?

- cricketdiane

***

and, the Federal government is covering the costs of the National Guard but the states aren’t calling them up all this time – even when they’ve been told to do it? Are they considering why the state police need an array of toys like that list above when the same money could’ve kept the crude oil from the marshes, bays, beaches, coves and ports in Louisiana?

These state and local politics, agency politics and systems of misadjustment to the current situation are costing more damage than BP has already – which is certainly hard to fathom but nevertheless the truth.

What started as a small, horrendous but possibly manageable situation is made worse at every level by the ways in which it is being accepted and handled or not handled effectively at all. The states had the money to work with throughout this process and they know what else can be done to access money for handling it. Why would they misdirect the funds and resources in the midst of something as long-reaching in consequences and as disastrous in immediate consequences as this?

I think their priorities are askew.

***

So, we have oil industries and spill response contractors that did have a huge array of options available to them and simply didn’t incorporate any of them into the plans or logistics or put them on standby where something might happen. We have states that are choosing to pretend that this money is available to do something else rather than fight the oil spill including the use of it to study things that have absolutely nothing to do with the problems at hand and to buy toys for agencies and police / security forces in their state that won’t be required for this since most of it is redundant with material assets already on the ground through the Coast Guard, NOAA and others.

And, we have political parties getting into the mix for their own agendas that resemble little or no good sense about the dangers of the situation that is unfolding and what might be needed for it in an immediate and timely manner who are using the situation and the funding for the situation to pursue their own goals rather than the public good.

And, we have a botched up command and resource system that is hindering the proper, appropriate and timely placement of needed equipment where it is needed with what seems like mostly a very close-minded and inept system incapable of effectively interacting with the event nor with participants and feedback of what is needed, what is working and where it is required.

Hmmmm…………

- cricketdiane

***

Let’s see what else I can find -

BP gives $75M to 3 Gulf states for spill efforts

(AP) – 6 days ago

NEW ORLEANS — BP PLC will give $75 million in grants to Alabama, Florida and Mississippi as they respond to the nation’s worst oil spill.

BP COO Doug Suttles said in a statement Thursday that the energy giant was making the funds available at the request of the governors in each of the three Gulf states.

Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour says the grant will fund additional protection for the most environmentally sensitive stretches of his state’s coastline. It will also prevent Mississippi from using its own money to fight the oil spill.

The leak began April 20 after an oil rig exploded off the Gulf of Mexico, killing 11 workers. The government has estimated 600,000 to 1.2 million gallons are leaking per day, although those estimates could soon be revised.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hqkFNuxsWv2IgCYAVfc7ZFaFH3twD9G8KGE84

***

My Note -

Well, this one makes sense -

Thank God somebody is thinking straight.

I hope it works.

Wonder what it will take to get the state legislators and leadership to do that.

- cricketdiane

***

Steel pipe boom for Perdido Pass ahead of schedule, says firm

Published: Tuesday, June 15, 2010, 5:00 AM Updated: Monday, June 14, 2010, 8:06 PM

A $4.6 million project to erect a sturdy boom of steel pipe at Perdido Pass is ahead of schedule and could be finished in another week, said John Baker, president of Thompson Engineering, the firm designing the system.

Meanwhile, work to fill a mile-wide breach on Dauphin Island created by Hurricane Katrina was described Monday by a BP spokesman as imminent.

BP PLC owns the Deepwater Horizon well, which has been spewing oil into the Gulf of Mexico since April 20.

Little oil washed ashore Monday along the coasts of Mobile and Baldwin counties, with only a few tar balls reported on Dauphin Island and Gulf Shores.

The Perdido Pass project calls for extending a barrier of large pipes filled with foam for more than half a mile to prevent oil from pushing into wetlands and waterways to the north.

The water current and wave action in the pass are too strong for conventional boom to be effective.

Crews are working from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., Baker said. “It is a fairly dangerous operation in that type of environment to work at night.”

The floating pipes will be suspended from chains attached to two rows of pilings driven into the bottom of the pass, Baker said.

“We’re working 24/7 on pipe manufacturing and fabrication,” said Tony Smith, construction manager for Thompson Engineering.

Smith said he tried out a section of the boom Monday afternoon: “It floated just exactly like we predicted. So far, so good.”

The Baldwin County Commission identified more areas that need protection from oil and accepted another $3 million grant from the state to help do that.

The commission also voted to send a letter to Gov. Bob Riley, suggesting mechanized cleaning of all area beaches by BP contractors.

In May, BP gave states affected by the spill $25 million. Of that, Baldwin County got $3 million and used about $2 million of the money to buy protective boom and hire a contractor to place it in environmentally sensitive areas.

(etc.)

http://blog.al.com/live/2010/06/steel_pipe_boom_for_perdido_pa.html

***

Well, except for this -

“The Mobile County Commission voted Monday to send a letter to BP asking it to hire more local boat owners to help with cleanup efforts. The commission will also send a letter requesting an additional $3 million to promote tourism in the county.”

(from the above article)

my note

(***(

Although this doesn’t have to do with the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico – it is an interesting oversight of the vagaries occurring in the politics of the current situation – using funds intended to help with things -

This one is about the use of Federal Stimulus Money intended to help make green buildings and energy saving buildings and building systems -

Look how they are using it – (Napa Valley, Calif.)

http://napavalleyregister.com/news/local/article_e38e01ec-79db-11df-9c45-001cc4c03286.html

Builders whose projects consume 15 percent less energy than the state standard will be getting a 25 percent reduction in the cost of their building permit, officials said.

The city is setting aside $100,000 from its $700,000 federal economic stimulus grant to reduce building fees. The biggest slice of the federal grant, $250,000, will pay for the hiring of a sustainability coordinator for two years.

At the same time, the city will impose a new fee that is 25 percent of the regular building permit fee to cover city costs for plan review and construction monitoring.

Napa has jettisoned the word “green,” preferring to label the new rules as promoting “high-performance buildings.”

http://napavalleyregister.com/news/local/article_e38e01ec-79db-11df-9c45-001cc4c03286.html

Napa passes tougher green rules for new homes

By KEVIN COURTNEY, Register Staff Writer | Posted: Thursday, June 17, 2010 12:00 am

***

My Note -

What a pathetic joke. They are spending more for one person’s income than for the entire program.

Figures.

And assessing a new fee for the same amount as the one they are using $100,000 to defray not charging. It is bullshit. Somebody needs to arrest those jackasses for embezzling and mismanagement of Federal Stimulus funds. It is not the purpose for which they were intended and it is not a fair use of those funds in the ways they are approaching it. These are not for hiring one friend of the council at $250,000 a year to manage a theme.

- cricketdiane

***

The hearings with BP executive Tony Hayward just started. They are really questioning the wrong person. Some people from BP were on that rig who made the decisions which directly caused that explosion. They need to be there answering those questions or put in jail or both.

Those are the executives who literally killed those eleven men, injured seventeen others, destroyed the rig, and destroyed the entire coastal waters of the United States of America. There hasn’t been a terrorist aside from those involved in the 9/11 event who have done as severe a job on such a wide swath with as far-reaching damages. They need to be prosecuted – or is it only jay-walking and misdemeanors committed by the “small people” and the “little people” that are against the law in America?

- cricketdiane

***

Mr. Barton was so cavalier yesterday and today, that despite this horrendous despicable damage – continues to support using the courts for the payouts to people harmed by the oil disaster. It wouldn’t be just his opinion as he stated, considering that Michelle Bachman (R) Minnesota was on John King USA, on CNN last night repeating exactly the same thing. He needs to use an opinion that actually was thought through by him and not given to him by the party to whom he owes his life and allegiance rather than to the United States of America and the people of the United States.

Of course they (at the Republican Party) want the previous course of action through courts for which they want tort reform to reduce the amounts that can be given even when corporations are found guilty and at fault. The results of the twenty years of court cases in the Exxon Valdez spill, have only recently been completed with reductions in the payouts which left families completely devastated by this event to less than $8,000 each despite having lost everything including twenty plus years of their lives, their livelihoods, their health, their well-being and their opportunities to live as they had for many generations.

And that is what the Republican Party policy makers and conservative thinktanks want for this situation. In the meantime, the oil companies would continue as usual with the same nothing but devastation going to the families, communities and individuals affected by this for the next twenty or thirty years as their lives are decimated.

I don’t know how the Republican Party moved so far away from the principles and guidelines upon which it was founded. Something twisted that thinking to believe as they do now which serves no one but corporate entities without conscience in pursuit of their profits at any cost to human lives, to our nation, to our way of life, to our freedoms, in destruction of our personal rights and liberties, to the detriment of our health and well-being and to the destruction of our families and communities.

I was surprised to hear Mr. Barton claim an opinion that was so thoroughly the same as that propaganda which came from Ms. Bachman last night. Does he have two brain cells that can work together or is he waiting for the Republican Party to tell him how to wipe his own ass, as well? And to tell him what it means, and to tell him how to do it and to tell him what he knows about why to do it and when to do it and what to use to do it and what he thinks about it? When does it stop?

Maybe it is time to replace people like Mr. Barton and Ms. Bachman with a simple machine that can repeat the Republican Party talking points – we could use one of those automatons the Japanese have been creating and give their seat to someone that can actually do the job instead of furthering their desire to serve a political party rather than the people of the United States and our national interests.

It was never in our national interest to exclude all other types of energy sources and transportation fuels for predominantly one exclusively.

- cricketdiane, 06-17-10

***

Shutup Mr. Gingrey

If you and your Republican friends had ever been concerned about foreign oil – we would all be driving cars using either electricity made at home, solar power made at home, hydrogen power made at home, steam power made at home, or natural gas made at home. You asshole.

***

Negative-Emissions Vehicle Concept From China’s SAIC: A Plant On Wheels!

SAIC YeZ Concept - Negative-Emissions Vehicle Concept From China's SAIC: A Plant On Wheels!

http://www.futurecarreports.com/blog/1046038_negative-emissions-vehicle-concept-from-chinas-saic-a-plant-on-wheels

(from the article – )

By nature, plants absorb carbon dioxide from the atomsphere, and release oxygen. This is good. This is how the ecosystem is supposed to work. Plants like this. Human bodies like this. In contrast, petroleum burning vehicles consume oxygen during combustion and emit carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

Now if you’re thinking, “wait, that’s great–everything will balance out right?”, you’re partially correct (Rremember, humans consume oxygen and emit carbon dioxide too). The problem is, too much of a good thing is not such a good thing in this case. Specifically, automotive carbon emissions are at a level determined to be unhealty for the environment in general.

For this reason, automakers and government organizations have been focusing heavily on reducing the amount of carbon dioxide emissions produced by motor vehicles. So far, the best examples of green cars have managed to eliminate emissions. Hydrogen fuel cell and plug-in electric vehicles boast zero emissions. These technologies are becoming a reality right now, but the Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC) of China has gone a step further with a concept that acually consumes C02, rather than emitting it.

Here’s how the YeZ works. A photoelectric converter is incorprated into the car’s leaf-shaped canopy, and collects energy from the Sun. This energy is converted to electricity, which powers a fully electric drivetrain. Wind power is even harvested from small windmills on all four wheels.

The vehicle’s body is constructed with metal-organic framework materials which absorb water and carbon dioxide (yes, this is the negative emissions bit). The YeZ then does three really cool things with the two naturally occurring resources. It generates electricity, air conditioning refrigerant, and… oxygen! The oxygen is diffused back into the air, where it should be. This process makes it the most plant-like car concept yet.

(etc.)

http://www.futurecarreports.com/blog/1046038_negative-emissions-vehicle-concept-from-chinas-saic-a-plant-on-wheels

***

My Note -

So, since the technology does exist, and it is available – why don’t we just harvest this technology and put it into use on our streets and highways along with what we already know from other designed alternative energy concepts? Why does America have to be last on the list or not show up to the party at all when it comes to making things better? Why are we last to innovate, last to create technological advances and last to adopt them? What happened to the culture of being the best, the first, the greatest? Why are we coming in dead last and often, not getting into gear at all?

It isn’t as if these things don’t exist as every single Republican whose opportunity for airtime has been at least partially used to tell us that nothing is ready to go and won’t be for years along with their executive friends in oil industries – who also surpass the Republican Party members in using their airtime to express how hopelessly stuck with them that we are for some time to come – according to their views of it. And, each of them fill pages of talk online, written materials, talking points, policy position papers and fill hours of committee time, legislators’ time and media airtime explaining how nothing can possibly be changed for many, many years to come – certainly not in the next twenty years or thirty years or fifty years. But that may not have even been true thirty years ago when they first started saying the same things – it certainly isn’t true now.

- cricketdiane, 06-17-10

***

Every technology available to us from around the world could be created in any plant facility in America and made available to everyone in the public for a reasonable price including cars that run on electricity, battery systems based on the new designs, solar cells for home electricity systems, cars made to take the carbon dioxide out of the air and remove it while traveling and using it for part of the energy / fuel needs, systems for sequestering and harvesting all of the many pollutants including methane from landfills to use for our county energy needs and reclaiming chemicals from industries rather than polluting with them, along with making natural gas tractor trailer trucks and buses converting them away from the diesel fuels that are making our planet and our nation uninhabitable.

All of it can be done. Hydrogen vehicles have already been designed, hydrogen power systems for homes have already been created, non-turbine wind driven power systems have been invented that take wind power and convert it to electricity, solar flexible films and roofing materials have already been made and tested, wave and tidal systems have already been innovated in a variety of ways to harness that power for electricity and there are numerous geothermal and solar designs and wind turbine designs and a variety of transportation mega-moving engine designs that don’t require one drop of petroleum. Why the hell can’t we stop using the same old choices as if they are the only ones – when they haven’t been the only choices for at least a hundred years and certainly are not the only choices now?

Relying on only petroleum has made our nation vulnerable and weakened. No terrorist could have done as efficient a job of bringing our nation to its knees as have the financial corruption, bankers, Wall Street firms and Republicans with their oil companies supporting them.

Having any one source or one thing that is necessary for our survival and growth as a nation leaves us at the mercy of that industry or supplier. Our leaders have always known that and it never mattered before today or we would be doing something else now.

***

During the Mercury missions of our space program, battery systems were designed which we could’ve been using in our cars every day since then. But, no – our business leaders, politicians and elected members of the United States didn’t want to do that.

Now – at what point does the bullshit stop.

***

http://www.epa.gov/nonroad-diesel/2004fr/420r04007c.pdf

2.1.2.1.1 PM10 LevelsThe current NAAQS for PM10 were established in 1987. The primary (health-based) and secondary (public welfare based) standards for PM10 include both short- and long-term NAAQS.The short-term (24-hour) standard of 150 :g/m3 is not to be exceeded more than once per yearon average over three years. The long-term standard specifies an expected annual arithmeticmean not to exceed 50 :g/m3 averaged over three years.

Currently, 29.3 million people live in PM10 nonattainment areas, including moderate and serious areas. There are presently 56 moderate PM10 nonattainment areas with a total population
of 6.6 million.[90]

There are 8 serious PM10 nonattainment areas with a total affected population of 22.7 million.

According to the Act, serious PM10 nonattainment areas must attain the standards no later than 10 years after designation. The initial serious PM10 nonattainment areas were designated January 18, 1994 and had an attainment date set by the Act of December 31, 2001. The Act provides that
EPA may grant extensions of the serious area attainment dates of up to 5 years, provided that the area requesting the extension meets the requirements of Section 188(e) of the Act.

Five serious PM10 nonattainment areas (Phoenix, Arizona; Clark County (Las Vegas), NV; Coachella Valley, South Coast (Los Angeles), and Owens Valley, California) have received extensions of the December 31, 2001 attainment date and thus have new attainment dates of December 31, 2006.
Many PM10 nonattainment areas continue to experience exceedances. Of the 29.3 million people living in designated PM10 nonattainment areas, approximately 24.5 million people are living in nonattainment areas with measured air quality violating the PM10 NAAQS in 2000-2002. Among these are 8 serious areas listed in Table 1.2-1 and 6 moderate areas: Nogales, AZ,
Imperial Valley, CA, Mono Basin, CA, Coso Junction, CA,B Ft. Hall, ID, and El Paso, TX.

Current PM2.5 monitored values for 2000-2002 indicate that 120 counties in which almost 65 million people live have annual design values that violate the PM2.5 NAAQS. In total, this represents 23 percent of the counties and 37 percent of the population with levels above the NAAQS in the areas with monitors that met completeness criteria. An additional 32 million people live in 91 counties that have air quality measurements within 10 percent of the level of the standard. These areas, though not currently violating the standard, will also benefit from the additional reductions from this rule in order to ensure long-term maintenance. There are another 204 counties where 21 million people live that had incomplete data.
Figure 2.1.2-1 is a map of currently available PM2.5 monitoring data, highlighting monitor locations near or above the annual PM2.5 NAAQS. As can be seen from this figure, high ambient levels are widespread throughout the East and California.

Acid deposition, or acid rain as it is commonly known, occurs when SO2 and NOx react in the atmosphere with water, oxygen, and oxidants to form various acidic compounds that later fall to earth in the form of precipitation or dry deposition of acidic particles.120 It contributes to damage of trees at high elevations and in extreme cases may cause lakes and streams to become
so acidic that they cannot support aquatic life.

In addition, acid deposition accelerates the decay of building materials and paints, including irreplaceable buildings, statues, and sculptures that are part of our nation’s cultural heritage. To reduce damage to automotive paint caused by acid rain and acidic dry deposition, some manufacturers use acid-resistant paints, at an average cost of $5 per vehicle—a total of near $80 million per year when applied to all new cars and trucks sold in the United States each year.
Acid deposition primarily affects bodies of water that rest atop soil with a limited ability to neutralize acidic compounds. The National Surface Water Survey (NSWS) investigated the effects of acidic deposition in over 1,000 lakes larger than 10 acres and in thousands of miles of streams. It found that acid deposition was the primary cause of acidity in 75 percent of the acidic lakes and about 50 percent of the acidic streams, and that the areas most sensitive to acid rain were the Adirondacks, the mid-Appalachian highlands, the upper Midwest and the high elevation West. The NSWS found that approximately 580 streams in the Mid-Atlantic Coastal Plain are acidic primarily due to acidic deposition.

Hundreds of the lakes in the Adirondacks surveyed in the NSWS have acidity levels incompatible with the survival of sensitive fish species. Many of the over 1,350 acidic streams in the Mid-Atlantic Highlands (mid-Appalachia)
region have already experienced trout losses due to increased stream acidity. Emissions from U.S. sources contribute to acidic deposition in Eastern Canada, where the Canadian government has estimated that 14,000 lakes are acidic. Acid deposition also has been implicated in contributing to degradation of high-elevation spruce forests that populate the ridges of the
Appalachian Mountains from Maine to Georgia. This area includes national parks such as the Shenandoah and Great Smoky Mountain National Parks.

EPA released its final “Health Assessment Document for Diesel Engine Exhaust” (the EPA Diesel HAD), referenced earlier. There, diesel exhaust was classified as likely to be carcinogenic to humans by inhalation at environmental exposures, in accordance with the revised draft 1996/1999 EPA cancer guidelines.[134]

In accordance with earlier EPA guidelines, diesel exhaust would be similarly classified as a probable human carcinogen (Group B1).[135], [136]. A number of other agencies (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, the International Agency for Research on Cancer, the World Health Organization, California EPA, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services) have made similar classifications.[137],[138],[139],[140],[141]

The Health Effects Institute has also made numerous studies and report on the potential carcinogenicity of diesel exhaust.[142], [143], [144] Numerous animal and bioassay/genotoxic tests have been done on diesel exhaust.[145], [146]. Also, case-control and cohort studies have been conducted on railroad engine exposures [147],[148],[149] in addition to studies on truck workers.[150], [151],[152]. Also, there are numerous other epidemiologic studies including some studying mine workers and fire fighters.153, 154

For the EPA Diesel HAD, EPA reviewed 22 epidemiologic studies in detail, finding increased lung cancer risk in 8 out of 10 cohort studies and 10 out of 12 case-control studies. Relative risk for lung cancer associated with exposure range from 1.2 to 2.6. In addition, two meta-analyses of occupational studies of diesel exhaust and lung cancer have estimated the smoking-adjusted relative risk of 1.35 and 1.47, examining 23 and 30 studies, respectively.[157],[158]

That is, these two studies show an overall increase in lung cancer for the exposed groups of 35 percent and 47 percent compared with the groups not exposed to diesel exhaust. In the EPA Diesel HAD, EPA selected 1.4 as a reasonable estimate of occupational relative risk for further
analysis.

As described in the Diesel HAD, these studies include some of the same health effects reported for ambient PM, such as respiratory symptoms (cough, labored breathing, chest tightness, wheezing), and chronic respiratory disease (cough, phlegm, chronic bronchitis and suggestive evidence for decreases in pulmonary function). Symptoms of immunological effects such as wheezing and increased allergenicity are also seen. Studies in rodents, especially rats, show the potential for human inflammatory effects in the lung and consequential lung tissue damage from chronic diesel exhaust inhalation exposure.(my note – this document has some other information which includes known studies on humans which indicated these same symptoms.)

The Diesel HAD notes that acute or short-term exposure to diesel exhaust can cause acute irritation (e.g., eye, throat, bronchial), neurophysiological symptoms (e.g., lightheadedness, nausea), and respiratory symptoms (cough, phlegm). There is also evidence for an immunologic effect such as the exacerbation of allergenic responses to known allergens and asthma-like symptoms.164,165,166,167 The Diesel HAD lists numerous other studies as well. Also, as discussed in more detail previously, in addition to its
contribution to ambient PM inventories, diesel PM is of special concern because it has been associated with an increased risk of lung cancer.

The Diesel HAD also briefly summarizes health effects associated with ambient PM and the EPA’s annual NAAQS of 15 :g/m3. There is a much more extensive body of human data showing a wide spectrum of adverse health effects associated with exposure to ambient PM, of which diesel exhaust is an important component.

As indicated earlier, a number of recent studies have associated living near roadways with adverse health effects. Two of the studies cited earlier will be mentioned again here as examples of the type of work that has been done. A Dutch study (discussed earlier by G. Hoek et al., 2002) of a population of people 55-69 years old found that there was an elevated risk of heart and lung related mortality among populations living near high traffic roads.

Diesel particulate exposures have been measured for a number of occupational groups over various years but generally for more recent years (1980s and later) rather than earlier years.

Occupational exposures had a wide range varying from 2 to 1,280 :g/m3 for a variety of occupational groups including miners, railroad workers, firefighters, air port crew, public transit workers, truck mechanics, utility linemen, utility winch truck operators, fork lift operators, construction workers, truck dock workers, short-haul truck drivers, and long-haul truck drivers. These individual studies are discussed in the Diesel HAD.

The highest exposure to diesel PM is for workers in coal mines and noncoal mines, which are as high a 1,280 :g/m3, as discussed in the Diesel HAD. The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has estimated a total of 1,400,000 workers are occupationally exposed to diesel exhaust from on-road and nonroad equipment.

Many measured or estimated occupational exposures are for on-road diesel engines and some are for school buses.[185], [186], [187], [188].

http://www.epa.gov/nonroad-diesel/2004fr/420r04007c.pdf

(also)

Mobile sources as a whole account for 78 percent of the total benzene emissions in the nation.

Benzene is an aromatic hydrocarbon that is present as a gas in both exhaust and evaporative emissions from mobile sources. Benzene accounts for one to two percent of the exhaust hydrocarbons, expressed as a percentage of total organic gases (TOG), in diesel engines.[198], [199]
For gasoline-powered highway vehicles, the benzene fraction of TOG varies depending on control technology (e.g., type of catalyst) and the levels of benzene and other aromatics in the fuel, but is generally higher than for diesel engines, about three to five percent.

Nonroad sources as a whole account for an average of about 17 percent of ambient benzene in urban areas and about 9 percent of ambient benzene in
rural areas across the U.S, in the 1996 NATA assessment.

The EPA’s IRIS database lists benzene as a known human carcinogen (causing leukemia) by all routes of exposure.201 It is associated with additional health effects including chromosomal changes in human and animal cells and increased proliferation of bone marrow cells in mice.[202], [203]

A number of adverse noncancer health effects including blood disorders, such as preleukemia and aplastic anemia, have also been associated with long-term occupational exposure to benzene.

Inhalation is the major source of human exposure to benzene in the occupational and nonoccupational setting.

At least half of this exposure is attributable to gasoline vapors and automotive emissions. Long-term inhalation occupational exposure to benzene has been shown to cause cancer of the hematopoetic (blood cell) system. Among these are acute nonlymphocytic leukemia,I chronic lymphocytic leukemia and possibly multiple myeloma

(primary malignant tumors in the bone marrow), although the evidence for the latter has decreased with more recent studies.204,205 Leukemias, lymphomas, and other tumor types have been observed in experimental animals exposed to benzene by inhalation or oral administration.
Exposure to benzene and/or its metabolites has also been linked with chromosomal changes in humans and animals206 and increased proliferation of mouse bone marrow cells.207

***

My Note -

When the recent hearings occurred on the health risks to workers and coastal populations in communities along the Gulf of Mexico of the crude oil in the Gulf of Mexico to those populations – the members of the various agencies acted as though they aren’t very sure that there are any studies of such things and that respirators are not required. Then what is the information above – which is only one piece and there are certainly others that are even more recent as well – but the studies’ results didn’t change because the oil companies decided it should be something else.

There is more information on this document and others that suggest the agency representatives of that hearing earlier this week – were either lying or misinformed or intentionally misleading the public and legislators. As far as I can tell, there is no way that the people on Grande Isle, for instance – could be sitting in anything closely resembling clean air. Is it possible with crude oil and oil mixed with dispersants and increased soot and increased diesel exhaust and increased particulate matter in the air all the way around them?

What do they think people will do if they know the truth? Wouldn’t it be possible to simply help people make the necessary actions to be protected – from using hepa filters on the air conditioners to using respirators outside?

Or better yet, getting up out of the way of the health risks of staying in the fumes that are known to be dangerous, sickening and carcin0genic?

- cricketdiane

***

What is genuinely bizarre to me is the idea that Republicans are admitting that they have known all this time that relying on foreign oil was making our nation vulnerable and yet they never diversified to support other forms of energy and fuel>

What is also genuinely bizarre to me is that the people in authority who should know better and who would otherwise be getting people out of harm’s way are pretending the harm not only doesn’t exist, but then pretending that others should come into the area for their vacations too. There are pictures on CNN – have they not seen them? Do they get cable?

I kind of wish they could all get their boats and come up to Georgia to fish but really I don’t think we can eat any of the fish from our rivers, lakes, streams and some of our coastal areas here already so it wouldn’t do them much good. Its been that way a long time and the air in Atlanta as well as many of our outlying rural areas make 1969 Los Angeles air look clean in comparison so I’m not sure they would be trading up. I think I heard there are fish in Minnesota that can still be eaten but I’d look it up first before believing it.

Apparently Wall Street Harvard-trained guys and gals have been teaching the physics about controlled burns to the EPA and Coast Guard – what goes up, just stays up and keeps going up. And, the health agencies must have been taught by the oil industry that it all just disappears magically after awhile with no harm to anyone and where something dies with oil in its mouth doesn’t mean that oil contributed to that deadness.

Somebody needs to tell those folks that the shrimp, the oysters, the clams and the other sea animals are dead and the beds where they lived are poisoned now. They are going to be dead for a long, long time and if any are alive in any measure, they will be poisoned for a long, long, long, long time. It would be kinder than letting them believe the pretense that it will all be fixed within a few years. It won’t. I wouldn’t eat any of it and I wouldn’t let anyone I know eat any of it – not even five years from now. I’d stay away from anything that has come from that area of the Gulf of Mexico ocean waters because it has been poisoned with crude oil petroleum, petroleum mixed with dispersants and diesel / petroleum soot and chemicals. I wouldn’t eat fish or shrimp or crab that had been boiled in gasoline either.

I’m sorry it is that way but they decided to host an oil industry that could destroy it and it destroyed it. They knew that was a possible event and that is what has happened. The dead birds can’t be told to get up and live. The dead sea turtles can’t be brought back. And, the oyster beds, shrimping areas and other ocean life zones which used to house and nurture that wildlife are now poisoned right now today and forever beyond this day.

As far as I know, the oil industry and the Republican Party included, have yet to make one dolphin in the world, and have yet to create one shark, whale, oyster, shrimp or sea cucumber for that matter and not one jellyfish, octopus or squid or seahorse or starfish or reef coral has been made, designed, breathed into life or re-made by them either.

