Stuart H. Smith » Radioactive Material

New Orleans memo: You can still have great music without noise pollution

admin — Fri, 28 Sep 2012 13:21:54 +0000

Sometimes a name can tell you a lot. In the past, I've told you about my enthusiastic support for a New Orleans group, active on Facebook and the Internet, that's called "Hear the Music, Stop the Noise." The title makes a powerful point: That it's possible for a great American city like my hometown to continue having a spectacular and vibrant music scene without assaulting people's eardrums and harming their health. This public education campaign has been very successful. Since launching in January of this year, the website has received over 18,000 hits and over 20,000 page views. Hundreds have signed the petition on the website. The Facebook page has 167 people who have friended our page and we are getting more every day. We're not opposed to the great venues in the Big Easy -- the Cajun rhythms of a bar like the Maple Leaf or the world-class funk of a Tipitina's, not to mention the great jazz that New Orleans is famous for. Most of the worst noise offenders are bars whose owners do not appreciate the need to have balance such that they have dragged down once-great entertainment strips like Bourbon Street, even as wonderful food and ...

The sinkhole keeps getting bigger, and so do the lies of Texas Brine Co.

admin — Thu, 27 Sep 2012 12:49:50 +0000

The crisis involving the Bayou Corne sinkhole in Louisiana just doesn't stop. In what's becoming an almost daily headline, the sinkhole grew again, swallowing up more trees and even part of an access road:

A 1,500 square-foot section caved in from the edge of a sinkhole in Assumption Parish Tuesday night and pulled down several trees and part of an access road, parish officials said Wednesday.

The road was built to park excavators used in pending cleanup of the sinkhole, which emerged Aug. 3 in swamps between the Bayou Corne and Grand Bayou areas on property owned by Texas Brine Co., parish officials said in a blog post.

The 4-acre sinkhole has seen periodic edge collapses, or sloughing off, and has gradually become wider as the saturated soil on the edge falls into the slurry hole. Estimates before the most recent collapse put the width at 475 feet.

The continued growth of the sinkhole, which is about 70 miles west of New Orleans, is not surprising at this point. But the deteriorating situation raises the stakes that residents might be exposed to known carcinogens or elevated levels of radiation that have been found in the sinkhole, which ...

Torn on the bayou: Sinkhole keeps getting bigger, more dangerous

admin — Fri, 21 Sep 2012 17:12:51 +0000

A lot has happened over the last few weeks. In the political world, the presidential race between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney sees a new kerfuffle every few hours. Down here in Louisiana, we've been whacked by Hurricane Isaac, and on the environmental front we're still trying to get BP to pay its fair share for all the havoc it's wreaked in the Gulf. But there's one thing that hasn't changed much all this time. That dangerous sinkhole in Bayou Corne, about seventy miles west of New Orleans, is still there. In fact, it's getting bigger almost every day. And residents of the small rural community are still alarmed at fresh bubbles coming up from under the ground, and they want answers. Here's some of the latest news from the Louisiana bayou:

BAYOU CORNE — The outer edge of a sinkhole in Assumption Parish has caved in for a second time in three days, parish officials said Thursday.

A 25-foot-long section of embankment fell in Thursday morning after a 200-foot-long section had fallen in Tuesday evening, parish officials said in blog posts this week.

The sinkhole was found on the property of Texas Brine Co. LLC of Houston ...

News Round-Up: September 21, 2012

admin — Fri, 21 Sep 2012 14:19:09 +0000

A selection of today’s headlines and must-read articles on issues ranging from fracking and the BP oil spill to Japan’s Fukushima nuclear disaster:

Faculty Fights Fracking

Sampling Continues at Bayou Corne as Sinkhole Expands

Red Tea Ceremony Raises Awareness for Fukushima

A temporary reprieve from Shell’s risky and reckless Arctic drilling scheme

admin — Thu, 20 Sep 2012 12:03:51 +0000

For the last couple of weeks, we've been consumed with the never-ending fallout from BP's Deepwater Horizon disaster. Some 29 months after the explosion that killed 11 people and spewed 5 million barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico, we've seen a hurricane toss BP's oil onto our once pristine beaches all over again. And we've also been fighting it out in the legal arena -- to make sure that people whose livelihood and whose health has been harmed by the recklessness of Big Oil receive justice. Sometimes it seems like a complicated tale, but actualy what happened off the coast of Louisiana is actually fairly simple. In order to feed society's increasingly desperate addiction to fossil fuels, BP was attempting something that's very, very hard: Drilling for oil way offshore, under one mile of seawater. Despite the inherently dangerous nature of this enterprise, emails and other evidence show that BP was remarkably careless in its safety and testing procedures, and government regulators were lax in their oversight. The accident was proof of the worst-case scenarios with such high-risk drilling. Because of our recent troubles here in the Gulf, it's been appalling to see another icon of Big Oil, Shell, forge ahead ...

