new orleans environmental news - articles about the bp oil spill for examiner.com (july 2010 -...

8/8/2019 New Orleans Environmental News - articles about the BP oil spill for Examiner.com (July 2010 - present)

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http://www.examiner.com/environmental-news-in-new-orleans/bottom-kill-start-contingent-upon-

pulling-up-pipe-pieces-from-well

My articles Examiner.com:

ENVIRONMENTAL EXAMINER:

Laurie Wiegler

y New Orleans Environmental News ExaminerSubscribeSponsoran Examiner

View all of Laurie's articles

yy http://www.examiner.com/environmental-news-in-new-orleans/deep-sea-damage-to-

coral-reefs-found-gulfyyy Print

Deep-sea damage to coral reefs found in Gulf

y November 7th, 2010 10:31 pm CTDo you like this story?

On Nov. 4,NOAA returned from an expedition in the Gulf of Mexico that determined coralshave been affected by oil that gushed from the Macondo well.

On its web site, NOAA sites the mission of federal and academic scientists as having observed"damage to deep-sea corals" on the research cruise.

Charles Fisher,Ph.D., professor of biology at Penn State and chief scientist on the expedition,described some of the soft coral observed in an area measuring 15 to 40 meters "as covered bywhat appeared to be a brown substance. Ninety percent of40 large corals were heavily affectedand showed dead and dying parts and discoloration," according to a NOAA statement.

Another site 400 meters away had a colony of stony coral similarly affected and partiallycovered with a similar brown substance.


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The mission in the Gulf comes to a head after numerous weeks that found the scientists exploringdeep-sea coral habitats in the Gulf.

Nov. 4 marked the conclusion of this years cruise, the fourth of a multiyear collaborationsponsored by NOAAs Office of Ocean Exploration and Research and the Bureau of Ocean

Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE).

Operating from the NOAA Ship Ronald H. Brown and using a variety of tools including theNational Deep Submergence Facilitys Jason II remotely-operated vehicle (ROV), researchersforaged 1,400 meters deep (4,600 feet) and about seven miles southwest of the Macondowellhead when they observed "dead and dying corals with sloughing tissue and discoloration,"according to the NOAA statement.

The New York Times reported the story in its Sunday edition, drawing increasing focus on theextant issue that has brewed in scientists' minds for over 200 days: just how have marine lifebeen impacted in the deep-sea waters of the Gulf?

With more analyses of the coral samples, definitive conclusions should soon be drawn.

--

http://www.examiner.com/environmental-news-in-new-orleans/blowout-preventer-replacement-

elucidated-today-by-admiral-allen

Laurie Wiegler

y New Orleans Environmental News ExaminerSubscribeSponsoran ExaminerView all of Laurie's articles

yyy Print

Blowout preventer replacement elucidated today by Admiral

Allen


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y August 27th, 2010 5:09 pm CTToday, retired US Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen spoke about the cessation of the 'fishingexpedition' as mentioned in a letterhe wrote to Bob Dudley, CEO of BP today.

Allen said that he had a considerable amount of information to pass on today regarding results inthe last 24 hours.

"As you know we've been conducting what we've been calling fishing operations attempting toascertain the condition of the capping stack blowout preventer and the pipe that is in the blowoutpreventer,' said Allen. "We knew we had several pieces of pipe there and as you know fromprevious briefings we had sent down fishing tools in an attempt to locate those pipes. Last nightwe attempted to retrieve the pipe that was the result of the clean cut.

He said the pipes have settled against the side of the blowout preventer (BOP) and therefore,histeam can't successfully put the overshot devices over them. "We've come to the conclusion that

any more attempts at fishing are probably not going to result in success," said Allen.

Thus, the science team and the BP engineers decided to recommend to the principals and thecabinet secretaries that "we go ahead with the removal of the blowout preventer and thereplacement of the blowout preventer with the one that's on Development Driller 2. This isdue to the one whose apparent fragility of the pipe that keeps breaking and falling off to the sideand also the unknown condition of the BOP below that and I can talk about that in a little bit,"said Allen.

So the plans are right now to replace the BOP, with an approximate timeline that, starting todayinto Saturday and Sunday,his team would make preparations to remove the BOP and replace it.

Those preparations will be done as follows:

y The Discoverer Enterprise will retrieve the current fishing assembly and then they willrun a latch down that will be capable of removing the capping stack, that top device thatwas placed on the blowout preventer.

y At the same time the Q4000 together with a number of ROV's will start disconnectinglines from the Macondo BOP. That includes the choke and kill lines, the goosenecks andsome of those connections that go to that C4 manifold that we have used for variousoperations in the past.

y And then the Q4000 will prepare in general the BOP for removal. We expect theseactions will take place on Saturday and Sunday. In t

he meantime Development Driller 2will unlatch, pick up the 2nd blowout preventer and move to the staging area.

y Starting Monday and through Tuesday the Discoverer Enterprise will latch on andremove the capping stack. And the capping stack will be temporarily stored nearby on theocean floor. Once that has been completed the Q4000 will move in and connect to theBOP and will unlatch it, said Allen.


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There will then be "a series of two decision points will occur. We will attempt to pull it free andwe are prepared to apply up to 80,000 of force in addition to the weight of the blowout preventerto lift it," he said, calling it "a gentle tug."

One impediment to plans could be caused by weather and the other by an unsuccessful 'gentle

tug.' To read more of the Admiral's comments and reporters questions today, please clickhere.

--

http://www.examiner.com/environmental-news-in-new-orleans/halliburton-and-bp-knew-macondo-well-had-cement-problems

Halliburton and BP knew Macondo well had cement

problems

yOctober 29th, 2010 12:00 pm CT

Do you like this story?