Personally, I think that states along the Gulf Coast are not ready for what is coming. There are nine ways to Sunday that this is a disaster and an increasing disaster expanding by the hour and by the day. None of the things being used are even in the neighborhood of being close to fixing any of it. The only thing that is assured and is an absolutely known quantity, is that it will affect the health of people who live in those areas and those who are working in boats standing six feet above the spill where the fumes are concentrated. There is no where to go for safety to get clean air. They aren’t protected with respirators and other breathing equipment and eye protection. They will be hurt by it for many years and they aren’t leaving the area. So, that is a given.

Long before the storms come, things could be done – but they aren’t doing them. State legislators are sitting up in there mahogany covered offices with their nice desks and air conditioning while making decisions to maneuver money away from where it is needed most to do something else with it and for some reason screaming about getting more money. They could bring the best of their minds and resources to bear upon the situation and implement those things that would work – but they aren’t doing that any more than the marine spill response contractors are doing it. Their intentions are something else.

And, a day will come – whether it is two years from now, or two months from now or five years from today – when they will know what was made worse by doing it that way. At that point, these contractors and legislators and lobbyists and public relations specialists and political policy makers will be enjoying some Caribbean cruise or Mediterranean vacation – not uprooted by this disaster at all. But they will know and it will haunt them. I sure wish they would do something different right now – but that seems far removed from the reality they enjoy.

- cricketdiane

***

Gulf of Mexico – clean water and clean air according to BP and EPA tests despite the massive volumes of crude oil petroleum and toxic dispersants filling the water and air with toxic chemicals and toxic fumes

02 Wednesday Jun 2010

Posted by cricketdiane in Cricket Diane C Sparky Phillips

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

BP, cleanup and recovery efforts in the Gulf of Mexico, cricketdiane, crude oil drilling accident in the Gulf of Mexico, EPA used to stand for Environmental Protection Agency, oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico

http://www.epa.gov/bpspill/

June 1, 2010 – EPA official information about the oil spill findings –

Air Data >>
EPA’s air monitoring conducted through May 30, 2010, has found that air quality levels for ozone and particulates are normal on the Gulf coastline for this time of year.

EPA has observed odor-causing pollutants associated with petroleum products along the coastline at low levels. Some of these chemicals may cause short-lived effects like headache, eye, nose and throat irritation, or nausea. People may be able to smell some of these chemicals at levels well below those that would cause short-term health problems.

Water Data >>
Most of the water samples collected May 20 through 26, 2010 along the Gulf coast did not reveal elevated levels of chemicals usually found in oil.

One sample, collected May 21 along the coast of Louisiana, found nickel, a chemical associated with oil. This sample exceeded long-term water quality benchmarks. At these levels nickel may cause risk to aquatic life.

Sediment

Sediment Data >>
The sediment samples collected through May 16, 2010 along the Gulf coast did not reveal elevated levels of chemicals usually found in oil.

http://www.epa.gov/bpspill/

Oil plume and pollutants coming from BP well pipes in the Gulf of Mexico -

***

The Gold Book

Quality Criteria for Water, 1986 (PDF) (477 pp., 4.6 MB) May 1986

The Red Book

Quality Criteria for Water, 1976 (PDF) (534 pp., 6.2 MB) July 1976

Chemical Specific Criteria Documents from the 1980s

Water Quality Standards | Drinking Water | Research and Development

(from)

http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/criteria/wqctable/index.html

***

My Note -

Any chance that water in which animals and birds die would indicate to the EPA that it is toxic and lethal – and that those waters include dangerous pollutant chemicals? You know, like the petroleum and oil mixed dispersants and dispersants – all of which are known to be toxic chemicals and lethal. You can’t drink it without dying – you can’t sniff fumes from any petroleum products without brain damage and lung damage and liver damage and maybe dying – how could the EPA tests monitoring the air and water quality not show any of what we know about these dangerous substances that petroleum is and absolutely is – and not show anything dangerous in their samples – how could they give a clean bill of health to places polluted with known toxic chemicals?

That is a betrayal of trust and mission given to the EPA – bit of illegal here and there as well. And it is in violation of federally mandated laws and regulations about water quality, air quality, pollution, and massive spills of pollutants, as well.

It looks like it is time to get the attorney generals of the states along the Gulf Coast to hold the EPA accountable for disseminating lies and falsehoods about the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico that will directly and permanently damage the health and well-being of their citizens before things get any worse.

And, I don’t care what the “new” OSHA crap says or the EPA and BP air and water monitoring – these chemical hazards are there in that water and in that air and in that sediment. It is lethal and toxic. It is killing the animals, the marine wildlife, the birds, the sea turtles and other aquatic life and it will kill more people if they don’t stop dicking around with the pretense that it is safe when it is not and sending people out without the proper protective breathing gear, breathing protection, respirators, chemical gas masks and eye protection. And, telling people the truth about it.

- cricketdiane, 06-02-10

***

Laws & Regulations

Laws

The entire Clean Water Act
Sections related to water quality standards:
- Section 101(a)
  Declaration of Goals and Policy
- Section 303
  Water Quality Standards and Implementation Plans
- Section 401 (PDF) (4 pp, 16K)
  Permits and Licenses – Certification
- Section 510 (PDF) (1 pg, 47K)
  State Authority
Safe Drinking Water Act
Endangered Species Act

Top of Page

Regulations

Top of Page

Federally proposed or promulgated standards

Listed in chronological order, newest first.

Withdrawal of the Federal Antidegradation Policy for all Waters within the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania | PDF Version (1 pp, 31K)
- Federal Register Notice | PDF Version (3 pp, 57K) (May 28, 2010)
Proposed Water Quality Standards for the State of Florida’s Lakes and Flowing Waters
Withdrawal of the Federal Water Quality Standards Use Designations for Certain Water Bodies in Idaho
- Fact Sheet (November 5, 2008)
- Docket at Regulations.gov (Docket #: EPA-HQ-OW-2008-0495)
Federal Regulations establishing methods to implement Puerto Rico’s antidegradation policy. Federal Register Notice (December 12, 2007)
Withdrawal of Federal Marine Aquatic Life Water Quality Criteria for Toxic Pollutants Applicable to Washington State
- Direct Final Rule: Federal Register Notice (July 09, 2007)
- Proposed Rule: Federal Register Notice (July 09, 2007)
- Docket at Regulations.gov
Final Water Quality Standards Bacteria Rule for Coastal and Great Lakes Recreation Waters (November 8, 2004)
Withdrawal of Certain Federal Water Quality Criteria Applicable to Alaska, Arkansas, and Puerto Rico (October 29, 2004)
Development of Water Quality Standards for Indian Country (April 2004)
Approval of West Virginia Water Quality Standards Federal Register notice (April 6, 2004)
Water Quality Standards for Oregon (March 2, 2004)
Water Quality Standards for Puerto Rico
- Fact Sheet
- Federal Register Notice (January 26, 2004)
- Proposal
  - Fact Sheet
  - Federal Register Notice (October 20, 2003)
Withdrawal of Federal Nutrient Standards for the State of Arizona (November 6, 2003)
Withdrawal of Aquatic Life Water Quality Criteria for Copper and Nickel Applicable to South San Francisco Bay, California
- Fact Sheet
- Federal Register Notice (November 6, 2003)
- Proposal
  - Fact Sheet
  - Federal Register Notice (June 25, 2003)
Federal Promulgation of State Water Quality Standards for Kansas (July 2003)
Withdrawal of Certain Federal Human Health and Aquatic Life Water Quality Criteria Applicable to Vermont, the District of Columbia, Kansas and New Jersey
- Fact Sheet
- Federal Register Notice (December 3, 2002)
Federal Promulgation of State Water Quality Standards for Kentucky (November 2002)
- Fact Sheet
- Federal Register Notice
Federal Promulgation of State Water Quality Standards for Alabama (October 2002)
Withdrawal of Federal Human Health and Aquatic Life Water Quality Criteria for Toxic Pollutants Applicable to Michigan.
- Fact Sheet
- Federal Register Notice (November 8, 2002)
Withdrawal of the Federal Designated Use for Shields Gulch in Idaho.
- Fact Sheet (PDF) (1 pp, 84K)
- Federal Register Notice, (March 13, 2002)
Federal standards for Indian country (not issued) (PDF) (40 pp, 528K) – unofficial pre-publication copy of the January 19, 2001, proposed rule to promulgate “core” Federal standards in Indian country. EPA is providing this unofficial pre-publication copy for public reference. This document was never published in the Federal Register, and is not an official version upon which EPA ever sought public comment.
Establishment of Numeric Criteria for Priority Pollutants for the State of California (California Toxics Rule) (May 2000)
Review and Approval of State and Tribal Water Quality Standards – “Alaska Rule” (April 2000)
Withdrawal of Certain Federal Human Health and Aquatic Life Water Quality Criteria Applicable to Rhode Island, Vermont, the District of Columbia, Kansas and Idaho (April 12, 2000)
Establishment of Numeric Criteria for Priority Toxic Pollutants; States’ Compliance—Revision of Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) Criteria (November 1999)
Advance Notice of Proposed Rule Making (ANPRM) seeking comments from interested parties on possible revisions to the Water Quality Standards Regulation at 40 CFR Part 131 (April 1998)
Water Quality Standards Applicable to Surface Waters in Idaho (July 1997)
- Fact Sheet
- Federal Register Notice (April 1997)
San Francisco Bay/Delta Rule (January 1995)
National Toxics Rule (Preamble) | National Toxics Rule (CFR) (December 1992)

http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/standards/rules/

But what do we do when the water looks like this -

Water Data >>
Most of the water samples collected May 20 through 26, 2010 along the Gulf coast did not reveal elevated levels of chemicals usually found in oil.

http://www.epa.gov/bpspill/

louisiana-oil-spill_100406 – This is what the EPA says is clean water with no evidence of petroleum or crude oil or petroleum chemicals in it according to their tests – from the Gulf of Mexico oil spill – June 1, 2010

http://wyld-side.blogspot.com/2010/05/gulf-oil-spill-new-orleans-talk-radio.html

***

Gulf of Mexico oil spill – EPA and British Petroleum water quality tests show no sign of crude oil – petroleum – dangerous chemicals – or chemicals found in crude oil – June 1, 2010 – EPA says this is clean water without chemical hazards – no danger – no fumes from petroleum / gasoline smelling fumes – nothing here of danger

Water Data >>
Most of the water samples collected May 20 through 26, 2010 along the Gulf coast did not reveal elevated levels of chemicals usually found in oil.

Sediment

Sediment Data >>
The sediment samples collected through May 16, 2010 along the Gulf coast did not reveal elevated levels of chemicals usually found in oil.

http://www.epa.gov/bpspill/

and EPA claims this -

http://www.epa.gov/bpspill/

June 1, 2010 – EPA official information about the oil spill findings –

Air Data >>
EPA’s air monitoring conducted through May 30, 2010, has found that air quality levels for ozone and particulates are normal on the Gulf coastline for this time of year.

Water Data >>
Most of the water samples collected May 20 through 26, 2010 along the Gulf coast did not reveal elevated levels of chemicals usually found in oil.

Sediment

Sediment Data >>
The sediment samples collected through May 16, 2010 along the Gulf coast did not reveal elevated levels of chemicals usually found in oil.

http://www.epa.gov/bpspill/

Oil plume and pollutants coming from BP well pipes in the Gulf of Mexico -

***

About petroleum fumes / gasoline fumes / petroleum derivatives and petroleum chemical fumes – diesel fuel fumes –

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inhalant_abuse

Classification

Inhalants can be classified by the intended function. Most inhalant drugs that are used non-medically are ingredients in household or industrial chemical products that are not intended to be concentrated and inhaled. A small number of recreational inhalant drugs are pharmaceutical products that are used illicitly.

Inhalants can also be classified by chemical structure.^[3] Classes include:

Category	ICD-10	Examples
aliphatic hydrocarbons	T 52.0	petroleum products (gasoline and kerosene), propane, butane
aromatic hydrocarbons	T 52.1-T 52.2	toluene, xylene
ketones	T 52.4	acetone (nail polish remover)
haloalkanes	T 53.	hydrofluorocarbons, chlorofluorocarbon, trichloroethylene, 1,1,1-Trichloroethane (including many aerosols and propellants)
nitrites	T 59.0, T 65.3, T 65.5	alkyl nitrites (poppers such as amyl nitrite), nitrous oxide

It is also possible to classify inhalants by the effect they have on the body. Many inhalants act primarily as asphyxiant gases, with their primary effect due to oxygen deprivation.^[4] Other agents may have more direct effects at receptors.

Some gases such as propane and butane gases are inhaled directly from the canister. Once these solvents or gases are inhaled, the extensive capillary surface of the lungs rapidly absorb the solvent or gas, and blood levels peak rapidly. The intoxication effects occur so quickly that the effects of inhalation can resemble the intensity of effects produced by intravenous injection of other psychoactive drugs.^[7]

The effects of solvent intoxication can vary widely depending on the dose and what type of solvent or gas is inhaled. A person who has inhaled a small amount of rubber cement or paint thinner vapor may be impaired in a manner resembling alcohol inebriation. A person who has inhaled a larger quantity of solvents or gases, or a stronger chemical, may experience stronger effects such as distortion in perceptions of time and space, hallucinations, and emotional disturbances.

In the short term, many users experience headache, nausea and vomiting, slurred speech, loss of motor coordination, and wheezing. A characteristic “glue sniffer’s rash” around the nose and mouth is sometimes seen after prolonged use.

General risks of all agents in inhalant class

In some cases, inhalant users can be injured or killed due to the effects of inhaling solvents or gases, which can cause hypoxia (lack of oxygen), pneumonia, cardiac failure or arrest^[6], or aspiration of vomit. The inhaling of some solvents can cause hearing loss, limb spasms, and damage to the central nervous system and brain.^[6] Serious but potentially reversible effects include liver and kidney damage and blood oxygen depletion. Death from inhalants is generally caused by a very high concentration of fumes. Deliberately inhaling solvents from an attached paper or plastic bag or in a closed area greatly increases the chances of suffocation. Brain damage is typically seen with chronic long term use as opposed to short term exposure.^[13]

There is some evidence of birth defects and disabilities in babies born to women who sniffed solvents such as gasoline. Driving while using solvents presents the same dangers as other types of impaired driving because many solvents cause an alcohol-type intoxication.

In the short term, death from solvent abuse occurs most commonly from aspiration of vomit while unconscious, or from a combination of respiratory depression and hypoxia, the second cause being especially a risk with heavier than air vapors such as butane or gasoline vapor. Deaths typically occur from complications related to excessive sedation and vomiting. Actual overdose from the drug does occur, however, and indeed inhaled solvent abuse is statistically more likely to result in life-threatening respiratory depression than intravenous use of opiates such as heroin. Most deaths from solvent abuse could be prevented if individuals were resuscitated quickly when they stopped breathing and their airway cleared if they vomited. However, most inhalant abuse takes place when people inhale solvents by themselves or in groups of people who are intoxicated. Certain solvents are more hazardous than others, such as gasoline.

Risks associated with specific agents

The hypoxic effect of inhalants can cause damage to many organ systems (particularly the brain, which has a very low tolerance for oxygen deprivation) but there can also be additional toxicity resulting from either the physical properties of the compound itself, or additional ingredients present in a product.

Methylene chloride, after being metabolized, can cause carbon monoxide poisoning.^[14]

Gasoline sniffing can cause lead poisoning,^[15] though this is less common where leaded gas is banned.

Alkyl nitrites can cause methemoglobinemia.^[16]

Carbon tetrachloride can cause significant damage to multiple systems, but its association with liver damage is so strong, it is used in animal models to induce liver injury.^[17]

Use of butane and propane can create a risk of burns.

Benzene use can cause bone marrow depression.^[18]

Toluene can damage myelin.^[19]

Toxicity may also result from the pharmacological properties of the drug; excess NMDA antagonism can completely block calcium influx into neurons and provoke cell death through apoptosis, although this is more likely to be a long term result of chronic solvent abuse than a consequence of short term use.

“Sudden sniffing death”

Inhaling butane gas can cause drowsiness, narcosis, asphyxia, cardiac arrhythmia and frostbite. Butane is the most commonly misused volatile solvent in the UK, and caused 52% of solvent related deaths in 2000. By spraying butane directly into the throat, the jet of fluid can cool rapidly to –20 °C by expansion, causing prolonged laryngospasm. Some inhalants can also indirectly cause sudden death by cardiac arrest, in a syndrome known as “sudden sniffing death”^[20] The anesthetic gases present in the inhalants appear to sensitize the user to adrenaline. In this state a sudden surge of adrenaline (e.g., from a frightening hallucination or run in with the law), can cause a fatal cardiac arrhythmia.^[21]

Furthermore, the inhalation of any gas which is capable of displacing oxygen in the lungs (especially gasses heavier than oxygen), carries the risk of hypoxia due to the mechanism by which breathing is triggered. Since reflexive breathing results from elevated carbon dioxide levels, rather than depressed oxygen in the blood, breathing a concentrated, relatively inert gas (such as the computer-duster tetrafluoroethane, or nitrous oxide), will allow for adequate elimination of carbon dioxide from the blood, meaning that there are no outward signs of suffocation even when the brain is undergoing hypoxia. By the time the full symptoms of hypoxia appear, it may be too late to breathe without assistance, especially if the gas is heavy enough to reside in the lungs for extended periods. Even completely inert gasses, such as argon, can have this effect if oxygen is largely excluded (e.g. via a mask).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inhalant_abuse

Believe it or not – petroleum from which gasoline and half the above petroleum based chemicals are derived has the same effects.

But, you know – I can say it and say it and say it and publish the facts and where I found them – and our EPA and OSHA can still send people out into those oil covered spaces filled with toxic fumes – and what I’ve written or said doesn’t mean a damn thing.

What is shown on the news and seen around the world means absolutely nothing – if EPA and BP want to call the water clean and the air safe – then there is nothing that is capable of telling the truth and have it known – even though it denies the truth, the facts and even the photographs from the affected areas.

And, they are foisting it on an entire public community where those petroleum fumes will potentially deform the children in the wombs of the women there, will give years upon years of ill health to the families and children there being subjected to it and yield untold suffering to their spouses who have worked out in it without the simplest inexpensive breathing protections of a respirator offered by BP and at OSHA’s proper insistence.

It is the strangest nightmare that I don’t believe could ever happen in America but apparently it has happened a lot in America as we kiss the feet of these huge corporations who own us and own our nation and own our nation’s lands and resources and air and water.

There is no greater evil.

The only difference is the outside look of the gas chamber.

and that is evil – and this has more long-term suffering for hellish moments over the rest of the course of these lives and their consciousness and that of their families.

It is horrific.

- cricketdiane

But, you can’t tell ‘em anything – not one solution that I’ve offered, not one fact, not one evidence of the truth – they don’t have anything to hold dear besides BP’s interests and BP’s money and the oil industry profits overall.

***

What if BP doesn’t get away with it and whatever supervisor at BP and the EPA who conducted those air and water tests whose results defy reality were fired and prosecuted?

And what if every product made by BP in any respect is left unsold around the world because the entire world knows what they’ve done to people exposing them to this toxic petroleum sewage while telling people lies about it being safe?

And what if every shareholder of BP stocks and bonds is held accountable for their full liability and the US taxpayer doesn’t pay one dime of it?

And what if everyone involved with BP including its financial backers are held accountable for the full measure of their civil, criminal, ethical and financial extended liabilities which could be required of them now rather than twenty or thirty years from now?

what if they didn’t get away with it.

What if they had to provide respirators for every single person in every community along the Gulf Coast and every single person going out anywhere in the Gulf of Mexico to work anywhere in it.

What if they had to provide a new place to live in another community with economic opportunities and safe air quality away from the Gulf of Mexico for every single town and community and family and child and woman and man who had been living there before this happened? What if BP had to pay to do that right now before those health risks make irreparable harms that require our nation to pay for those damages to people’s health and well-being.

What if they had to do that now?

What if they didn’t get away with it this time and get to keep their money for the next twenty years keeping it from the people they are currently harming?

***

what if every asset of BP Global and BP America and every subsidiary of BP were frozen and used to pay Shell Oil to come cap the damn well they can’t seem to get stopped. And pay for the real cleanup and protection of people in the areas of the Gulf Coast and have every last asset disposed of to pay out the real losses to families, towns, businesses, and the fishing and tourism industry losses along with others in the area starting right now today.

what if it is illegal to lie about a known health hazard to the people who will be permanently affected by it -

See what I found at the National Library of Medicine at the National Institutes of Health

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/class/class_qv.html#QV600

Organic Poisons

QV 627	Organic poisons
QV 628	Alkaloids
QV 632	Non-alkaloids
QV 633	Hydrocarbons. Volatile poisons. Solvents

***

It came from here -

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/mesh/2009/mesh_trees/N06.pdf

2009 MeSH Tree Structures. N6 – ENVIRONMENT AND PUBLIC HEALTH [PDF]

… N6.230.132.258.108.110 D20.345. Petroleum N6.230.132.258.630 D20.345. Fuel …

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/mesh/2009/mesh_trees/N06.pdf – NLM Programs and Services
2010 MeSH Tree Structures. D20 – COMPLEX MIXTURES [PDF]

… 230. Coke D20.345.108.110 N6.230. Petroleum D20.345.630 N6.230. Fuel Oils D20. …

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/mesh/2010/mesh_trees/D20.pdf – NLM Programs and Services

Colloids D20.280 D26.255. D27.720.
Aerosols D20.280.55 D26.255. D27.720.
Emulsions D20.280.260 D26.255. D27.720.
Gels D20.280.320 D26.255. D27.720.
Hydrogels D20.280.320.375 D26.255.
Suspensions D20.280.810 D26.255. D27.720.
Fossil Fuels D20.345 N6.230.
Coal D20.345.108 N6.230.
Coke D20.345.108.110 N6.230.
Petroleum D20.345.630 N6.230.
Fuel Oils D20.345.630.500 N6.230.
Gasoline D20.345.630.540 N6.230.
Kerosene D20.345.630.600 N6.230.

Vehicle Emissions D20.832

Smog D20.633.875
Smoke D20.633.937
Soot D20.633.937.339

Particulate Matter D20.633

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/mesh/2010/mesh_trees/D20.pdf

***

Gas Poisons. Chemical Agents

QV 662	Gas poisons and poisoning
	Cf. QV 81 Anesthetic gases; QV 310 Gases used in therapy.

QV 663	Chemical agents
	Classify here works on chemical agents that are toxic or otherwise harmful to humans including works that discuss the use of such agents in warfare.
QV 664	Lung irritants (e.g., Chloropicrin. Phosgene)
	Cf. QV 666 for works on irritant gases.
QV 665	Tear gases. Toxic smokes
QV 666	Irritant gases
	Cf. QV 664 for general works on lung irritants.
QV 667	Systemic poisons. Paralysants

***

TOXMAP – Superfund Chemicals List

… 4) Perchloroethylene (127-18-4) Pesticides (TBD-00000011) Petroleum hydrocarbon (TBD-00000012) Petroleum hydrocarbons (8012-95-1) Phenacetin (62-44-2) Phenanthrene ( …

toxmap.nlm.nih.gov/toxmap/main/sfChemicals.jsp – NLM Programs and Services
Tox Town – Crude Oil – Toxic chemicals and environmental health risks where you live and work – Text Version

… nickel, nitrogen, oxygen, sulfur, toluene , and xylene. Total petroleum hydrocarbons is a term used to describe the several … Most exposure to crude oil is through total petroleum hydrocarbons and crude oil byproducts such as gasoline, oil …

toxtown.nlm.nih.gov/text_version/chemicals.php?id=73 – NLM Programs and Services
Crude Oil Spills and Health – Links to resources about chemicals, side effects, cleanup, and recovery

… Coastal Sediment Sampling Coastal Water Sampling ToxFAQs™: Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons (TPH) Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry …

sis.nlm.nih.gov/dimrc/oilspills.html – NLM Programs and Services
Turpentine oil poisoning

Lewander WJ, Aleguas A Jr. Petroleum distillates and plant hydrocarbons. In: Shannon MW, Borron SW, Burns MJ, eds. Haddad and Winchester’s Clinical Management of Poisoning and Drug Overdose . 4th ed. Philadelphia, …

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002746.htm – Health Information – MedlinePlus
Diesel oil

Lewander WJ, Aleguas A Jr. Petroleum distillates and plant hydrocarbons. In: Shannon MW, Borron SW, Burns MJ, eds. Haddad and Winchester’s Clinical Management of Poisoning and Drug Overdose . 4th ed. Philadelphia, …

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002753.htm – Health Information – MedlinePlus
Tox Town – Solvents – Toxic chemicals and environmental health risks where you live and work – Text Version

… contain oxygen and are synthesized from other chemicals. Hydrocarbon solvents contain hydrogen and are derived mainly from petroleum. Halogenated solvents contain one or more of the …

toxtown.nlm.nih.gov/text_version/chemicals.php?id=28 – NLM Programs and Services
Benzene ingestion

Benzene is a clear, liquid, petroleum-based chemical that has a sweet smell. Benzene poisoning occurs when someone swallows, breathes in, or touches benzene. This is for …

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002720.htm – Health Information – MedlinePlus
Asphalt cement

Asphalt is a brownish-black liquid petroleum material that hardens when it cools. Asphalt cement poisoning occurs when someone swallows asphalt. This is for information only and not for …

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002752.htm – Health Information – MedlinePlus
Stoddard solvent poisoning

Petroleum distillates … Mirkin DB. Benzene and related aromatic hydrocarbons. In: Shannon MW, Borron SW, Burns MJ, eds. Haddad and Winchester’s Clinical Management of Poisoning and Drug Overdose . 4th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: …

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002907.htm – Health Information – MedlinePlus
NLM Classification Index C

… Cruciate Ligament Cruciferae see Brassicaceae Crude Oil see Petroleum Cruor see Postmortem Changes Crush Syndrome Kidney failure …

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/class/index_c.html – NLM Programs and Services

Conference Programme and Abstracts Programme et résumés de la conférence [PDF]

… Journalists (WFSJ) competition and ‘Schools on Board’ programs. Hydrocarbon Energy from the Arctic: Holy Grail or Pipe … Abstracts The central Labrador margin is experiencing renewed hydrocarbon exploration interests; 008 land sales commit a minimum …

http://www.arctichealth.org/ahhi/pdf/arctic-change.pdf – NLM Programs and Services
Herbals: Therapeutic and Adverse Effects A bibliography with abstracts [PDF]

… Antitumour activity of diallyl sulfide on polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon-induced mouse skin carcinogenesis. Cancer Lett 1998;131( …

sis.nlm.nih.gov/enviro/herbalsbibliography.pdf – NLM Programs and Services
NLM Classification Index P

… Petrogale see Macropodidae Petrolatum, Liquid see Mineral Oil Petroleum Toxicology QV 633 Petromyzontidae see Lampreys Petrous Bone … chemistry QD 305-341 Toxicology QV 633 Polycyclic Hydrocarbons see Polycyclic Compounds Polycystic Kidney see Polycystic Kidney …

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/class/index_p.html – NLM Programs and Services
Persian Gulf Experience and Health (CBM 94-3)

… SMOKE INHALATION OR EXP SMOKE SS 6 = 5 AND PETROLEUM OR 5 AND OILS SS 7 = (TW) OIL OR OILS OR PETROLEUM SS 8 = (TW) SMOKE OR BURNING OR ALL FIRE# SS … Al-Majed N. Exposure to particle-bound polyaromatic hydrocarbons in the Al-Mansoria residential area during the …

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/archive/20040830/pubs/cbm/persgulf.html – NLM Web Archives
Index to the NLM Classification 2010 [PDF]

… Petrogale see Macropodidae Petrolatum, Liquid see Mineral Oil Petroleum Toxicology QV 633 Petromyzontidae see Lampreys Petrous Bone … chemistry QD 305-341 Toxicology QV 633 Polycyclic Hydrocarbons see Polycyclic Compounds Polycystic Kidney see Polycystic Kidney …

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/class/classindex.pdf – NLM Programs and Services

Water

WA 675	Water. Water supply. Sources
	Include works on sanitary aspects of ice and ice making here.
WA 686	Analysis
	Cf. QW 80 Water microbiology.
WA 687	Saline water conversion
WA 689	Pollution
	Classify works on radioactive pollution in WN 615; general works on industrial seawater pollution in WA 788; on pollution of bathing beaches in WA 820.
WA 690	Purification

Visual Culture and Public Health Posters > Environmental Health > Chemical Exposure

Chemical Exposure

Following the 1962 publication of Rachel Carson’s landmark book Silent Spring, environmental toxicity captured the public’s attention as a primary health threat. Carson warned people about the deadly effects of chemical pollution and her book became the catalyst for federal laws banning DDT and other harmful chemicals. In 1970, the first Earth Day and the formation of the Environmental Protection Agency set the stage for a plethora of environmental legislation on both federal and state levels. Congress approved a series of sweeping legislative measures, including the Clean Air Act (1970), the Water Pollution Control Act (1972), and the Environmental Pesticide Control Act (1972), each designed to clean up hundreds of chemicals in the environment and preclude further irreparable damage.

