Stuart H. Smith » The Big Fix

The Untenable Risks of Deep-water Drilling: Shell Reports 13,000-Gallon Spill in Gulf of Mexico

admin — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 15:18:13 +0000

Yes, it's happened again. In another costly example of the untenable risks tied to deep-water drilling, Shell is reporting a 13,000-gallon spill less than 30 miles from where the Deepwater Horizon rig exploded and sank to the seafloor last year triggering the worst oil spill in our nation's history. From a Dec. 19 Reuters report: The U.S. Coast Guard was investigating a 13,000-gallon spill from an oil rig leased to Shell, operating about 26 miles southeast of last year's BP Plc Macondo oil well disaster, a Coast Guard spokesman said on Monday. The spill of either drilling fluid or oil mixed with drilling fluid was reported Sunday by Transocean Ltd's Deepwater Nautilus rig, which was drilling a well at Shell's Appomattox discovery. "Shell can confirm it has a loss of 319 barrels of drilling fluid," Shell spokeswoman Kelly op de Weegh said by email. The leak was from a booster line, which provides additional drilling fluid and is separate from the well, she said. An interesting sidebar to this story is that the rig in question, the Deepwater Nautilus (see photo below), is actually the sister rig to the Deepwater Horizon. Both were built in the same shipyard (just a year apart) in South Korea ...

The Settlement Phase: Maker of Blowout Preventer Agrees to Pay BP $250 Million

admin — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 19:23:45 +0000

There's nothing like an impending trial to prompt defendants to cut their losses and settle out of court. We're seeing the front-end of that legal phenomenon today with Cameron International – the maker of the (poorly named) "blowout preventer" that failed to stop last year's 200-million-gallon Gulf oil spill – agreeing to settle with BP for $250 million. With the massive federal multi-district litigation (MDL) trial slated to begin in February to determine fault in the spill, my guess is we'll be seeing other settlements coming down the pike. From a Dec. 16 Associated Press report: BP PLC says it will be paid $250 million by the maker of the blowout preventer that failed to halt oil spewing from BP's busted well in the Gulf of Mexico. The settlement comes in advance of a federal trial over the catastrophic Gulf oil spill. The non-jury trial is slated to begin in February and determine fault in the April 20, 2010, explosion and subsequent oil spill off the Louisiana coast of more than 200 million gallons of oil. And this from BP's head honcho: “Today’s settlement allows BP and Cameron to put our legal issues behind us and move forward to improve safety in the ...

A Look Behind the Curtain: Colorado Adopts Nation’s Toughest “Fracking Fluid” Disclosure Rules

admin — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 13:52:37 +0000

Thanks to courageous regulators in Colorado, the American public will get its first real look behind the curtain at the closely held "chemical recipe" used by natural gas drillers in the highly controversial extraction process known as fracking. The increasingly widespread practice – involving the high-pressure injection of water, sand and a secret mix of toxic chemicals deep into the ground to release natural gas – has been tied to a litany of environmental and public health risks. According to a Dec. 13 Associated Press report, the new Colorado guidelines, passed unanimously by regulators on Tuesday, "will require energy companies to disclose the concentrations of all chemicals in hydraulic fracturing and also ask drillers to make public some information about ingredients considered trade secrets." The ground-breaking regulatory move gives me hope that common sense, though clearly on life-support, is still alive when looking at ways to safely deploy fracking. The Colorado guidelines come on the heels of an EPA announcement tying fracking to severe groundwater pollution in a small town in Wyoming (see link below to my previous post). It is the first time the government agency has made that scientific connection. Colorado's full disclosure requirement represents a clear victory for public ...