Louisiana DEQ bungles a toxic nightmare from Hurricane Isaac

admin — Fri, 14 Sep 2012 21:06:49 +0000

In recent months, I've joined with the Louisiana Bucket Brigade and others in calling for the state's Department of Environmental Quality, or DEQ, to be stripped of its powers and for the federal Environmental Protection Administration, or EPA, to take over. This is not an idea that I toss around lightly. Time and time again, Louisiana's DEQ has shown that it's simply unable or unwilling to do its job: Keeping the state's residents safe from pollution. Now, a new, harrowing tale of DEQ bungling has emerged amid the floodwaters of Hurricane Isaac. As the deadly storm lashed Louisiana --the state with a higher concentration of chemical plants and oil refineries than anywhere else -- the agency failed to act and once again failed to warn residents of a toxic catastrophe in the downriver town of Braithwaite, the community that was ravaged by Isaac's floodwaters.
More than 191,000 gallons of toxic chemicals may have been released from the Stolthaven New Orleans petroleum and chemical storage and transfer terminal in Braithwaite during Hurricane Isaac, according to a company report filed Tuesday with the U.S. Coast Guard National Response Center. That's just one day after the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality assured the public that monitoring at the ...

Now, BP claims it wants to clean up Gulf — but not until it spends more on PR

admin — Thu, 13 Sep 2012 18:44:03 +0000

You've got to say this about British Petroleum -- they have some nerve. For more than two years, we've been reporting about all the lingering fallout from the Deepwater Horizon disaster -- the sick and deformed seafood, the dead zones and the depleted oyster beds, the oiled marshlands and the dying dolphins, and the clean-up workers with crippling health issues. But now, after Hurricane Isaac whipped up some of the estimated 1 million barrels of spilled oil that's still out there in the Gulf, BP says it's seen the light. Now, 29 months later, BP insists that it's going to clean up the Gulf, and that it's serious this time:
"What we have seen to date in the form of buried tar mats and tar balls exposed by Isaac have been identified in the isolated areas that we worked" before the storm, said Mike Utsler, President of BP's Gulf Coast Restoration Organization, speaking at a news conference at a New Orleans hotel. "It's not unexpected to see this material where it's been exposed."

Seeing that oil on the beaches has been “not unexpected” by countless BP cleanup workers who have stated they were not allowed to clean up oil and instead ...

News Round-Up: September 13, 2012

admin — Thu, 13 Sep 2012 13:15:51 +0000

A selection of today’s headlines and must-read articles on issues ranging from fracking and the BP oil spill to Japan’s Fukushima nuclear disaster:

Anti-Fracking Groups Organize Nationwide Rallies

BP Covered Up Oil, Swept Up Liability Exposed Prompt New Ad Blitz

Nuclear Sector Seeks to Regain Trust After Fukushima

We object: Why BP’s $8.7 billion deal is “a failed settlement”

admin — Wed, 12 Sep 2012 19:51:18 +0000

The last couple of weeks have brought a lot of news – both good and bad – down here to the Gulf Coast. Hurricane Isaac was a double whammy; the storm itself destroyed homes and upended people’s lives, but it also stirred up a ton of BP’s oil. There’s believed to be as much as 1 million barrels of oil still polluting our waters, some 29 months after the Deepwater Horizon catastrophe. That is simply not acceptable. The good news is that the people of the Gulf Coast – including our government officials – are showing a backbone and standing up to BP. The oil giant is trying to ram through a $8.7 billion settlement with thousands of residents and business owners harmed by its recklessness in the drilling rig disaster. As I noted last week, that sounds like a big number but it won’t come close for making right on the Gulf Coast – especially as recent events show the environmental carnage from Deepwater Horizon is an ongoing affair. My law firm – SmithStag LLC, which represents numerous clients with claims against BP, has joined with a second firm -- Krupnick, Campbell, Malone, Buser, Slama, Hancock, Liberman & McKee, P.A. -- ...

News Round-Up: September 12, 2012

admin — Wed, 12 Sep 2012 14:02:17 +0000

A selection of today’s headlines and must-read articles on issues ranging from fracking and the BP oil spill to Japan’s Fukushima nuclear disaster:

West Virginia Gas Drilling Opponents Call For Halt To New Development

BP Proposes Deep Cleaning of Louisiana Beaches in Aftermath of Hurricane Isaac

Disaster-Area Kids Under Hard Stress

News Round-Up: September 11, 2012

admin — Tue, 11 Sep 2012 21:30:03 +0000

A selection of today’s headlines and must-read articles on issues ranging from fracking and the BP oil spill to Japan’s Fukushima nuclear disaster:

Ohio Rally, March to Protest Hydraulic Fracturing

Hurricane Isaac Washed Up Gulf Oil Spill Remnants, Auburn University Researchers Confirm