Hazardous chemicals also took center stage for a number of international organizations in the 1970s and 1980s. The International Programme on Chemical Safety (IPCS), for example, was established in 1980 as a joint program of three cooperating organizations-the International Labor Organization, the United Nations Environmental Programme, and the World Health Organization-to carry out and disseminate evaluations of the risk to human health and the environment from exposure to chemicals. The IPCS evaluates the risk to human health and the environment from exposure to chemicals, provides an intergovernmental mechanism for chemical risk assessment and management, establishes the scientific basis for the safe use of chemicals, and strengthens national capabilities and capacities for chemical safety. Additionally, the IPCS designs promotional materials such as the three posters below, which illustrate the relationship between toxic chemicals, health, and the environment as part of their educational division.

This image, featuring two children playing in a stream, employs a common motif in public health posters — the photographs of children are used to evoke a feeling of responsibility or accountability in the viewer. The specific message is only conveyed clearly with the combination of image and text. The viewer is encouraged to read the poster in order to discover its meaning. Even the headline — “Let the world breathe” — is too general to communicate the central piece of advice: “Use chemicals with care to keep air fresh and water pure.” The poster encourages behavior modification by emphasizing the consequences of complacency, not for the viewer alone but for innocent children as well.

In 1961, Congress authorized President John F. Kennedy to designate the third week in March as the annual National Poison Prevention Week. The Poison Prevention Week Council was organized to coordinate this annual event and encourage local communities to raise awareness of the dangers of accidental poisoning and to take preventative measures as warranted. This IPCS poster is part of this tradition of accidental poisoning prevention. In the photograph, two children crouch beside a window, preparing to open a bottle of weed killer. One child looks back over her shoulder, evoking a sense of helplessness. The message is clearly and prominently presented above the photograph, “Children At Risk!” At the bottom of the poster, viewers are encouraged to “Store chemicals safely out of reach of children.

Since the 1950s, the WHO has supported research on the safe use of food additives and the evaluation of the carcinogenic hazards presented by imperceptible chemicals present in food at very low levels. Additives are non-nutritive substances added intentionally to food, generally in small quantities, to improve its appearance, flavor, texture, or storage properties. Imperceptible chemicals include a number of environmental contaminants that may get into food from packaging or residues from the use of solvents, veterinary drugs, or pesticides. This poster uses the same motif of the two posters above, featuring a photograph of children as symbolic motivation for responsible and accountable adult behavior. When combined with the textual message that, “Food additives and pesticides should be used with care,” the photo of the children, sharing an apple and an ice cream, is designed to encourage reflection on the part of the viewer. The headline, “Acceptable Daily Intake!” refers to the amount of a particular chemical found in food that, it is believed, can be safely consumed on a daily basis over a lifetime without harm. The ADI is widely used by organizations such as the WHO as a means of achieving some uniformity of approach in regulatory control. The ADI is designed to ensure that the actual human intake of a substance is well below toxic levels.

The posters below are part of a very different kind of public health campaign inspired by toxic chemicals. Created by the Texas Prevention Partnership (TPP), which was founded in 1990 by the Entertainment Industries Council and Harvey Weiss, the posters address the alarming trend of “huffing” — the inhaling of CFCs, Freon, household cleaning products, and other toxic chemicals for a quick high. At the time, inhalant abuse was gaining popularity at a staggering rate in the state of Texas and surrounding areas. Following a massive campaign that included the distribution of bilingual posters and radio and television public service announcements, Texas saw an immediate decline in the number of deaths from inhalant abuse, and between 1990 and 1994 there was a reduction of more than 32% in elementary school inhalant use and a reduction of about 20% at the high school level.This work inspired TPP to found and lead the National Inhalant Prevention Coalition.

Poster: Sniffing Correction Fluid Can Stop Your Heart

This poster is part of a series that warns adolescents about the serious dangers of inhalants. The posters use black and white photographs of representatives from the target audience, a common motif in public health advertisements. The inhalant medium, such as correction fluid, markers, or spray paints, is symbolically used to whiteout, color, or coat the part of the body damaged by the fumes. In this dimly lighted photograph, for example, the adolescent boy is distinguished by a white spot on his sweatshirt, which symbolizes the accompanying admonition, “Sniffing correction fluid can stop your heart.” The caption at the bottom of the poster warns, “If you sniff to get high, you’re inhaling poisons that do definite damage. So stop. Before your heart does.”

The adolescent boy in this photograph is distinguished by the red magic marker scribbled on his forehead. The image works effectively as a visual representation of the textual message in the title, which warns plainly, “Sniffing markers destroys your brain.” Accompanied by the caption, “Sniffing stuff like spray paint or markers can cause brain damage, lung damage, even death,” the poster succinctly and symbolically expresses the risks associated with the inhalant.

Poster: Sniffing Markers Destroys Your Brain

Poster: Sniffing Spray Paint Destroys Your Lungs

Repeating the motif in the series, this image features an adolescent girl whose lungs are outlined with dripping orange paint. The title, “Sniffing spray paint destroys your lungs,” is accompanied by the warning designed to challenge the misguided notion that inhalants are harmless. The caption warns, “Sniffing stuff like markers or spray paint can kill you. The first time, the second time, even the hundredth time.”

This poster is part of a series designed to introduce parents to the problem of huffing. Employing an eye-catching graphic layout that contrasts black and white photography with bright colors, the central textual message is symbolically placed over the blocked-out nose of the model, informing the viewer, “We’d like to introduce you to the cocaine of the ’90s. Your child may already be familiar.” The picture caption informs the parent, “one in four kids has done it by seventh grade” and that “anytime these products are ‘huffed,’ they can kill.”

Poster: We'd Like to Introduce You To The Cocaine of the '90s

Poster: Unless You Know What to Look For

The title message in this poster, covering the eyes of the model, informs parents, “Unless you know what to look for, the signs of sniffing inhalants are almost invisible.” The blackened strip over the eyes in the photograph symbolizes how parents might be blind to the problem. The picture caption identifies signs and symptoms of inhaling chemical fumes, reminding parents that one of four kids has abused them by seventh grade. The viewer is advised to “face this problem with both eyes open.”

Also designed to inform parents, the self-referential message in this poster notifies the viewer, “This ad will tell you things about sniffing inhalants your child probably won’t.” The problem with ignoring or denying the extent of the risk is represented by the blackened out title over the mouth of the model. The picture caption informs the parent about the popularity of inhaling fumes and recommends calling the toll-free phone number or asking their child, because, “They may know more than they are telling.”

Poster: This Ad Will Tell You Things About Sniffing Inhalants

Environmental Health: Introduction < Lead Poisoning < Asbestos < Air Pollution < Chemical Exposure

Visual Culture and Public Health Posters Home

U.S. National Library of Medicine, 8600 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD 20894
National Institutes of Health
Department of Health & Human Services

(from)
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/exhibition/visualculture/chemical.html

Gasoline sniffing

Diesel fumes huffing

Petroleum distillates vapors huffing

and breathing raw crude petroleum fumes – will all yield the same results – and ya’ll were worried about terrorists dumping poison chemicals and whether you ate organic food or not – pesticides are made from the petroleum BP brings out of the ground and sea.

Huh – what about that? who’d a thought it might be a problem?

Just eat healthy, don’t smoke, go to church and work for BP sniffing gas fumes from petroleum.

- cricketdiane

By the way – why do we even have a surgeon general and national institutes of health if in the midst of the largest crude oil spill in the history of the planet and the largest poisoning of air and waters along a massive stretch of the United States – they don’t mention that the shit is dangerous?

Damn.

***

Air Pollution

During the 1960s, environmental issues began moving to the forefront of the policy-making agenda. Responding to scientific studies linking air pollution to health issues, public opinion moved Congress into action. Starting with the Clean Air Act of 1963, Congress began funding research programs on air quality problems. In 1967, the Air Quality Control Act established a system for defining standards that limited emissions, setting the stage for a larger federal role in air quality management. The Clean Air Act of 1970 allowed the newly created Environmental Protection Agency to set and enforce national air quality standards. Twice amended in 1977 and 1990, it has become one of the most complex and ambitious pieces of federal legislation dealing with any environmental issue. Its primary goal is the protection of public health from pollutants that find their way into the atmosphere. The American Lung Association (ALA), the oldest voluntary health organization in the United States, created the posters below as part of a series of broad campaigns against the health effects of air pollution. Originally founded in 1904 to fight tuberculosis, the ALA today fights lung disease in all its forms. The ALA still creates a number of extensive poster campaigns targeting environmental health, asthma, and tobacco control.

These 1977 posters illustrate two common techniques in public health advertisements: 1) using a simple photograph of a child to appeal to the adult viewer’s sense of accountability; and 2) changing the photograph and content of the poster while preserving the basic style and layout, frequently in an attempt to make a connection with different segments of the viewing population. Without reading the text, these posters featuring photographs of smiling children might address any number of topics. This is part of the attempt to catch the interest of viewers and encourage them to read the text. The message in the headline introduces the issue of air pollution and speaks to the viewer in first person plural in order to create the sense that “we’re all in this together.” The uncertain smile on the boy in the poster on the left reflects the positive but generalized message that people should do their part to fight air pollution and that their Lung Association is there to support them. The hopeful smile of the child in the poster on the right is combined with the expectation of compliance in the text. While the headline-”We all share the same air”-could reflect a message of general accountability similar to the first poster, the caption beneath the photograph targets the smoker by thanking them “for not smoking.” Even here, however, the language is suggestive and encouraging rather than domineering or condescending.

Poster: We All Share the Same Air. 1977. Copyright Information: Reprinted with permission �2003 American Lung Association.

Poster: The Air We Breathe. Circa 1980. Copyright Information: Reprinted with permission �2003 American Lung Association.

The American Lung Association created this idyllic illustrated poster as part of their environmental health education program in the 1980s. The ALA has been one of the leading public advocates for clean air and pollution control, while serving as a chief source of information and public education on the health hazards of air pollution. This illustration identifies pollution generated by factories, homes, landfills, vehicles, and individuals, with the headline reminding us that this is all part of “The Air We Breathe.” The poster offers a cautionary tale about interconnectivity, demonstrating that alongside polluting activities children can be found playing, a man fishing, livestock grazing, and people camping.

In 1985, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reported that toxic chemicals found in the air of almost every American home are three times more likely to cause some type of cancer than outdoor pollutants. Two years later, the Indoor Air Quality Act of 1987 was first introduced to Congress to address the pervasive problem of indoor air pollution. A number of indoor air problems were concurrently associated with “sick building syndrome”-a term used to describe situations in which building occupants experience acute health and comfort effects that appear to be linked to time spent in a building, but with no specific illness or cause identified. This poster from the ALA responds to these problems by using an anatomical illustration of “How Indoor Air Pollutants Affect the Body.” By diagramming the physiological effects of specific chemicals, this poster, funded by industrial giant Honeywell Incorporated, functions as an important educational and diagnostic tool for employers and employees alike. The anatomical imagery is used to demonstrate how the unsuspecting person can be affected by exposure to airborne pollutants. This lends a degree of scientific authority to the information provided.

Poster: How Indoor Air Pollutants Affect the Body. Circa 1987. Copyright Information: Reprinted with permission �2003 American Lung Association.

Environmental Health: Introduction < Lead Poisoning < Asbestos < Air Pollution > Chemical Exposure

Visual Culture and Public Health Posters Home

U.S. National Library of Medicine, 8600 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD 20894
National Institutes of Health
Department of Health & Human Services

(from)

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/exhibition/visualculture/air.html

***

Crude Oil

en español

Crude oil is an oily liquid found in underground reservoirs that is extracted and used to make fuel and other petroleum products.

What is crude oil?

Crude oil is a dark yellow-to-black oily liquid that is usually found in natural underground reservoirs. It was formed when the remains of animals and plants from millions of years ago were covered by layers of sand. Heat and pressure from these layers turned the remains into crude oil. This process is why crude oil is called a fossil fuel. Crude oil is extracted and used to make fuel and other petroleum products.

Crude oil is a mixture of a wide variety of constituents. It consists primarily of hydrocarbons, which are chemicals composed of hydrogen and carbon. Crude oil also contains hundreds of substances that include benzene, chromium, iron, mercury, nickel, nitrogen, oxygen, sulfur, toluene, and xylene. Total petroleum hydrocarbons is a term used to describe the several hundred chemical compounds that originally come from crude oil.

There are four types of crude oil:
Class A: Light, Volatile Oils: These oils are highly fluid and highly toxic to humans, and include jet fuel and gasoline.
Class B: Non-Sticky Oils: These oils are waxy and less toxic to humans, and include diesel fuel and light crude oil.
Class C: Heavy, Sticky Oils: These oils are brown or black and sticky or tarry, and include most crude oils. Their toxicity is low, but if spilled, their impacts on waterfowl and wildlife can be severe.
Class D: Non-Fluid Oils: These oils are non-toxic and include heavy crude oils. They are difficult to clean up, and if spilled, their impacts on waterfowl and wildlife can be severe.

Crude oil is refined to produce gasoline, diesel fuel, jet fuel, residential fuel oil, kerosene, liquefied petroleum gases such as propane and other sources of energy to produce heat or electric power. It is also used to make lubricants, waxes, ink, crayons, eyeglasses, tires, CDs and DVDs, ammonia, dishwashing liquid, and some health and personal care products. The United States is the third top crude oil-producing country, after Russia and Saudi Arabia.

How might I be exposed to crude oil?

You can be exposed to crude oil if you live near an oil refinery or if there is an oil spill or leak nearby. You can be exposed if you eat contaminated seafood. Most exposure to crude oil is through total petroleum hydrocarbons and crude oil byproducts such as gasoline, oil products, heating sources, or consumer products. Everyone is exposed to total petroleum hydrocarbons from many sources.

You may be exposed to crude oil from an oil spill through tarballs at a beach or shoreline. Winds and waves can tear patches of spilled oil into smaller pieces called tarballs. Tarballs are small pieces of oil that are remnants of oil spills and can stick to rocks, sand, or marine animals. Oil contaminants may stick to the fur of pets, who can transfer the contamination to people.

You can be exposed to crude oil if you work in an oil refinery, on an oil drilling rig, or on an offshore oil facility. Exposure at work can occur through contact with the skin, ingestion, or breathing crude oil liquid, drops, or fumes.

How can crude oil affect my health?

Exposure to crude oil may irritate the eyes, skin, and respiratory system. It may cause dizziness, rapid heart rate, headaches, confusion, and anemia. Prolonged skin contact with crude oil may cause skin reddening, edema, and burning of the skin.

When crude oil is burned, either accidentally or as a spill control measure, it emits chemicals that affect human health. These chemicals include carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, lead, nitrogen oxides, particulate matter, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, sulfur dioxide , and volatile organic compounds.

If you are exposed to burning crude oil, you may be exposed to high levels of particulate matter and may experience the health effects of particulate matter. Exposure to burning crude oil may harm the passages of the nose, airways, and lungs. It may cause shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, coughing, itching, red or watery eyes, and black mucous.

Handling tarballs may cause an allergic skin reaction or skin rashes.

If you think your health has been affected by exposure to crude oil, contact your health care professional.

For poisoning emergencies or questions about possible poisons, contact your local poison control center at 1-800-222-1222.
Web Links from MedlinePlus (National Library of Medicine)
Hazardous Waste

More Links
Crude Oil Spills and Health (National Library of Medicine)
Oil (Petroleum) Basics (Dept. of Energy)
Oil: Crude and Petroleum Products Explained (Dept. of Energy)
Tarballs (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) PDF Icon
Training Marine Oil Spill Response Workers Under OSHA’s Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response Standard (Occupational Safety and Health Administration)

City	Farm	Town	U.S.-Mexico Border	Port
Locations where Crude Oil may be found
Brownfield	Chemical Storage Tank		Illegal Dumps and Tire Piles	Beach Chemical Storage Tank Coastal Brownfield Fuel Pipelines Marina and Boats Shellfishing Shipping Shipyard

Last Updated: May 17, 2010

(from – National Institutes of Health)

http://toxtown.nlm.nih.gov/text_version/chemicals.php?id=73

***

How can crude oil affect my health?

Handling tarballs may cause an allergic skin reaction or skin rashes.

If you think your health has been affected by exposure to crude oil, contact your health care professional.

For poisoning emergencies or questions about possible poisons, contact your local poison control center at 1-800-222-1222.

(from above)

***

CONCLUSION: Air environment polluted due to crude oil spill into sea water caused impaired lung function and this impairment was associated with dose response effect of duration of exposure to air polluted by crude oil spill into sea water.

Int J Occup Med Environ Health. 2009;22(1):35-41.

Effect of duration of exposure to polluted air environment on lung function in subjects exposed to crude oil spill into sea water.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19351614

***

BACKGROUND, AIM AND SCOPE: The volatile organic compounds Benzene, Toluene, Ethylbenzene and Xylene (BTEX) are commonly found in petroleum derivatives and, at relatively high levels, can be associated with human health risks. Due to industrial activities, accidental petroleum spills are the main route of soil and groundwater contamination.

The volatile organic compounds Benzene, Toluene, Ethylbenzene and Xylene (BTEX) indoor exposure can occur through three principal pathways: inhalation, ingestion and dermal absorption.

Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2008 May;15(3):278-88.

Human health risks of petroleum-contaminated groundwater.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18504848

***

Institutes, Centers & Offices

Quick Links

NIH Directors
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Mailing Addresses
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Offices

The Office of the Director (OD)
The Office of the Director is the central office at NIH for its 27 Institutes and Centers. The OD is responsible for setting policy for NIH and for planning, managing, and coordinating the programs and activities of all the NIH components. OD’s program offices include the Office of AIDS Research and the Office of Research on Women’s Health, among others. more >

NIH Institutes

National Cancer Institute (NCI) – Est. 1937
NCI leads a national effort to eliminate the suffering and death due to cancer. Through basic and clinical biomedical research and training, NCI conducts and supports research that will lead to a future in which we can prevent cancer before it starts, identify cancers that do develop at the earliest stage, eliminate cancers through innovative treatment interventions, and biologically control those cancers that we cannot eliminate so they become manageable, chronic diseases. more >

National Eye Institute (NEI) – Est. 1968
NEI conducts and supports research that helps prevent and treat eye diseases and other disorders of vision. This research leads to sight-saving treatments, reduces visual impairment and blindness, and improves the quality of life for people of all ages. NEI-supported research has advanced our knowledge of how the eye functions in health and disease. more >

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) – Est. 1948
NHLBI provides leadership for a national program in diseases of the heart, blood vessels, lung, and blood; blood resources; and sleep disorders. Since October 1997, the NHLBI has also had administrative responsibility for the NIH Woman’s Health Initiative. The Institute plans, conducts, fosters, and supports an integrated and coordinated program of basic research, clinical investigations and trials, observational studies, and demonstration and education projects. more >

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National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) – Est. 1989
NHGRI is devoted to advancing health through genome research. The Institute led NIH’s contribution to the Human Genome Project, which was successfully completed in 2003 ahead of schedule and under budget. Building on the foundation laid by the sequencing of the human genome, NHGRI’s work now encompasses a broad range of research aimed at expanding understanding of human biology and improving human health. In addition, a critical part of NHGRI’s mission continues to be the study of the ethical, legal and social implications of genome research. more >

National Institute on Aging (NIA) – Est. 1974
NIA leads a national program of research on the biomedical, social, and behavioral aspects of the aging process; the prevention of age-related diseases and disabilities; and the promotion of a better quality of life for all older Americans. more >

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) – Est. 1970
NIAAA conducts research focused on improving the treatment and prevention of alcoholism and alcohol-related problems to reduce the enormous health, social, and economic consequences of this disease. more >

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) – Est. 1948
NIAID research strives to understand, treat, and ultimately prevent the myriad infectious, immunologic, and allergic diseases that threaten millions of human lives. more >

^ top

National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) – Est. 1986
NIAMS supports research into the causes, treatment, and prevention of arthritis and musculoskeletal and skin diseases, the training of basic and clinical scientists to carry out this research, and the dissemination of information on research progress in these diseases. more >

National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) – Est. 2000
NIBIB improves health by promoting fundamental discoveries, design and development, and translation and assessment of technological capabilities in biomedical imaging and bioengineering, enabled by relevant areas of information science, physics, chemistry, mathematics, materials science, and computer sciences. more >

Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) – Est. 1962
NICHD research on fertility, pregnancy, growth, development, and medical rehabilitation strives to ensure that every child is born healthy and wanted and grows up free from disease and disability. more >

National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) – Est. 1988
NIDCD conducts and supports biomedical research and research training on normal mechanisms as well as diseases and disorders of hearing, balance, smell, taste, voice, speech, and language that affect 46 million Americans. more >

^ top

National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) – Est. 1948
NIDCR provides leadership for a national research program designed to understand, treat, and ultimately prevent the infectious and inherited craniofacial-oral-dental diseases and disorders that compromise millions of human lives. more >

National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) – Est. 1950
NIDDK conducts and supports basic and applied research and provides leadership for a national program in diabetes, endocrinology, and metabolic diseases; digestive diseases and nutrition; and kidney, urologic, and hematologic diseases. Several of these diseases are among the leading causes of disability and death; all seriously affect the quality of life of those who have them. more >

National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) – Est. 1973
NIDA leads the nation in bringing the power of science to bear on drug abuse and addiction through support and conduct of research across a broad range of disciplines and rapid and effective dissemination of results of that research to improve drug abuse and addiction prevention, treatment, and policy. more >

National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) – Est. 1969
NIEHS reduces the burden of human illness and dysfunction from environmental causes by, defining how environmental exposures, genetic susceptibility, and age interact to affect an individual’s health. more >

^ top

National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) – Est. 1962
NIGMS supports basic biomedical research that is not targeted to specific diseases. NIGMS funds studies on genes, proteins, and cells, as well as on fundamental processes like communication within and between cells, how our bodies use energy, and how we respond to medicines. The results of this research increase our understanding of life and lay the foundation for advances in disease diagnosis, treatment, and prevention. NIGMS also supports research training programs that produce the next generation of biomedical scientists, and it has special programs to encourage underrepresented minorities to pursue biomedical research careers. more >

National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) – Est. 1949
NIMH provides national leadership dedicated to understanding, treating, and preventing mental illnesses through basic research on the brain and behavior, and through clinical, epidemiological, and services research. more >

National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) – Est. 1950
The mission of the NINDS is to reduce the burden of neurological diseases — a burden borne by every age group, every segment of society, and people all over the world. To accomplish this goal the NINDS supports and conducts research, both basic and clinical, on the normal and diseased nervous system, fosters the training of investigators in the basic and clinical neurosciences, and seeks better understanding, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of neurological disorders. more >

National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR) – Est. 1986
NINR supports clinical and basic research to establish a scientific basis for the care of individuals across the life span–from the management of patients during illness and recovery to the reduction of risks for disease and disability; the promotion of healthy lifestyles; the promotion of quality of life in those with chronic illness; and the care for individuals at the end of life. This research may also include families within a community context, and it also focuses on the special needs of at-risk and under-served populations, with an emphasis on health disparities. more >

^ top

National Library of Medicine (NLM) – Est. 1956
NLM collects, organizes, and makes available biomedical science information to scientists, health professionals, and the public. The Library’s Web-based databases, including PubMed/Medline and MedlinePlus, are used extensively around the world. NLM conducts and supports research in biomedical communications; creates information resources for molecular biology, biotechnology, toxicology, and environmental health; and provides grant and contract support for training, medical library resources, and biomedical informatics and communications research. more >

NIH Centers

Center for Information Technology (CIT formerly DCRT, OIRM, TCB) – Est. in 1964
CIT incorporates the power of modern computers into the biomedical programs and administrative procedures of the NIH by focusing on three primary activities: conducting-computational biosciences research, developing computer systems, and providing computer facilities. more >

Center for Scientific Review (CSR) – Est. in 1946
CSR is the focal point at NIH for the conduct of initial peer review, the foundation of the NIH grant and award process. The Center carries out peer review of the majority of research and research training applications submitted to the NIH. In addition, the Center serves as the central receipt point for all such Public Health Service (PHS) applications and makes referrals to scientific review groups for scientific and technical merit review of applications and to funding components for potential award. To this end, the Center develops and implements innovative, flexible ways to conduct referral and review for all aspects of science. more >

John E. Fogarty International Center for Advanced Study in the Health Sciences (FIC) – Est. in 1968
FIC promotes and supports scientific research and training internationally to reduce disparities in global health. more >

^ top

National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) – Est. in 1999
NCCAM is dedicated to exploring complementary and alternative medical (CAM) practices in the context of rigorous science; training CAM researchers and disseminating authoritative information. more >

National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NCMHD) – Est. in 1993
The mission of NCMHD is to promote minority health and to lead, coordinate, support, and assess the NIH effort to reduce and ultimately eliminate health disparities. In this effort NCMHD will conduct and support basic, clinical, social, and behavioral research, promote research infrastructure and training, foster emerging programs, disseminate information, and reach out to minority and other health disparity communities. more >

National Center for Research Resources (NCRR) – Est. in 1962
NCRR provides laboratory scientists and clinical researchers with the environments and tools they need to understand, detect, treat, and prevent a wide range of diseases. With this support, scientists make biomedical discoveries, translate these findings to animal-based studies, and then apply them to patient-orientated research. more >

NIH Clinical Center (CC) – Est. in 1953
CC is the clinical research facility of the National Institutes of Health. As a national resource, it provides the patient care, services, and environment needed to initiate and support the highest quality conduct of and training in clinical research. more >

(from)

http://www.nih.gov/icd/

***

Petroleum Statistics

(2008 data except where noted)

Supply
U.S. Petroleum Production (crude oil, NGPL, and other oils)	6,734,000 barrels/day
U.S. Crude Oil Production	4,950,000 barrels/day
U.S. Crude Oil Imports	9,783,000 barrels/day
U.S. Petroleum Product Imports	3,132,000 barrels/day
U.S. Net Petroleum Imports	11,114,000 barrels/day
Dependence on Net Petroleum Imports	57%
Top U.S. Crude Oil Supplier	Canada — 1,956,000 barrels/day
Top U.S. Total Petroleum Supplier	Canada — 2,493,000 barrels/day
U.S. Crude Oil Imports from OPEC	5,954,000 barrels/day
U.S. Petroleum Product Imports from OPEC	540,000 barrels/day
State Ranking of Crude Oil Production	Texas — 1,087,000 barrels/day
Top U.S. Producing Companies, Appendix A, p. 8	BP — 654,000 barrels/day (2007)
Top U.S. Oil Fields by Production, Appendix B, Table B1	Prudhoe Bay, AK (2007)
Top Oil Producing Countries & Exporters	#1 — Saudi Arabia (10,782,000 barrels/day)
Top Oil Consuming Countries & Importers	#1 — United States (19,498,000 barrels/day)
Consumption and Disposition
U.S. Petroleum Consumption	19,498,000 barrels/day
U.S. Motor Gasoline Consumption	8,989,000 barrels/day (378 million gallons/day)
Share of U.S. Oil Consumption for Transportation	71%
U.S. Total Petroleum Exports	1,802,000 barrels/day
Prices
Crude Oil Domestic First Price (wellhead price)	$94.04/barrel
Motor Gasoline Retail Prices (U.S. City Average)	$3.32/gallon
Regular Grade Motor Gasoline Retail Prices (U.S. City Average)	$3.27/gallon
Premium Motor Gasoline Retail Prices (U.S. City Average)	$3.52/gallon
Federal Motor Gasoline Tax	18.4 cents/gallon
U.S. Average Home Heating Oil Price	$3.22/gallon (excluding taxes)
Refining and Reserves
Number of U.S. Operable Petroleum Refineries	150
U.S. Refiners Ranked Capacity (1/1/2009)	#1 — Baytown, Texas (ExxonMobil) 572,500 barrels/day
Top U.S. Petroleum Refining States	#1 — Texas 4,689,179 barrels/day
U.S. Proved Reserves of Crude Oil as of December 31, 2007	21,317 million barrels
U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve	702 million barrels (2008)
International
Total World Oil Production	85,472,000 barrels/day
Total World Petroleum Consumption	85,534,000 barrels/day
Retail Gasoline Price in Selected Countries (2008) (regular unleaded, $/gallon)
Germany Japan Australia Canada United States China Mexico	$7.75 $5.74 $4.45 $4.08 $3.27 $3.11 $2.45
Measures
Gallons of Oil per Barrel	42
Barrels of Oil per Metric Ton (U.S.)	7.33

(from)

http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/energyexplained/index.cfm?page=oil_home#tab2

***

My Note -

Wonder what it might be if its true that 70,000 barrels a day or more actually came from that well over the course of 43 days?