Aerial Dispersant Spraying Can’t Hide Oil Slicks Near Deepwater Horizon Site

admin — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 13:17:34 +0000

It's a hauntingly familiar sight: Airplanes buzzing over the Gulf of Mexico spraying toxic dispersant in a flight path from Breton Sound bearing southeast to the Macondo Prospect, the epicenter of last year's monster oil spill. Yet despite these regular Corexit sprayings, the oil slicks and sheen persist – visible from the air – in the waters surrounding the Deepwater Horizon site. According to On Wings of Care pilot Bonny Schumaker, who flew over the site on Dec. 9, the surface oil is fanning out "in lines and patches over an area of at least 50 square miles." Last month, aerial surveillance footage captured a fleet of huge oil-related vessels, some equipped with ROVs, working the waters above the Macondo Prospect. BP gave the bogus explanation that it's conducting research on "natural seeps in the area" (see link to my previous post below). It was a typical BP "non-denial denial" – acknowledging the problem but denying any blame – to blunt escalating public concern over fresh oil that's been reported at the site since Aug. 19. As I've mentioned here before, BP was required to conduct a survey of the seafloor prior to drilling in the Macondo Prospect. There is no ...

BP’s Ace in the Hole: Halliburton Destroyed Key Evidence Tied to the Cementing of the Macondo Well

admin — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 12:05:12 +0000

So who is ultimately responsible for the worst oil spill in U.S. history? BP, the owner of the oil itself, assigns blame to Halliburton, the company that did the cement work on the doomed Macondo Well. And not unexpectedly, Halliburton points the finger back at BP. As the blame game gets set to go to trial in New Orleans early next year, a bombshell legal motion filed Monday by BP in U.S. District Court could prove lethal to Halliburton's case. BP accuses Halliburton – the world's second-largest oilfield services corporation – of intentionally destroying key evidence in the case, including "uniquely relevant cement testing" and "3D modeling results" of the cemented Macondo Well, which Halliburton simply says are "gone." In a motion calling for civil sanctions and legal remedies, BP "respectfully submits that Halliburton has intentionally destroyed evidence and has violated this Court's orders regarding the production of documents." The allegations are extremely serious. If the court determines they have merit, the judge could impose sanctions, including a court order that Halliburton pay attorneys' fees tied to the trial, which will no doubt be significant. But, at this point, attorney fees are the least of Halliburton's worries. If the court rules in ...

Seafood Surprise: Eyeless Shrimp, Crabs with Lesions – and Bigger Final Settlement Offers from BP

admin — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 13:13:23 +0000

Against a backdrop of damaged fisheries and a looming oil spill trial, BP is doubling "final settlement" offers to commercial crabbers and shrimpers who have had their livelihoods destroyed by the Gulf oil spill. It seems BP has joined the rest of the world in realizing the once-thriving Gulf seafood industry is in tatters, and will remain that way for years. Although on its face the announcement of fairer compensation for fishermen is good news, we need to look at the motivation and timing behind the move to fully grasp BP's long-term strategy. And I'll give you a hint: It's not about BP finally trying to do the right thing. For starters, BP hasn't changed its hardline position as to why the seafood industry is in a free fall. The oil giant has accepted no blame, as it continues to shrug off the overwhelming body of evidence – drastically depleted catches, pervasive marine life deformities and mass die-offs – that indicates grave biological damage to our fisheries. Dumping 200 million gallons of oil and 2 million gallons of toxic dispersant into the water will do that. But nobody ever accused BP of letting reality get in the way of its arguments ...

Inside Japan’s Fallout Zone: Children’s Growth Severely Stunted From Nuclear Disaster

admin — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 13:22:04 +0000

Eight months after the crippled Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear plant belched enormous plumes of radiation over the Japanese countryside, a new study reveals severely stunted growth in children living in the fallout zone. Those findings coupled with another alarming piece of news from the Tokyo Times – "Radiation affects 8 percent of Japan’s territory" – indicate that tens of thousands of children could experience serious "physical problems" across a significant portion of the country. And that's long before cancer even becomes an issue for these children. From a Nov. 10 ABC News Australia report: ...months on from the nuclear meltdowns at Japan's Fukushima plant the long-term cancer risks for children are in the spotlight, but a new study has highlighted more immediate problems. Thousands of children living in the fallout zone are confined indoors because of radiation fears, and doctors worry they are not growing at a sufficient rate. So we have children living like prisoners in their homes to escape the radiation – which has blanketed 30,000 square kilometers, or an area roughly 15 times the size of Tokyo – but that confinement has opened the door to a host of other "more immediate" health issues. More from the ABC News report: "The kids just can't ...