Shanghai-Fukushima Flights Still in Limbo as China Cancels Meeting With Governor

Louisiana unloads and blows giant hole in BP settlement

admin — Tue, 11 Sep 2012 15:04:26 +0000

For the last 29 months, I've been chronicling the widespread and still-very-much-ongoing fallout from BP's gross negligence -- "a corporate culture of recklessness," as U.S. government lawyers called it -- that killed 11 people and spewed an astronomical 5 million barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. Currently, BP, arm in arm with the class action lawyers (Plaintiff's Steering Committee, or PSC) who are set to make 600 million dollars for less than two years of work if the settlement is approved, are racing ahead in a push to get a federal judge in New Orleans to give his speedy approval to an $8.7 billion settlement of the legitimate claims that thousands of Gulf Coast residents and business owners have lodged against the oil giant. The settlement would allow the company to sweep most of its massive liability to average citizens for the Deepwater Horizon disaster under the rug and get back to its business of making billions of dollars of profit in exploiting the world's addiction to fossil fuels. The State of Louisiana hired incredibly competent private counsel who, unlike the vast majority of the class action lawyers in the PSC, are extremely respected, top-notch environmental lawyers. Like the Federal Government ...

News Round-Up: September 5, 2012

admin — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 21:30:57 +0000

A selection of today’s headlines and must-read articles on issues ranging from fracking and the BP oil spill to Japan’s Fukushima nuclear disaster:

Residents Fear Fracking on Former Idora Land

Feds Slam BP in Key Court Filing, Admit Pollution From 2010 Spill Continues to Ravage Gulf

2 Minor Injuries in French Nuclear Plant Incident

Breaking: Spill settlement unraveling as Halliburton slams deal; BP stock plunges

admin — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 19:58:00 +0000

BP's $8.7 billion attempt to put the 2010 Deepwater Horizon spill behind it continues to come undone. In the latest unraveling of the oil giant's proposed settlement with thousands of Gulf residents and businesses harmed by the offshore disaster, key rig contractor Halliburton has filed court papers (here and here) slamming the deal as unfair and lacking transparency, and urging a judge to reject it. Halliburton's plea to U.S. District Court Judge Carl Barbier to ditch the settlement is largely based on its findings from an expert in damages -- Marc Vellrath, the CEO of the Finance Scholars Group -- who attacked the sprawling settlement as failing to distinguish from the wide variety of the claims against BP. "An upscale seafood restaurant in New Orleans, Louisiana, does not suffer the effects of an oil spill in the same way as a golf course in Mobile, Alabama," according to the legal brief filed this week by Halliburton. "Likewise, an oyster fisherman operating off the coast of Louisiana has a claim that is very different from a hotel on the coast of Florida." Halliburton's objections come just days after stinging briefs in the case by the U.S. Justice Department and the state of Alabama tore ...

Worst fears about BP oil washing ashore after Isaac are coming true

admin — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 12:13:48 +0000

Last week, I reported on this blog there were early indications that Hurricane Isaac had indeed whipped up some of as much as 1 million gallons of BP's spill oil that remain in the Gulf, assaulting beaches from Florida to Louisiana with tarballs and other goo most likely linked to the 2010 catastrophe. Tonight, there are growing indications that the Gulf's beaches are under assault from BP yet again:
The state is closing a 12-mile section of Gulf coastline from Caminada Pass to Pass Fourchon after Hurricane Isaac washed up large areas of oil and tar balls at the location of one of the worst inundations of BP oil during the Deepwater Horizon disaster of 2010. Robert Barham, secretary of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, said agency crews surveying damage from Isaac discovered large sections of viscous oil and tar balls floating along the coast from the beach to one mile offshore between Elmer's Island Wildlife Refuge, just west of Grand Isle, to Pass Fourchon.

"It's a very large mass that is viscous but hasn't coalesced into tar mats yet," Barham said. "But the Elmer's Island beaches are littered with tar balls of every size, from ...

Bombshell: Feds slam BP in key court filing, admit pollution from 2010 spill continues to ravage Gulf

admin — Tue, 04 Sep 2012 04:45:41 +0000

In a bombshell federal court filing, U.S. government lawyers are slamming British Petroleum for making false and misleading statements that seek to both dodge blame for 2010's Deepwater Horizon catastrophe and ignore the ongoing environmental devastation, from diseased dolphins to destroyed wetlands. The papers filed late last week by the U.S. Justice Department's top environmental lawyers and New Orleans U.S. Attorney Jim Letten charge that BP's effort to show the fairness of a proposed $7.8 billion settlement with thousands of Gulf Coast residents and businesses harmed by the spill is instead larded with falsehoods. The federal government's 37-page objection to BP's legal claims blast the oil giant's "culture of corporate recklessness" that led to the Deepwater Horizon disaster and argue that BP wants the court to overlook deceased dolphins in Louisiana's Barataria Bay and dying deep-sea corrals that are sickening fish in Gulf of Mexico. And the feds are not alone in accusing BP of going over the line in trying to justify the pending $8.7 billion settlement. In a separate filing, Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange also accuses the oil company of misrepresentation and argues that BP committed "willful misconduct" by attempting a risky "top kill" method to stop the 2010 spill, ...