Hmmmm…… – how many tonnes is that?

42 gallons per barrel

7.33 barrels of oil per metric ton (US)

x 43 days

And is BP still using 5,000 barrels to decide how many parts per billion of petroleum oil / crude oil / hydrocarbons are being measured at the water where the oil is gushing out into the Gulf of Mexico? Is that how BP is able to measure clean water there?

Yep – bet so.

- cricketdiane

HMMMM.

how is it the math team arrived at 12,000 – 19,000 barrels a day?

Hmmmm….

how much were they influenced by what that would mean when BP has to pay a fine per gallon? or per barrel? or per day per barrel?

they ought to determine those volumes based on the square mileage where the slick has been covering over the course of various days in expansiveness and the three-dimensional volumes that have been located with the addition of known quantities emanating from video using mechanical mathematics and equations for volume estimations as the professor from Purdue used – now that all the video feeds and archives from the very beginning of the oil gushers (three or more of them) have been made available. And then dump the BP executives in the dead marshes and see if they find any oil there to add to the calculations – just on general principles.

- cricketdiane, 06-02-10

Oh wait, that’s right – the National Institutes of Health are busy worrying about where they can get us to stop having such fat butts – they can’t be bothered with fumes from petroleum poisoning mass numbers of people and killing animals and birds and causing health damages to the unborn and the new born and the children and the families along the Gulf Coast – they have more important things to do like taxing the sugar in our colas so we’ll stop drinking the stuff like that which is so bad for our health and making us fat.

Yep, that’s the important thing.

***

Its just a little oil in a big ocean like Tony Hayward explained to us and there’s no oil plumes under the surface of the sea and no fumes that require respirators or masks and the toxic dispersants COREXIT products aren’t toxic and there aren’t more than a couple birds with a little oil on their wings. And what’s a cup of oil on the beach or in a marsh somewhere.

Even Dougie Suttles of BP says there is no evidence of crude oil in any serious measure in the water samples at the place in the ocean where their pipes are blowing out oil like the clouds of a volcano explosively covering tens of thousands of gallons a day and maybe more for forty three days – but none of that shows up in their tests – so it isn’t there.

- and even OSHA and the EPA agree with BP and say there is no need to have protection from the chemicals of the petroleum in the air and in the water – because their tests show there aren’t any chemicals in the air or the water just like BP said and no danger to any workers with their faces down in the grasses covered in crude oil in the marshes of Louisiana wiping them off with paper towels.

Now, let’s see – I’m crazy and poor and don’t have a college degree and am certified mentally delusional. And they live on top of the world with the finest of everything and make millions upon millions of dollars personally every single year with education from the finest colleges and universities in the world. And everybody agrees with them and cowers before them and hovers on their every word as if it is from the very word of God and everybody in our government agencies supposed to protect us – including the EPA and OSHA and MMS and the Department of the Interior, and the Department of Energy and the National Institutes of Health and the CDC agree with them. So, I must be wrong and I must be delusional and I must be just having another crazy episode thinking I know any thing about it. They are rich and well-received. I am not. They have everything. I own nothing. They are considered sane. I’m not.

So, they must be right – except that they’re not. And they keep being proven wrong. And they keep being proven to be liars. And they keep doing things that are endangering people. And, there really are over 500 birds dead and over 244 sea turtles dead, and many other animals,, fish and birds dead and dying. And people have been killed by them – eleven this time, fifteen another time – and I don’t know how many more – but people are getting sick from it now and some of them will also die and some miscarriages will happen because of breathing the vapors from the petroleum and dispersant and being exposed to it in the air and when their husbands come home from work with it on them and more and more people working in it will have permanent damage from it.

But, what could I possibly know.

- cricketdiane

***

And I never even thought to cheat, steal and con people out of millions and billions of dollars like Goldman Sachs and Lehman and AIG and Citigroup and Bank of America and hedge funds and Bernie Madoff. What could I possibly have worthy of respect when they have been given respect even after people have known what they did and suffered those losses personally and collectively?

What could I possibly know.

***

http://www.epa.gov/bpspill/

June 1, 2010 – EPA official information about the oil spill findings –

Air Data >>
EPA’s air monitoring conducted through May 30, 2010, has found that air quality levels for ozone and particulates are normal on the Gulf coastline for this time of year.

Water Data >>
Most of the water samples collected May 20 through 26, 2010 along the Gulf coast did not reveal elevated levels of chemicals usually found in oil.

Sediment

Sediment Data >>
The sediment samples collected through May 16, 2010 along the Gulf coast did not reveal elevated levels of chemicals usually found in oil.

http://www.epa.gov/bpspill/

***

Oil plume and pollutants coming from BP well pipes in the Gulf of Mexico -

***

June 1, 2010 – EPA official information about the oil spill findings – there is no oil polluting that water in the Gulf of Mexico and despite people smelling gasoline – that isn’t there in the EPA and BP air quality samples, either

02 Wednesday Jun 2010

Posted by cricketdiane in Cricket Diane C Sparky Phillips

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

cleanup and recovery efforts in the Gulf of Mexico, corruption in the US government agencies subservient to BP including the EPA, cricketdiane, Gulf of Mexico Dead Zone oil spill Deepwater Horizon crude oil spill petroleum pollution in the Gulf of Mexico, oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, prayers trust and BP lies

Please forgive me – I’m bringing forward this information and from the post I made just before it this information -

COREXIT safety hazard sheet link – satellite images of spill – Gulf of Mexico oo- toxic waste dump for the petroleum industry – BP economic zone – oil, crude, toxic chemicals stew and fumes – aeons of death stretch outward from there o-

Posted by cricketdiane under Cricket Diane C Sparky Phillips | Tags: BP, COREXIT hazards, COREXIT safety information, cricketdiane, Deepwater Horizon, oil industry, oil spill, oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico | (edit this)
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My Note –

The information about COREXIT from its safety hazard sheet – appears below the satellite photos – but here is the links for it – in several places it says to use respiratory protection – and chemical splash goggles over eyes and to wear protective clothing –

This one that goes with every bottle or barrel of the product and to all personnel at the BP corporation involved in its use – and the EPA and the local authorities are supposed to have including the fishermen going out into those areas – (get it, print it, save it into your computer – and read the whole thing because some is more insistent on into the document about safety.)

COREXIT 9500 safety and hazards sheet – official document with product -

http://www.cleancaribbean.org/userfiles/Master%20EC9500A%20MSDS.pdf(also)

This one from the EPA -

http://www.epa.gov/oem/content/ncp/products/corex952.htm

***

The petroleum – oil – hydrocarbons – crude oil that BP and their lapdogs – the US EPA says isn’t there – (nothing but clean water as far as their tests showed)

Gulf of Mexico polluted water from the crude oil exploding into the waters for 43 days that the US EPA says isn't there and BP can't find scientific evidence of existing there - not even at their well pipes where it is gushing out 70,000 barrels per day for 43 days

(from an AP photo and source – forgive me not posting that part – don’t shoot me – it really is important to put it in the context of EPA testing that proves to them it isn’t there.)

***

My NOTE -

See they have these maps from the satellite in the command center – but they are using the incident response map for planning and placements of their resources and it uses the oil spill location from the day before – along with information that is clearly left off of it -

: Hancock County Emergency Operations Director Brian Adam at the EOC (Emergency Operations Center in Waveland, MS. 25 May 2010

http://www.bp.com/genericarticle.do?categoryId=9033571&contentId=7061735

Latest Situation Status Map

Deepwater Horizon (MC-252) – Situation Status Map 5/31/2010 0600 Hrs (pdf, 2210KB)

And then I heightened the contrast and it gives this – from today’s image – May 31, 2010 (from MODIS / NOAA / NASA false color satellite image of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill – it is only using information that is already there – )

NOAA / NASA / MODIS false color image from satellite photo – May 31, 2010 – t1.10151.USA7.721.2000m – May 31 – 2010 – false color with high contrast – 2 – Gulf of Mexico oil spill

Gee – let’s see how close is that for planning an operation – about as good as throwing horseshoes – or maybe not as good as trying to hit the broad side of a barn with hand grenade from a mile away . . .

- cricketdiane

That screw up with the maps being used to place response assets – starts to give some answer as to why the incident command group has been consistently wrong about placing those assets on a large scale, but mostly too consistently wrong. It is the old “garbage in – garbage out” thing at play.

Without the information on the incident response mapping and the information of the spill parameters accurately conveyed from today’s satellite image – there is obviously the same sense they would have that nothing beyond what they are seeing there exists.

And, then they would keep thinking what a fine job they are doing even as the maps which show their markings of placed boom are failing to reflect the fact that the booms aren’t working, their flimsiness allows the oil to circumvent them, the winds and real world wave conditions are breaking them and driving them up on the grasses or beaches where they aren’t protecting anything, and similar crap.

Along with the fact that – landfall areas known to be heavily coated with oil including the marsh areas – are not on their maps – so they don’t exist. They would think that they are keeping the oil out in the sea far away from the land. And, unless they went far out of their way to find the lists and reports (which aren’t even complete for all the animals that have died) about the animals and birds being recovered dead – they wouldn’t even know that those animals have died from the oil and from the dispersants.

The command center decision-makers also wouldn’t be hitting today’s targets. And, they don’t have the oil plumes that have been logged under the water – so those wouldn’t exist in their little isolated, clean, air-conditioned, wonderland environment either.

Wonder how it is over where the architects of solutions to cap the well have been working. Maybe that would explain a whole lot, too. It might be worth finding out the information they are getting and whether they have chemical engineers on board with the other team assets or if its just a whole bunch of petroleum engineers whose background is mechanical engineering.

Hmmmm….

- cricketdiane

My Note -

I would say that when anything is in the water that kills the animals in that water – there is a water quality standard infraction of significance. That is what we have in the Gulf of Mexico and in the marshes where all the animals are dead and along the shores where to walk with bare feet on the sand or wade into the water with bare feet walks back out again with raw crude oil on the skin and where animals and birds are washing up dead.

That is a definite legal definition of the evidence factually based in reality – that the water quality is amiss and has been seriously denigrated.

That and the fact that hundreds of thousands of barrels at 42 gallons per barrel of oil / petroleum / crude oil / “hydrocarbons” have poured into the Gulf of Mexico every single hour of every single day for 42 – now 43 days.

I’d say that makes it a dead given that there is a problem of significance -

You can’t drink petroleum crude oil safely, you can’t swim in petroleum crude oil safely, you can’t sniff its fumes safely whether it is gasoline fumes or crude oil fumes and you can’t find animals living healthy lives in it.

Those things make it evident that the waters of the Gulf of Mexico are polluted with crude oil / petroleum and oil dispersants also known to be toxic and for the EPA to state that there is no evidence of it in their tests – air, water and sediments – is contrary to good science, contrary to truthfulness, contrary to the public good, contrary to conscientious scientific inquiry and contrary to their legally mandated mission.

- cricketdiane

***

I think maybe it would be good to start another post – but maybe not -

let me see -

I went through about three pages to get to this – but here just this one -

http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/tribes/regs.htm

(from here pdf in the middle of the page – )

Water Quality Standards & Tribal Lands (PDF) (14 pp, 193K)

(because it is easier to find from here – )

- and on my other computer using the EPA directory found on the standards academy site below the link pictures -

http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/

the A – Z index -

A–Z Index

http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/a-z.html

Then going to

Criteria, Water Quality

C for Criteria, water quality and choosing the first one for aquatic life – gives -

http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/criteria/aqlife/index.html

***

So now I have these two pages on this computer and one of the two on my other computer -

http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/criteria/aqlife/index.html

(and)

http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/tribes/regs.htm

which gives this -

40 CFR 131 Regulations

http://ecfr.gpoaccess.gov/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=ecfr&sid=2abd2ce9e46eac514d68707c6e36e46c&rgn=div5&view=text&node=40:21.0.1.1.18&idno=40

40 CFR 131 Regulations

§ 131.6 Minimum requirements for water quality standards submission.

The following elements must be included in each State’s water quality standards submitted to EPA for review:

(a) Use designations consistent with the provisions of sections 101(a)(2) and 303(c)(2) of the Act.

(b) Methods used and analyses conducted to support water quality standards revisions.

(d) An antidegradation policy consistent with §131.12.

(e) Certification by the State Attorney General or other appropriate legal authority within the State that the water quality standards were duly adopted pursuant to State law.

(f) General information which will aid the Agency in determining the adequacy of the scientific basis of the standards which do not include the uses specified in section 101(a)(2) of the Act as well as information on general policies applicable to State standards which may affect their application and implementation.

§ 131.7 Dispute resolution mechanism.

(a) Where disputes between States and Indian Tribes arise as a result of differing water quality standards on common bodies of water, the lead EPA Regional Administrator, as determined based upon OMB circular A–105, shall be responsible for acting in accordance with the provisions of this section.

(b) The Regional Administrator shall attempt to resolve such disputes where:

(1) The difference in water quality standards results in unreasonable consequences;

(etc.)

http://ecfr.gpoaccess.gov/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=ecfr&sid=2abd2ce9e46eac514d68707c6e36e46c&rgn=div5&view=text&node=40:21.0.1.1.18&idno=40#40:21.0.1.1.18.1.16.6

and this from the other page I have opened on Aquatic Life Criteria EPA – Water Quality Criteria -

Final criteria

Current Criteria Table containing aquatic life criteria for pollutants.
Acrolein
Ammonia (Update, December 1999)
Cadmium
Copper
Diazinon
Dissolved Oxygen
Methyl Tertiary-Butyl Ether (MTBE)
Nonylphenol
Tributyltin
Chemical specific criteria documents from the 1980′s

Criteria under development

EPA is revising the current aquatic life criteria for lead, silver, and selenium, re-evaluating the current aquatic life criteria for ammonia, and developing new aquatic life criteria for atrazine.

http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/criteria/aqlife/index.html

***

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal looks at oil that got past booms as he tours a land bridge built by the Louisiana National Guard to hold back oil.

Herbert/AP

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal looks at oil that got past booms as he tours a land bridge built by the Louisiana National Guard to hold back oil.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/2010/05/22/2010-05-22_anger_builds_as_oil_ooze_coats_fragile_gulf_coast_louisiana_wetlands.html

(quickly bringing forward the EPA official results today online – )

From here – on the right hand side square listing – toward bottom of page

http://www.osha.gov/oilspills/index.html

Additional Resources

EPA Information on BP Oil Spill

which goes here -

http://www.epa.gov/bpspill/

Which offers this – and it is a lie – their own documents in the bowels of the EPA say otherwise – so they have to know it is a lie – whose side are they on?

Air Data >>
EPA’s air monitoring conducted through May 30, 2010, has found that air quality levels for ozone and particulates are normal on the Gulf coastline for this time of year.

That is a lie and they have information on their data and that of other databanks that prove it, my note.

And this one isn’t even possible –

Water Data >>
Most of the water samples collected May 20 through 26, 2010 along the Gulf coast did not reveal elevated levels of chemicals usually found in oil.

This is worse than being in the Cold War era Soviet Union -for the level of lies – lowballing the problems, mistruths, misguiding and misleading facts that deny the facts available in reality anywhere and the intentional misdirection and misleading information being offered through official but persuaded by BP corporate interests and BP websites –

- cricketdiane

***

petroleum oil hydrocarbons pouring into the Gulf of Mexico from one of several leaks running for 43 days from the BP Deepwater Horizon well polluting the Gulf of Mexico waters and air - EPA and BP say there is no health hazards - their samples show clean water - clean air - clean sediments even where it is coming out of the well under the sea -

You know, if it didn’t matter – I wouldn’t even care. But look up gasoline sniffing – look up petroleum or hydrocarbons or any of the dispersant products they are using or any labeling on any product with petroleum in it – or any of the numbers of photos and videos from the area – there is no way that water is clean.

Why are they testing for ozone anyway – that isn’t the poison in the air where the air is filled with petroleum / gasoline fumes that is going to kill people.

And this one –

Sediment

Sediment Data >>
The sediment samples collected through May 16, 2010 along the Gulf coast did not reveal elevated levels of chemicals usually found in oil.

Were they taking samples in the only clean three feet square of land along the coast that clearly didn’t have anything but new sand that was brought in – or what?

Submit a Technology Solution

Submit inquiry form page –

http://www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com/go/inquiry/2931/?dbnameID=23923

***

oil - petroleum - crude oil - hydrocarbons in the Gulf of Mexico that EPA says is clean of any contaminants in their tests as of June 1, 2010

My Note –

I so want to email those people at the incident command center and deepwater horizon response group inquire page – and say –

“do you understand that we’ve seen pictures of the crude oil in the ocean water, in the marshes and on the beaches?”

“do you know that we can read?”

“do you understand that people and resources all over the world know beyond a shadow of doubt that it is dangerous to sniff gasoline and hence petroleum fumes?”

“do you think the people in Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, Texas and throughout the United States are that stupid?”

“do you know that there are documents throughout our government agencies, science resources, chemistry resources and international resources and agencies that evidence the fact that the EPA tests and BP tests on air quality, water quality, sediment quality and oil in the area not being there, not being dangerous, not being there in quantities – are lies?”

“And, that we’ve seen the photos and evidently these monitoring tests being done are obvious lies as well that everyone can see across the United States and throughout the World – do you know that yet?”

- cricketdiane

***

doing a search for the clean air act – sections listed above –

Clean Air Act 101(a)(2) and 303(c)(2)

- that should be Clean Water Act – wait maybe its both -

*(((*

oil - petroleum - crude oil - hydrocarbons early in the oil spill from BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill (probably AP photo) - EPA and BP say there is no contamination of oil in the ocean water - their samples show safe, clean water and air as of June 1, 2010

(quickly bringing forward the EPA official results today online – )

From here – on the right hand side square listing – toward bottom of page

http://www.osha.gov/oilspills/index.html

EPA tested this air as clean and no different than usual particulate matter in the Gulf of Mexico - from the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and in situ controlled burning over 43 days

Additional Resources

EPA Information on BP Oil Spill

which goes here -

http://www.epa.gov/bpspill/

June 1, 2010 – EPA official information about the oil spill findings –

Air Data >>
EPA’s air monitoring conducted through May 30, 2010, has found that air quality levels for ozone and particulates are normal on the Gulf coastline for this time of year.

Water Data >>
Most of the water samples collected May 20 through 26, 2010 along the Gulf coast did not reveal elevated levels of chemicals usually found in oil.

Sediment

Sediment Data >>
The sediment samples collected through May 16, 2010 along the Gulf coast did not reveal elevated levels of chemicals usually found in oil.

http://www.epa.gov/bpspill/

Oil plume and pollutants coming from BP well pipes in the Gulf of Mexico -

***

So, they are using the maps from the day before to plan response placements and the places where the oil has taken over marshes and coasts aren’t on the incident response map – neither are the oil plumes that have been documented. And, they have BP samples monitoring the oil coming out of the well pipes area that they say are evidence that it isn’t enough crude oil to do anything – some parts per billion in their science. And the EPA working with BP claims there is no samples being taken that have petroleum crude oil nor petroleum products in the air, water and sediment samples. And, they say people who are smelling the fumes from the petroleum crude oil or are getting sick from them, don’t know what they are talking about because they have no evidence in their samples of any of those things.

Now, that is heinous and in defiance of federal statutes -

http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/criteria/wqctable/index.html

***

Water Data >>
Most of the water samples collected May 20 through 26, 2010 along the Gulf coast did not reveal elevated levels of chemicals usually found in oil.

http://www.epa.gov/bpspill/

louisiana-oil-spill_100406 - This is what the EPA says is clean water with no evidence of petroleum or crude oil or petroleum chemicals in it according to their tests - from the Gulf of Mexico oil spill - June 1, 2010

http://wyld-side.blogspot.com/2010/05/gulf-oil-spill-new-orleans-talk-radio.html

***

Gulf of Mexico oil spill - EPA and British Petroleum water quality tests show no sign of crude oil - petroleum - dangerous chemicals - or chemicals found in crude oil - June 1, 2010 - EPA says this is clean water without chemical hazards - no danger - no fumes from petroleum / gasoline smelling fumes - nothing here of danger

Water Data >>
Most of the water samples collected May 20 through 26, 2010 along the Gulf coast did not reveal elevated levels of chemicals usually found in oil.

Sediment

Sediment Data >>
The sediment samples collected through May 16, 2010 along the Gulf coast did not reveal elevated levels of chemicals usually found in oil.

http://www.epa.gov/bpspill/

crude oil - petroleum - hydrocarbons filling the Gulf of Mexico ocean water thick and soupy along with thousands of miles of oil slicks and deepwater plumes - but EPA says water is clean with no signs of petroleum or petroleum chemicals - (probably AP photo)

***

My Note -

found this and I just had to put it here – very interesting and so true -

(and according to CNN news – now they have people without respirators or any breathing protection whatsoever leaning over into crude oil syrupy marsh grasses covered in petroleum with their faces right up next to it using paper towels to get the oil off the grasses – it is insane and dangerous, too.)

- cricketdiane

(and this I was talking about finding – )

from

http://wyld-side.blogspot.com/2010/05/gulf-oil-spill-new-orleans-talk-radio.html

Interesting juxtaposition of the Bush and Obama speeches – and a number of other nuggets! BP – “bad and pathetic” – thanks Garland!

Read his nots here:

14 Scary Truths about the BP Oil Leak

1. After Katrina, President Bush promised the Federal Government would not rest until all the wrongs had been made right. After the oil spill in the Gulf President Obama promised the same thing, using almost the exact same words. (But they promised, and the President of the United States is the most powerful position on the planet, right?)
2. BP may have purposely chosen not to do a final test that might have averted this catastrophe. (Minerals Management Service would’ve protected us from that, right?)

3. Halliburton might have left out a seal in the pipe that would’ve avoided the catastrophe. (Again, MMS protects us from that, right?)

4. The test BP chose NOT to conduct might have revealed the missing seal. (If BP made that pathetic choice – MMS still would’ve protected us from harm, right?)

5. BP said they are liable, but increasingly you can hear them now point responsibility to the contractor and rig owners. (But, MMS knows the truth, right?)

6. BP knowingly used dispersants banned in England with the blessing of the EPA. (But the Environmental Protection Agency protects us from harm, right?)

7. Some news agencies are reporting that BP has financial connections to the company that sells the dispersant. The claims are that the dispersant company’s leadership includes executives from BP and Exxon. (No conflict there, right? Nobody could have their suspicions aroused by that, right?)

8. BP didn’t reveal all the videos of the spewing oil. (But Secretary of the Interior makes sure there’s transparency, right?)

9. BP refused to allow scientists to measure the amount of oil flowing into the Gulf, all the while saying it was about 5,000 barrels a day. Yesterday (5/20/10) they finally admitted that was wrong. Yesterday a Purdue University scientist told a Congressional committee that his estimates are between 75,000 to 115,000 barrels a day. If he’s right, this spill would be the second largest in the world. (But National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has us covered there, right?)

10. Representatives from the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration say…”Now is a time for awareness and preparation, not overreaction.” (They’re telling us not to overreact, when they don’t know how much is spilling into the Gulf?)

11. Some suggest there’s a conflict of interest in oil-slick testing. L.A.B.’s clients include BP. (But, the Energy Department has our backs there, right?)

12. The Coast Guard and BP representatives threatened to jail a CBS-TV crew if they filmed the oil spill. That report went nationwide…and worldwide on you tube. (But the justice department insures freedom of the press, right?)

13. We’re begging Congress to give us 37.5% of our oil reserves now, while for decades five other states get 50%. Incidentally, we’re not scheduled to get that 37% until 2017. After the blood and tears of Katrina they gave us the 37% handout, but will tease us with it for 7 years. (But, Mr. President “equal representation,” right? You know…they’re “Cinderella”…we’re the ugly sister.)

14. Governor Jindal (a Republican’t) who’s worked so hard throughout this oil crisis, is reduced to begging President Obama (the Demodon’t) to please allow us to dredge sand barriers to avoid more destruction of our wetlands. We want to use our own sand…OUR sand… did you get that, Washington? We can’t even use OUR sand? Oh, that’s right! the Army Corp of Engineers is here to protect us. They’ve just been “thinking” about it for WEEKS…as black crude lands on our shores and eats up our wetlands. (That whole Demodon’t/Republican’t thing – how’s that working for ya now? Are your parties coming through, when we need them most?!?)

Source: http://www.wwl.com/pages/7155465.php?