In the ongoing investigation into why catastrophe struck Apr. 20, yesterday's news that BPand Halliburton were aware of flaws in the cement used to seal the Macondo well will nodoubt fuel an already contentious legal battle in Washington.

In a letter to the oil spill commission, investigator Fred Bartlit said that the cement mixture usedon the well was subpar, failing three of four lab tests prior to the explosion.

In the letter, Bartlitt and fellow investigators write that Transocean and BP chose not to conductnecessary tests to ensure the integrity of the cement prior to the Apr. 20 blowout. Specifically,the well had failed cement foam slurry tests in the preceding weeks, and further, a test performedthe night of Apr. 19 had not yet been read.

Bartlitt says: "Halliburton may not have had--and BP did not have--the results of that test beforethe evening of Apr. 19, meaning that the cement job may have been pumped without any labresults indicating that the foam cement slurry would be stable."

A slurry, simply speaking, suspends solids in a liquid.

Halliburton and BP bothhad results in March showing that a very similar foam slurry design tothe one actually pumped at the Macondo well would be unstable, but neither chose to act on thatdata, Bartlitt said.

In the effort to cap the Macondo well, retired US Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen and engineersworked tirelessly on a range of issues including a clogged annulus and weather-relatedchallenges before replacing the blowout preventer. Allen retired from his work as National


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Incident Commander and now the ongoing restoration is overseen by Rear Adm. Paul Zukunft ofthe US Coast Guard.

To follow the Oil Spill Commission proceedings,clickhere.

y BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spilly Halliburtony BPy BP oil spill commissiony Reporty Share

1

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y randy j comeaux 2 weeks ago

really good article , please keep up the great work

--

http://www.examiner.com/environmental-news-in-new-orleans/zukunft-and-noaa-provide-operational-update-cites-cap-placed-on-well-2-days-ago

Zukunft says plug-and-abandonment now complete, cites

$27m daily "burn rate"

y November 10th, 2010 3:03 pm CTDo you like this story?

Earlier today, Rear Adm. Paul Zukunft provided an operational update on the restoration in theGulf and the Deepwater Horizon response.


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He started the call by pointing out a "milestone" that many didn't realize occurred two days ago,that "the plug and abandonment of the Macondo 252 well was complete. And in fact when it wascompleted, the cap that went over it has 11 stars on it to memorialize the 11 lives lost during thattragic explosion on April 20."

Also at the outset of the call, Lieutenant Commander Chris O'Neil, public information officerfor the Unified Area Command, introduced "three subject matter experts from NOAA with ustoday in addition to Admiral Zukunft."

The NOAA experts were Frank Csulak, Richard Crout and John Stein, who were there to "speakto a variety of technical issues associated with the response," said O'Neil.

Zukunft then updated the press, statingthat there are just over 9,300 people responding to theoil spill, "everywhere from the Florida panhandle through [and] across Alabama, Mississippi andLouisiana as well. We have still have about 587 miles of oiled shoreline. Of that last week Ireported about 25 of those were heavily oiled.

This week it's actually 26 [miles of heavily oiled shoreline]. It went up one mile in Florida.We had strong northerly winds and some beach erosion in some parts of Florida that did exposesome tar mats and so we have clean-up crews out there working today to continue to work thosesites," Zukunft said.

He explained that some of the "persistent oil" is in a sand column on both recreational beachesand on national park shorelines.

"We're working with in some cases, it's either removed manually or we're using heavyequipment. And each one of those miles has a shoreline treatment recommendation as we look

at the best alternatives to remove oil," he said.

Asked by a reporter about how much money will be saved due to the permanent cap placement,the admiral said proprietary questions are better answered by BP. That said, "we're currentlyexperiencing about a $27m per day burn rate."

###For more on the call, please see the complete transcript and or listen to the audio transcript byclicking here

--

http://www.examiner.com/environmental-news-in-new-orleans/zukunft-says-on-197th-day-of-oil-spill-crisis-580-miles-still-oiled


7/29



Zukunft says on 197th day of Gulf response, 580 shoreline

miles still oiled

y November 7th, 2010 9:54 am CTDo you like this story?

Last Wednesday, Rear Adm. Paul Zukunft, federal on-scene coordinator for the DeepwaterHorizon Response, told the media that the same amount of oiled shoreline exists now as did theprevious week.

"This is the 197th day of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Response. Today we have just over9,200 people out doing active response operations in Florida, Mississippi, Alabama andLouisiana. I reported last week that we had approximately 580 miles of shoreline that hadbeen oiled and about 30 miles of that is heavy oil," he said.

"Those numbers still remain the same. We have whats called shoreline treatmentrecommendations for every one of those miles. And until we reach a point where we sign offwhere theres no further treatment among those 580 miles, those numbers will remain somewhatconsistent," Zukunft told the media from his New Orleans base.

Over in Florida and especially in areas ofPensacola,he said, there are tar mats in the inner tidalzone. And occasionally, those tar mats break loose. "They come back ashore. We actually havescuba teams out there right now that are mapping where those tar mats are and trying to dorecovery operations or at least stage crews in advance of where that oil may come ashore,"Zukunft said.

In Alabama, there are two main recreational beach areas, Orange Beach and Gulf Shores.Currently, Zukunft's team has what are called "power screeners" doing sand cleaning operationsof as much as 440 tons of sand per hour. When sand is clean its then redistributed across thebeach, Zukunft said.

Further, the rear admiral has met with Mayor Kennon and Mayor Craft in those twocommunities "to work on an end point of getting those beaches clean before the end of thecalendar year," although the "biggest looming factor" will be weather. "Because when that sandis wet, its not possible to do this mechanical cleaning operation. But that continues and werecontinuing to make progress there."

In Louisiana, there is still some oil into marsh areas,he said, including oiling on PelicanIsland, on Grand Isle and Fourchon Beach and also Grand Terre Island.