News Round-Up: August 31, 2012

admin — Fri, 31 Aug 2012 21:30:20 +0000

A selection of today’s headlines and must-read articles on issues ranging from fracking and the BP oil spill to Japan’s Fukushima nuclear disaster:

Endangered California Wildlife Could be Further Imperiled by Fracking

Ocean Physicist Says Current Clean-Up Methods Useless In An Arctic Oil Spill

Post-Fukushima Concerns Taken Note Of

BP cleanup crews spotted as Isaac stirs up oil, bad memories

admin — Thu, 30 Aug 2012 21:25:03 +0000

For residents of the battered Gulf Coast, Hurricane Isaac didn't just bring sheets of rain, pummeling winds, and a powerful storm surge. The slow moving, deceptively destructive Category 1 hurricane stirred up tragic memories of Hurricane Katrina, which arrived seven years earlier to the very day, and it stirred up something else. Oil. As much as a 1 million barrels, the remnants of a man-made disaster, the 2010 Deepwater Horizon explosion and spill. At approximately 6 a.m. today, my consultant Marco Kaltofen from Boston Chemical Data Corp. -- who has been invaluable in documenting pollution and other fallout since the BP catastrophe -- reported that he spotted a large BP crew and a fleet of payloaders and other heavy equipment ready to move out at Orange Beach, Ala. That is a community that has suffered tarballs and other toxic pollution after earlier -- and lesser -- tropical storms in the Gulf. Later today, Kaltofen sent me pictures of a positive test for oil residue in sand from Destin, Fla., a nearby restaurant that had been polluted with oil from the storm surge, and oily material in the sand at Destin's Calhoun public beach -- all a good distance east of where Isaac made landfall. Although our ...

News Round-Up: August 30, 2012

admin — Thu, 30 Aug 2012 21:24:30 +0000

A selection of today’s headlines and must-read articles on issues ranging from fracking and the BP oil spill to Japan’s Fukushima nuclear disaster:

France to Keep Shale Ban Until Fracking Alternative Emerges

Isaac May Churn Up Oily Debris from BP Spill; Here's How to Report What You May See

Fukushima Hot Cod Stopped from Entering U.S.

News Round-Up: August 29, 2012

admin — Wed, 29 Aug 2012 23:54:55 +0000

A selection of today’s headlines and must-read articles on issues ranging from fracking and the BP oil spill to Japan’s Fukushima nuclear disaster:

France to Keep Shale Ban Until Fracking Alternative Emerges

Gulf Coast Leaders Want BP to Clean Up Its Mess

Striving to Go Nuclear-Free

News Round-Up: August 28, 2012

admin — Tue, 28 Aug 2012 18:14:05 +0000

A selection of today’s headlines and must-read articles on issues ranging from fracking and the BP oil spill to Japan’s Fukushima nuclear disaster:

Destroying Precious Land for Gas

Could the BP Spill Still be Killing the Dolphins?

The Health Effects of Fukushima

Isaac likely to bring grim, oily reminders of 2010 BP spill to Gulf coastline

admin — Tue, 28 Aug 2012 14:49:45 +0000

Tropical Storm Isaac is bearing down on the Louisiana coast and is likely to become a hurricane later today, before making landfall somewhere close to New Orleans. This is not good news for either my hometown or the surrounding areas which have been struggling for seven years -- to the very day -- to recover from the grim aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Even though Isaac is not expected to match the destructive force of Katrina, which was a major Category 3 storm when it finally made landfall, I hope that anyone who's in the expected impact zone takes every necessary precaution, as even a Category 1 hurricane will bring a powerful storm surge to low-lying areas, epic amounts of rain and flooding, and destructive winds. There's one other thing about these tropical storms that attack the Gulf Coast every summer and fall; they typically bring reminders of the manmade, environmental damage that's taken place in the region. One current example of that is the area around Bayou Corne, where rural residents already alarmed by the impact of an expanding sinkhole are now dealing with the stress of an evacuation and the fears that flooding could worsen their situation. But the greatest ...

News Round-Up: August 27, 2012

admin — Mon, 27 Aug 2012 13:43:29 +0000

A selection of today’s headlines and must-read articles on issues ranging from fracking and the BP oil spill to Japan’s Fukushima nuclear disaster:

Doctors Fight “Gag Orders” Over Fracking Chemicals

Oil Drill Firm Headed by Deepwater Disaster Boss

Don't Drop Ball on Nuclear Safety-IAEA Chief

Update: Expert says Louisiana officials “in denial” over radium risk at sinkhole

admin — Fri, 24 Aug 2012 14:14:21 +0000

A veteran radiation expert says Louisiana environmental officials are "in denial" over the hazard posed by elevated radium levels discovered in the slurry liquids of the massive sinkhole that has forced out residents of the rural town of Bayou Corne. Stanley Waligora -- a New Mexico-based radiation protection consultant and leading authority on the health risks of naturally occurring radioactive material, or NORM -- confirmed earlier reports that radium levels at the site about 70 miles west of New Orleans are not within limits but roughly 15 times higher than the acceptable level set by the state. Waligora said officials with the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality need to launch immediate additional testing to ensure that the hazardous radium is not leaking into nearby groundwater and posing a threat to human health as well as livestock. The consultant's recommendations come two days after this blog first reported that analysis of DEQ test results from Bayou Corne -- posted online earlier this week by the Louisiana Environmental Action Network -- revealed not only elevated radium levels but also airborne chemicals associated with highly volatile butane, stored in a cavern near the sinkhole. The sinkhole -- now more than a football field across, filled with ...