David http://wyld-business.blogspot.com/

http://wyld-side.blogspot.com/2010/05/gulf-oil-spill-new-orleans-talk-radio.html

***

Priority Pollutants

			Freshwater		Saltwater		Human Health for the consumption of
Priority Pollutant		CAS Number	CMC¹ (acute) (µg/L)	CCC¹ (chronic) (µg/L)	CMC¹ (acute) (µg/L)	CCC¹ (chronic) (µg/L)	Water + Organism (µg/L)	Organism Only (µg/L)	FR Cite/ Source
1	Antimony	7440360					5.6 B	640 B	65 FR 66443
2	Arsenic	7440382	340 A,D,K	150 A,D,K	69 A,D,bb	36 A,D,bb	0.018 C,M,S	0.14 C,M,S	65 FR 31682 57 FR 60848
3	Beryllium	7440417					Z		65 FR 31682
4	Cadmium	7440439	2.0 D,E,K,bb	0.25 D,E,K,bb	40 D,bb	8.8 D,bb	Z		EPA 822-R-01-001 65 FR 31682
5a	Chromium (III)	16065831	570 D,E,K	74 D,E,K			Z Total		EPA 820-B-96-001 65 FR 31682
5b	Chromium (VI)	18540299	16 D,K	11 D,K	1,100 D,bb	50 D,bb	Z Total		65 FR 31682
6	Copper	7440508	Freshwater criteria calculated using the BLM mm – See Document		4.8 D,cc,ff	3.1 D,cc,ff	1,300 U		EPA-822-R-07-001 (PDF)(204 pages, 910 K) 65 FR 31682 72 FR 7983
7	Lead	7439921	65 D,E,bb,gg	2.5 D,E,bb,gg	210 D,bb	8.1 D,bb			65 FR 31682
8a8b	MercuryMethylmercury	743997622967926	1.4 D,K,hh	0.77 D,K,hh	1.8 D,ee,hh	0.94 D,ee,hh		0.3 mg/kg J	62 FR 42160 EPA 823-R-01-001
9	Nickel	7440020	470 D,E,K	52 D,E,K	74 D,bb	8.2 D,bb	610 B	4,600 B	65 FR 31682
10	Selenium	7782492	L,R,T	5.0 T	290 D,bb,dd	71 D,bb,dd	170 Z	4200	62 FR 42160 65 FR 31682 65 FR 66443
11	Silver	7440224	3.2 D,E,G		1.9 D,G				65 FR 31682
12	Thallium	7440280					0.24	0.47	68 FR 75510
13	Zinc	7440666	120 D,E,K	120 D,E,K	90 D,bb	81 D,bb	7,400 U	26,000 U	65 FR 31682 65 FR 66443
14	Cyanide	57125	22 K,Q	5.2 K,Q	1 Q,bb	1 Q,bb	140 jj	140 jj	EPA 820-B-96-001 57 FR 60848 68 FR 75510
15	Asbestos	1332214					7 million fibers/L I		57 FR 60848
16	2,3,7,8-TCDD (Dioxin)	1746016					5.0E-9 C	5.1E-9 C	65 FR 66443
17	Acrolein	107028	3ug/L	3ug/L			6 ll	9 ll	74 FR 27535 74 FR 46587
18	Acrylonitrile	107131					0.051 B,C	0.25 B,C	65 FR 66443
19	Benzene	71432					2.2 B,C	51 B,C	IRIS 01/19/00 65 FR 66443
20	Bromoform	75252					4.3 B,C	140 B,C	65 FR 66443
21	Carbon Tetrachloride	56235					0.23 B,C	1.6 B,C	65 FR 66443
22	Chlorobenzene	108907					130 Z,U	1,600 U	68 FR 75510
23	Chlorodibromomethane	124481					0.40 B,C	13 B,C	65 FR 66443
24	Chloroethane	75003
25	2-Chloroethylvinyl Ether	110758
26	Chloroform	67663					5.7 C,P	470 C,P	62 FR 42160
27	Dichlorobromomethane	75274					0.55 B,C	17 B,C	65 FR 66443
28	1,1-Dichloroethane	75343
29	1,2-Dichloroethane	107062					0.38 B,C	37 B,C	65 FR 66443
30	1,1-Dichloroethylene	75354					330	7,100	68 FR 75510
31	1,2-Dichloropropane	78875					0.50 B,C	15 B,C	65 FR 66443
32	1,3-Dichloropropene	542756					0.34 C	21 C	68 FR 75510
33	Ethylbenzene	100414					530	2,100	68 FR 75510
34	Methyl Bromide	74839					47 B	1,500 B	65 FR 66443
35	Methyl Chloride	74873							65 FR 31682
36	Methylene Chloride	75092					4.6 B,C	590 B,C	65 FR 66443
37	1,1,2,2-Tetrachloroethane	79345					0.17 B,C	4.0 B,C	65 FR 66443
38	Tetrachloroethylene	127184					0.69 C	3.3 C	65 FR 66443
39	Toluene	108883					1,300 Z	15,000	68 FR 75510
40	1,2-Trans-Dichloroethylene	156605					140 Z	10,000	68 FR 75510
41	1,1,1-Trichloroethane	71556					Z		65 FR 31682
42	1,1,2-Trichloroethane	79005					0.59 B,C	16 B,C	65 FR 66443
43	Trichloroethylene	79016					2.5 C	30 C	65 FR 66443
44	Vinyl Chloride	75014					0.025 C,kk	2.4 C,kk	68 FR 75510
45	2-Chlorophenol	95578					81 B,U	150 B,U	65 FR 66443
46	2,4-Dichlorophenol	120832					77 B,U	290 B,U	65 FR 66443
47	2,4-Dimethylphenol	105679					380 B	850 B,U	65 FR 66443
48	2-Methyl-4,6-Dinitrophenol	534521					13	280	65 FR 66443
49	2,4-Dinitrophenol	51285					69 B	5,300 B	65 FR 66443
50	2-Nitrophenol	88755
51	4-Nitrophenol	100027
52	3-Methyl-4-Chlorophenol	59507					U	U
53	Pentachlorophenol	87865	19 F,K	15 F,K	13 bb	7.9 bb	0.27 B,C	3.0 B,C,H	65 FR 31682 65 FR 66443
54	Phenol	108952					10,000 ll,U	860,000 ll,U	74 FR 27535 74 FR 46587
55	2,4,6-Trichlorophenol	88062					1.4 B,C	2.4 B,C,U	65 FR 66443
56	Acenaphthene	83329					670 B,U	990 B,U	65 FR 66443
57	Acenaphthylene	208968
58	Anthracene	120127					8,300 B	40,000 B	65 FR 66443
59	Benzidine	92875					0.000086 B,C	0.00020 B,C	65 FR 66443
60	Benzo(a) Anthracene	56553					0.0038 B,C	0.018 B,C	65 FR 66443
61	Benzo(a) Pyrene	50328					0.0038 B,C	0.018 B,C	65 FR 66443
62	Benzo(b) Fluoranthene	205992					0.0038 B,C	0.018 B,C	65 FR 66443
63	Benzo(ghi) Perylene	191242
64	Benzo(k) Fluoranthene	207089					0.0038 B,C	0.018 B,C	65 FR 66443
65	Bis(2-Chloroethoxy) Methane	111911
66	Bis(2-Chloroethyl) Ether	111444					0.030 B,C	0.53 B,C	65 FR 66443
67	Bis(2-Chloroisopropyl) Ether	108601					1,400 B	65,000 B	65 FR 66443
68	Bis(2-Ethylhexyl) Phthalate^X	117817					1.2 B,C	2.2 B,C	65 FR 66443
69	4-Bromophenyl Phenyl Ether	101553
70	Butylbenzyl Phthalate^W	85687					1,500 B	1,900 B	65 FR 66443
71	2-Chloronaphthalene	91587					1,000 B	1,600 B	65 FR 66443
72	4-Chlorophenyl Phenyl Ether	7005723
73	Chrysene	218019					0.0038 B,C	0.018 B,C	65 FR 66443
74	Dibenzo(a,h)Anthracene	53703					0.0038 B,C	0.018 B,C	65 FR 66443
75	1,2-Dichlorobenzene	95501					420	1,300	68 FR 75510
76	1,3-Dichlorobenzene	541731					320	960	65 FR 66443
77	1,4-Dichlorobenzene	106467					63	190	68 FR 75510
78	3,3′-Dichlorobenzidine	91941					0.021 B,C	0.028 B,C	65 FR 66443
79	Diethyl Phthalate^W	84662					17,000 B	44,000 B	65 FR 66443
80	Dimethyl Phthalate^W	131113					270,000	1,100,000	65 FR 66443
81	Di-n-Butyl Phthalate^W	84742					2,000 B	4,500 B	65 FR 66443
82	2,4-Dinitrotoluene	121142					0.11 C	3.4 C	65 FR 66443
83	2,6-Dinitrotoluene	606202
84	Di-n-Octyl Phthalate	117840
85	1,2-Diphenylhydrazine	122667					0.036 B,C	0.20 B,C	65 FR 66443
86	Fluoranthene	206440					130 B	140 B	65 FR 66443
87	Fluorene	86737					1,100 B	5,300 B	65 FR 66443
88	Hexachlorobenzene	118741					0.00028 B,C	0.00029 B,C	65 FR 66443
89	Hexachlorobutadiene	87683					0.44 B,C	18 B,C	65 FR 66443
90	Hexachlorocyclopentadiene	77474					40 U	1,100 U	68 FR 75510
91	Hexachloroethane	67721					1.4 B,C	3.3 B,C	65 FR 66443
92	Ideno(1,2,3-cd)Pyrene	193395					0.0038 B,C	0.018 B,C	65 FR 66443
93	Isophorone	78591					35 B,C	960 B,C	65 FR 66443
94	Naphthalene	91203
95	Nitrobenzene	98953					17 B	690 B,H,U	65 FR 66443
96	N-Nitrosodimethylamine	62759					0.00069 B,C	3.0 B,C	65 FR 66443
97	N-Nitrosodi-n-Propylamine	621647					0.0050 B,C	0.51 B,C	65 FR 66443
98	N-Nitrosodiphenylamine	86306					3.3 B,C	6.0 B,C	65 FR 66443
99	Phenanthrene	85018
100	Pyrene	129000					830 B	4,000 B	65 FR 66443
101	1,2,4-Trichlorobenzene	120821					35	70	68 FR 75510
102	Aldrin	309002	3.0 G		1.3 G		0.000049 B,C	0.000050 B,C	65 FR 31682 65 FR 66443
103	alpha-BHC	319846					0.0026 B,C	0.0049 B,C	65 FR 66443
104	beta-BHC	319857					0.0091 B,C	0.017 B,C	65 FR 66443
105	gamma-BHC (Lindane)	58899	0.95 K		0.16 G		0.98	1.8	65 FR 31682 68 FR 75510
106	delta-BHC	319868
107	Chlordane	57749	2.4 G	0.0043 G,aa	0.09 G	0.004 G,aa	0.00080 B,C	0.00081 B,C	65 FR 31682 65 FR 66443
108	4,4′-DDT	50293	1.1 G,ii	0.001 G,aa,ii	0.13 G,ii	0.001 G,aa,ii	0.00022 B,C	0.00022 B,C	65 FR 31682 65 FR 66443
109	4,4′-DDE	72559					0.00022 B,C	0.00022 B,C	65 FR 66443
110	4,4′-DDD	72548					0.00031 B,C	0.00031 B,C	65 FR 66443
111	Dieldrin	60571	0.24 K	0.056 K,O	0.71 G	0.0019 G,aa	0.000052 B,C	0.000054 B,C	65 FR 31682 65 FR 66443
112	alpha-Endosulfan	959988	0.22 G,Y	0.056 G,Y	0.034 G,Y	0.0087 G,Y	62 B	89 B	65 FR 31682 65 FR 66443
113	beta-Endosulfan	33213659	0.22 G,Y	0.056 G,Y	0.034 G,Y	0.0087 G,Y	62 B	89 B	65 FR 31682 65 FR 66443
114	Endosulfan Sulfate	1031078					62 B	89 B	65 FR 66443
115	Endrin	72208	0.086 K	0.036 K,O	0.037 G	0.0023 G,aa	0.059	0.060	65 FR 31682 68 FR 75510
116	Endrin Aldehyde	7421934					0.29 B	0.30 B,H	65 FR 66443
117	Heptachlor	76448	0.52 G	0.0038 G,aa	0.053 G	0.0036 G,aa	0.000079 B,C	0.000079 B,C	65 FR 31682 65 FR 66443
118	Heptachlor Epoxide	1024573	0.52 G,V	0.0038 G,V,aa	0.053 G,V	0.0036 G,V,aa	0.000039 B,C	0.000039 B,C	65 FR 31682 65 FR 66443
119	Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs)			0.014 N,aa		0.03 N,aa	0.000064 B,C,N	0.000064 B,C,N	65 FR 31682 65 FR 66443
120	Toxaphene	8001352	0.73	0.0002 aa	0.21	0.0002 aa	0.00028 B,C	0.00028 B,C	65 FR 31682 65 FR 66443

Footnotes

A This recommended water quality criterion was derived from data for arsenic (III), but is applied here to total arsenic, which might imply that arsenic (III) and arsenic (V) are equally toxic to aquatic life and that their toxicities are additive. In the arsenic criteria document (PDF) (74 pp., 3.2 MB) (EPA 440/5-84-033, January 1985), Species Mean Acute Values are given for both arsenic (III) and arsenic (V) for five species and the ratios of the SMAVs for each species range from 0.6 to 1.7. Chronic values are available for both arsenic (III) and arsenic (V) for one species; for the fathead minnow, the chronic value for arsenic (V) is 0.29 times the chronic value for arsenic (III). No data are known to be available concerning whether the toxicities of the forms of arsenic to aquatic organisms are additive.

B This criterion has been revised to reflect The Environmental Protection Agency’s q1* or RfD, as contained in the Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) as of May 17, 2002. The fish tissue bioconcentration factor (BCF) from the 1980 Ambient Water Quality Criteria document was retained in each case.

C This criterion is based on carcinogenicity of 10^-6 risk. Alternate risk levels may be obtained by moving the decimal point (e.g., for a risk level of 10^-5, move the decimal point in the recommended criterion one place to the right).

D Freshwater and saltwater criteria for metals are expressed in terms of the dissolved metal in the water column. The recommended water quality criteria value was calculated by using the previous 304(a) aquatic life criteria expressed in terms of total recoverable metal, and multiplying it by a conversion factor (CF). The term “Conversion Factor” (CF) represents the recommended conversion factor for converting a metal criterion expressed as the total recoverable fraction in the water column to a criterion expressed as the dissolved fraction in the water column. (Conversion Factors for saltwater CCCs are not currently available. Conversion factors derived for saltwater CMCs have been used for both saltwater CMCs and CCCs). See “Office of Water Policy and Technical Guidance on Interpretation and Implementation of Aquatic Life Metals Criteria (PDF),” (49 pp., 3MB) October 1, 1993, by Martha G. Prothro, Acting Assistant Administrator for Water, available from the Water Resource center and 40CFR§131.36(b)(1). Conversion Factors applied in the table can be found in Appendix A to the Preamble- Conversion Factors for Dissolved Metals.

E The freshwater criterion for this metal is expressed as a function of hardness (mg/L) in the water column. The value given here corresponds to a hardness of 100 mg/L. Criteria values for other hardness may be calculated from the following: CMC (dissolved) = exp{m_A [ln(hardness)]+ b_A} (CF), or CCC (dissolved) = exp{m_C [ln (hardness)]+ b_C} (CF) and the parameters specified in Appendix B- Parameters for Calculating Freshwater Dissolved Metals Criteria That Are Hardness-Dependent.

F Freshwater aquatic life values for pentachlorophenol are expressed as a function of pH, and are calculated as follows: CMC = exp(1.005(pH)-4.869); CCC = exp(1.005(pH)-5.134). Values displayed in table correspond to a pH of 7.8.

G This Criterion is based on 304(a) aquatic life criterion issued in 1980, and was issued in one of the following documents: Aldrin/Dieldrin (PDF) (153 pp., 7.3 MB) (EPA 440/5-80-019), Chlordane (PDF) (68 pp., 3.1 MB) (EPA 440/5-80-027), DDT (PDF) (175 pp., 8.3 MB) (EPA 440/5-80-038), Endosulfan (PDF) (155 pp., 7.3 MB) (EPA 440/5-80-046), Endrin (PDF) (103 pp., 4.6 MB) (EPA 440/5-80-047), Heptachlor (PDF) (114 pp., 5.4 MB) (EPA 440/5-80-052), Hexachlorocyclohexane (PDF) (109 pp., 4.8 MB) (EPA 440/5-80-054), Silver (EPA 440/5-80-071). The Minimum Data Requirements and derivation procedures were different in the 1980 Guidelines than in the 1985 Guidelines (PDF) (104 pp., 3.3 MB) . For example, a “CMC” derived using the 1980 Guidelines was derived to be used as an instantaneous maximum. If assessment is to be done using an averaging period, the values given should be divided by 2 to obtain a value that is more comparable to a CMC derived using the 1985 Guidelines.

H No criterion for protection of human health from consumption of aquatic organisms excluding water was presented in the 1980 criteria document or in the 1986 Quality Criteria for Water. Nevertheless, sufficient information was presented in the 1980 document to allow the calculation of a criterion, even though the results of such a calculation were not shown in the document.

I This criterion for asbestos is the Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) developed under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA).

J This fish tissue residue criterion for methylmercury is based on a total fish consumption rate of 0.0175 kg/day.

K This recommended criterion is based on a 304(a) aquatic life criterion that was issued in the 1995 Updates: Water Quality Criteria Documents for the Protection of Aquatic Life in Ambient Water, (EPA 820-B-96-001, September 1996). This value was derived using the GLI Guidelines (60 FR 15393-15399, March 23, 1995; 40CFR132 Appendix A); the difference between the 1985 Guidelines and the GLI Guidelines are explained on page iv of the 1995 Updates. None of the decisions concerning the derivation of this criterion were affected by any considerations that are specific to the Great Lakes.

L The CMC = 1/[(f1/CMC1) + (f2/CMC2)] where f1 and f2 are the fractions of total selenium that are treated as selenite and selenate, respectively, and CMC1 and CMC2 are 185.9 g/l and 12.82 g/l, respectively.

M EPA is currently reassessing the criteria for arsenic.

N This criterion applies to total pcbs, (e.g., the sum of all congener or all isomer or homolog or Aroclor analyses.)

O The derivation of the CCC for this pollutant (Endrin) did not consider exposure through the diet, which is probably important for aquatic life occupying upper trophic levels.

P Although a new RfD is available in IRIS, the surface water criteria will not be revised until the National Primary Drinking Water Regulations: Stage 2 Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule (Stage 2 DBPR) is completed, since public comment on the relative source contribution (RSC) for chloroform is anticipated.

Q This recommended water quality criterion is expressed as g free cyanide (as CN)/L.

R This value for selenium was announced (61 FR 58444-58449, November 14, 1996) as a proposed GLI 303(c) aquatic life criterion. EPA is currently working on this criterion and so this value might change substantially in the near future.

S This recommended water quality criterion for arsenic refers to the inorganic form only.

T This recommended water quality criterion for selenium is expressed in terms of total recoverable metal in the water column. It is scientifically acceptable to use the conversion factor (0.996- CMC or 0.922- CCC) that was used in the GLI to convert this to a value that is expressed in terms of dissolved metal.

U The organoleptic effect criterion is more stringent than the value for priority toxic pollutants.

V This value was derived from data for heptachlor and the criteria document provides insufficient data to estimate the relative toxicities of heptachlor and heptachlor epoxide.

W Although EPA has not published a completed criteria document for butylbenzyl phthalate it is EPA’s understanding that sufficient data exist to allow calculation of aquatic criteria. It is anticipated that industry intends to publish in the peer reviewed literature draft aquatic life criteria generated in accordance with EPA Guidelines. EPA will review such criteria for possible issuance as national WQC.

X There is a full set of aquatic life toxicity data that show that DEHP is not toxic to aquatic organisms at or below its solubility limit.

Y This value was derived from data for endosulfan and is most appropriately applied to the sum of alpha-endosulfan and beta-endosulfan.

Z A more stringent MCL has been issued by EPA. Refer to drinking water regulations (40 CFR 141) or Safe Drinking Water Hotline (1-800-426-4791) for values.

aa This criterion is based on a 304(a) aquatic life criterion issued in 1980 or 1986, and was issued in one of the following documents: Aldrin/Dieldrin (PDF) (153 pp., 7.3 MB) (EPA 440/5-80-019), Chlordane (PDF) (68 pp., 3.1 MB) (EPA 440/5-80-027), DDT (PDF) (175 pp., 8.3 MB) (EPA 440/5-80-038), Endrin (PDF) (103 pp., 4.6 MB) (EPA 440/5-80-047), Heptachlor (PDF) (114 pp., 5.4 MB) (EPA 440/5-80-052), Polychlorinated biphenyls (EPA 440/5-80-068), Toxaphene (EPA 440/5-86-006). This CCC is currently based on the Final Residue Value (FRV) procedure. Since the publication of the Great Lakes Aquatic Life Criteria Guidelines in 1995 (60 FR 15393-15399, March 23, 1995), the Agency no longer uses the Final Residue Value procedure for deriving CCCs for new or revised 304(a) aquatic life criteria. Therefore, the Agency anticipates that future revisions of this CCC will not be based on the FRV procedure.

bb This water quality criterion is based on a 304(a) aquatic life criterion that was derived using the 1985 Guidelines (PDF) (104 pp., 3.3 MB) (Guidelines for Deriving Numerical National Water Quality Criteria for the Protection of Aquatic Organisms and Their Uses, PB85-227049, January 1985) and was issued in one of the following criteria documents: Arsenic (PDF) (74 pp., 3.2 MB) (EPA 440/5-84-033), Cadmium (EPA 822-R-01-001), Chromium (EPA 440/5-84-029), Copper (PDF) (150 pp., 6.2 MB) (EPA 440/5-84-031), Cyanide (PDF) (67 pp., 2.7 MB) (EPA 440/5- 84-028), Lead (EPA 440/5-84-027), Nickel (EPA 440/5-86-004), Pentachlorophenol (EPA 440/5-86-009), Toxaphene, (EPA 440/5-86-006), Zinc (EPA 440/5-87- 003).

cc When the concentration of dissolved organic carbon is elevated, copper is substantially less toxic and use of Water-Effect Ratios might be appropriate.

dd The selenium criteria document (EPA 440/5-87-006, September 1987) provides that if selenium is as toxic to saltwater fishes in the field as it is to freshwater fishes in the field, the status of the fish community should be monitored whenever the concentration of selenium exceeds 5.0 g/L in salt water because the saltwater CCC does not take into account uptake via the food chain.

ee This recommended water quality criterion was derived on page 43 of the mercury criteria document (PDF) (144 pp., 6.4 MB) (EPA 440/5-84-026, January 1985). The saltwater CCC of 0.025 ug/L given on page 23 of the criteria document is based on the Final Residue Value procedure in the 1985 Guidelines. Since the publication of the Great Lakes Aquatic Life Criteria Guidelines in 1995 (60 FR 15393-15399, March 23, 1995), the Agency no longer uses the Final Residue Value procedure for deriving CCCs for new or revised 304(a) aquatic life criteria.

ff This recommended water quality criterion was derived in Ambient Water Quality Criteria Saltwater Copper Addendum (Draft, April 14, 1995) and was promulgated in the Interim final National Toxics Rule (60 FR 22228-222237, May 4, 1995).

gg EPA is actively working on this criterion and so this recommended water quality criterion may change substantially in the near future.

hh This recommended water quality criterion was derived from data for inorganic mercury (II), but is applied here to total mercury. If a substantial portion of the mercury in the water column is methylmercury, this criterion will probably be under protective. In addition, even though inorganic mercury is converted to methylmercury and methylmercury bioaccumulates to a great extent, this criterion does not account for uptake via the food chain because sufficient data were not available when the criterion was derived.

ii This criterion applies to DDT and its metabolites (i.e., the total concentration of DDT and its metabolites should not exceed this value).

jj This recommended water quality criterion is expressed as total cyanide, even though the IRIS RFD we used to derive the criterion is based on free cyanide. The multiple forms of cyanide that are present in ambient water have significant differences in toxicity due to their differing abilities to liberate the CN-moiety. Some complex cyanides require even more extreme conditions than refluxing with sulfuric acid to liberate the CN-moiety. Thus, these complex cyanides are expected to have little or no ‘bioavailability’ to humans. If a substantial fraction of the cyanide present in a water body is present in a complexed form (e.g., Fe₄[Fe(CN)₆]₃), this criterion may be over conservative.

kk This recommended water quality criterion was derived using the cancer slope factor of 1.4 (LMS exposure from birth).

ll This criterion has been revised to reflect the Environmental Protection Agency’s cancer slope factor (CSF) or reference dose (RfD), as contained in the Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) as of (Final FR Notice June 10, 2009). The fish tissue bioconcentration factor (BCF) from the 1980 Ambient Water Quality Criteria document was retained in each case.

mm The available toxicity data, when evaluated using the procedures described in the “Guidelines for Deriving Numerical National Water Quality Criteria for the Protection of Aquatic Organisms and Their Uses” indicate that freshwater aquatic life should be protected if the 24-hour average and four-day average concentrations do not respectively exceed the acute and chronic criteria concentrations calculated by the Biotic Ligand Model.

Non Priority Pollutants

			Freshwater		Saltwater		Human Health for the consumption of
Non Priority Pollutant		CAS Number	CMC (acute) (µg/L)	CCC (chronic) (µg/L)	CMC (acute) (µg/L)	CCC (chronic) (µg/L)	Water + Organism (µg/L)	Organism Only (µg/L)	FR Cite/ Source
1	Alkalinity	—		20000 F					Gold Book
2	Aluminum pH 6.5 – 9.0	7429905	750 G,I	87 G,I,L					53 FR 33178
3	Ammonia	7664417	FRESHWATER CRITERIA ARE pH, Temperature and Life-stage DEPENDENT—SEE DOCUMENT DSALTWATER CRITERIA ARE pH AND TEMPERATURE DEPENDENT						EPA 822-R-99-014 EPA 440-5-88-004 (PDF) (2.1 MB)
4	Aesthetic Qualities	—	NARRATIVE STATEMENT—SEE DOCUMENT						Gold Book
5	Bacteria	—	FOR PRIMARY RECREATION AND SHELLFISH USES—SEE DOCUMENT						Gold Book
6	Barium	7440393					1,000 A		Gold Book
7	Boron	—	NARRATIVE STATEMENT—SEE DOCUMENT						Gold Book
8	Chloride	16887006	860000 G	230000 G					53 FR 19028
9	Chlorine	7782505	19	11	13	7.5	C		Gold Book
10	Chlorophenoxy Herbicide (2,4,5,-TP)	93721					10 A		Gold Book
11	Chlorophenoxy Herbicide (2,4-D)	94757					100 A,C		Gold Book
12	Chloropyrifos	2921882	0.083 G	0.041 G	0.011 G	0.0056 G			Gold Book
13	Color	—	NARRATIVE STATEMENT—SEE DOCUMENT F						Gold Book
14	Demeton	8065483		0.1 F		0.1 F			Gold Book
15	Ether, Bis( Chloromethyl)	542881					0.00010 E,H	0.00029 E,H	65 FR 66443
16	Gases, Total Dissolved	—	NARRATIVE STATEMENT—SEE DOCUMENT F						Gold Book
17	Guthion	86500		0.01 F		0.01 F			Gold Book
18	Hardness	—	NARRATIVE STATEMENT—SEE DOCUMENT						Gold Book
19	Hexachlorocyclo-hexane-Technical	608731					0.0123 H	0.0414 H	EPA 440/5-80-054
20	Iron	7439896		1000 F			300 A		Gold Book
21	Malathion	121755		0.1 F		0.1 F			Gold Book
22	Manganese	7439965					50 A,O	100 A	Gold Book
23	Methoxychlor	72435		0.03 F		0.03 F	100 A,C		Gold Book
24	Mirex	2385855		0.001 F		0.001 F			Gold Book
25	Nitrates	14797558					10,000 A		Gold Book
26	Nitrosamines	—					0.0008	1.24	Gold Book
27	Dinitrophenols	25550587					69	5300	65 FR 66443
28	Nonylphenol	84852153	28ug/L	28ug/L	7ug/L	7ug/L			71 FR 9337
29	Nitrosodibutylamine, N	924163					0.0063 A,H	0.22 A,H	65 FR 66443
30	Nitrosodiethylamine, N	55185					0.0008 A,H	1.24 A,H	Gold Book
31	Nitrosopyrrolidine, N	930552					0.016 H	34 H	65 FR 66443
32	Oil and Grease	—	NARRATIVE STATEMENT—SEE DOCUMENT F						Gold Book
33	Oxygen, Dissolved Freshwater Oxygen, Dissolved Saltwater	7782447	WARMWATER AND COLDWATER MATRIX—SEE DOCUMENT N SALTWATER—SEE DOCUMENT						Gold Book EPA 822-R-00-012
34	Diazinon	333415	0.17ug/L	0.17ug/L	0.82ug/L	0.82ug/L			71 FR 9336
35	Parathion	56382	0.065 J	0.013 J					Gold Book
36	Pentachlorobenzene	608935					1.4 E	1.5 E	65 FR 66443
37	pH	—		6.5 – 9 F		6.5 – 8.5 F,K	5 – 9		Gold Book
38	Phosphorus Elemental	7723140				0.1 F,K			Gold Book
39	Nutrients	—	See EPA’s Ecoregional criteria for Total Phosphorus, Total Nitrogen, Chlorophyll a and Water Clarity (Secchi depth for lakes; turbidity for streams and rivers) (& Level III Ecoregional criteria)						P
40	Solids Dissolved and Salinity	—					250,000 A		Gold Book
41	Solids Suspended and Turbidity	—	NARRATIVE STATEMENT—SEE DOCUMENT F						Gold Book
42	Sulfide-Hydrogen Sulfide	7783064		2.0 F		2.0 F			Gold Book
43	Tainting Substances	—	NARRATIVE STATEMENT—SEE DOCUMENT						Gold Book
44	Temperature	—	SPECIES DEPENDENT CRITERIA—SEE DOCUMENT M						Gold Book
45	Tetrachlorobenzene,1,2,4,5-	95943					0.97 E	1.1 E	65 FR 66443
46	Tributyltin (TBT)	—	0.46 Q	0.072 Q	0.42 Q	0.0074 Q			69 FR 342
47	Trichlorophenol,2,4,5-	95954					1,800 B,E	3,600 B,E	65 FR 66443

Footnotes

A This human health criterion is the same as originally published in the Red Book which predates the 1980 methodology and did not utilize the fish ingestion BCF approach. This same criterion value is now published in the Gold Book.

B The organoleptic effect criterion is more stringent than the value presented in the non priority pollutants table.

C A more stringent Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) has been issued by EPA under the Safe Drinking Water Act. Refer to drinking water regulations 40CFR141 or Safe Drinking Water Hotline (1-800-426-4791) for values.

D According to the procedures described in the Guidelines for Deriving Numerical National Water Quality Criteria for the Protection of Aquatic Organisms and Their Uses, except possibly where a very sensitive species is important at a site, freshwater aquatic life should be protected if both conditions specified in Appendix C to the Preamble- Calculation of Freshwater Ammonia Criterion are satisfied.

E This criterion has been revised to reflect EPA’s q1* or RfD, as contained in the Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) as of May 17, 2002. The fish tissue bioconcentration factor (BCF) used to derive the original criterion was retained in each case.

F The derivation of this value is presented in the Red Book (EPA 440/9-76-023, July, 1976).

G This value is based on a 304(a) aquatic life criterion that was derived using the 1985 Guidelines (Guidelines for Deriving Numerical National Water Quality Criteria for the Protection of Aquatic Organisms and Their Uses, PB85-227049, January 1985) and was issued in one of the following criteria documents: Aluminum (EPA 440/5-86-008); Chloride (EPA 440/5-88-001); Chloropyrifos (EPA 440/5-86-005).

H This criterion is based on carcinogenicity of 10^-6 risk. Alternate risk levels may be obtained by moving the decimal point (e.g., for a risk level of 10^-5, move the decimal point in the recommended criterion one place to the right).

I This value for aluminum is expressed in terms of total recoverable metal in the water column.

J This value is based on a 304(a) aquatic life criterion that was issued in the 1995 Updates: Water Quality Criteria Documents for the Protection of Aquatic Life in Ambient Water (EPA 820-B-96-001). This value was derived using the GLI Guidelines (60 FR 15393-15399, March 23, 1995; 40CFR132 Appendix A); the differences between the 1985 Guidelines and the GLI Guidelines are explained on page iv of the 1995 Updates. No decision concerning this criterion was affected by any considerations that are specific to the Great Lakes.

K According to page 181 of the Red Book:

For open ocean waters where the depth is substantially greater than the euphotic zone, the pH should not be changed more than 0.2 units from the naturally occurring variation or any case outside the range of 6.5 to 8.5. For shallow, highly productive coastal and estuarine areas where naturally occurring pH variations approach the lethal limits of some species, changes in pH should be avoided but in any case should not exceed the limits established for fresh water, i.e., 6.5-9.0.