Going, Going, Gone: Will the Gulf of Mexico Lose an Entire Generation of Dolphins?

admin — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 11:15:12 +0000

The long-term viability of the Gulf's bottlenose dolphin population is in jeopardy. Two more dead dolphins – juveniles, under a year in age – washed up on the beach in Gulfport, Mississippi, over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. That pushed the body count to five in just the last week on Mississippi and Alabama beaches hit hard by last year's colossal oil spill. From Margaret Baker's Nov. 27 Sun Herald report: Two more dead dolphins washed ashore in a 24-hour period ending Sunday, said Mobi Solangi, director of the Institute for Marine Mammal Studies. Both of the dolphins were under the age of a year old. One was a female dolphin that washed ashore on the beach in Gulfport around the area of Lewis Avenue, with the other, a male, washing ashore on the beach in Pass Christian about 500 yards west of Henderson Avenue. “They were under a year old and about 5 feet long,” Solangi said. “It is unusual to find them this time of year. And if we have these two, there are probably others we might see.” The "Unusual Mortality Event" (UME) – which coincides with BP's 200-million-gallon oil spill – has claimed up to 10 times the normal number of dead dolphins ...

Breakthrough in the Macondo Mystery: BP Admits to New Activity at Deepwater Horizon Site

admin — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 11:42:10 +0000

Finally, some answers. After months of trying to make the fresh oil surfacing at the Deepwater Horizon site a "nonissue," BP has finally copped to what's really happening at ground zero of last year's massive oil spill – where just last week, flyover surveillance footage captured a small fleet of large "oil-related" vessels working the waters. It's hard to hide those ships the size of football fields, even in the Gulf of Mexico. In a bombshell revelation that's going viral, BP has admitted to conducting a study to "track oil from seabed to surface" in the Macondo Prospect. Sounds to me like they've found a leak. Not so fast. A leak would suggest BP is to blame (perish the thought), but a "natural seep" would imply an act of God, conveniently out of the hands of mere mortals. Here's how Sabrina Canfield covered the BP disclosure for Courthouse News Service on Nov. 21: In an emailed statement late Friday, a representative from BP verified that several vessels are in the vicinity of the Macondo well: "There are several vessels there participating in a study of natural oil seeps. This study has been ongoing for the past month or so. Data continues being collected ...

Repeat Offender: BP’s History of Environmental Crimes Could Bring Huge Punitive-Damage Award in Gulf Spill Trial

admin — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 13:53:01 +0000

There are many tragic layers to BP's 200-million-gallon Gulf oil spill, but perhaps the most haunting is that we should have seen it coming, and we should have done more to prevent it. A procession of egregious BP management and safety violations leading up to the spring of 2010 – with laughable slap-on-the-wrist consequences – made a disaster in the deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico almost inevitable.

Tragically, in many ways, America reaped what it sowed on April 22, 2010 when the Deepwater Horizon rig sank to the seafloor, triggering the worst environmental disaster in U.S. history. A devastating event that continues to wreak havoc across the Gulf Coast – in contaminated beaches, sick and depleted fisheries and tens of thousands of ill cleanup workers and coastal residents.

Over the last 40 years, our nation's permissive regulatory oversight of the oil and gas industry has bred a corporate culture that values profits far more than people or the environment, and nurtures the kind of ever-increasing risk-taking that always ends in disaster. BP's long history of crimes against the environment – including the biggest-ever oil spill on Alaska's North Slope in 2006 and a 2009 pipeline rupture near the Lisburne Production ...