News Round-Up: August 24, 2012

admin — Fri, 24 Aug 2012 11:42:56 +0000

Today's Essential Reads FRACKING: EU Green Energy Drive Says No To Shale Gas, Looks Towards More Renewable Power Sources Europe has been unable to repeat the shale gas revolution that has swept the United States, and that could prove to be the unlikely saviour of long-term EU efforts to spur renewables and curb greenhouse gases. Celebrities Join to Oppose Upstate Gas Drilling More than 140 artists and celebrities, including Lady Gaga and Paul McCartney, have signed on to a coalition to try to persuade Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo to ban the use of hydraulic fracturing — also known as hydrofracking or fracking — to extract natural gas in parts of New York State. Australia's Victoria State Bans Coal Seam Gas "Fracking" Australia's southeastern state of Victoria on Friday put a hold on hydraulic fracturing, a technique used to produce hard-to-reach gas deposits, and a halt on new coal seam gas exploration licenses.
Law Prohibits Fracking Brine in Ulster County Ulster County Executive Mike Hein met with county legislators in New Paltz Thursday to sign a Hydraulic Fracturing Brine Prohibition Act. It’s a local law prohibiting the use of fracking brine on property and roads within the county.
BP OIL SPILL: America’s ...

News Round-Up: August 23, 2012

admin — Thu, 23 Aug 2012 10:57:36 +0000

A selection of today’s headlines and must-read articles on issues ranging from fracking and the BP oil spill to Japan’s Fukushima nuclear disaster:

Has UT Review Panel Been Compromised by Chair’s Energy Company Ties?

Louisiana Sinkhole Spurs Evacuations, Lawsuits and a Resignation

Fukushima Nuclear Plant Worker Dies of Heart Attack

News Round-Up: August 22, 2012

admin — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 21:30:49 +0000

A selection of today’s headlines and must-read articles on issues ranging from fracking and the BP oil spill to Japan’s Fukushima nuclear disaster:

Drilling, Fracking Among Points of Contention at Sportsmen’s Forum

BP Recalling Gas Sold in Northwest Indiana After Drivers Report Problems

Most Fukushima Quake Deaths Were Elderly

Threat to Bayou Corne grows as tests show elevated levels of radium, butane traces in and near sinkhole

admin — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 20:35:55 +0000

Elevated levels of radium in the water and tests showing airborne indicators of butane -- the highly explosive fuel stored in a nearby cavern -- are two alarming signs that the environmental catastrophe in the Louisiana town of Bayou Corne is far from over. The disturbing new information comes from both air and water testing at and near the massive and growing sinkhole in the bayou, 70 miles west of New Orleans -- with additional analysis by a well-known expert with whom I've worked on past crises, Marco Kaltofen. The information about radium is buried in a state news release that is poorly written and goes out of its way to downplay the results. The sinkhole -- caused by a failing salt cavern owned by the Texas Brine Co., which collapsed after state and company officials ignored residents' reports of shaking homes, noxious odors and gases bubbling up from the swamps -- has forced local residents to evacuate the area. This week, state officials released the results of samples taken 80 feet under the surface of the growing, slurry-filled pit. Kaltofen, a civil engineer and president of Boston Chemical Data Corp., noted that test results posted by the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality, ...

News Round-Up: August 21, 2012

admin — Tue, 21 Aug 2012 23:30:21 +0000

A selection of today’s headlines and must-read articles on issues ranging from fracking and the BP oil spill to Japan’s Fukushima nuclear disaster:

Fracking Concerns Are Legitimate: International Energy Chief

Gov't Finalizes Safety Rule for Offshore Drilling

Fukushima’s Fish Are Soaked In Record Levels of Radiation

A plea for stronger radiation standards in Europe — and at home

admin — Mon, 20 Aug 2012 15:59:37 +0000

I'm involved in a lot of environmental issues these days, but there was one cause that got me started: Fighting back against radiation poisoning. My first big environmental case, more than two decades ago, involved the hidden dangers of radiation exposure in the Gulf Coast oil patch. My clients were small business owners and their workers in Laurel, Miss., who cleaned out the pipes used for oil drilling; their customers -- including Big Oil icons like Shell and Chevron -- never told them that the residue, or scale, coating these pipes was highly radioactive. Some of the workers were sickened, and our investigation even showed that these radioactive pipes were being re-used to build school playgrounds. Yet to this day, many Americans don't know that so much radioactive waste is produced by Big Oil, and that it's so frequently dumped improperly. I bring up this history to speak to a broader truth: As a society, we continue to downplay the threat from radiation exposure. Sometimes a big nuclear event grasps our attention; indeed, the news that continues to emerge from the Fukushima catastrophe in Japan has spotlighted some of its alarming and ongoing effects, including mutations in butterflies and contaminated bluefin tuna off ...