L There are three major reasons why the use of Water-Effect Ratios might be appropriate.

The value of 87 µg/l is based on a toxicity test with the striped bass in water with pH = 6.5–6.6 and hardness <10 mg/L. Data in “Aluminum Water-Effect Ratio for the 3M Plant Effluent Discharge, Middleway, West Virginia” (May 1994) indicate that aluminum is substantially less toxic at higher pH and hardness, but the effects of pH and hardness are not well quantified at this time.
In tests with the brook trout at low pH and hardness, effects increased with increasing concentrations of total aluminum even though the concentration of dissolved aluminum was constant, indicating that total recoverable is a more appropriate measurement than dissolved, at least when particulate aluminum is primarily aluminum hydroxide particles. In surface waters, however, the total recoverable procedure might measure aluminum associated with clay particles, which might be less toxic than aluminum associated with aluminum hydroxide.
EPA is aware of field data indicating that many high quality waters in the U.S. contain more than 87 g aluminum/L, when either total recoverable or dissolved is measured.

M U.S. EPA. 1973. Water Quality Criteria 1972. EPA-R3-73-033. National Technical Information Service, Springfield, VA.; U.S. EPA. 1977. Temperature Criteria for Freshwater Fish: Protocol and Procedures. EPA 600/3-77-061. National Technical Information Service, Springfield, VA.

N U.S. EPA. 1986. Ambient Water Quality Criteria for Dissolved Oxygen. EPA 440/5-86-003. National Technical Information Service, Springfield, VA.

O This criterion for manganese is not based on toxic effects, but rather is intended to minimize objectionable qualities such as laundry stains and objectionable tastes in beverages.

P Lakes and Reservoirs in Nutrient Ecoregion: II EPA 822-B-00-007, III EPA 822-B-01-008, IV EPA 822-B-01-009, V EPA 822-B-01-010, VI EPA 822-B-00-008 , VII EPA 822-B-00-009, VIII EPA 822-B-01-015, IX EPA 822-B-00-011, XI EPA 822-B-00-012, XII EPA 822-B-00-013, XIII EPA 822-B-00-014, XIV EPA 822-B-01-011; Rivers and Streams in Nutrient Ecoregion: I EPA 822-B-01-012, II EPA 822-B-00-015, III EPA 822-B-00-016, IV EPA 822-B-01-013, V EPA 822-B-01-014, VI EPA 822-B-00-017, VII EPA 822-B-00-018, VIII EPA 822-B-01-015, IX EPA 822-B-00-019, X EPA 822-B-01-016, XI EPA 822-B-00-020, XII EPA 822-B-00-021, XIV EPA 822-B-00-022; and Wetlands in Nutrient Ecoregion (PDF) (77 pp., 257 K) XIII EPA 822-B-00-023.

Q EPA announced the availability of a draft updated tributyltin (TBT) document on August 7, 1997 (62 FR 42554). The Agency has reevaluated this document and anticipates releasing an updated document for public comment in the near future.

Organoleptic Effects (e.g., taste and odor)

Pollutant		CAS Number	Organoleptic Effect Criteria (µg/L)	FR Cite/ Source
1	Acenaphthene	83329	20	Gold Book
2	Monochlorobenzene	108907	20	Gold Book
3	3-Chlorophenol	—	0.1	Gold Book
4	4-Chlorophenol	106489	0.1	Gold Book
5	2,3-Dichlorophenol	—	0.04	Gold Book
6	2,5-Dichlorophenol	—	0.5	Gold Book
7	2,6-Dichlorophenol	—	0.2	Gold Book
8	3,4-Dichlorophenol	—	0.3	Gold Book
9	2,4,5-Trichlorophenol	95954	1	Gold Book
10	2,4,6-Trichlorophenol	88062	2	Gold Book
11	2,3,4,6-Tetrachlorophenol	—	1	Gold Book
12	2-Methyl-4-Chlorophenol	—	1800	Gold Book
13	3-Methyl-4-Chlorophenol	59507	3000	Gold Book
14	3-Methyl-6-Chlorophenol	—	20	Gold Book
15	2-Chlorophenol	95578	0.1	Gold Book
16	Copper	7440508	1000	Gold Book
17	2,4-Dichlorophenol	120832	0.3	Gold Book
18	2,4-Dimethylphenol	105679	400	Gold Book
19	Hexachlorocyclopentadiene	77474	1	Gold Book
20	Nitrobenzene	98953	30	Gold Book
21	Pentachlorophenol	87865	30	Gold Book
22	Phenol	108952	300	Gold Book
23	Zinc	7440666	5000	45 FR79341

Notes:

1. These criteria are based on organoleptic (taste and odor) effects. Because of variations in chemical nomenclature systems, this listing of pollutants does not duplicate the listing in Appendix A of 40 CFR Part 423. Also listed are the Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS) registry numbers, which provide a unique identification for each chemical.

Additional Notes

Criteria Maximum Concentration and Criterion Continuous Concentration

The Criteria Maximum Concentration (CMC) is an estimate of the highest concentration of a material in surface water to which an aquatic community can be exposed briefly without resulting in an unacceptable effect. The Criterion Continuous Concentration (CCC) is an estimate of the highest concentration of a material in surface water to which an aquatic community can be exposed indefinitely without resulting in an unacceptable effect. The CMC and CCC are just two of the six parts of an aquatic life criterion; the other four parts are the acute averaging period, chronic averaging period, acute frequency of allowed exceedence, and chronic frequency of allowed exceedence. Because 304(a) aquatic life criteria are national guidance, they are intended to be protective of the vast majority of the aquatic communities in the United States.
Criteria Recommendations for Priority Pollutants, Non Priority Pollutants and Organoleptic Effects

This compilation lists all priority toxic pollutants and some non priority toxic pollutants, and both human health effect and organoleptic effect criteria issued pursuant to CWA §304(a). Blank spaces indicate that EPA has no CWA §304(a) criteria recommendations. For a number of non-priority toxic pollutants not listed, CWA §304(a) “water + organism” human health criteria are not available, but EPA has published MCLs under the SDWA that may be used in establishing water quality standards to protect water supply designated uses. Because of variations in chemical nomenclature systems, this listing of toxic pollutants does not duplicate the listing in Appendix A of 40 CFR Part 423. Also listed are the Chemical Abstracts Service CAS registry numbers, which provide a unique identification for each chemical.
Human Health Risk

The human health criteria for the priority and non priority pollutants are based on carcinogenicity of 10^-6 risk. Alternate risk levels may be obtained by moving the decimal point (e.g., for a risk level of 10^-5, move the decimal point in the recommended criterion one place to the right).
Water Quality Criteria published pursuant to Section 304(a) or Section 303(c) of the CWA

Many of the values in the compilation were published in the California Toxics Rule. Although such values were published pursuant to Section 303(c) of the CWA, they represent the Agency’s most recent calculation of water quality criteria and are thus the Agency’s 304(a) criteria.
Calculation of Dissolved Metals Criteria

The 304(a) criteria for metals, shown as dissolved metals, are calculated in one of two ways. For freshwater metals criteria that are hardness-dependent, the dissolved metal criteria were calculated using a hardness of 100 mg/l as CaCO3 for illustrative purposes only. Saltwater and freshwater metals’ criteria that are not hardness-dependent are calculated by multiplying the total recoverable criteria before rounding by the appropriate conversion factors. The final dissolved metals’ criteria in the table are rounded to two significant figures. Information regarding the calculation of hardness dependent conversion factors are included in the footnotes.
Maximum Contaminant Levels

The compilation includes footnotes for pollutants with Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs) more stringent than the recommended water quality criteria in the compilation. MCLs for these pollutants are not included in the compilation, but can be found in the appropriate drinking water regulations (40 CFR 141.11-16 and 141.60-63), or can be accessed through the Safe Drinking Water Hotline (800-426-4791) or online.
Organoleptic Effects

The compilation contains 304(a) criteria for pollutants with toxicity-based criteria as well as non-toxicity based criteria. The basis for the non-toxicity based criteria are organoleptic effects (e.g., taste and odor) which would make water and edible aquatic life unpalatable but not toxic to humans. The table includes criteria for organoleptic effects for 23 pollutants. Pollutants with organoleptic effect criteria more stringent than the criteria based on toxicity (e.g., included in both the priority and non-priority pollutant tables) are footnoted as such.
Gold Book

The “Gold Book” is Quality Criteria for Water: 1986. EPA 440/5-86-001.
Correction of Chemical Abstract Services Number

The Chemical Abstract Services number (CAS) for Bis(2-Chlorisoprpyl) Ether, has been revised in IRIS and in the table. The correct CAS number for this chemical is 108-60-1. The previous CAS number for this pollutant was 39638-32-9.
Contaminants with Blanks

EPA has not calculated criteria for contaminants with blanks. However, permit authorities should address these contaminants in NPDES permit actions using the States’ existing narrative criteria for toxics.
Specific Chemical Calculations

Selenium—Aquatic Life
This compilation contains aquatic life criteria for selenium that are the same as those published in the proposed CTR. In the CTR, EPA proposed an acute criterion for selenium based on the criterion proposed for selenium in the Water Quality Guidance for the Great Lakes System (61 FR 58444). The GLI and CTR proposals take into account data showing that selenium’s two prevalent oxidation states in water, selenite and selenate, present differing potentials for aquatic toxicity, as well as new data indicating that various forms of selenium are additive. The new approach produces a different selenium acute criterion concentration, or CMC, depending upon the relative proportions of selenite, selenate, and other forms of selenium that are present.
EPA is currently undertaking a reassessment of selenium, and expects the 304(a) criteria for selenium will be revised based on the final reassessment (63 FR 26186). However, until such time as revised water quality criteria for selenium are published by the Agency, the recommended water quality criteria in this compilation are EPA’s current 304(a) criteria.

Appendix A—Conversion Factors for Dissolved Metals

Metal	Conversion Factor
Metal	freshwater CMC	freshwater CCC	saltwater CMC	saltwater CCC¹
Arsenic	1.000	1.000	1.000	1.000
Cadmium	1.136672-[(ln hardness)(0.041838)]	1.101672-[(ln hardness)(0.041838)]	0.994	0.994
Chromium III	0.316	0.860	—	—
Chromium VI	0.982	0.962	0.993	0.993
Copper	0.960	0.960	0.83	0.83
Lead	1.46203-[(ln hardness)(0.145712)]	1.46203-[(ln hardness)(0.145712)]	0.951	0.951
Mercury	0.85	0.85	0.85	0.85
Nickel	0.998	0.997	0.990	0.990
Selenium	—	—	0.998	0.998
Silver	0.85	—	0.85	—
Zinc	0.978	0.986	0.946	0.946

Top of Page

Appendix B—Parameters for Calculating Freshwater Dissolved Metals Criteria That Are Hardness-Dependent

Chemical	m_A	b_A	m_C	b_C	Freshwater Conversion Factors (CF)
Chemical	m_A	b_A	m_C	b_C	CMC	CCC
Cadmium	1.0166	-3.924	0.7409	-4.719	1.136672-[(lnhardness)(0.041838)]	1.101672-[(lnhardness)(0.041838)]
Chromium III	0.8190	3.7256	0.8190	0.6848	0.316	0.860
Copper	0.9422	-1.700	0.8545	-1.702	0.960	0.960
Lead	1.273	-1.460	1.273	-4.705	1.46203-[(lnhardness)(0.145712)]	1.46203-[(lnhardness)(0.145712)]
Nickel	0.8460	2.255	0.8460	0.0584	0.998	0.997
Silver	1.72	-6.59	—	—	0.85	—
Zinc	0.8473	0.884	0.8473	0.884	0.978	0.986

Hardness-dependant metals’ criteria may be calculated from the following:

CMC (dissolved) = exp{m_A [ln(hardness)]+ b_A} (CF)

CCC (dissolved) = exp{m_C [ln(hardness)]+ b_C} (CF)

Appendix C – Calculation of Freshwater Ammonia Criterion

The one-hour average concentration of total ammonia nitrogen (in mg N/L) does not exceed, more than once every three years on the average, the CMC (acute criterion) calculated using the following equations:
- Where salmonid fish are present:
  - CMC = (0.275/(1 + 10^7.204-pH)) + (39.0/(1 + 10^pH-7.204))
- Or where salmonid fish are not present:
  - CMC = (0.411/(1 + 10^7.204-pH)) + (58.4/(1 + 10^pH-7.204))
1. The thirty-day average concentration of total ammonia nitrogen (in mg N/L) does not exceed, more than once every three years on theaverage, the CCC (chronic criterion) calculated using the following equations:
  - When fish early life stages are present:
    - CCC = ((0.0577/(1 + 10^7.688-pH)) + (2.487/(1 + 10^pH-7.688))) x MIN (2.85, 1.45·10^{0.028·(25-T)})
  - When fish early life stages are absent:
    - CCC = ((0.0577/(1 + 10^7.688-pH)) + (2.487/(1 + 10^pH-7.688))) x 1.45·10^{0.028·(25-MAX(T,7))}
2. In addition, the highest four-day average within the 30-day period should not exceed 2.5 times the CCC.

The Gold Book

Quality Criteria for Water, 1986 (PDF) (477 pp., 4.6 MB) May 1986

The Red Book

Quality Criteria for Water, 1976 (PDF) (534 pp., 6.2 MB) July 1976

Chemical Specific Criteria Documents from the 1980s

Water Quality Standards | Drinking Water | Research and Development

(from)

http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/criteria/wqctable/index.html

***

My Note -

- cricketdiane, 06-02-10

***

Solutions for oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico – 6,800 psi says Bill Nye the Science Guy on CNN – 6,800 psi coming out of the leaks at the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on the sea floor

30 Sunday May 2010

Posted by cricketdiane in Cricket Diane C Sparky Phillips

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

cleanup and recovery efforts in the Gulf of Mexico, cricketdiane, oil spill Gulf of Mexico solutions, oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, Solutions

6,800 psi says Bill Nye the Science Guy on CNN – 6,800 psi coming out of the leaks at the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on the sea floor

(he said it just a little while ago on CNN Newsroom – about 10 minutes ago 7.40 or a little before that )

***

My Note -

That’s what he said has been the estimate of how much pressure is coming out of that well where we see the clouds of petroleum billowing out of the pipes. He also pointed out that “lmrp” sounds more like the engineers are getting to do what they know how to do now.

You know what, though? As humans engineering all kinds of great things – we’ve spent hundreds of years striving to get something that would produce those kinds of pressures thrusting consistently – intentionally. Its a shame we can’t use it the way we would if we had intentionally designed it to produce those forces.

Over my lifetime and many people’s lifetimes before mine, there have been hundreds of thousands – probably beyond millions of manhours spent to try and create a thrust / propulsion / turbine moving system that would provide the 6,800 psi kinds of numbers consistently that this well is doing all by itself. It is amazing – we could be celebrating except maybe for the fact that it is a mile down under the ocean and to use it / to harness it, we would have to approach it that way and we’ve been trying to stop it instead.

We could just stick a huge 747 or Airbus 380 or C-5 A engine cowling on it with its huge turbine fans and then draw the stream off on the other side of it while using its 6,800 psi movement of petroleum to turn the turbine and draw power from it. That is only one way to do it. But, it does have some interesting possibilities looking at it that way. The psi could be individually increased on each leak by restricting the flow a little and have even higher pressures offering even higher thrust to make a power generating gizmo and then harness that oil for recovery beyond that effort.

Simulation of a low bypass turbofan‘s airflow

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jet_engine

Hmmmm……….

And, it doesn’t have the high temperature problems that we have on land when creating those pressures and velocities it already has right now.

It still seems silly that they are wanting to harvest gas hydrates all over the world and that top hat design managed to be a way to do that effectively – it showed some things about doing that which could’ve been very useful if they had thought about it that way with the intention of harvesting the hydrates.

They found a way to make the gas hydrates that they said they expected, so I guess they’ve known in their deep sea drilling efforts – that can happen and never thought, “oh, gee – we ought to harvest those gas hydrates that way and intentionally do these things that accidentally got in the way a time or two.”

Containment systems with the intention of gaining something from the thrust potential could be any number of great systems we already know, including the multitude of turbine designs, whirling fan types and cylinder vortex whirling blade types or using the velocities to convert the motion of the petroleum/natural gas mixtures into some kind of productive work. It could do so many things and have that powered energy producing system harness along with a well-engineered harvest and recovery system for the product that is being released into the ocean right now.

- cricketdiane

***

I keep thinking about those huge undulating Pelarmis wave machines – there are a whole set sitting in Portugal that supposedly didn’t go on line because their funding was wrapped up in some company that was bankrupted by the economic crisis in 2007 – 2008.

But, I keep thinking every so often about retrieving the oil from the surface waters using something like that which is already made, already phenomenally huge and would utilize the natural movement of the ocean waters to move material by it, through it, under it, along the length of it.

If it had some collection system added to it, then the oil that comes by would be collected or separated from the sea water on the way by the Pelarmis “machines” which could be making energy at the same time. They could probably be bought real cheap in comparison to the original project costs created before the economic crisis changed the prices of damn near everything.

- cricketdiane

Pelamis at Agucadoura, 2008

80th Scale Model Testing, 1998

Pelamis Interactive Animation

Seatrials

http://www.pelamiswave.com/

***

I still like the idea of the huge engine cowlings of old airplanes that are sitting out in the desert boneyard right now. They are the right size. They already exist. The turbine fan blades already exist for them and are sitting there with them. They already have an “axle” for the blades that is already geared and set up to move something.

It would just be moving it backasswards from the way it was designed where the engine supplied the power to move the blades. In this case – the oil spewing from the mucked up wellhead would be the engine – and it has the added benefit of being in the same scales as the other elements of the undersea operational parts they have been using.

- cricketdiane

A Pratt & Whitney F100 turbofan engine for the F-15 Eagle and the F-16 Falcon being tested in the hush house at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, USA. The tunnel behind the engine muffles noise and allows exhaust to escape

Airbus A380, the largest passenger jet in the world, entered commercial service in 2007. (from wikipedia entry about Airbus).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airbus

(and)

20th Scale model testing showing extreme wave

35th Scale Model testing

Nightime Seatrials

(from)

http://www.pelamiswave.com/gallery?category=videos&page=1

(and from)

http://www.pelamiswave.com/

***

The Pelamis Wave Energy Converter is a technology that uses the motion of ocean surface waves to create electricity. The machine is made up of connected sections which flex and bend as waves pass; it is this motion which is used to generate electricity.

Developed by the Scottish company Pelamis Wave Power (formerly Ocean Power Delivery), it was the world’s first commercial scale machine to generate electricity into the grid from offshore wave energy and the first to be used in a commercial wave farm project.^[1] The first full scale prototype was successfully installed and generated electricity to the UK grid at the European Marine Energy Centre in Orkney, Scotland in August 2004.^[2] The first wave farm consisting of three Pelamis machines and located off the coast of Portugal, was officially opened in September 2008.^[3] In November 2008, after generating electricity since July 2008 ^[4], the project was disconnected from the grid and the machines towed back to shore.

1 of 3 Pelamis machines at the Aguçadoura Wave Park

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pelamis_Wave_Energy_Converter

***

Thrust is a reaction force described quantitatively by Newton‘s second and third laws. When a system expels or accelerates mass in one direction the accelerated mass will cause a proportional but opposite force on that system.

A motorboat generates thrust (or reverse thrust) when the propellers are turned to accelerate water backwards (or forwards). The resulting thrust pushes the boat in the opposite direction to the sum of the momentum change in the water flowing through the propeller.

A rocket is propelled forward by a thrust force equal in magnitude, but opposite in direction, to the time-rate of momentum change of the exhaust gas accelerated from the combustion chamber through the rocket engine nozzle. This is the exhaust velocity with respect to the rocket, times the time-rate at which the mass is expelled, or in mathematical terms:

The forward thrust is proportional to the mass of the airstream multiplied by the velocity of the airstream.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thrust

***

Thrust to power

Thrust at zero speed is zero power. Power requires work to be done, so zero velocity indicates zero work and zero power. Therefore the power of a rocket or aircraft engine is thrust times forward speed.

power (watts) = thrust (newtons) x speed (metres/second)

power (horsepower) = thrust (lbf) x speed (feet/second) / 550

power (horsepower) = thrust (lbf) x speed (feet/minute) / 33000.

For example: the Messerschmitt Me 262 with 3,960 pounds of thrust at 559 mph equates to 5,903 horsepower.

So let’s find out the propulsive power of a jet engine from its thrust. Power is the force (F) it takes to move something over some distance (d) divided by the time (t) it takes to move that distance ^[2]:

$\mathbf{P}=\mathbf{F}\frac{d}{t}$

In case of a rocket or a jet aircraft, the force is exactly the thrust produced by the engine. If the rocket or aircraft is moving at about a constant speed, then distance divided by time is just speed, so power is thrust times speed: ^[3]

$\mathbf{P}=\mathbf{T}{v}$

This formula looks very surprising, but it is correct: the propulsive power (or power available ^[4]) of a jet engine increases with its speed. If the speed is zero, then the propulsive power is zero. If a jet aircraft is at full throttle but is tied to a very strong chain to a tree, then the jet engine produces no propulsive power. It certainly transfers a lot of power around, but all that is wasted. Compare that to a piston engine.

The combination piston engine–propeller also has a propulsive power with exactly the same formula, and it will also be zero at zero speed –- but that is for the engine–propeller set. The engine alone will continue to produce its rated power at a constant rate, whether the aircraft is moving or not.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thrust

***

My Note -

But this oil spewing into the Gulf of Mexico at and extreme temperature difference between it and the environment around it plus the incredible 6,800 psi thrust it is making – is an engine. It is the energy of that thrust that could be harnessed as well as harvesting the petroleum and natural gas it contains.

The oil company has been burning off that methane rather than capturing it after knocking themselves out around the entire country trying to get natural gas. And, the petroleum is not only wasted going into the Gulf of Mexico waters – but the energy engine producing it against the extreme pressures one down on the sea floor of 2,000 pounds per square inch – if it is anywhere near the 6,800 psi estimated – is being wasted too while we spend nearly everyday trying to produce such a system engine for numerous applications that “create” energy / electricity / produce power / perform work of some kind in its conversion to do so.

- cricketdiane, 05-30-10

***

Now let’s see what else would work -

Gimbaled thrust is the system of thrust vectoring used in most modern rockets, including the Space Shuttle and the Saturn V lunar rockets.

In a gimbaled thrust system, the exhaust nozzle of the rocket can be swiveled from side to side. As the nozzle is moved, the direction of the thrust is changed relative to the center of gravity of the rocket.

NASA. “Gimbaled Thrust”. Beginner’s Guide to Rockets. http://exploration.grc.nasa.gov/education/rocket/gimbaled.html. Retrieved 2006-01-07. , public domain source

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gimballed_thrust

Animation of the motion of a rocket as the nozzle is gimbaled

***

See – we just need that gimbal system for the flow from off an old Saturn or Titan rocket down there sitting in the grass in Florida, or at the NASA warehouses over in Houston somewhere or Birmingham, Alabama – or wherever it is

NASA engineers successfully tested a sub-scale solid rocket motor on May 27.

***

Cons

Petroleum-powered vehicles are very inefficient. Only about 30% of the energy from the fuel they consume is converted into mechanical energy.^[1] The rest of the fuel-source energy is inefficiently expended as waste heat. The heat and gaseous pollution emissions harm our environment.
The inefficient atmospheric combustion (burning) of fossil fuels in vehicles, buildings, and power plants contributes to urban heat islands.^[2]
The combustion of fossil fuels leads to the release of pollution into the atmosphere. According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, a typical coal plant produces in one year:^[3]
- 3,700,000 tons of carbon dioxide (CO₂), could be the primary cause of global warming.
- 10,000 tons of sulfur dioxide (SO₂), the leading cause of acid rain.
- 500 tons of small airborne particles, which result in chronic bronchitis, aggravated asthma, and premature death, in addition to haze-obstructed visibility.
- 10,200 tons of nitrogen oxides (NOx), (from high-temperature atmospheric combustion), leading to formation of ozone (smog) which inflames the lungs, burning lung tissue making people more susceptible to respiratory illness.
- 720 tons of carbon monoxide (CO), resulting in headaches and additional stress on people with heart disease.
- 220 tons of hydrocarbons, toxic volatile organic compounds (VOC), which form ozone.
- 170 pounds (77 kg) of mercury, where just ¹⁄₇₀ of a teaspoon deposited on a 25-acre (100,000 m²) lake can make the fish unsafe to eat.
- 225 pounds (102 kg) of arsenic, which will cause cancer in one out of 100 people who drink water containing 50 parts per billion.
- 114 pounds (52 kg) of lead, 4 pounds (1.8 kg) of cadmium, other toxic heavy metals, and trace amounts of uranium.
Dependence on fossil fuels from volatile regions or countries creates energy security risks for dependent countries. Oil dependence in particular has led to war, major funding of radical terrorists, monopolization, and socio-political instability.
Fossil fuels are non-renewable, un-sustainable resources, which will eventually decline in production^[4] and become exhausted, with dire consequences to societies that remain highly dependent on them. (Fossil fuels are actually slowly forming continuously, but we are using them up at a rate approximately 100,000 times faster than they are formed.)

The Moss Landing Power Plant burns natural gas to produce electricity in California.

Extracting fossil fuels is becoming more difficult as we consume the most accessible fuel deposits. Extraction of fossil fuels is becoming more expensive and more dangerous as mines get deeper and oil rigs must drill deeper, and go further out to sea.^[5]
Extraction of fossil fuels results in extensive environmental degradation, such as the strip mining and mountaintop removal of coal.^{[citation needed]}

Gas flare from an oil refinery.

Since these power plants are thermal engines, and are typically quite large, waste heat disposal becomes an issue at high ambient temperature. Thus, at a time of peak demand, a power plant may need to be shut down or operate at a reduced power level, as sometimes do nuclear power plants, for the same reasons

(from)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energy_development

***

My Note -

I was trying to find a picture of those big electricity generating turbines on the Hoover Dam where it shows a cut-away diagram – The things above I stumbled on instead and thought I would go ahead and put them here because it reminds me that thinking the same old way about all these things has really trashed us – and caused continuing damages that we knew and still continued in the same way anyway.

Like I said yesterday in my posts, if we had done our normal cowboy thing in our typical and traditional American way – when the Europeans got 40 mpg on their cars, we’d have outdone them and made our cars and trucks get 80 mpg to show them up and then they would’ve had to have done better – etc.

But we didn’t, because some jackasses with thinking that didn’t pass their own noses and back pocket profits took over and stopped the process. Well, here we are with those results. Why should we need to burn 20 million barrels of oil a day or whatever it is and every drop of that we burn doing whatever we do with it – fills the air and water and soil with crap that has names as long as I am tall in pages, upon pages, upon pages of lists of it with tiny little print and a different chemical on every line?

What is the point of that if we could do something else? At 80 mpg, it at least starts to make better sense, if nothing else. And, we could do it – they made a tractor / lawn mower go 87 miles an hour and break world records the news said a couple weeks ago (on UPI) – they did that by getting more out of every drop of gasoline without doubt. We could do that. We could make our engines and propulsions using petroleum get a lot more per drop. We could even use nano-particle sprays of it in our combustion engine piston chambers and you’d be amazed at what the power differential becomes. That isn’t a finer spray. – It is something else. You ought to see the charts on what it does – and how much power comes out of it when those surface areas of the petroleum products are increased exponentially that way. Things can be done – but damn – they don’t want to . . .

- cricketdiane

***

People in America get status from filling two huge gasoline tanks on their SUV with the highest octane crap they can get in it and whipping out their credit card or cash to pay for it where everybody can see they can afford it at their local gasoline station with the highest gas prices – that would be BP.

They don’t want a nano-particle of gasoline running their vehicles, getting 80 miles to the gallon and not giving them that golden opportunity to show up everybody by buying a hundred dollars of gas every couple days to run their private whale boat and jack-rabbiting off every stoplight to make sure everybody sees them.

See, it would take the whole status out of it and mess up the entire event of filling up those tanks for twenty minutes while everybody can see them and admire having that kind of money to waste.+-

What is not so funny is this – as they burn off the methane out there in the ocean air currents of the Gulf of Mexico siphoned off from the leaking oil well:

When garbage decomposes, the methane produced is captured in pipes and later burned to produce electricity.

(and this – )

Main article: Geothermal power
Geothermal energy harnesses the heat energy present underneath the Earth. Two wells are drilled. One well injects water into the ground to provide water. The hot rocks heat the water to produce steam. The steam that shoots back up the other hole(s) is purified and is used to drive turbines, which power electric generators. When the water temperature is below the boiling point of water a binary system is used. A low boiling point liquid is used to drive a turbine and generator in a closed system similar to a refrigeration unit running in reverse.