Louisiana Blasts BP-Coast Guard Plan that Effectively Ends Oil Spill Cleanup

admin — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 15:31:17 +0000

The federally approved plan amounts to a sweetheart deal for BP, and a huge black eye for Louisiana and the entire Gulf Coast. The plan – which transitions out of the cleanup phase into the restoration phase – allows BP to walk away from miles and miles of contaminated coastline, marshlands and beaches that are still being hit by fresh, highly toxic oil. A high-ranking Louisiana public official slammed the plan last week, saying there are "23 miles of shoreline where there's still oil being found and millions of barrels of BP oil in the Gulf that's unaccounted for." For those obvious and undeniable reasons, among others, Louisiana has refused to sign off on a plan that effectively shuts down BP-financed cleanup efforts for good. But despite Louisiana's valid concerns about a plan that has been described as "fundamentally inadequate," "irresponsible" and "junk" by local officials, the feds have already begun implementation. Here's how Mark Schleifstein of the Times-Picayune breaks it down: [Louisiana charges] that the plan leaves coastal beaches and wetlands vulnerable to continued oil contamination with no guarantee that BP will be required to pay for future cleanups. The state is particularly concerned that the plan includes no long-term monitoring for ...

Macondo Mystery Deepens: Nine Large Vessels Spotted Working in Vicinity of Deepwater Horizon Site

admin — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 18:24:14 +0000

The mystery continues to unfold at the site of last year's massive oil spill. Flyover surveillance footage taken Nov. 12 reveals no fewer than nine large oil-related work vessels in the waters surrounding BP's Macondo Prospect. Vast expanses of surface oil have been reported at the site since we broke the story here on this blog in mid-August, but both BP and the U.S. Coast Guard have been unable – or unwilling – to identify the source (see link to my breaking post below).

Here's how On Wings of Care pilot Bonny Schumaker recounts the scene on the water in her Nov. 12 flyover report:

We saw lots of "work" vessels out in the Macondo today! And new orange buoys we hadn't seen before. Our southeast-bound route took us past the platform "VK989" at about N28°58' W088°37', and the first two orange buoys we saw were a little over 50 miles off shore to the east-southeast. Thence came a progression of oil-related (BP-contracted, we think) work vessels, some ROV-capable and more. These included the Meg L. Skandi, C. Chariot, Monica Ann, Normand Pacific, Sarah Bordelon, Deep Blue, HOS Iron Horse, Brooks McCall, and Holiday.

That's a lot of vessels in a tight area ...

Dereliction of Duty: U.S. Coast Guard Approves BP’s Plan to Shut Down Spill Cleanup

admin — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 12:31:26 +0000

As fresh oil continues to blot on our sugar-white beaches and our fragile coastal marshes remain choked with thick crude, BP is set to pull the plug on cleanup efforts across the Gulf Coast – and, inexplicably, the U.S. Coast Guard is clearing the way for the oil giant's hasty retreat. Here's how Associated Press reporters Cain Burdeau and Dina Cappiello covered the disturbing disclosure on Nov. 8: BP will no longer be responsible for cleaning up oil that winds up on shores of the Gulf Coast unless officials can prove it comes from the company's well that blew out in 2010, causing the worst offshore spill in U.S. history, according to a plan approved by the Coast Guard... Apparently, unbeknownst to me, the mission of the U.S. Coast Guard has changed. The USCG mission I'm familiar with (and I'm paraphrasing) is to protect our shoreline, our citizens and our way of life. The new mission, as far as I can tell, seems to be to protect BP from future damages regardless of how it impacts our shoreline, our citizens and our way of life. Absolutely unbelievable. Even within the context of abject disgust and disappointment in the way our federal government has handled ...

More Legal Woes for Oil Companies on Gulf Coast: Judge Awards $11 Million to Houma Family for Unpaid Oil Royalties

admin — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 19:52:01 +0000

A Terrebonne judge has put oil companies on notice: If you withhold oil royalties from landowners, you will be held accountable. In a ruling that represents a significant victory for Louisiana landowners and marks the oil industry's second major legal setback this year on the Gulf Coast, District Judge Johnny Walker awarded $11 million to the St. Martin family in a royalty dispute with Houston-based I.P. Petroleum. From a Nov. 1 Houma Today report by Eric Heisig: Attorney Michael St. Martin and his wife, Virginia, filed a lawsuit in December 2006 alleging that Houston-based I.P. Petroleum Co. and other parties failed to pay nearly $925,000 in royalties on oil and gas they produced from a well owned by the family. The well, about two miles off Bayou Black Drive just west of Houma, is owned by the St. Martins and the Delaware-based Quality Environmental Processes. I.P. Petroleum subleased the well from Mobil, which was leasing it from the St. Martins and Quality Environmental. Quality is owned by members of the St. Martin family. I.P. Petroleum stopped paying royalties July 1, 1997, court papers say. For those of you unfamiliar with oil royalties, they are fees a company agrees to pay to a landowner for the ...