News Round-Up: August 17, 2012

admin — Fri, 17 Aug 2012 21:08:14 +0000

A selection of today’s headlines and must-read articles on issues ranging from fracking and the BP oil spill to Japan’s Fukushima nuclear disaster:

Credibility Of UT Fracking Study & Review Panel Questioned

Teen's Paintings Helps Birds Harmed by BP Oil Spill

Elderly Fukushima Plant Volunteer Appeals for U.S. Help

News Round-Up: August 16, 2012

admin — Thu, 16 Aug 2012 21:30:16 +0000

A selection of today’s headlines and must-read articles on issues ranging from fracking and the BP oil spill to Japan’s Fukushima nuclear disaster:

Study Finds High Risk to Drinking Water From Fracking Wastewater

Gov't Finalizes Safety Rule for Offshore Drilling

As More About Fukushima Contamination and Casualties Is Known, Japan Proceeding Without Nuclear Reactors

UPDATE: Sinkhole crisis worsens, 2 workers rescued, town braces for possible butane catastrophe

admin — Thu, 16 Aug 2012 16:29:12 +0000

The nightmare in Bayou Corne -- the besieged small town in southeastern Louisiana coping with the effects of a massive sinkhole, compounded by the incompetence of state bureaucrats -- keeps getting worse by the day. UPDATE: Breaking news this afternoon: The sinkhole is expanding:
NAPOLEONVILLE (AP) — As experts predicted, a sinkhole filled with slurry water and vegetation has been slowing expanding.

Assumption Parish Police Jury spokeswoman Kim Torres says the sinkhole near Bayou Corne grew by 50 feet Thursday morning as the surrounding environment sloughs into it. Two cleanup workers in a boat near the site almost fell in and had to be rescued by airboat.

Their boat, which was tied to a tree, was eventually swallowed by the muck.

There were no injuries reported and cleanup operations have been suspended.

Before that, state regulators are preparing for a worst case scenario involving a nearby underground storage site for large quantities of highly explosive butane, which could be compromised by the sinkhole, creating a massive explosion.
How massive? The best of the worst-case scenarios comes from company and state officials, who've consistently underestimated the potential for damage from the failed brine cavern so far; they insist that ...

News Round-Up: August 15, 2012

admin — Wed, 15 Aug 2012 21:30:04 +0000

A selection of today’s headlines and must-read articles on issues ranging from fracking and the BP oil spill to Japan’s Fukushima nuclear disaster:

UT Announces Panel That Will Look Into Fracking Study

The Gulf: Frankenstein's Lab

TEPCO Workers in Fukushima Distressed by Abuse After Nuclear Disaster

“Something has gone wrong”: The mutant butterflies of Fukushima

admin — Wed, 15 Aug 2012 12:52:43 +0000

You may be familiar with the scientific theory known as "the butterfly effect" -- a small change in nature today that creates major transformations in the future. The famous scenario speculates that a solitary butterfly flapping its wings far away can trigger a chain of events that could cause a hurricane to strike your home. The "butterfly effect" is a favorite of science fiction writers and a staple of novels about time travel. But at its heart lies a very simple and understandable premise: It's dangerous for humankind to tamper with the natural order of things. That is why the news coming out of Japan today is so alarming. Last year's tsunami-triggered catastrophe at the Fukushima nuclear power plant has resulted in, quite literally, a "butterfly effect." Scientists seeking to learn the impact from the Fukushima disaster have discovered a direct link between radiation from the accident and mutations in butterflies:
TOKYO -- Researchers in Japan have found signs of mutation in butterflies, signaling one of the first indications of change to the local ecosystem as a result of last year's nuclear accident in Fukushima, according to one of the first studies on the genetic effects of the incident.

Disappearing La. speckled trout another blow to BP’s Big Lie

admin — Tue, 14 Aug 2012 17:01:48 +0000

You can add speckled trout to the list. Over the last several months, I've told you about all kinds of reports about serious problems to both the safety and available of Gulf seafood. Eyeless shrimp. Deformed crabs. Red snappers covered in lesions. Not to mention the days when the Gulf fleet returns to the dock with little catch at all, in waters that were once chock full of some of the tastiest seafood in the United States. All of this happening in the 28 months since British Petroleum unleashed a 5 million barrel torrent of crude oil off the coast of Louisiana, prompting little doubt of a connection between the Deepwater Horizon spill and the mounting woes for the beleaguered fishermen who populate the coastline. It kind of puts the Big Lie to that multi-million-dollar barrage of BP ads trying to sell U.S. tourists that everything is back to normal down here -- not to mention making a mockery of the fact that the Big Oil icon was also a "sustainability" partner of the just-concluded London Olympics. Closer to home, the local press uncovers a new ecological horror virtually every couple of days. Indeed, evidence of new problems is actually mounting because it typically takes a couple ...