"Some of that oil has actually worked its way a couple of feet into the sand column," Zukunftsaid. "Weve done auguring to test how deep that penetrates. And then working with thelocal stakeholders ofhow deep we actually do the cleaning in some of those areas. On those


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Barrier Islands, we dont want to go too deep to make that sand unstable. But again, thatcontinues to be an active operation out there as well."

Zukunft said that on Friday the 29thhe hosted a meeting with the State of Louisiana and each ofthe coastal Parish presidents "just to gain alignment on where we are in this cleanup. More

importantly to communicate the long-term restoration that follows this emergency responsephase of this operation."

"And finally, we continue to work on seafood safety. Weve worked with the state of Louisianaand with the responsible party for example to stand up a more aggressive marketing campaign onseafood safety but also we continue to do the seafood sampling," Zukunft said.

***

For more of Zukunft's call with the media as well as to listen to an audio transcript, please click

here.

http://www.examiner.com/environmental-news-in-new-

orleans/bp-sued-by-environmental-groups-for-endangered-

species-losses

BP sued by environmental groups for endangered species'

losses

y October 22nd, 2010 11:22 am CTDo you like this story?

A federal suit was filed Wednesday in New Orleans by environmental groups who accuse BPPLC for the oil spill's toll on endangered species of wildlife in the Gulf's ecosystem.

The suit was filed by Defenders of Wildlife, Gulf Restoration Network Inc. and Save theManatee Club Inc. and accuses BP of violating the Endangered Species Act.

The environmentalists are asking for a court order requiring the company to offset the spill'simpact on wildlife and restore theirhabitats.


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The suit says the Gulfhas nearly 30 endangered or threatened animal species, including whales,various types of sea turtles and birds.

The Gulf Restoration Networkhas been minding the gulf for nearly two decades, and since theBP/Deepwater Horizon oil spewed Apr 20 its members are working hard to tell the true stories.

For example, please check out the network'sblog page on the oil spill.

Save the Manattee Club seeks to protect the gentle manatees in areas such as the Gulf of Mexico.Only an estimated 3,800 manatees are alive today, according to the club's web site. However, aswith all numbers of reported marine life and wildlife alive in the Gulf, it's likely a speciousfigure since the spill.

The lawsuit from these groups is not surprising given the endless litigation against BP andoffshore drilling contractor Transocean, which owned the rig that exploded in the Gulf.

***

y BP Oil Spill lawsuitsy BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spilly environmental litigationy marine wildlifey Gulf Wildlifey

Reporty Share

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y Jon Banner 2 weeks ago

This lawsuit will go no where. Under CERCLA, CWA, the EPA is responsible fordetermining damages to the environment. Trying to get damages for endangered species,also a loser. None were killed, and even if they were you would have to prove that thedeaths were caused by BP. According to the wildlife dolphin specialist I talked to, that isalso impossible.

The gov has made NO changes, things remain the same


10/29



http://www.examiner.com/environmental-news-in-new-orleans/us-voters-support-clean-energy-upcoming-house-races

US voters support their House representatives who voted forclimate change bill

y October 18th, 2010 6:40 pm CTDo you like this story?

The Natural Resources Defense Council said today voters around the country are more likely tosupport candidates who vote for an energy bill that cuts climate change pollution, based on newpoll results from the NRDC Action Fund released today.

Public Policy Polling (PPP) for the NRDC Action Fund from 23 key Congressional Districtsshow that voters favor a clean energy plan that creates jobs and limits climate changepollution by an average of 52 percent.

Voters supported clean energy legislation in nearly all of the House races cited, with tworaces in a statistical tie. Moreover, they were more likely to support candidates who promotedsuch a bill. The spread was an impressive 20 points, NRDC said.

Surveys conducted between October 8 and October 15 covered 23 U.S. House races withincumbents who voted for the American Clean Energy and Security Act (ACES): Jerry

McNerney (CA-11); Betsy Markey (CO-4); Alan Boyd (FL-2); Suzanne Kosmas (FL-24); AlanGrayson (FL-8); Leonard Boswell (IA-3); Debbie Halvorsen (IL-11); Phil Hare (IL-17); FrankKratovil (MD-1); Mark Schauer (MI-7); Carol Shea-Porter (NH-1); Harry Teague (NM-2); DinaTitus (NV-3); John Hall (NY-19); Steve Driehaus (OH-1); Mary Jo Kilroy (OH-15); JohnBoccieri (OH-16); Zach Space (OH-18); Paul Kanjorski (PA-11); Patrick Murphy (PA-8); JohnSpratt (SC-5); Tom Perriello (VA-5); and Steve Kagan (WI-8).

The NRDC Action Fund selected the particular 23 districts because these incumbents were inclose races and because the outcome of these contests could determine which party will controlthe House of Representatives.

Congress is considering an energy bill that would further US investments in wind,geothermal,biofuels,hydrogen and solar power, and other alternative energy solutions.

NRDC Action Fund did not poll districts where the representatives voted against theclimate change legislation.

The results of the 23 poll reports are available online athttp://www.nrdcactionfund.org/polls/october2010/.


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***

The NRDC Action Fund promotes the passage of legislation thatjump-starts the cleanenergy economy and reduces pollution.

Public Policy Polling is a national survey research firm located in Raleigh, North Carolina.

To visit the NRDC Action Fund web site,clickhere.

**

Yesterday, the NRDCwas incorrectly called the National (not Natural) Resources DefenseCouncil, and NRDC (rather than NRDCAction Fund) was credited for the poll. The writer

regrets the errors.

---


orleans/nearly-a-month-after-the-kill-search-for-oil-

continues

Nearly a month after the "kill," search for oil continues

y October 13th, 2010 5:21 pm CTDo you like this story?