Another In A Long List of Gulf Casualties: Pensacola’s East Bay Oyster Population Decimated By Mass Die-Off

admin — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 17:25:25 +0000

You can add oysters from the Florida panhandle – an area slammed by the BP oil spill – to the widening list of marine life experiencing mass die-offs in the Gulf of Mexico. Dolphins, sea turtles, shrimp, blue crabs, sea stars, sand dollars and fish, such as red snapper and the minnow-like killifish, are being hit hard by disease, deformities, cellular abnormalities and, yes, die-offs. Now we have harvesters of Pensacola's East Bay oysters, described by many seafood connoisseurs as the tastiest in America, pulling up "dead catches" ever since the season opened on Oct. 1. Photo credit to Charles Walton IV From an Oct. 30 Pensacola New Journal (PNJ) report: "We're finding very few alive," said Pasco Gibson, a main supplier of the East Bay oysters. "This time of the year, we should be catching 500 to 1,000 pounds per boat a day. We're not even catching a hundred pounds." Oyster season opened on Oct. 1, and oystermen were expecting great hauls. Instead, they were alarmed when they dipped their long, wooden tongs with metal jaws into beds that had been teaming with large, juicy and healthy oysters at the end of last ...

The Big Fix – the Must-See BP Spill Documentary – Makes Exclusive Week-Long Run in New Orleans Nov. 4th-10th

admin — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 23:36:26 +0000

The Big Fix – the wildly successful, critically acclaimed documentary film on the BP oil spill – is making big waves across the country and around the world. Fresh from its explosive North American premiere and its "standing ovation" debut at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year, The Big Fix is making an exclusive week-long run at Chalmette Movies in New Orleans Nov. 4-10. Do not miss this opportunity to see the film that Gambit describes as "massively important" and Huffington Post calls "a must-see." New Orleans native Josh Tickell and his wife and co-director Rebecca Harrell Tickell serve up an epic exposé, pulling back the curtain on the unholy alliance between our federal government and multinational corporations like BP. The Big Fix recounts in riveting detail the events surrounding the worst environmental disaster in U.S. history. If you have questions (and how could you not) about the events leading up to the spill and the devastating aftermath, The Big Fix will provide the answers. Through an array of gripping interviews with scientists, government officials, journalists (including Rolling Stone's Jeff Goodell who examined the Gulf spill in his article "The Poisoning"), attorneys (including myself) and a bevy of Gulf Coast natives from ...

Is BP’s Macondo Prospect Still Leaking? Fresh Oil Is Coming Ashore More Than 100 Miles Away

admin — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 13:48:22 +0000

Scientists confirmed last month that BP’s oil continues to bubble to the surface where the infamous Deepwater Horizon rig once sat. While federal officials bury their heads, the situation in the Gulf worsens by the day. We now believe this second wave of BP oil has made landfall on Horn Island, a narrow strip of federally protected land just 12 miles off the Mississippi coast. Here’s the background. On Sept. 20, a member of my research team conducted a sampling tour on Horn Island (see link to previous post below). Strongbear, a Native American who serves as the managing environmental technician for Boston Chemical Data Corporation, witnessed an ugly scene on the island that assaulted the senses. From my Sept. 23 post:
According to Strongbear, the once white-sand beaches of Horn Island are covered in wide swaths of giant tar balls and gooey tar mats. “It’s a mess,” says Strongbear. “Some of the tar balls are the size of watermelons. When you break them open, you get a very strong smell of oil.”
Strongbear snapped a few photos of the tar mats and balls with his cell phone camera.