News Round-Up: August 14, 2012

admin — Tue, 14 Aug 2012 11:59:33 +0000

A selection of today’s headlines and must-read articles on issues ranging from fracking and the BP oil spill to Japan’s Fukushima nuclear disaster:

Fracking Materials Involved in Oklahoma Explosion, Fire

Protei Designs Sailing Robots to Clean the Sea

'Fukushima Reactors Not Stable' – Plant Ex-Boss

News Round-Up: April 13, 2012

admin — Mon, 13 Aug 2012 16:14:53 +0000

A selection of today’s headlines and must-read articles on issues ranging from fracking and the BP oil spill to Japan’s Fukushima nuclear disaster:

Former Texas Mayor Shares First-Hand Experience with Hydraulic Fracturing

US Navy Ship Collides With Oil Tanker in Gulf

'Severe Abnormalities' Found in Fukushima Butterflies

Incompetent Louisiana regulators knew of risk at sinkhole site since early 2011

admin — Mon, 13 Aug 2012 16:14:33 +0000

It's hard to know which is the worst thing about the ongoing environmental nightmare in the southeastern Louisiana community of Bayou Corne, where a massive sinkhole has forced an evacuation after homes shook and residents were assaulted with gas odors. Is it the fact that residents of the small bayou town will be out of their homes for weeks while the Texas company that worked a giant salt cavern to produce brine drills a large relief well to figure out just what caused the sinkhole, and the extent of the problems underground? Or is it the risk that the sinkhole -- which is now wider than a football field and over 400 feet deep -- poses to the many nearby pipelines as well as a nearby well storing a large quantity of highly explosive liquid butane, which some experts worry poses the risk of an explosion that would resemble a nuclear blast? Or is it this: State regulators from the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources -- that inept, pro-industry gang with a long track record of failures -- were told of problems at the Bayou Corne salt cavern 20 months ago, yet failed to act or seemingly even grasp the extent ...

News Round-Up: August 10, 2012

admin — Fri, 10 Aug 2012 21:32:46 +0000

A selection of today’s headlines and must-read articles on issues ranging from fracking and the BP oil spill to Japan’s Fukushima nuclear disaster:

Pro Surfer Chadd Konig to Paddle 250 Miles to Raise Awareness About Hydraulic Fracturing

Lawsuit Seeks Better Regulation of Oil Spill Dispersants

NYT: Video Shows Fukushima Crisis Talks

News Round-Up: August 9, 2012

admin — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 21:19:29 +0000

A selection of today’s headlines and must-read articles on issues ranging from fracking and the BP oil spill to Japan’s Fukushima nuclear disaster:

What Texas’ Fracking Disclosure Law Does and Doesn’t Do

Judge Sentences Man With Ties to BP Oil Spill

Fukushima and Hiroshima Are on Japan's Mind

News Round-Up: April 8, 2012

admin — Wed, 08 Aug 2012 20:49:48 +0000

A selection of today’s headlines and must-read articles on issues ranging from fracking and the BP oil spill to Japan’s Fukushima nuclear disaster:

Study Finds Correlation Between Seismic Activity in North Texas, Hydraulic Fracturing

Massive Fire Engulfs Chevron California Refinery

London Olympics: Fukushima Hometown Always on Cyclist's Mind

News Round-Up: August 7, 2012

admin — Tue, 07 Aug 2012 17:39:15 +0000

A selection of today’s headlines and must-read articles on issues ranging from fracking and the BP oil spill to Japan’s Fukushima nuclear disaster:

New York to Approve Limited Fracking By Labor Day, Report Says

Environmental Group Sues EPA Over Dispersants Used During Gulf Oil Spill

Fukushima Watch: Highlights of Video From Inside Tepco’s Nuclear Crisis Center

If another major pipeline spill doesn’t convince them to kill Keystone XL, nothing will

admin — Tue, 07 Aug 2012 03:48:50 +0000

When will America ever learn? Industry and some government officials -- helped sometimes by mixed signals from the Obama administration -- continue to push for the Keystone XL pipeline to run across some of the major drinking-water sources of the American Midwest, despite the risk of a catastrophc spill. And they assure us that this Keystone pipeline will be different, that it will come with the latest state-of-the-art safety equipment and rapid response that will prevent an inland Deepwater Horizon. But if that's the case, why can't Big Oil and Gas run a pipeline safely today? In fact, the New York Times reported last year that there have been about 100 major pipeline spills in the United States every year, a number that has not changed considerably over the last two decades. That's been compounded by atrocious oversight by government regulators:
The little-known federal agency charged with monitoring the system and enforcing safety measures — the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration — is chronically short of inspectors and lacks the resources needed to hire more, leaving too much of the regulatory control in the hands of pipeline operators themselves, according to federal reports, an examination ...