(from)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energy_development

***

It’s just plain stupid. And, I won’t even look up what the burning of the methane as they are doing it – is actually putting into the airstreams that often go land falling from there.

And the controlled burnoffs of petroleum with their tall columns of black soot laden smoke that are also land-falling – even when they’ve been done 50 miles offshore. That is not a long ways in air currents. Duh.

- cricketdiane

***

But since they may be the same people playing the stock market that also thought things could only go up – I better include this here -

That smoke goes up – and then all of what it contains comes down.

(my note)

***

Oil spill response teams conducted a controlled burn operations in an effort to reduce the amount of oil in Gulf of Mexico yesterday. The burns lasted for more than nine hours, thanks to favorable weather conditions. Pictures of the burn operation have been posted on the official website of the oil spill response – www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com – and can be viewed below.

The sight of burning oil billowing smoke raises some interesting questions about just how well prepared we are to manage oil spills in a manner that is safe for the environment and public health. It seems like we are being asked to sacrifice air quality in order to preserve water quality in the Gulf of Mexico.

Of course, there is a better way. For decades, we’ve been told that America is ready to make the leap into a clean energy future. Right now, the Gulf coast is paying the price for our continued reliance on fossil fuels. Lets take this opportunity to decide as a nation that oil is the fuel of our past, not of our future.

Pictures of controlled burn operations implemented by response teams fighting the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. U.S Coast Guard photo by Chief Petty Officer John Kepsimelis.

(from)

http://news.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474978248298

My Note -

I don’t care who you are – that’s stupid. If it were the only option – oh, but wait it isn’t the only option and besides the fact that it puts out all that nasty for burning off what amounts to very little of the overall volume from the spill that needs to be sequestered and recovered – it is doubly, maybe triply stupid. That is massively and collectively beyond words – stupid.

And it wasn’t even necessary on top of that. If that is the best and brightest thinking – then there is something way wrong with their thinking or the idea that it is the best and brightest, because there is nothing bright about that.

- cricketdiane

***

Let me see what else we could do -

Happy Memorial Day, by the way. And, here I am still working on this for no good reason – except to honor those who came before us and gave their lives for our freedoms and rights to be a practicing citizen participant in our nation, our government, in our opportunities and in our lives. Well, that said – what else can I find that could be done -

That reminds me to add this one again right quick -

and this note about a nifty camera that I saw on an ad on the tele last night or this morning – depending on how you look at it – The ad showed the Olympus Pen camera and the commercial was supposedly shot using it – that was so nifty – I’d love to get one of those sometime, it looks like it is a good tool for a cross-platform kind of camera with changeable lenses like the SLRs use but digital and video capable too. Looks pretty nifty.

And this which I posted yesterday – and is definitely not nifty -

TONY HAYWARD, CEO, BP: I think the first thing to recognize is that this is an unprecedented accident. The industry has been working in the deep water for 25 years and not had to contend with this.

As our initial assessment of the accident has indicated, which we’ve now shared with both Congress and Secretary Salazar, there are a whole series of failures here. Most importantly, the fail-safe mechanism, the blowout preventer, failed on three separate occasions.

Now, having said all of that, it’s clear that this will be a transforming event in the history of deep-water exploration. It’s very clear that much more needs to be put in place to deal with this situation should it ever occur again.

Clearly our intentions going forward will be to change many things to ensure that it never can occur.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Now, John, here’s what’s interesting. He mentions — he even said there were a series of failures. So my question is — and I know you asked him this — if there were a series of failures, why didn’t somebody do something the first time that blowout preventer failed?

ROBERTS: Yes. That would be a good — a good question to ask and one that you would think would get a good answer. Now let’s just take it back a little bit. In the House Energy Committee yesterday, a memo was circulated which suggested that the people who were on board that rig, who are operating that well, knew that there were some problems.

For example, about five hours before the explosion, there was a loss of drilling fluid, which suggested that maybe there was a problem with the blowout preventer. And 51 minutes before the explosion, some of that drilling fluid was coming back up through the well and then there was — what was called a significant anomaly in the pressure.

But still they went ahead with production. They didn’t shut down that well. And you know — and I said to Tony Hayward, I said a series of problems would suggest that somewhere along the line somebody could say, hey, we’ve got a serious problem here, before it trips any further down that line, throw the switch, cut it off.

Why didn’t anyone do that?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HAYWARD: As in all major accidents of this sort, what we’re seeing here is a whole series of failures. We’ve identified in our initial assessment at least seven. And that investigation is far from complete because the blowout preventer is still on the seabed.

We’ve not only been able to interview BP people, not anyone from any other companies, and of course the rig is also still on the seabed. So I’m certain that the regulatory investigations — in particular, the Marine Board — will determine exactly what happened and the sequence of events.

ROBERTS: Is it safe to say, Mr. Hayward, that the oil industry has pushed the boundaries of drilling but you haven’t made similar advancements in disaster preparedness?

HAYWARD: I think what this has demonstrated is that was very significant progress has been made in terms of surface response. There is clearly the need to have much more preparedness with expect to subsea response. That is undoubtedly one of the big lessons.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Talking about undoubtedly one of big lessons. Well, there’s also another question out there. How much did cost play in all of this? Cost versus the safety of these workers.

ROBERTS: You know, I asked him that. I asked him if they cut corners to try to keep costs down and then — and keep the rig in production. He told me that it has nothing to do with cost, that this is the first time in 25 years of drilling in the Gulf of Mexico that anything this significant has ever happened.

Other people, though, of course will disagree with that, saying why wasn’t there a half million-dollar acoustic actuator built into that blowout preventer, which could have shut it all down?

A lot of questions will be asked in the days and weeks ahead, Kyra, as to whether or not they were skimping on safety here, trying to save costs and trying to keep their production value as high as possible.

But as Hayward said in his first response here that you heard, he believes that this will be a transforming event that the industry really is going to have to come to the table here with much more comprehensive disaster preparedness plans.

And I’m certain that there will probably be something in the area of more government oversight once they reform this minerals management service, which according to the inspector general has kind of been just running free in its relationships with the government.

And there will be far more eyes looking over their shoulders as they sink these wells even deeper into the Gulf of Mexico.

PHILLIPS: And on the notes of cost and safety, CNN, we were able to obtain documents that came across yesterday, John, with regard to safety measures that were disregarded for the sake of cost. We’ll talk more about that coming up at 9:30. John Roberts, thanks so much.

http://archives.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1005/26/cnr.01.html

(from)

CNN NEWSROOM

BP CEO Says Spill Caused by Series of Failures; Top Kill Challenges; FDA Investigating Tylenol Recalls; Old Memo Suggests BP Cheaped Out on Safety; Troops-to-Border Plan Gets Pushback; Oil Could Spoil Gulf for Years

Aired May 26, 2010 – 09:00 ET

(and this – )

Cooper: Little being done in Lousiana 3:18

A look underneath the oil spill 2:20

BP memo puts price tag on lives 5:10

(from CNN Videos this week more or less)

***

The Gulf’s oily peril 2:33

(and from this story – )

Robert Dudley, the BP official who appeared on CNN’s “State of the Union” and other talk shows, said early estimates that 5,000 barrels (210,000 gallons) were leaking into the ocean each day came from government satellite imaging, rather than BP’s figures.

An updated estimate issued last week by a government-led team put the leak at 12,000-19,000 barrels (504,000 to 798,000 gallons) a day, more than double the initial figure.

“The best way to measure those early rates or estimate those early rates were from satellite data, not BP data,” Dudley said on the CBS program “Face the Nation.”

Not true, countered Carol Browner, the assistant on energy and climate change to President Obama, who spoke to the NBC program “Meet the Press” and the CBS show.

“The very, very first estimates came from BP,” Browner said on the CBS program. “They had the footage of the plume. The government then did satellite imagery and we realized that those estimates were not accurate.”

Browner noted that BP had a “vested financial interest” in downplaying the size of the leak.

“They will ultimately pay a fine based on those rates,” Browner said. “That’s why we brought in an independent team. We did not include BP in the estimates that were made available this week.”

Rep. Ed Markey of Massachusetts, who heads the House Energy and Environment subcommittee, agreed that the company “had a stake in low-balling the number right from the very beginning.”

“I think that they were either lying or they were incompetent,” Markey said on the CBS program. Noting that BP has consistently provided information that proved to be wrong, Markey said he had “no confidence whatsoever in BP.”

“I think they do not know what they are doing,” Markey said, adding: “I don’t think that people should really believe what BP is saying in terms of the likelihood of anything that they’re doing is going to turn out as they’re predicting.”

Browner emphasized steps the government has taken to oversee BP’s efforts to stop the leak, noting the administration ordered the company to begin digging two relief wells intended to eventually stop the leak instead of a single one proposed by BP.

In addition, she said, it was government scientists led by Energy Secretary Steven Chu who recommended that BP halt the so-called “top kill” effort to pump heavy mud down the well to try to plug the leak.

“It was that group of people yesterday who looked at the information we had gotten from ‘top kill’ and realized that it was too dangerous to continue to proceed to put pressure down into that well, that things could happen that would make the situation worse,” Browner said.

http://us.cnn.com/2010/US/05/30/oil.spill.bp.government/index.html?hpt=T1

***

My Note -

So, what kinds of materials are available that could take the oil out of the water – Hmmm………..

There have been any number of them on the videos on CNN and YouTube and elsewhere that include all kinds of things that work – but none of them are being used by BP and their contractors through the Marine Spill Response Corporation. Do they need a phone book or something? Are any of them watching the news? Do they have internet service available to the decision-makers or access to these things or are they isolated from them for some reason?

Hmmmmmmm. again.

If they used the idea of harnessing the power from the high pressure thrust coming out of the oil leaking into the Gulf of Mexico – it ought to yield some practical options that haven’t been considered. But, then they didn’t think to simply corral the damn oil that came out in the first place with large sturdy booms – so what the hell. The thinking is studied in a set of pathways and then stuck in them as well. They aren’t going to consider bringing a tanker out to suck the oil off the surface – as they did in the 1993 spill, offshore Saudi Arabia or somewhere in the Middle East.

And they’ve had that suggestion from the very outset.

And they didn’t corral the oil with booms and then skim it from the surface or siphon it off the surface which they could’ve done.

And they didn’t use substantial booms to protect the coast.

And they didn’t cap the well using the brilliant ideas of any number of people in the first place or in the first few days thereafter.

And they still have the same three plans they did have in the first place for stopping the well which they continue to use in some variation.

One – stick an upside down funnel on it.

Two – stick some mud and junk in there to stop it up and then pour in cement.

Three – stick a straw in there and get some of it up to a ship.

Hmmmmmm………………

Where are the rest of the things that could be done?

Where are the options that I’ve thought up and other people have thought up and other independent engineers and scientists have thought up and kids have thought up and governors, senators, congressmen and reporters have thought up and academics, educators and science people have thought up?

And, where are those ideas being used that don’t fit their original plan whether it is how to sop up the oil or to mitigate its damages or to stop the leaks or to use the high pressures and velocities to do some productive work along with harnessing and recovering the oil and methane / gas hydrates / natural gas, etc.?

Where are these brilliant minds that can’t seem to think any other ways about it while everyone everywhere else of any level of education can and have generated thousands of ideas and methods – thousands of which will work?

What is wrong with this picture?

In fact, what is right about this picture?

It looks like just about nothing is right about it, in fact.

Do you know that no matter how much money can be thrown at a thing – that if it isn’t done effectively knowing how to apply that money effectively to solutions that will work – that it won’t fix it?

And, in fact – we have all seen how that has made things more catastrophic and more expansive in this case of the oil spill in the Deepwater Horizon event from the beginning that started before the explosion and sinking and initial discovery of the leaks exploding oil into the water – until now with the multitude of mistakes made while using everybody’s coattail to excuse the fact they did it that way. BP is a real piece of work. And, so it is with the entire oil industry as a matter of fact. They are all a real piece of work.

They are all like an accident waiting to happen. No – wait correct that. They are accidents waiting to happen – every single one of them. And, it never takes more than one – for it to be a catastrophe of nightmarish proportions.

And their estimates and views of the value of human lives is as sick as Hitler’s and his SS leadership -

“Built upon the Nazi ideology, the SS, under Heinrich Himmler‘s command, was responsible for many of the crimes against humanity perpetrated by the Nazis during World War II, and most of the particularly egregious ones.”

- cricketdiane

***

Now, I say that because of this – doesn’t it seem that everytime anyone or any group of people get that mentality about being the “master race” and some way better than everybody else and get any degree of power – that they do horrendous things with that power, in pursuit of sustaining that power and as a result of that power?

Including BP and other oil producers in this – maybe they’ve had way too much power for way too long and maybe we’ve been kidding ourselves into believing they would be honorable with that power. And, maybe kissing their knees at every turn has given them the idea that they are a much better “master race” than the rest of us. It sure seems to have done that to Wall Street players – maybe it did that to the oil industry players too.

And they don’t mind considering people as a cost analysis estimation of lives lost being less expensive than lives saved and honored and respected and protected as valuable.

Hmmmm…………

It also just seems to muck it up -whether it is a business or a corporation or an industry or a political ideology or a political party or a national leader or an economic giant of some kind.

Now, what do we do?

- cricketdiane

I still think the damn bunch of them should be either forced to take a real bath in the stuff – crude oil and crude oil globs mixed with dispersants in the bathrooms of their houses – or be thrown into the waters of the Gulf of Mexico near a boat, drawn out for lunch covered with the shit and thrown back in a few times so they can get a realistic feel for the problems they’ve created.

It would only be right.

And, they might come out human beings with better judgment than the monsters that they were when we threw them in there with what they created.

****

How can that many people be that damn wrong that much of the time – consistently?

How is that even possible?

***

They could freeze it with liquid nitrogen – useful at those depths – then cap it or harness it or whatever it.

They could close it off using an engine cowling and turbine system used on electricity generation plants and airplane engines / rocket thruster systems. And retrieve electricity from it plus harness and recover the oil and methane.

They could harvest the methane gas hydrates using the process they accidentally discovered with the last upside down funnel “top hat” system they tried.

They could place large hard booms around the full spill still cohesive enough to be kept out of the looping current and corral the rest of it the same way before it hits the coastal areas.

They could use the architectural fabrics like they use on stadiums and airports to anchor down a huge tent structure over the entire leaking gas columns and harvest the oil and the methane from that point anywhere at any level they want above the mile below the surface spot where it is so extreme.

They could tap every leak for the sort of work engine it is providing and not try to stop them up at all. By harnessing each leak site for its potential as an energy engine using the 6,800 pounds per square inch pressure and / or the temperature difference between the sea environment and the temperature of the petroleum jets and similar qualities of fact in existence right this minute.

They could get a tanker from Japan or Saudi Arabia or Kuwait to come pull the oil off the surface and from the subsea plumes where it is known to have been sitting before it goes anywhere else.

They could use the ocean’s natural power in the effort to accumulate and harvest the oil – using the Pelarmis system and an addition of a siphoning or permeable screen and capture system with it.

They could build a capture column in concrete sections the way they build bridge pilings with sinking large sections – connecting them until the 8 – 20 foot diameter concrete collar provides some measure of contained distribution point nearer to the surface where pressures and temperatures are not so severe and extreme.

They could consider this in the same way as a jet propulsion engine instead of something to plug up or kill. Then in using that mentality about solutions – harness the work or the high pressure velocities for some desirable permanent solutions which both provide work conversion or electricity generating and captures the oil as well for harvest. I as much as said that already – however, using that mentality and approach generally would go farther to awaken the minds of engineers and science geeks for the solutions that could be generated that will work than any one other thing.

They could consider a chemical equation in all this – rather than a mechanical one – they are going to use fractional distillation once their shit gets onshore anyway – why not incorporate that process where its coming out of the sea floor – the pressures are already there. The column of oil is already available coming into it at high pressures, inside a cooling system that can’t be any better with all our refrigeration equipment going full blast. Why not?

AND -

I don’t know if anybody has noticed this – but the leak on top of the blowout preventer they are talking about sticking an upside down funnel on this time – isn’t the only place that has been leaking at 19,000 barrels or 70,000 barrels a day or whatever it actually is.

That means something – really serious – categorically – really, really serious.

- cricketdiane, 05-30-10

***

We haven’t even been looking at the original leaking spot shown in the first video clip they released. They’ve had us all looking at the one they were fiddling with on the stick mud and golfball chunks into the blowout preventer internal column and see if it will get stuck enough to stick some concrete in there.

(my note)

***

There have been people in the CNN blog about solutions people offered and other places on the web that suggested using military assets to blow up the well but apparently they didn’t like that idea either. I’m not sure if that would have worked or not – but it sure would’ve made everybody feel better had it been done near the start of this mess and prevented most of the rest of what we’ve experienced now from it.

The fact is – there are solutions and they aren’t using them. There are any number of things about the ocean chemistry and its power generally – that can be used to clean up the mess, too. And, they aren’t doing that either.

There are designs based on peat moss, human hair obviously, and biotics that break the oil down but many have fixed nitrogen fertilizers included in them to do the job and that can make another nightmare on top of the one that was there in the first place when applied to marshlands – does make it look like a golf course though where the oil isn’t as evident to people that would be bothered by seeing it.

There are booms which are more substantial and the product used by the Louisiana National Guard which still impresses me to this day with the collapsible / expandable fabric and frame boxes filled with a non-toxic absorbent polymer or copolymer that allowed the water to be cleaned of the oil on its way by while protecting the coastal estuaries and beaches and animals. Amazing – but the BP crowd isn’t buying those nor including them on the list of options either. They aren’t buying the substantial booms used by the Navy either nor the NOAQ types of systems that can prevent the oil from going into passages of the marsh lands and other inland waterways and keep it from beaches, although I was happy to see the National Guard over the last few days using that system to protect 7 miles of beach on one of the islands.

Why doesn’t the Marine Spill Response Corporation or BP have any of these things available nor any of these products including the one being backed by Kevin Costner, I think it is. Why aren’t these things operational at forty-one days later knowing the flimsy booms are a piece of shit which was never tested in real world conditions and hurricanes, tropical storms, afternoon storms, high winds, high surf, storm surges and pickup by the currents is all going to happen?

After the destruction of over 30 acres of pristine animals, fishes, birds, insects and marine animals in marshes along the Louisiana shores – what did they think they were doing to make it well-known that they didn’t give a damn over at BP?

Their attitude was that “it’s only thirty acres.” Look at any of the places in the news clips where the BP executives say it – and they have an attitude in their body language that says it all – like big deal – a few acres of swamp got a little oil in it. And those places are complete zones of death nearly in total even today already – and expanding outwards from there in every direction and at every level of the food chain it affects.

Nope, they just aren’t going to “get it” about why that is important and how much death and sickness and destruction and unnecessary suffering to those animals that it represents factually. The BP group needs to be forced to go out there and stick their hands in it without a glove to protect them. I swear they do. And then tempting as it is to leave them there . . .

- cricketdiane

***

Do you know that in the history of the world – BP already has placed itself in this moment into those history books as the most vile destructive force on an ecosystem and destroyer of the US economic recovery that had been underway before their reactions to this event started the process of undermining it and altering its course.

They do have a place in history now for certain. The people who have supported their viewpoint and the viewpoint of maintaining protections for the entire oil industry along with supporting their profit harvests from our national waters, our national lands and our national wealth of mineral and petroleum resources will be written alongside them for the history books.

That is a fact. And, our children and grandchildren and people around the world will know them for what they’ve been doing that devalued human life in pursuit of their corporate goals and destroyed rather than created and killed rather than protecting or enhancing life for all the creatures including people that it touched. Those that support them and the ways they’ve been doing things will be known right beside them over the course of time for what they’ve done and what they allowed to be done. That is their legacy – this is what we have in the Gulf of Mexico – their legacy to us from all their efforts and devaluation of life in pursuit of their own benefits at the expense of us all.

Hmmmm………….

There were protesters that hung a flag on the UK headquarters of BP and those that poured artificial petroleum crude oil over themselves in protests across the US and Houston at the BP headquarters there. It doesn’t matter.

There are boycotts and planned protests – signs being painted up even as I sit writing this and there are probably over a million people involved in some respect across a broad spectrum that are involved with these things across the US and across the world. And, it doesn’t matter – BP still runs things with impunity and contempt as if their ways are the only right ones and they are sure they are untouchable and incapable of being touched by this event over any course of time. Shareholders still back them, the stock market pension fund portfolios still carry their shares despite the financial risks attached to them and their belief is that their liability is limited, although it isn’t in reality.

So, what to do?

What do I know that would make gasoline and diesel fuel just about obsolete entirely and extraordinarily fast in application? Hmmmmmm……….

Is there anyway that Americans would adopt anything except pumping more gasoline fuels into something they own? HMMM>

………

thinking ……….

thinking some more …………

thinking about the Tesla car and the new Sunbeam car ……………

hmmmm…………..

wait – those are too expensive for 90% of the people in America to own the way they’ve been doing things in the last twenty years or better.

Hmmmmm……..

cars can be retrofit for vegie oil -

but who wants to smell like a french fry going down the road ………..

and who wants a car covered in flexible solar film panels that doesn’t use gas at all and looks like a UFO going down the road >>>>>>>>

HMMMMM>

What about issuing a change in where golf carts and Cushman trucks can be used – increasing the mpg on all existing cars – and allowing sidewalks to be used for Segways and mini-Coopers, Cushmans, ATV four-wheeler electrics and golf carts – HMMMM ……….

What about using more geothermal plants for electricity generating in the US instead of driving crap into the ground to get the shale oil and last vapors out of the old petroleum wells with forced injections of foreign chemicals into them?

What about bringing every person in America into an agreement on something one time – one single time for one single purpose and then working outwards from there to see what else we could do as a nation?

Maybe like joining in the singular purpose of sending $5.00 from each us individually in the mail to somebody or somebody’s business in the Gulf of Mexico and Louisiana in particular that have been destroyed by this, including the families of the men killed in the rig explosion. I could pick an address of somebody there and send them $5.00 in an envelope – I’m sure everybody else could do that too. We could all just pick one from the phone book or online and send them $5.00 to add to what they have to get their families and businesses through this. Could we all join together and do that?

We wouldn’t even have to agree on where to send it or to whom or anything else except why to be doing it and I can see that as an agreement that we give a damn. These are our neighbors and countrymen. Many people in Nashville need the same thing too. And, we’ve done it before. Why not now?

Hmmmmm……………

Then maybe we could fix this other stuff together woolly though it might be.

I’m going to think some about that and go make a bit of something to eat.

Be back in awhile with another idea or two. I’m working on it.

- cricketdiane

Happy Memorial Day, America

***

Lawmaker disputes BP’s claims about underwater oil

Rep. Edward Markey challenged the assertion by oil giant BP’s chief executive that no underwater oil plumes have formed because of the Gulf of Mexico spill. FULL STORY

(from CNN – US)

***

on May 31,

Let’s put the oil executives and oil loving Republicans that think its no big deal in the Crude Oil coating the Gulf of Mexico – into a bathtub of crude oil and then see what they say –

30 Sunday May 2010

Posted by cricketdiane in Cricket Diane C Sparky Phillips

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

BP, cleanup and recovery efforts in the Gulf of Mexico, COREXIT, cricketdiane, oil coated marine animals birds, oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico

Swimming Through the Spill …

New York Times - Susan D. Shaw – ‎10 hours ago‎

It is also bioaccumulative, meaning its concentration intensifies as it moves up the food chain. The timing for exposure to these chemicals could not be …

BP and the Damage Done

EnergyBoom - Stacy Clark – ‎11 hours ago‎

80 percent of the Gulf’s food chain is born in Louisiana’s marshes. “Once the oil touches them they are damaged…You can’t clean up a marsh, …

Local marine biologist keeping a close eye on oil spill developments

The Freeport News - ‎13 hours ago‎

“Your phylo plankton community, the small community of the plants and animals in the water column that are the food base for everybody, …

***

COREXIT® EC9527A

TECHNICAL PRODUCT BULLETIN #D-1
USEPA, OIL PROGRAM CENTER
ORIGINAL LISTING DATE: MARCH 10, 1978
REVISED LISTING DATE: DECEMBER 18, 1995
“COREXIT® EC9527A”
(formerly COREXIT 9527)

I. NAME, BRAND, OR TRADEMARK

COREXIT® EC9527A
Type of Product: Dispersant

II. NAME, ADDRESS AND TELEPHONE NUMBER OF MANUFACTURER/CONTACT

Nalco Energy Services, L.P.
P.O. Box 87
Sugar Land, TX 77487-0087
Customer Services:
Phone: (800) 333-3714
Product Management:
Office: (281) 263-7336
Mobile: (281) 202-8126
Email: kapreston@nalco.com
(Ms. Kathryn Preston)

III. NAME, ADDRESS, AND TELEPHONE NUMBER OF PRIMARY DISTRIBUTORS

IV. SPECIAL HANDLING AND WORKER PRECAUTIONS FOR STORAGE AND FIELD APPLICATION

1. Flammability:
COREXIT® EC9527A is not classified as flammable by either DOT or IMO regulations.
2. Ventilation:
Avoid prolonged breathing of vapors. Use with ventilation equal to unobstructed outdoors in moderate breeze.
3. Skin and eye contact; protective clothing; treatment in case of contact:
Avoid eye contact. In case of eye contact, immediately flush eyes with large amounts of water for at least 15 minutes. Get prompt medical attention. Avoid contact with skin and clothing. In case of skin contact, immediately flush with large amounts of water, and soap if available. Remove contaminated clothing, including shoes, after flushing has begun. If irritation persists, seek medical attention. For open systems where contact is likely, wear long sleeve shirt, chemical resistant gloves, and chemical protective goggles.
4.a. Maximum storage temperature: 170ºF
4.b. Minimum storage temperature: -30ºF
4.c. Optimum storage temperature range: 40ºF to 100ºF
4.d. Temperatures of phase separations and chemical changes:
COREXIT® EC9527A is not adversely affected by changes in storage temperature unless evaporation is allowed to occur.

V. SHELF LIFE

The shelf life of unopened drums of COREXIT® EC9527A is unlimited. Containers should always be capped when not in use to prevent contamination and evaporation of solvents.

2. Concentration/Application Rate:
A treatment rate of about 2 to 10 U.S. gallons per acre, or a dispersant to oil ratio of 1:50 to 1:10 is recommended. This rate varies depending on the type of oil, degree of weathering, temperature, and thickness of the slick.

VII. TOXICITY AND EFFECTIVENESS

a. Toxicity:

Material Tested	Species	LC50 (ppm)
COREXIT® EC9527A	Menidia beryllina Mysidopsis bahia	14.57 96-hr 24.14 48-hr

No. 2 Fuel Oil	Menidia beryllina Mysidopsis bahia	10.72 96-hr 16.12 48-hr

COREXIT® EC9527A & No. 2 Fuel Oil (1:10)	Menidia beryllina Mysidopsis bahia	4.49 96-hr 6.60 48-hr

Reference Toxicant (DSS)	Menidia beryllina Mysidopsis bahia	7.07 96-hr 9.82 48-hr

NOTE: This toxicity data was derived using the concentrated product. See Section VI of this bulletin for information regarding the manufacturer’s recommendations for concentrations and application rates for field use.

b. Effectiveness:
SWIRLING FLASK DISPERSANT EFFECTIVENESS TEST WITH SOUTH LOUISIANA (S/L) AND PRUDHOE BAY (P/B) CRUDE OIL

Oil	Effectiveness (%)
Prudhoe Bay Crude	37.4%
South Louisiana Crude	63.4%
Average of Prudhoe Bay and South Louisiana Crudes	50.4 %

VIII. MICROBIOLOGICAL ANALYSIS

Not Applicable

IX. PHYSICAL PROPERTIES

1. Flash Point: 163ºF
2. Pour Point: < – 40ºF
3. Viscosity: 160 cst at 32ºF
4. Specific Gravity: 0.98 – 1.02
5. pH: 6.1
6. Surface Active Agents: CONFIDENTIAL
7. Solvents: Water, Propylene Glycol, 2-Butoxyethanol
8. Additives: CONFIDENTIAL
9. Solubility: Complete

X. ANALYSIS FOR HEAVY METALS, CYANIDE, AND CHLORINATED HYDROCARBONS

Compound	Concentration (ppm)
Arsenic	< 0.005
Cadmium	< 0.01
Chromium	< 1.0
Copper	< 0.2
Lead	< 0.1
Mercury	< 0.003
Nickel	< 0.1
Zinc	0.1
Cyanide	< 0.01
Chlorinated Hydrocarbons	< 0.01

http://www.epa.gov/oem/content/ncp/products/corex952.htm

****

Limits on access to oiled waters, coast frustrates journalists

‎
NOLA.com – Laura Maggi – 1 day ago

… the site of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico on Friday. … to oil-coated beaches or other areas have cropped up in recent weeks. …

***

IFAI Provides Specialty Fabrics for Urgently Needed GOM Oil Cleanup

‎
Earthtimes (press release) – 1 day ago

Geotextiles and PVC-coated fabric are options for creating turbidity … as the perfect sponge for sopping up oil that has polluted the Gulf of Mexico. …

&***

Risk Management Plan (RMP) Rule

EPA staff who are conducting on-site compliance evaluations at RMP facilities should offer facility employees and employee representatives the opportunity to participate in any such evaluations. The Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance (OECA) and the Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response (OSWER) have issued interim guidance (PDF) (2 pp, 648K, about PDF) and are jointly developing final guidance to implement the CAA section 112(r) statutory requirement. They plan to issue the guidance later in 2010. Until final EPA guidance is issued, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Field Operations Manual (PDF) (319 pp, 3.5M, about PDF) is available as a reference tool.