The Unified Area Command for the response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill released anupdate today, just a few hours after the afternoonbriefing with Rear Admiral Paul Zukunft fromNew Orleans and a day afterPresident Barack Obama reversed the ban on offshore oil drilling.

Currently, approximately 16,292 personnel are responding to protect the shoreline, wildlife andcleanup coastlines, according to Unified Command. Other statistics are as follows:

y To date,more than 31,000 water and sediment samples have been taken from theGulf, reaching from the Texas-Louisiana border to the Florida Keys, and extendingnearly 300 miles offshore.

y Response teams have conducted more than 125 sampling missions, with more than 25different deepwater capable vessels, including federal, state, private, and academic ships.

y More than 850 days at sea have been recorded.


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y In the past week, 67 water samples and 131 sediment samples were collected.Currently four vessels are conducting sampling operations. Water column detectionsampling data currently detects hydrocarbons in the parts per billion to parts per trillion.

y NOAA, FDA and the Gulf states are working together to ensure the seafood beingharvested and brought to market is safe forhuman consumption, according to Unified

Command.y To date, every seafood sample from reopened waters has passed sensory testing for oil.

NOAA scientists completed sensory analysis on 2,733 samples & completed chemical

analysis on 2,768 samples.y To date, 90 percent of federal waters in the Gulfhave been reopened to fishing.y More than 1,056 tons of recyclable waste, including oily liquid & oily solid waste,has

been processed.

y Approximately 98 miles of Gulf Coast shoreline are experiencing moderate to heavyoil impacts -- approximately 88 miles in Louisiana, 9 miles in Mississippi and 1 mile

in Florida.y Approximately 458 miles of shoreline are experiencing light to trace oil impacts--

approximately 203 miles in Louisiana, 81 miles in Mississippi, 60 miles in Alabama,and 114 miles in Florida.

During today's briefing, Rear Admiral Zukunft once again made clear that the recovery efforts inthe Gulf are ongoing. He stressed continuity, even though the emergency mode that existedbetween Apr 20 and the halting of flow on July 16has transitioned into a still urgent, but lesscritical search for where the "last release of oil" occurred and where it's had an impact.

"My only closing remark is we are approaching the 6-month phase of this, and it's been nearlythree months since we've had any new oil introduced," said Zukunft. "But this is anything buttypical. If you look at large oil spills, they are instantaneous. Whereas, we had 87consecutive days of a major spill occurring day in, day out, and during that phase we wereclearly in a crisis."

He said that during this very "labor intensive" period, the teams are looking very deeply into thewater column, but still at this point are seeing concentrations of oil in the parts-per-billion range.

Last week, though, the federal government came under fire from the very commission it hired toanalyze its response to the BP/Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill. One of the criticisms of thecommission was that in an effort to clean up the Gulf, dispersant use authority was handed overto EPA chief Lisa Jackson amidst political, inter-agency conflicts.

For resources on the Gulf oil spill cleanup and recovery efforts, please see:

y To read more about the Unified Command response including links to other federalagencies,clickhere.

y For specific information about the federal-wide response, visithttp://www.whitehouse.gov/deepwater-bp-oil-spill.


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y To contact the Deepwater Horizon Joint Information Center, call (713) 323-1670.Tosubmit alternative response technology, services, or products, call 281-366-5511.

y To report oiled wildlife, call (866) 557-1401.y For information about environmental air and water sampling results, visit

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

For National Park Service updates about potential park closures, resources at risk, andNPS actions to protect vital park space and wildlife, visithttp://www.nps.gov/aboutus/oil-spill-response.htm.

y For Fish and Wildlife Service updates about response along the Gulf Coast and the statusof national wildlife refuges, visit http://www.fws.gov/home/dhoilspill/.Fordaily updateson fishing closures, visit http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov.

y BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spilly Zukunfty

2010 Gulf of Mexico Oil Spilly sediment samplingy Reporty Share

2

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y Jim Lampe 4 weeks ago

A thorough report, nice job.

---

http://www.examiner.com/environmental-news-in-new-orleans/bp-takes-40bn-hit-from-oil-spill-so-far

BP takes $40bn hit from oil spill -- so far

y November 2nd, 2010 12:08 pm CTDo you like this story?


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BP announced today that the total charge for the Macondo well blowout in the Gulf was $39.9billion.

A press release issued by the company's London office stated that the charge "for the incident toend of the third quarter represented its current best estimate of those costs that can be reliably

measured at this time."

The show goes on for BP, though, whichhas shown a strong operating performance across thegroup as reflected by turning a profit in the third quarter of 2010 -- despite an additional pre-taxcharge of $7.7 billion for the Gulf disaster.

This followed a charge of $32.2 billion in the second quarter and was due principally to higherspill response costs. said the company. The long delay in completing the relief well that finallysealed the Macondo well in September, added substantially to the company's costs, as did"additional costs for decontaminating and demobilizng vessels involved in the response, claimscentre administration costs and additional legal costs."

These results demonstrate that BP is well on track for recovery after the tragic accident on theDeepwater Horizon drilling rig and subsequent oil spill, commented group chief executive BobDudley."

This news comes on the heels of an oil spill commission investigator's assertion that thecompany, along with Halliburton ,knew full well that there were cement problems on the eveningpreceding the Apr. 20 blowout.

--

http://www.examiner.com/environmental-news-in-new-orleans/oil-spill-commission-cites-delay-calling-spill-of-national-significance-other-fumbles

View all of Laurie's articles

yyy Print

Delay in calling spill of 'national significance', other fumbles(part one of oil spill comm report)

y October 7th, 2010 1:03 pm CT


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Admiral Thad Allen participated in the recent BP Oil Spill Commission panel discussion in DC.Photo: Mark Wilson, Getty Images, Sept 27.