Government Scientists Tie BP Spill to Dolphin Die-Off in Gulf – And Suggest Humans Also Could Be Affected

admin — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 17:18:36 +0000

In a breaking news story that went viral over the weekend, government scientists have (finally) established a tie between last year's BP oil spill and the epidemic of dolphin deaths and rash of "mysterious" human illnesses that have rattled the Gulf Coast since early last summer. Scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Center for Disease Control (CDC) have identified a deadly bacteria known as brucella in five of 21 dolphin carcasses that have been tested to date. Lead NOAA scientist Dr. Teri Rowles believes the combination of oil and the toxic dispersant Corexit – which is estimated to be 11 times more lethal than oil alone – has dramatically weakened the immune systems of dolphins in the Gulf of Mexico, significantly increasing their susceptibility to the killer brucella bacteria and the deadly disease known as marine brucellosis. I should note that three more dead dolphins were found on Gulf beaches Friday, bringing the total body count to more than 400 since the BP spill began last April. From an Oct. 27 CNN report: "We believe these five dolphins died from brucellosis," said Teri Rowles, coordinator of the National Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program for the ...

Dolphin Death Toll Hits 400 Since BP Spill: Four Carcasses Wash Ashore in Five Days

admin — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 12:07:44 +0000

The procession of purple, bloated carcasses serves as a grim reminder. As of mid-October, more than 400 dead dolphins – many of them pregnant mothers and calves – have washed up on Gulf beaches since BP's crippled Macondo Well dumped more than 200 million gallons of crude into the waters 60 miles off the Louisiana coast. Local media outlets are reporting a flurry of recent deaths and mortality rates up to 10 times higher than the norm. From an Oct. 12 Mobile Press-Register report: "We should be seeing one (death) a month at this time of year," said Ruth Carmichael, a Dauphin Island Sea Lab scientist tasked with responding to reports of dead dolphins. "We’re getting one or more a week. It’s just never slowed down." An examination of the Gulfwide death toll, broken down by month, reveals that dolphins continue to die at rates four to 10 times higher than normal. For instance, 23 dolphins were found dead in August, compared to a monthly average of less than 3 each August between 2002 and 2009. Courtesy of John C.S. Pierce Those are alarming statistics by any standard, yet we don't seem to be any ...

News Round-Up: October 25, 2011

admin — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 12:00:44 +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:

EPA to Develop National Regulations on Disposal of Fracking Wastewater

EU Crackdown on Oil Firms Will Not Extend to Overseas Operations

China Urges IAEA To Solve Iran Nuclear Issue Through Dialogue, Negotiations

News Round-Up: October 24, 2011

admin — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 21:59:05 +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:

Effects of Fracking Go Beyond Upstate N.Y.

BP Clears Hurdle To Drill In Gulf While Oil Spill Liability Laws Remain Unchanged

Effort to Crowdsource Radiation Information in Japan to Expand (VIDEO)

BP Rises from the Ashes: Feds Approve Plan for British Oil Giant to Drill Four New Wells in Gulf of Mexico

admin — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 17:59:01 +0000

In a stunning turnaround, our federal government has approved a plan for BP to drill four new deep-water wells in the Gulf of Mexico – just 17 months after the British oil giant's negligence triggered the worst oil spill in U.S. history. Even as Gulf Coast residents continue to limp toward recovery, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has opened the door to another disaster, turning a blind eye toward the egregious safety lapses and reckless cost-cutting efforts that led to last year's 200-million-gallon spill. Perhaps our federal regulators are suffering from (selective) amnesia, but down here on the Gulf Coast, we haven't forgotten the permissive regulatory climate that got us into this mess. The White House is playing Russian roulette with offshore drilling, putting the environment and American livelihoods in jeopardy. Here's how Politico covered the development in an Oct. 21 report: The approval by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management is a major milestone for the British oil giant – and perhaps for drilling companies in general, as they have had to meet new federal offshore drilling safety and environmental standards since the disaster. ... The company is proposing to drill up to four wells in the Gulf in areas that ...