RMP Information Access and Address Change for Reporting Center

EPA published in the Federal Register (PDF) (1 pg, 60K, about PDF) a new address for the RMP Reporting Center (PDF) (118 pp, 3.7M, about PDF) and an authorization for a new contractor to access Risk Management Plan (RMP) information.

On March 13, 2009, EPA provided new software called RMP*eSubmit for facilities to use for online RMP reporting. EPA asks that all facilities use this new method to submit RMPs because it is easy to use, will improve data quality, and will enable you to access your RMP 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Under the authority of section 112(r) of the Clean Air Act, the Chemical Accident Prevention Provisions require facilities that produce, handle, process, distribute, or store certain chemicals to develop a Risk Management Program, prepare a Risk Management Plan (RMP), and submit the RMP to EPA. Covered facilities were initially required to comply with the rule in 1999, and the rule has been amended on several occassions since then, most recently in 2004.

On this page:

Preparing a Risk Management Plan

Please consult the following sources, in addition to the RMP rule, before preparing your plan:

Risk Management Program Policy and Guidance – EPA provides several guidance documents to help facilities understand and comply with the RMP rule.
40 CFR 68.130 (Full Text) – A full list of chemicals regulated under the RMP rules.
Title III Consolidated List of Lists – October 2006 Version – The Consolidated List of Chemicals Subject to the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act and Section 112(r) of the Clean Air Act helps facilities determine whether they will be subject to the Chemical Accident Prevention Provisions.

EPA developed tools to allow facilities to prepare and submit their RMPs online. These tools include:

RMP*eSubmit – EPA developed this online system for facilities to use to prepare and submit their Risk Management Plans.
RMP Comp – This electronic tool performs the off-site consequence analysis required under the Risk Management Program

Submitting a Risk Management Plan

After you have prepared your plan using RMP*eSubmit, you may also re-submit, correct, or withdraw an RMP.

Facilities submitting Confidential Business Information (CBI) and Trade Secrets cannot use RMP*eSubmit at this time. Please contact the RMP Reporting Center for submission options.

Accessing RMP Information

RMP information may be accessed via the Federal Reading Rooms:

Federal Reading Rooms are open and available to the public to review RMP information.

For More Information

Search frequently asked questions or submit your own question
Risk Management Program Policy and Guidance
Risk Management Program Fact Sheets
Superfund, TRI, EPCRA, RMP & Oil Information Center – The Information Center can also answer questions related to Clean Air Act section 112(r) and RMP reporting requirements.
RMP Reporting Center – The Reporting Center can answer questions about software or installation problems.

Local Navigation

http://www.epa.gov/oem/content/rmp/index.htm

***

At Federal Reading Rooms, you may access Off-Site Consequence Analysis (scenarios) portions of Risk Management Plans (RMPs), as described below. RMP Information without Off-Site Consequence Analysis is available on request.

What Should I Expect to Happen When I Arrive at the Federal Reading Room?

You should familiarize yourself with the following procedures:

You may read and take notes of Offsite Consequences Analysis (OCA) information. However, you may not remove, photocopy, or otherwise mechanically reproduce OCA Information.

You may access OCA information for up to 10 facilities per calendar month, without geographic restriction. To do this you must show photo identification issued by a Federal, State, or local government agency such as a driver’s license or passport. You will also be asked to sign a certification on a sign-in sheet.

You may also access OCA information for all of the facilities that are located in or potentially impact the jurisdiction of the Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) where you live or work. To access local information, you must provide appropriate documentation showing where you live or work and your address and your signature on a sign-in sheet.

Do I need to make an appointment to visit a Federal Reading Room?

There are two types of Federal Reading Rooms:

1.) A “By-Appointment” Reading Room requires you to set up an appointment and request OCA Information from specific facilities several days in advance, so that paper copies can be printed and delivered from elsewhere.

2.) A “Walk-In” Reading Room generally provides access during its office hours. However, even for a walk-in Reading Room, it is best to call ahead. This lets you confirm its availability and learn of any site-specific requirements, and it gives the Reading Room a chance to prepare for your visit.

Do all Federal Reading Rooms provide the same information?

All Federal Reading Rooms can provide you the same information.

Who supports the Federal Reading Rooms?

Some reading rooms are supported by EPA; the others are the responsibility of the Department of Justice.

Where are Federal Reading Rooms located?

The Federal Reading Room locations are listed below. If you have any problems contacting an EPA Federal Reading Rooms, please call the Superfund, TRI, EPCRA, RMP & Oil Information Center.

Alabama (Birmingham)
Alaska
Arizona (Phoenix)
Arkansas (Little Rock)
California
Colorado
Connecticut (New Haven)
Delaware (Wilmington)
District of Columbia
Florida (Miami/Tampa)
Georgia
Guam (Agana)
Hawaii
Idaho (Boise)
Illinois
Indiana (Indianapolis)
Iowa (Des Moines)
Kansas
Kentucky (Louisville)

Louisiana (New Orleans)
Maine
Maryland (Balitmore)
Massachusetts
Michigan (Detroit)
Minnesota (Minneapolis)
Mississippi (Jackson)
Missouri
Montana (Great Falls)
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire (Concord)
New Jersey
New Mexico (Albuquerque)
New York (Buffalo)
North Carolina
North Dakota (Fargo)
Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan)
Ohio

Oklahoma (Oklahoma City)
Oregon (Portland)
Pennsylvania
Puerto Rico (Hato Rey)
Rhode Island (Providence)
South Carolina (Columbia)
South Dakota
Tennessee (Nashville)
Texas
Utah (Salt Lake City)
Vermont
Virgin Islands
Virginia (Roanoke)
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin (Milwaukee)
Wyoming

Alaska

Type: Appointment
Phone: (907) 271-3414 or 3616
Address:
Federal Building, U.S. EPA
Federal Building Room 537
222 West 7th Avenue #19
Anchorage, AK 99513-7588

California

San Francisco:
Type: Appointment
Phone: (415) 972-3089 or (415) 972-3153
Address:
U.S. EPA Region 9
75 Hawthorne St. (SFD-9-A)
San Francisco, CA 94105-3901

Sacramento: Department of Justice Reading Room

Colorado

Type: Appointment
Phone: (303) 312-6345
Address:
U.S. EPA Region 8
1595 Wynkoop Street
Denver, CO 80202-1129

District of Columbia

Type: Walk-In; However it is best to call first, in order to process and print the requests in a timely manner
Phone: (202) 566-1744
Fax: (202) 566-1749
Address:
U.S. EPA West Building
1301 Constitution Ave., N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20460

Georgia

Type: Appointment
Phone: (404) 562-9189
Address:
U.S. EPA Region 4
Sam Nunn Atlanta Federal Center
61 Forsyth Street, S.W.
12th Floor
Atlanta, GA 30303

Illinois

Type: Appointment
Phone: (312) 353-9045
Address:
Federal Building
U.S. EPA 77 West Jackson Blvd.
6th Floor South
Chicago, IL 60604

Kansas

Type: Appointment
Phone: (800) 223-0425
Address:
U.S. EPA Region 7
Air, RCRA & Toxics Division, Chemical Information Branch
901 North 5th Street
Kansas City, Kansas 66101

Massachusetts

Type: Appointment
Phone: (617) 918-1990
Address:
US EPA Region 1 Library
5 Post Office Square
Suite 100 LIB01-2
Boston, MA 02109-3912

Missouri

Kansas City:
Type: Appointment
Phone: (816) 283-7092 or (816) 283-7087
Address:
U.S. DHS/FEMA
National Preparedness Division Administrative and Planning Branch
9221 Ward Parkway, Suite 300
Kansas City, Missouri 64114

St. Louis: Department of Justice Reading Room

New Jersey

Edison:
Type: Appointment
Phone: (732) 906-6194
Address:
U.S. EPA Superfund Record Center
2890 Woodbridge Avenue
Building 205
Edison, NJ 08837

Newark: Department of Justice Reading Room

Ohio

Cincinnati:
Type: Appointment/Walk-in
Phone: (513) 569-7703
Address:
U.S. EPA AWBERC Library
26 West Martin Luther King Drive
Room 406
Cincinnati, OH 45268

Cleveland: Department of Justice Reading Room

Pennsylvania

Type: Appointment/Walk-in
Phone: (215) 814-5254
Address:
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Regional Library
1650 Arch Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103

Texas

Dallas:
Type: Appointment/Walk-in
Phone: (214) 665-6708
Address:
U.S. EPA Region 6
Fountain Place
Suite 700
1445 Ross Avenue
Dallas, TX 75202-2733

Houston: Department of Justice Reading Room

Virgin Islands

Type: Appointment
Phone: (732) 906-6194
Address:
U.S. EPA Federal Office Building
5500 Veterans Drive
Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas

Washington

Type: Appointment
Phone: (206) 553-1289
Address: (Check-in at the 14th floor service center on day of appointment)
U.S. EPA Region 10
1200 Sixth Avenue
Library
Seattle, WA 98101

(from)

http://www.epa.gov/oem/content/rmp/readingroom.htm

***

A whale shark swims off Sarasota today. - Photo by Kim Hull/Mote Marine Laboratory

(from)

http://www2.tbo.com/content/2010/may/28/mote-marine-tags-2-whale-sharks-track-their-moveme/news-breaking/

By ROB SHAW | The Tampa Tribune

Published: May 28, 2010

On BP Rig, Nobody In Charge After Blast

‎
FOX 4 News – 1 day ago

Flames were spreading rapidly, power was out, and terrified workers were leaping into the dark, oil-coated sea. Capt. Curt Kuchta, the vessel’s commander, …

Ridge Report: Oil Spill Affects Many

‎
my.hsj.org – 1 day ago

Turtles have to come to the surface to breathe and can be coated with oil or may swallow it. And, the Gulf is one of only two nurseries for Blue Fin tuna, …

***

Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill: Slick affecting coastal wildlife

The visible impact is heartbreaking: birds coated in oil, marine animals floating lifeless. Environmentalists are calling on BP to be more open about the wildlife casualties.

Jay Holcomb runs a bird rescue center, one of several groups BP hired to rehabilitate wildlife. He’s been cleaning and caring for oil-covered birds from almost the start of the spill. But this week something changed. He was asked to remove the list of bird casualties from his website.

When asked why the list was taken down, Holcomb says, “We’ve been asked to have people call the Joint Information Center so they can give them to people rather than having them posted and it was a decision made by BP, so I’m not sure why. I really don’t know why. We just follow the command structure at this point.”

We know 24 dolphins and 212 turtles have died since the spill. How many actually died from oil? No answers yet. Tissue samples from some of the animals are being tested by NOAA. What the results are and when they’ll finally be done is something even the u-s fish and wildlife service is curious about.

Charlie Herbert with U.S. Fish & Wildlife says, “We’re very curious. I ask the same questions and I’m waiting for the same answers that you are, frankly.”
(Source: CNN)

Found here –

http://www.todaysthv.com/news/natInt/story.aspx?storyid=105548&catid=288

***

USM Gulf Coast Research Laboratory team returns from bluefin tuna …

‎
Mississippi Press (blog) – Kaija Wilkinson – 1 day ago

… collected this sample of oil-coated sargassum, an essential nursery habitat for pelagic fishes, from the northern Gulf of Mexico north of the oil spill …

Mississippi Press

***

My Note -

What brings death on such a massive scale – British Petroleum, TransOcean, Halliburton, Cameron. What could possibly make the deaths on such a massive scale even worse and more catastrophic? British Petroleum – BP – BP executives – BP staff – BP employees acting in BP’s best interest – BP board of directors – BP attorneys – BP public relations teams – BP representatives and decision-makers and BP oil industry memberships and BP influenced oil industry trade associations – BP profits – BP interests – BP’s goals – and the BP shareholders that financially back the greatest criminal bringer of death in the corporate world since Bhopal. Tlhat is criminal – it killed eleven men this time – fifteen men in Texas City – how many animals – how many environments – how many sea colonies of marine animals – how many species and how many people’s lives that will be permanently made to suffer ill health and horrors as a result of BP and BP’s actions and BP’s choices and BP’s decisions and BP’s mishandling of the containment and cleanup operations?

How much death and destruction does a corporation have to spread before somebody says no to them? Isn’t this way past enough death and destruction already? There is enough danger, death, destruction and damaging things in our world without corporations adding one iota to it.

And, T. Boone Pickens, Shell Oil’s ex-president and representative of the interests of the oil industry man Hofmeister say its not criminal and that no criminal charges will be filed against BP or TransOcean or Halliburton. Well, does that mean I can go out and create a corporate entity and kill eleven people, pollute the entire Gulf of Mexico and poison hundreds of thousands of animals and it isn’t criminal?

Hmmmmm……….

I guess I’ll get started then – put it on the shopping list right under the next thing on my to do list – build a dangerous profitable corporate enterprise that isn’t subject to any of the laws of man or God just like BP and Dow Chemical and countless others – including the Halliburton the horrible that was responsible for not only this disaster and deaths but also numbers of men in Iraq that took showers their contractors had put in and were electrocuted as a result.

Oh but wait – there’s more, like Bernie Madoff – the next thing that will happen is that BP will get awards for safety and be put in positions respected above all others – just like Madoff heading up NASDAQ while stealing everybody’s money he was given to invest with his damn ponzi scheme while the SEC gave him the go ahead and their seal of approval.

- cricketdiane

***

And so now – where have they hidden the list of dead birds, rescued birds – dead marine mammals and dead coastal animals, dead sea animals and rescued de-oiled animals that aren’t the two that are being tracked more or less on the NOAA site – they haven’t been including all animals found dead or dying – just some of them despite the fact that this event has gone on for forty days now – and some of the animals they assumed may not have died from the oil in the first two – three weeks simply weren’t included.

But where are the totals of all animals, birds and marine animals that have been found?

What right does BP have to decide where these things are posted for the public?

And, what right does BP have to decide who flies where, or what journalists and reporters get to see?

And I still don’t see who decided the President – our President was to see a beach that had already been cleaned with people staged to look like they had been there regularly, consistently – when they had not.

Who goes to see the extent of damages from a disaster of historic national and international proportions and doesn’t look at anything except what has already been cleaned up?

What kind of review of the situation is that?

- cricketdiane, 05-30-10

***

Crude Oil Catastrophe in the Gulf of Mexico – BP public relations priorities – Attorneys running BP choices and “brain trust” making decisions that are stupid at BP’s direction and decision-making process – using our National Resources – (and US agencies)

30 Sunday May 2010

Posted by cricketdiane in Cricket Diane C Sparky Phillips

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Tags

BP, cleanup and recovery efforts in the Gulf of Mexico, cricketdiane, crude oil drilling accident Deepwater Horizon, EPA, oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico

And – as a bit ago on CNN, I heard that BP is setting up tent cities for workers – Who is that stupid?

You don’t make tent cities for people where it is over 90 degrees, high humidity, covered over with gnats, ants, flies, mosquitoes and every other crawling thing – with hurricanes on the way. Who could be that stupid?

And to be filled with the fumes from the coast of crude oil and dispersants and increased diesel exhausts that the areas have – without any chance to get into a hotel room with air conditioning and air filters or anything?

And common afternoon and evening thundershowers – they’re setting folks up to “camp out”? What kind of thinking is that conceptually stupid?

- cricketdiane, 05-29-10

***

They must have said twenty times between Rear Admiral Landry and BP executive Doug Suttles, that the very best minds are working on this – the “brain trust” etc. -

I don’t care who they hell they’ve got making these decisions – stupid is still stupid no matter how many people think that’s the way to do it.

And EPA tests showing there isn’t oil where we are looking at it in photos – is stupid.

And EPA air monitoring that say there aren’t chemical dangers and health hazards in the air – where everybody anywhere in the area can smell it – is stupid.

And, BP building a “tent city” in Louisiana in the summertime for workers near the coast filled with fumes and heat and humidity and mosquitoes – is stupid.

I don’t care who you are – this shit is stupid.

- cd9

***

The Louisiana National Guard is acting and doing what is smart and intelligently applied. The state of Louisiana local, state leaderships and other locally based assets are fighting to add practical and common sense measures which should’ve been added by BP, Coast Guard, EPA and other agencies of the government responsible for the knowledge – in the first place.

The international meteorological scientists, oceanographers, marine biologists and marine ecologists along with multitudes of our own scientists are getting it right or more closely aligned to the truth than every single agencies’ representatives working under the direction and intellectual bias of BP and their specialists and incident command members.

And stupid is still stupid – and if things that don’t work are continuing to be done the same way – that is stupid -

including setting booms that don’t do anything in seas with choppy wave forms, winds, waves over a foot high, waves going in different directions, in even the slightest 10 knot wind – and its already obvious since very early in the process – that they don’t work. That is stupid.

including putting people in tent city in Louisiana in the summertime – that is stupid.

including insisting that fisherman and local boat owners who went out into the open ocean to place booms in petroleum oil-laden seas with overhead known toxic chemical dispersants blowing by the wind across them – was criminal, life-threatening, health damaging and stupid.

including treating this oil spill the way that has been done knowing the chemical dispersants in use would kill marine life and food chains and be toxic to people when they come on shore with the winds and storm surges – that is stupid.

including dicking around about the quantities being released into the ocean as if equations and methods for finding such quantities didn’t exist – that is sad, create unnecessary dangers and was stupid.

including that pretense of the quantities being released being different than they had to know them to be and then saying the quantities don’t matter – that is stupid.

including not knowing that things, techniques, and possible solutions in the plan they had were inappropriate to the task and its unique requirements – which also includes acting like they didn’t know the gas hydrates would clog the last “top hat” they used – was completely stupid. And didn’t work.

including the insistence that priorities be to stop the leak and then keep the oil out of the marshes until it had completely killed over 30 acres that are now known to be dead zones. That was stupid.

including the instigation of putting out public information as if no animals have died as a result of this despite the high numbers of unnaturally occurring deaths of marine wildlife at a time when their only place to live is coated with crude oil, filled throughout the water column with toxic chemical dispersants mixed with crude oil, and the air above the water is filled with burning methane leftovers, controlled burn leftovers, motor oil from boats, and diesel exhaust from boats, and every dangerous fume and vapor chemical hazards known to be in the crude oil and in the chemical dispersants. Stupid.

including saying that they don’t know how those marine animals, dolphins, porpoises, sea turtles and other marine life, birds, etc. died – and put out public opinion pieces about there only being a little oil on a couple bird’s wings – is also stupid.

including the EPA taking water and air samples and saying it is safe and not toxic when we’ve all seen the crude oil thick in the water and people have smelled the fumes and now many people are getting sick and were getting sick all along with permanent health damages known to be caused by these things – see, that is stupid.

I don’t care how professional, how many degrees or credentials they have up there at the Unified Command or at their Brain Trust – stupid is still stupid.

And, doing the same things that aren’t working – is stupid.

And, causing or allowing to be caused inhumane and dangerous, life-threatening, permanently life-altering ill health, ecologically damaging things that also kill the food chain and marine animals for generations -

is stupid – I don’t care who you are.

you can’t credential that – but the thinking that is being used on this thing has been consistently proving to be stupid.

- cricketdiane

***

When -

a.) the things being done aren’t working, aren’t working well, or are making things worse, causing death, causing sickness, killing people, killing animals, killing future generations of animals, making children sick, destroying the future health of children, families, people, elderly and future generations -

and

b.) the solutions being tried to cap the well continue to be producing ill, non-existent or failing results which allows the situation to be catastrophically worse -

and

c.) the complete menu of solutions has simply carried forward things already planned that were known to not work, or tried in places with drastically different parameters making them unlikely to work in this one -

and

d.) the overall impacts of the continuing expansion of the dangerous situation is massive, catastrophic on every level, expansive in the amount of dangers and destruction it can and will likely do -

THEN -

doing it the way they are going about it – even with the credentialed experts and specialists being the “best minds available” backing up doing it that way – is still stupid, is still wrong, and is still failing to meet the measure of the event successfully mitigating it and its damages.

And, if BP or anyone else thinks that using those intellectual educated resources in the way they have been using them and intimating that those experts back up BP’s way of doing it – will all relieve their responsibility and liability for getting it wrong and making things worse – they are wrong.

It won’t be an excuse at all when it gets down to it. They have the best and brightest minds applying what they know to this situation – then let ‘em lose to find anything and everything that could possibly work given the unique parameters of this event in all its complexities including the massive spread of it – and let them generate solutions novel to it and include those from any and all other places as well. Then use all of those things generated.

Keep doing what does work. Discard what doesn’t work. Modify until the full measure of the challenge has been given solutions, had them paid for and implemented in a timely way – and y’all can study the hell out of it later. To use the same solutions without having generated any new ones nor to have filled things in where solutions were found that do work and doing more of that – is stupid, to say the least and irresponsible to a criminal level in fact.

And, there is no excuse for that.

- cricketdiane

***

Top Kill used by BP failed – EPA and BP claims water near coastline and at the well where dispersants added shows no signs of toxicity

30 Sunday May 2010

Posted by cricketdiane in Cricket Diane C Sparky Phillips

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BP, cleanup and recovery efforts in the Gulf of Mexico, cricketdiane, EPA, oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, OSHA, Petroleum

The BP man Doug Suttles in a briefing about an hour ago – among the questions and statements – said that EPA had monitored the water at the well leak where dispersants are being used and says there is no evidence of a problem, or toxicity in the water.

And on May 27, the EPA testified in Congress that from samples they took along the coast that there is no evidence of toxic or dangerous water that would alter or damage aquatic life.

The water column is filled with crude oil, crude oil and dispersants, added filth from the massive operation of controlled burns particulate matter and soot fallout and from the huge numbers of extra boats in the areas – the photos of every coastal area along 107 miles of Louisiana are showing crude oil sludge, tar balls, filth from oil slicks to syrupy oil and NOAA’s site contains a list of over 200 sea turtles that are dead along with high numbers of other marine animals that have been retrieved.

So, how could the EPA water monitoring at a well head that is exploding oil into the water along with thousands of gallons of COREXIT – a known toxic agent used as the dispersant – have results that show safe, non-toxic water there?

And on May 27, the EPA testified in Congress that from samples they took along the coast that there is no evidence of toxic or dangerous water that would alter or damage aquatic life.

The other thing is that EPA is not testing for the specific chemicals of the crude oil that they know are expected and are making people sick. They are not testing for PM10 which indicates the level of soot in the air added by controlled burns and added exhaust from increased ocean vessel traffic exhausting diesel waste and from added semi-rigs on land that are doing the same thing. Then the EPA is publicly claiming the air is safe based on the air monitoring tests they are doing that are not made for these petroleum chemicals known to be health hazards in very small quantities and concentrations.

What the hell is going on? How is it possible for them to say the waters of the shore aren’t toxic where they are testing and that water at the well subsea with the dispersants shows no signs of toxicity? How is that possible – even while animals from the marine environment are showing up dead?

Something is way wrong with this picture. Having seen countless photographs from the area where oil is obviously in the water and it is a known hazard – how could their test results show it is safe?

- cricketdiane

***

The other thing that Mr. Suttles of BP said is that everything they are trying has been tried before on land – they aren’t creating uniquely suited solutions using all that is known about this situation for novel solutions that work – they are using some list of what has been used before on land and then trying it – at the cost of time, efforts, money and furthering the catastrophic level of this massive event.

***

Just now at 9.30 pm ET on the CNN coverage of the oil spill – they said that the fishermen who were helping out in the waters of the Gulf of Mexico were told not to wear masks and BP said they were monitoring the air quality and masks were not required – but clearly they are dealing with toxic fumes from the crude oil and from the dispersants – which have long-term health hazards associated with all of it.

As the reporter on CNN said – and forgive me that I didn’t get her name right this minute – but the chemical dispersant COREXIT that is being used is clearly marked on its label to avoid breathing its fumes. And, every single part of any kind of petroleum product, petroleum based product, crude oil and all of its components are known to be toxic chemical hazards to health and breathing any of those fumes are dangerous even in the smallest amounts. And, BP knows this – the EPA knows this – the OSHA regulations have this and so does the European codes, the International UN codes and information, the oil industry information even has it, NIST has it, ASTM has it and every other source of information – including the CDC and elsewhere.

So who told them not to have respirator masks when placing boom or doing cleanup on boats or in areas with the crude oil and the oil mixed with the dispersants or anywhere the wind may have sent the aerial COREXIT applications of that known toxic dispersant?

Somebody made a criminal action when they failed to tell clearly what health dangers are associated with these things. And, somebody from EPA, BP or whosever idea it was to tell those fishermen and anyone else to go out into these areas of coast, marsh, beach, island or open ocean to deal with this without respirator / breathing protection did an absolute vile and criminal thing which endangered everyone who did not have that protection from these fumes.

Who would have done such a thing? They need to be brought up on charges for negligence and endangerment when they had to have known better.

- cricketdiane, 05-29-10

***

Somebody or some organization – or the news organizations or the state / local governments along the Coast – needs to take air samples and these people can tell how to get the sample using a sterile vacuum thingy they have – and then pay to have an independent air chemistry evaluation made. I don’t work for these people but they are one of the best, if not the very best lab in the country – and then let’s get an international UN team to take some of these samples also and independently verify the results – they need to be done for the air and the water like I just saw on the photos of the fishermen without masks and crude oil thick in the water where they were working on CNN at 9.30 pm tonight.

The EPA saying that samples of air and water are fine – not toxic and that their samplings show nothing of any kind of danger are wrong somehow – and way wrong at that – it is a matter of life and death. These independent analysis by this lab can be made very quickly knowing that the samples have come from the Gulf Coast area and the labs in France can have the samples within twenty-four hours and the results not long thereafter. This isn’t a joke and Putting public relations ahead of public health and well-being is unacceptable.

- cricketdiane

The lab is called IMR test labs – they are a leader in materials testing -
they have a kit to take the samples in these big vacuum pressurized containers that look like propane tanks as part of the testing package. It isn’t cheap but it isn’t tremendously expensive either and they are very fast with results.

And, they can show every chemical and particulate matter in the air along with the full chemistry using the tools they have. It does require more than a single sample in order to get the chemicals coming onshore from the open ocean areas with the crude oil and dispersant/oil mixed, etc.

: IMR Test Labs information on materials testing – air and water quality comprehensive chemical analysis labs

http://www.imrtest.com/

IMR Test Labs – air and water chemistry evaluations – comprehensive chemical materials analysis -

***

Obama’s Executive ‘Pay Czar’ Feinberg Received Six-Figure Salary According to Documents Uncovered by Judicial Watch

Pay czar: 17 bailed-out banks overpaid executives

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New Setback in Effort to Contol BP Oil Spill

Coal mine owner sues federal government over ventilation regulations

Oil Spill: NOAA expands closed fisheries, video report of sharks near coast, marine deaths

Cap removed from leaking BP oil well

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AUDIO RELEASE: Coast Guard Seeks Assistance Preventing Boom Vandalism

NOAA Conducts Tests to Determine Fate of Whale Found Dead in Gulf of Mexico

Whale Not Found in Oiled Water, but Cause of Death Unknown

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State reports details of spending on Gulf oil spill response

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Sediment

The Gold Book

The Red Book

Laws & Regulations

Laws

Regulations

Federally proposed or promulgated standards

Sediment

Sediment

Classification

General risks of all agents in inhalant class

Risks associated with specific agents

“Sudden sniffing death”

Air Pollution

Effect of duration of exposure to polluted air environment on lung function in subjects exposed to crude oil spill into sea water.

Human health risks of petroleum-contaminated groundwater.

Institutes, Centers & Offices

Offices

NIH Institutes

NIH Centers

Petroleum Statistics

Supply

Consumption and Disposition

Prices

Refining and Reserves

International

Measures

Sediment

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Final criteria

Criteria under development