In the report issued yesterday, the oil spill commission cites numerous problems on the part ofthe US government when handling the crisis that evolved from the April 20 blowout of theMacondo well, including unnecessary delays, inter-agency mismanagement and possibleincorrect use of containment methods.

For purposes of brevity,herewith are highlights from the first half of the report, with part two tofollow tomorrow:

* The response was supervised at a national level by a National Incident Commander. On April29, 2010, the Coast Guard designated the disaster a "Spill ofNational Significance," andbrought in retired Admiral Thad Allen of the US Coast Guard.

* "Though some of the command structure was put in place very quickly, in other respects themobilization of resources to combat the spill seemed to lag. For about nine days, DeepwaterHorizon response efforts continued with the Federal On-Scene Coordinator at the top of the

command structure. National Leaders such as Dep. Secretary of the Interior David Hayes wereinnvolved, but the response was still largely regional in nature--the President had not been to theregion, Cabinet secretaries had not yet become involved, and the responders were from the localarea," it says in the report.

* Conversations regarding a spill of "national significance" actually first occurred, though,in the first week of the spill -- even thoughAllen was not brought in for 10 days.

* Dispersant use in the Gulf was questioned by the media, and about that time EPAadministrator Lisa Jackson took over the role of overseeing dispersant use , with the federalon-scene coordinator (Paul Zukunft) and Regional Response Teams losing control of this

responsibility. The Regional Response Teams are composed of regional representatives fromstate and local government. TheUS Coast Guard leads the Regional Response Teams duringresponses to oil spills in the coastal waters.

Tomorrow, part two--including BP's role and an analysis of booms and berms.

***


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To read the report, please clickhere.

---


orleans/berms-booms-and-bp-part-two-of-oil-spill-

commission-report-link-inclu

Berms, booms and BP - part two of oil spill commission

report (link inclu.)

yOctober 8th, 2010 11:37 am CT

Do you like this story?

Anyone who sat in on the daily media briefings with Retired US Coast Guard Admiral ThadAllen, then National Incident Commander, and others in the federal government would haverealized that the response was a serious endeavor. And that was at least as true where the mediawas concerned, for no reporter's question went unanswered (provided it fell within a given timeframe) and every care was given to explain the minutiae of the response.

That said, the report released this weekby the National Commission on the BP Deepwater

Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling raises questions as to how "in charge" the USCoastGuard and even federal officials were throughout the response.

The report points out that BP, under the Oil Pollution Act, is the "responsible party" but the actdoes not address conduct of the cleanup, "though it does mandate stronger authority for thegovernment in a catastrophic spill, where the Federal On-Scene Coordinator "directs" theresponse."

Nevertheless, BP was ubiquitous in the Gulf - whether on boats with reporters, workingalongside the US Coast Guard, or from their stations in Houston, watching ROV footage of thehemorrhaging oil.

The report states:

"...although the Oil Pollution Act requires that operators name a "qualified individual" who hasfull authority to implement removal actions," the Act is silent about circumstances where that

individual's responsibility for cleanup conflicts with her duties to shareholders as acorporate officer."


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One possibility that has been suggested ..."is to provide for appointment of a "qualifiedindividual" under the Oil Pollution Act that is an independent third party,rather than acorporate officer, with authority to deploy the responsible party's resources. Such anarrangement might be akin to the compensation scheme set up by BP in the wake of theDeepwater Horizon spill, with corporate funds disbursed by an independent administrator."

All of that taken into account,BP was still calling most of the shots on the response.

Namely:

y The Incident Command Post at Houston was set up in BP headquarters.y BP controlled access to the wellhead fromHouston as well as control of the remotely

operated vehicles (ROVs) operating 5,000 feet below the surface of the water at the riserpipe and wellhead, as well as control of all vessel traffic in the area above.

y BP used ROVs to coordinate nearly every element of the containment response,including gathering data, carrying out mechanical containment procedures, and applying

subsea dispersantsy During the Deepwater Horizon response,BP had decision-makers in multiple locations

within the command structure.

The interests of the responsible party and the public are generally aligned with respect tostopping an ongoing spill, the report points out.

"Under the Clean Water Act, the responsible party can be liable for a civilpenaltydetermined by the amount of oil that was spilled, so it shares the public's interest incutting off the oiil flow as quickly as possible. On other issues, the incentives of the public andthe responsible party may diverge. For instance, the responsible party may, at least in theory,

have an interest in using dispersants even if they cause ecological harm."

In addition to questions about BP's overarching involvement in the response -- whichhas hadless carryover into the cleanup than the actual cessation of the leak -- the oil spill commissiondetails conflicts between parish presidents and other Gulf politicians with the US government.Usually these arguments went something like: "don't take away our boom" or "we need moreboom." As is often the case in life, many times the squeaky wheel did get the grease.

Bringing in berms was less popular than booms, but when the issue was successfully argued inlate spring, berms were brought in as a containment device to protect the fragile Louisianawetlands. Plaquemines ParishPresident Billy Nungesserhad won his argument with the ArmyCorps of Engineers afterhis concerns made national headlines on May 21.

Nungesserhad said: "We could have built 10 miles of sand boom already if [the feds] hadapproved our permit when we originally requested it."

Other concerns raised in the report include issues such as the Coast Guard's lack of experienceworking at depths of 5,000 feet, the US government's inexperience when it comes to


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highytechnical engineering matters as contrasted to BP's expertise and the always-quick responseon the part of government to respond to falling poll numbers with bringing in more manpower.

And at times, the political solution - especially when President Obama called for a "tripling" ofresources - was not always met with eagerness on the part of those on the ground and in the

water, who better knew the needs at the time.

***

To read the report,clickhere.

