Saturday, August 14, 2010

get real

The media seems to be content that the BP well head that spewed oil for 100 days into the Gulf is now under control. Some are even asking did we overreact?


Not so fast! The chemical dispersant & oil remnants have become silent killers.
I've been watching the Fish & Wildlife web site.... up till now they have posted daily numbers which include "Collected Dead" statistics. These are the numbers of documented deceased animals, but there are some that die out at sea & have not been accounted for.


So all this week, we hear the spill is under control & "history"- they had a 5 day gap in updates, but just this week here is the update:


                                 8/8 Numbers--------- 8/13 Numbers------- Increased by:
BIRDS-  -----------    3839--------------------4080---------------------Plus 241
SEA TURTLES-----  516-------------------- 525----------------------Plus  9
MAMMALS---------- 70----------------------72------------------------Plus 2
(includes Dolphins)

Even though the oil has stopped flowing, the toxic destruction has not.
Not hearing this on mainstream news, we need to know the damage continues.

The Obama family is doing a short jaunt to Panama City Florida, and the press is abuzz asking if the president will go swim in the gulf. I hope he is not stupid enough to swim in chemical dispersant for a photo op. If he does- it will likely be a "Mission Accomplished" presidential moment- something he will regret having done for a very long time.

 Asked & answered- Obama & Sasha bask in chemical dispersant.
I have a haunting feeling what BP has done to foul the Gulf Waters will have long term health effects for both humans & wildlife.

BP has it's eyes set on drilling up in Alaska next.


BP is making this claim to ease the way for approval of its massive ultra-extended-range oil project on the North Slope of Alaska, in Prudhoe Bay.  BP's original design for the project had the drilling starting from a drilling rig offshore, in the waters of Prudhoe Bay.  BP conducted an environmental review of sorts and obtained approval from the Minerals Management Service (now the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement).  Then BP changed the design from a drilling rig in the ocean to one located on an artificial island that is connected to the shore by a long causeway.  BP did not conduct any additional environmental review, nor was it asked to by MMS.  After the Deepwater Horizon blowout in April, 2010, when talk of a moratorium on offshore drilling began, BP took the view that this project was not offshore.  Amusing, no? 
Is the newly named  "Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement" drinking the same Kool Aid the Minerals Management Service served up?
I think there should be a moratorium on BP doing anything but Solar in the US. They should not be allowed to even think about more drilling of any kind until the Gulf issue is resolved. Court cases over. All environmental fees & fines resolved. "Small people" given financial restitution for the losses they suffered as a direct result of BP's gross negligence. 
If they Government can;t outright make a formal ban, they can bury them in additional required studies & denials as a matter of principal. 
The government has *asked*, yes asked BP to fund a study on the long term effects of the food chain as it is effected by their oil spill. To date BP has refused. They should not be asking BP they should make it a legal requirement, a part of their fine/fee as a consequence for their nasty spill. 
If you need some comic relief from the heavy crude oil reality-- go to Liberality's blog... she's got some singing mermaid video posted, who has a little something to say about BP. 


7 comments:

nonnie9999 said...

i don't know if the dispersants were used in panama beach. melissa at writechic press was there a few weeks ago, and she said that the beaches looked okay. her family has a motel on the beach.

Fran said...

I lost track of how many millions of gallons of dispersant they dumped in the gulf, on top of the oil spilled. I'm glad if the beach did not become fouled with oil, but as far as I am concerned, I would not yet trust the water-- if wildlife is still dying, something is not right.

Life As I Know It Now said...

WTF!! The government has *asked*, yes asked BP to fund a study on the long term effects of the food chain as it is effected by their oil spill. To date BP has refused. They should not be asking BP they should make it a legal requirement, a part of their fine/fee as a consequence for their nasty spill.

That is just crazy! I can't believe our government is asking BP anything and not DEMANDING instead.

(and thanks for the linky love)

Fran said...

Lib~ Why is Obama treating BP with kid gloves?
The gvmnt should be giving BP orders not requests.

Plus I bristle at the thought of them doing more drilling in Alaska's Prudhoe Bay. They are not even close to being finished w the Gulf clean up & they are licking their chops to get at more oil in Alaska-- it should not even be on the table.

Mauigirl said...

Would you believe one of our local NJ conservative columnists, Paul Mulshine, had a column today all about how great the beaches are at the gulf and how it was all exaggerated and fear-mongering on the part of the government. Never mind the fact that the media and public never got to see some of the worst soiled places or that the dead animals were carted away in the dark of night. Of course it looks good, Paul. They want you to think that. Here's a link to his column (his second one on how little the oil spill was...another was on Sunday).
http://blog.nj.com/njv_paul_mulshine/2010/08/after_overhyping_oil_spill_oba.html

Mauigirl said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Mauigirl said...

Sorry, link doesn't seem to be pasting properly. Just search on Paul Mulshine and get on the nj.com site and you'll see both of the columns.