News Round-Up: August 6, 2012

admin — Mon, 06 Aug 2012 21:30:15 +0000

A selection of today’s headlines and must-read articles on issues ranging from fracking and the BP oil spill to Japan’s Fukushima nuclear disaster:

Josh Fox Releases New Short Documentary on Fracking

BP's Corexit Gulf Catastrophe Reality: Worst to Come, Says Attorney Stuart Smith

TEPCO Video Shows Tensions as Fukushima Crisis Unfurls

Louisiana covers up risk to Bayou town from sinkhole, massive methane leak

admin — Sun, 05 Aug 2012 18:17:55 +0000

Here we go again. Once again, a corner of Louisiana is under an environmental assault, threatening both the health and the immediate safety of local residents. Once again, the cause appears to be the careless practices of Big Energy as it races to exploit the rich bounty of natural resources in the Bayou State. And once again, Louisiana state officials in the administration of Gov. Bobby Jindal are working harder to downplay and even cover up the extent of the problen, rather than acknowledge the grave risks to a bayou community. This real-time crisis is unfolding in a place called Bayou Corne, a swampy area in the heart of Cajun country, 70 miles west of New Orleans as the crow flies. Like much of this part of the world, the area around Bayou Corne has long been exploited for its natural resources. For two decades, a firm called Texas Brine Co. LLC operated a large salt mining cavern underground here, where salt was extracted and the briny water sold to oil and gas customers. The site was abandoned last year, and there are conflicting reports whether the cavern may have been used to store natural gas, a process that has been known to cause problems ...

News Round-Up: August 3, 2012

admin — Fri, 03 Aug 2012 19:11:36 +0000

A selection of today’s headlines and must-read articles on issues ranging from fracking and the BP oil spill to Japan’s Fukushima nuclear disaster:

Fukushima Town in Push to Exempt Evacuees From Medical Fees

Late Night Talkers Take Tough Stance on Fracking

Study: Dispersants Used in Gulf Oil Spill Could Damage Marine Food Web

From New York to New Orleans, noise pollution terrorizes the public

admin — Fri, 03 Aug 2012 12:39:17 +0000

Shhhhhh. Can you hear me? We need to talk again. A couple of times since I started this blog, I've told you about another environmental battle that I've been waging in my hometown for a long time -- a problem that predates the nefarious doings of BP and the fracking boom from coast to coast. It's a war against noise pollution -- an assault on the ears, just as much as the environmental crimes of Big Oil and Gas can attack our other senses. Here in New Orleans, I'm a supporter of a group called Hear the Music, Stop the Noise which has launched a crusade against loud nuisance bars, especially in the French Quarter. (You can join the Facebook group here.) You might think that New Orleans -- the Big Easy, home to Mardi Gras and the Jazz Festival, Louis Armstrong and Professor Longhair -- is a strange place for a campaign against noise pollution. Actually, it's the perfect place for our cause. The once sweet sounds of muted jazz or the blues filtering out into a hot night on Bourbon Street has been swamped with pulsating, eardrum-busting waves of noise from a handful of thoughtless nuisance bars. We're beginning to ...

News Round-Up: August 2, 2012

admin — Thu, 02 Aug 2012 21:30:44 +0000

A selection of today’s headlines and must-read articles on issues ranging from fracking and the BP oil spill to Japan’s Fukushima nuclear disaster:

Don’t Frack With Us: SAFE Group Rallies Against Hydraulic Fracturing In Illinois

Refinery Issues, Oil Spill Aid Late July Fuel Spike

Kids' Safety Key Worry in Fukushima

“Something really disastrous happening in the Gulf”: Research proves BP’s dispersant made things much, much worse

admin — Thu, 02 Aug 2012 12:09:17 +0000

There's an old saying in legal circles that the cover-up is always much worse than the initial crime. It's hard to say if that is exactly true with the Deepwater Horizon disaster in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010 -- after all, the initial explosion killed 11 workers and caused roughly 5 million barrels of oil to spew into the rich marine environment. But the core of the ensuing cover-up carried out by BP with the blessing of the federal government -- the massive, unprecedented spraying of a toxic chemical called Corexit in the hope that pushing the oil out of sight would also put it out of mind -- was a catastrophe in and of itself. Never before had so much dispersant -- some 1.8 million gallons -- been deployed, and never was so much sprayed at the bottom of the sea floor, where its impact has never been studied. Immediately, clean-up and recovery workers blamed the dispersant for an array of illnesses, while researchers speculated that so much Corexit in the food chain could have major impact on marine life -- and the seafood that you eat. Recently, scientists in Alabama came up with a new protocol for studying how ...