--

http://www.examiner.com/environmental-news-in-new-orleans/relief-well-completed-allen-

announces-this-morning

Relief well completed, Allen announces this morning

y September 19th, 2010 11:32 am CT

A ship worked at the oil spill site back on Aug 3. On Sept 19, finally, the spill has been plugged.Photo: Chris Graythen, Getty Images

The long-anticipated end to the story ofcapping the BP/Deepwater Horizon oil spillhas come toa head. For, at 5:54 CDT the relief well was finished in the Gulf of Mexico. At that time, a

cement pressure test was performed on the DDIII well and was used to determine its completion.

In a statement released to the media at 10:26 CDT this morning, Admiral Thad Allen, thehardworking National Incident Commander overseeing the months-long project, stated:

"After months of extensive operations planning and execution under the direction and authorityof the U.S. government science and engineering teams,BP has successfully completed the


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relief wellby intersecting and cementing the well nearly 18,000 feet below the surface. With thisdevelopment, whichhas been confirmed by the Department of the Interior's Bureau of OceanEnergy Management, we can finally announce that the Macondo 252 well is effectively dead."

By "effectively" he meant that additional regulatory steps will be taken, but Allen's team can

now state definitively that there is no longer a risk of oil/hydrocarbons flowing into the Gulf.

The well has been sealed with cement plugs, and pressure tests were peformed to assure theintegrity of those plugs.

From the beginning, Allen stated, this response has been driven by the best science andengineering teams available and they insisted BP develop "robust redundancy measures" toensure the work was completed according to their standards.

"And although the well is now dead, we remain committed to continue aggressive efforts toclean up any additional oil we may see going forward," Allen assured.

Now, oversight of the well transitions out of Allen's hands with Joint Incident Command and tothe purview of the Department of the Interior's Bureau of Ocean Energy Management,Regulation and Enforcement, which confirmed the results of the cement plug tests this morning.

To read the admiral's statement as well as additional information concerning the oil response,

clickhere later today and this week.

http://www.examiner.com/environmental-news-in-new-orleans/academics-help-keep-feds-honest-

subsea-oil-is-a-major-concern-the-gulf

Academics help keep feds honest: subsea oil is a major

concern in the Gulf


NOAA meets with Subcommittee Chairman Ed Markey (D-Mass) Aug 19 regarding subsea oilin the Gulf.


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Photo: Chip Somodevilla, Getty Images, Aug 19

Thank goodness for the University of Georgia Department of Marine Sciences and otheracademic groups studying the extent of the oil plume below the Gulf surface. For without them,BP and the US government might not have been held accountable for the truth.

While NOAA and the Deepwater Horizon Response team led by retired US Coast GuardAdmiral Thad Allen have made a point to let media outlets know they are seriously talking withacademics about subsea oil, this was not always the case. Media calls are also occasions to toutpositive news such as fishing area reopenings and the number of sea turtles saved that day.Meanwhile, far more sea turtles have and will continue to perish and the Gulf of Mexico remainsa study in progress, by academia, NOAA and environmental activists and scientists with Oceana.

No one is more on top of the story, though, than those scientists and students in the MarineSciences department at UGA.

ON ABC TV recently, scientist Samantha Joye with University of Georgia said oil has certainlynot disappeared but is on the sea floor in a layer of muck. She and her team are studying theeffects of subsea oil from a research vessel about two miles from the spill zone. Thirteen ofthirteen samples from the bottom of the Gulf have tested positive for oil .

Back on Aug. 16 the University of Georgia Office ofPublic Affairs released a statementdetailing its oil findings to date:

"A report released today by the Georgia Sea Grant and the University of Georgia concludes that

up to 79 percent of the oil released into the Gulf of Mexico from the Deepwater Horizon well

has not been recoveredand remains a threat to the ecosystem.

The report, authored by five prominent marine scientists, strongly contradicts media reportsthat suggest that only 25 percent of the oil from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill remains.

One major misconception is that oil that has dissolved into water is gone and, therefore,harmless, said Charles Hopkinson, director of Georgia Sea Grant and professor of marinesciences in the University of Georgia Franklin College of Arts and Sciences. The oil is still outthere, and it will likely take years to completely degrade. We are still far from a completeunderstanding of what its impacts are.

Co-authors on the paper include Jay Brandes, associate professor, Skidaway Institute of

Oceanography; Samant

ha Joye

,professor of marine sciences

,UGA; Ric

hard Lee

,professoremeritus, Skidaway; and Ming-yi Sun, professor of marine sciences UGA..."

Anyone truly concerned about the death of marine life below sea level, the destruction to theGulf ecosystem and long-term health and environmental effects should study this and reports likeit, as well as governmental reports by the US Department of the Interiorand NOAA.


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In a GulfOil Blog published by UGA, Joye noted several samples of subsea sedimented oil asthey cruised 16 nautical miles from the Macondo well site. Her detailed blog is linked here. Theblog should be read in its entirety, but in a snippet from Sept 6 Joye states that "the point is thatthe entire sediment column is oil stained at a natural seep."

###

Stay tuned to this space for there will be more reports in coming weeks.

--

http://www.examiner.com/environmental-news-in-new-orleans/another-step-closer-to-relief-admiral-

allen-greenlights-well-completion

Another step closer to relief: Admiral Allen greenlights well

completiony September 13th, 2010 4:19 pm CT

The Obamas promote Gulf tourism with daughter Sasha,here looking at dolphins on Aug 15 inFlorida.Photo: Mark Wallheiser, Getty Images

This afternoon, National Incident Commander, the retired US Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allenissued a formal statement on the status of the much-anticipated relief well:

"After extensive consultation between BP engineers and the federal science team, as well asreviewing data collected from measurements I authorized Friday, the Development Driller III

today began the final steps towards the completion of the relief well that will intercept theMacondo 252 welland perform the bottom kill procedure.