New Study Shows the FDA Got It Wrong: Despite the Agency’s “All Clear,” Gulf Seafood Isn’t Safe to Eat

admin — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 13:20:38 +0000

I've said it until I'm blue in the face. I've shouted it from the rooftops: Beware, the testing program the federal government uses to determine the safety of Gulf seafood is a complete sham. The testing methodology – which at one point consisted of simply "sniffing" the samples – sets ridiculously low consumption levels and accepts as "safe" dangerously high levels of contamination. That's a one-two punch that puts the public, particularly Gulf Coast residents, at increased risk for cancer and other debilitating illnesses and conditions. I and other blue-faced critics of the FDA's "all clear" just got a shot in the arm with the release last week of a new study from the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) that exposes the failings of the government testing program and warns the public about the very real risks tied to the consumption of Gulf seafood (see link to study below). So despite the green light from the FDA, consider this from an Oct. 14 TIME Magazine report before you belly back up to the raw bar: ...an environmental watchdog group says the agency's standards are "based on outdated science" and underestimate the risk of cancer-causing contaminants to pregnant women and children eating seafood from ...

Leaving a Mess on the Gulf Coast: BP’s Cleanup Plan for Horn Island Is a Disaster

admin — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 22:29:53 +0000

It's a rule we're all taught in kindergarten: Clean up your own mess. The concept is so simple even five-year-olds get it. If you don't clean up the mess you make, somebody else will have to – and even kindergartners (bless their stubborn little hearts) understand why that's wrong. Sadly for those of us on the Gulf Coast, that very basic lesson didn't gel with the folks at BP. Or perhaps – stretching the bounds of coincidence – they all missed that very same day of school. Either way, we're now paying the price for their inability to adhere to our most fundamental tenets of personal responsibility and sense of right and wrong. BP's pre-K tendencies are all over the company's final cleanup plans for our beaches. The plan (and I use the term loosely) for Horn Island, which is part of the federally protected Gulf Islands National Seashore located just off the Mississippi coast, is a troubling case in point. And let's remember that cleanup on Horn Island is particularly important due to the wildlife that resides there, like sea turtles, shorebirds, raptors, piping plovers and other protected or managed species. And although, part of the island is federal land, other ...

“The Big Fix” – The Most Important Oil Spill Film of the Year – Returns Home to Hero’s Welcome in New Orleans

admin — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 14:09:14 +0000

New Orleans is buzzing with anticipation this morning as we prepare for tonight's North American "red carpet" premiere of The Big Fix – the jaw-dropping exposé on the Gulf oil spill that has BP and our federal government running for cover. Co-directors of the highly anticipated film, Josh Tickell and his wife Rebecca, are returning home with a rallying cry for the Gulf Coast that will be heard all the way to the White House. Residents from across the region – bowed but not broken by the worst spill in American history – are dropping everything to join the directing duo in sending a message in one clear, very loud voice. The message to our elected officials in Washington is simple: You got us into this mess, now you need to help get us out! The Big Fix – I believe the most important of the year – takes a behind-the-scenes look at the intimate relationship between our federal government and Big Oil (showcasing BP, of course). It’s an unholy alliance that seeks to preserve the oil-producing machine that fuels America regardless of the damage it inflicts on people, the environment, or frankly, anything else that matters. In addition to the serious business ...

Government’s Role in the Worst Oil Spill in U.S. History: “The Big Fix” Premieres Oct. 14 at New Orleans Film Festival

admin — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 15:47:45 +0000

Faith in the federal government has died on the Gulf Coast – or more accurately, it was killed. The trust between Gulf citizen and government was battered by the disastrously slow and inept federal response to Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and a stake was driven through its heart by the Obama Administration's incessant coddling of BP during last year's massive oil spill. By all accounts, those two critically important federal responses were blunders of epic proportions, leaving the people of the Gulf Coast to fend for themselves in the most dire of situations. Though we picked ourselves up, dusted ourselves off and forged on, we will never forget that Washington turned its back on us when we needed it most. The Gulf Coast will get a chance this week to air its anger, distrust and disappointment alongside hometown heroes Josh Tickell and his wife Rebecca as their film, The Big Fix, makes its much-anticipated North American premiere on Oct. 14 at the New Orleans Film Festival. We will also get a chance to celebrate our resilience and to rally around our dedication to making a difference in the way our government and industry operate. This brilliant film – I believe the most important ...