This accelerated progress was possible after several discussions between BP and the federalscientists and engineers, leading to the installation of a lock-down device over the weekend,which resulted in the necessary conditions to commence the finalization of the relief well. Iwill continue to provide updates on the progress of the relief well, the final step that will ensurethe well is fully and finally killed, as necessary."


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BP resumed drilling on the well this afternoon after a month-long delay, spurred on bytropical storm conditions and later the presence of sediment in the annulus. The latter resulted ina lengthy "fishing expedition" before the failed blowout preventer was replaced a little over aweek ago.

Today's news comes as the US federal government comes under increasing pressure to accountfor the amount ofsubsea oil currently being studied by academic groups such as at the Universityof Georgia.

Admiral Allen has made it abundantly clear in recent media conferences that his team along withNOAA and the EPA is keyed into the academic studies, and every effort is being made to be inconcert with scientists, academicians and parish presidents to determine "how clean is clean."

--

http://www.examiner.com/environmental-news-in-new-orleans/well-intercept-imminent-but-

discussion-about-gulf-seafood-safety-subsea-hydrocarbons-remains

Well intercept imminent but discussion about Gulf seafood

safety, subsea hydrocarbons remains

y September 15th, 2010 1:56 pm CT

Back on Aug. 4 in Chalmette, LA, BP sends out a claims processing unit. Many more claims willcome.Photo: Chris Graythen, Getty Images

From Kenner, Louisiana today Admiral Thad Allen stood along withJane Lubchenco, NOAAadministratoras well as representatives of the seafood industry and numerous academic groupssuch as from Tulane and University of South Florida.

So it was no surprise that before Allen talked about the interception of the Macondo well,he saidthat "seafood safety has loomed large... [but the Gulf seafood is the] most tested and safest


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seafood in the world, and the rest of the world needs to know thatYou should have no qualmsabout [this] seafood."

Allen's comments counter what some locals along the Gulf including up through Alabama havebeen concerned about, but again,the officialword is the seafood is safe to eat.

Lubchenco said that presently 16-1/2 percent of the Gulf remains closed to fishing. "So we aremaking good progress, sampling [the seafood] very carefullymaking sure its safe to reopenand seafood is free of contaminents."

As for the final cap to this story, Allen said: We started the final drilling process to close inon Macondo well. We had several segments [to this process] starting with the static kill. We'vedone a number of tests,removed the blowout preventer...And it has been shipped to a facilityin New Orleans," where it's under supervision from the Department of Justice and other officials,said Allen.

Four days from now it could be all done, Allen said, adding that "Were within a 96-hrwindow of killing the well from the bottom.

He said that Development Driller III will begin its last drilling leg into the annulus, into the drillpipe and a well intercept from the relief well into the Macondo well is expected over the next24 hours. "We don't know whetherhydrocarbons are in the annulus or not," he added. "[But]today will give us a lot of information."

His engineers are checking pressure changes regarding the mud going in and out and monitoringthe situation closely, of course. They continue to notify their "senior leadership" as they goforward, Allen said.

Then he turned to the widely publicized subject this week of subsea hydrocarbons. The recentreports coming out of the University of Georgia,as documented here,have obviously only fueledthe debate.

Nonetheless, Allen is a staunch defender of the Deepwater Horizon Response effort: From thestart we have known this has been the largest oil spill in US history and we know impacts havebeen far reaching[We have] concerns about how much [oil is underneath the surface, and howmany]hydrocarbons [exist]."

Ongoing efforts between the unified commands in New Orleans under Admiral Paul Zukunft,

Allen,

NOAA and others are still looking at "t

he art of t

he possible" in regard to subseahydrocarbons, the admiral said.

--

http://www.examiner.com/environmental-news-in-new-orleans/a-day-after-capping-stack-taken-off-

allen-announces-successful-removal-of-bop


24/29


25/29




Pools of dispersed oil collected on a section of a beach in August at Grand Isle, La.Photo: Win McNamee, Getty Images

It's not a quick read, but for those so inclined check out the 193-page report issued by BP todayon the results of the Deepwater Horizon investigation.

The failed Macondo well that spewed April 20 before it submerged April 22, was a result of adaisy chain of events and not wholly attributable to one factor, according to BP's investigation.

From a lack of well integrity to hydrocarbons entering the well undetected -- and causing a lossof control of the well -- to hydrocarbons igniting the Deepwater Horizon and the failure of theblowout preventer to seal the well, answering why the catastrophe occurred is multi-faceted andcomplex -- that is, according to the BP official report.

On their web site today, BP starts off by pointing out the events leading up to the crisis:

"The chronology of events in the hours leading up to and including the Deepwater Horizonaccident are presented here as a factual timeline to allow a straightforward description of eventsas they unfolded," BP says:

The major activity sets covered start with events prior to Apr 19, 2010, BP says.

These are:

Final Casing Run Cement Job Positive-pressure and Negative-pressure Tests

Well Monitoring and Simultaneous Operations Well Control Response Explosion and Fire BOP Emergency Operations

Among the many concerns leading up to the explosion Apr 20 were reflected in internal e-mailsregarding "mechanical integrity concerns regarding the bow spring centralizers."


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Further investigation showed that in the minutes leading up to the explosion, at 21:45 hours the"assistant driller called the senior toolpusher to report that 'the well is blowing" and that [thetoolpusher] "is shutting it now."

Then at 21:45 a "gas hissing noise" was heard and high-pressure gas was discharged from vents

towards the deck. A minute or so later the first gas alarm sounded as gas issued rapidly, settingoff other gas alarms. In mere seconds, a "roaring noise" was heard and a vibration felt. The drillpipe pressure started rapidly increasing from 1,200 psi to 5,730 psi.

By 21:45 the main power generation engines had "started going into overspeed."

Interestingly, the BP report comes on the heels of the news that thebeleaguered BOPhadsuccessfully been replaced by Admiral Thad Allen's team Saturday.

To read the full BP Deepwater Horizon report please clickhere.

--

http://www.examiner.com/environmental-news-in-new-orleans/crucial-oil-spill-evidence-raised-to-

service-as-failed-bop-replaced-yesterday

Crucial oil spill evidence raised to surface as failed BOP

replaced Saturday (slideshow/video link)


Damaged blowout preventer being extracted yesterday.Photo: PO1 Thomas Blue, USCoast Guard

Saturday, the blowout preventer (BOP) that failed on the Macondo well on April 20 was lifted tothe surface and replaced with a new one. The former BOP is considered key evidence in theinvestigation into exactly what went wrong and how, and will be used to hold appropriate partiesaccountable in the legal investigation.

The Associated Press was the only news organization to ride out to sea and report andphotograph this auspicious occasion as it happened.


27/29



Then at 10:23 EST Saturday night,retired US Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen issued a simplestatement via the Deepwater Horizon Response communications team:

"The damaged blowout preventer (BOP), along with the lower marine riser package (LMRP)cap,have been removed from the Gulf of Mexico and are currently on board the Q4000. The

BOP is considered evidentiary material, and is now under the supervision of the DeepwaterHorizon Criminal Investigation Team and FBI Evidence Recovery Team."

Earlier in the day, AP writer Harry Weber reported on a delay hoisting the BOP because of thedevelopment hydrates -- ice-like crystals -- whichhad been found on the beleaguered BOP. Thiswas not an unusual development considering that such crystals can form when gases such asmethane mix with water in cold temperatures, underhigh pressure.

Operations were allowed to finally continue, and a crane lifted the BOP, offering investigatorstheir first chance to scrutinize it, according to the AP. It took nearly 30 hours to lift the 50-foot,300-ton contraption from a mile beneath the sea. The five-story high device cut through the

water's surface just before 7:00 p.m. CDT, looking remarkably intact.

Allen, discussing to reporters how the new BOP was swapped as every care was taken to ensurethe old one was monitored by authorities, said "We have continued to conduct surveillance withROVs [remotely-operated vehicles] and sensors that are actually on the well head. DevelopmentDriller II has placed a new blowout preventer on the well head. They are flushing fluids throughthe blowout preventer and they are replacing the riser pipe..."

Referencing the old BOP and the cement that previously was put through in the static kill,Admiral Allen announced that he was very pleased that the replacement BOP "does notconstitute a threat to the Gulf of Mexico at this point but we need to finish the work related to the

relief well and the plug and abandonment which will need to [be done to] move forward."

FBI agents were among the 137 people aboard the Helix Q4000 vessel, taking photos and videoof the device. They will escort it back to a NASA facility in Louisiana for analysis.

***

To read the entire transcript of yesterday's media call from National Incident Commander ThadAllen, please clickhere.

For an audio transcript of the call,clickhere.

Clickhere for a link to US Coast Guard video.

--


28/29



Bottom kill to start once pipe pieces plucked from well

ySeptember 8th, 2010 6:27 pm CT

Shane Wells, a subsea engineer for BP, monitors removal of the BOP at Houston Command CtrSept 3.Photo: BPp.l.c.

Admiral Thad Allen, National Incident Commander, today said that there are delays in movingforward in performing a bottom kill on the well in the Gulf.

Over the next few days they'll be studying how best to remove some pipe pieces inside the well,Allen said. Just on Saturday,the blowout preventer that failed April 20 was removed amidstgreat fanfare. The US Coast Guard released numerous photos to the press almost as soon as theevent unraveled.

"What we anticipate happening for the next few days is some diagnostics to be conducted on thewell itself. As we prepare to do the final relief well and the final killing actions in the well, wehave an opportunity at this point to learn more about the well," said Allen.

He stated firmly though, that "this well is secured, and there's no threat of discharge."

That said, reflecting back to the anticipation of a drill pipe "that would likely be suspendedbelow the blowout preventer and might even be adhered to the...well casing, that did nothappen," Allen said.

"So there is some piece of pipe pieces of pipe that are down in the well right now. So we're in alittle bit of a diagnostic phase right now, trying to understand more about what is the currentstatus of the well before our final timeline is released on the intercept," Allen explained.

That could possibly include a two-part intercept of the well to finally kill it, where theywould submit from the top and the bottom through the casing in the well, Allen said. "And ifthat happens, the two steps would be to actually perforate the casing above the cement that


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http://www examiner com/environmental-news-in-new-orleans/bottom-kill-start-contingent-upon-

was put in during the static kill and put cement there at the top and then come in from thebottom with the relief well."

Asked by the Examineras to the need for physical evidence in relation to the timing of the BPreport issued today, Allen said that while instrumental the actual failed blowout preventer is

not the be-all, end-all of the investigation.

"Well, I wouldn't want to comment on the timing or what the intent was of the BP report. I wouldjust say, the more we know about this event in general, the better off we are. It led to a largerbody of evidence that or body of work that, mind you, won't be completed until we finish thejoint investigation by the Department of Interior and Homeland Security and the other variousinvestigations that are going on," Allen said.

He added: "I think it is a piece of information that adds to our understanding of it, but it is not theend-all, be-all that's going to have to be done in this to address the issues associated with this,about why it happened and what needs to happen in the future."

***

To listen to today's call with the media including Allen's comments about boom operations andhis work with NOAA, the EPA and various academic institutions on the ongoing inspection forhydrocarbons in the Gulf,clickhere.

--http://www.examiner.com/environmental-news-in-new-orleans/admiral-allen-issues-directive-to-bp-

on-upcoming-plug-and-abandonment-procedure

new orleans environmental news - articles about the bp oil spill for examiner.com (july 2010 -...

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