BUT --maybe Micheal Moore will make a movie .
http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/293281New estimates: BP oil debacle at 25,000 to 30,000 barrels per day
Government scientists on Thursday have doubled their previous estimates on the flow of oil pouring from BP’s runaway well in the Gulf of Mexico, making the newest numbers a stunning 25,000 to 30,000 barrels of oil. Per day.
New calculations on the BP oil spill dwarf the previous estimate of 12,000 to 19,000 barrels per day. The new numbers of 25,000 to 30,000 barrels per day, possibly as high as 40,000 barrels per day, more than double previous numbers and will undoubtedly lead to a showdown between BP and the US government over the amount of money BP will be asked to pay for cleaning up the environmental disaster as well as the amount levied against the environmental polluter in the the way of fines.
The new estimate will also increase, or confirm, suspicions many Americans feel over BP’s early estimates of 5,000 barrels per day, and reports suggest the new numbers will increase political pressure on BP, pressure that has begun to intensify in recent days.
The Flow Rate Technical Group (FRTG), a team of experts from universities and government science agencies, had based their previous estimates on information provided by BP, information that proved to be inadequate for an accurate appraisal, according to a report in McClatchy earlier this week.
FRTG, under the direction of National Incident Commander Admiral Thad Allen, and the leadership of Dr. Marcia McNutt, director of the US Geological Survey, along with a scientific team led by Energy Secretary Steven Chu, have analyzed new data and combined it with several scientific methodologies to arrive at the new estimate.
“Developing accurate and scientifically grounded oil flow rate information is vital, both in regards to the continued response and recovery, as well as the important role this information may play in the final investigation of the failure of the blowout preventer and the resulting spill,” said Admiral Allen.
According to Allen, more than one million gallons of dispersant have been used on the oil disaster. “We’re starting to limit the dispersants on the surface to where we need it for safety reasons—for putting down volatile organic compounds or when we have a spill of such magnitude where dispersants have a direct affect in trying to limit our dispersant application to the subsea injections and over 4 million gallons have been recovered either through the riser insertion tube or our containment cap so far,” Allen said in his Friday morning press briefing.
While Allen references the increased flow rate of oil after the riser was cut as “whatever increase there might have been after the cut in the riser pipe,” a scientist on the FRTG suggests the unimpeded flow of oil after the June 3 cutting of the pipe could be 100,000 barrels per day.
Ira Leifer, associate researcher at the Marine Science Institute of the University of California, said that the rate of flow from the blown out well has been increasing over time, most notably since BP’s failed “top kill” effort last month. His research is based, in part, on satellite data and he notes the flow rate was actually increasing before the riser pipe was cut.
"The situation is growing worse," Leifer said.
Leifer also suggests the increase in flow since the severing of the riser pipe last week is far greater than the 20 percent estimate that BP and the Obama administration had predicted before the pipe cutting. Another number is being prepared by the FRTG that will cover the period after the pipe cutting, according to the New York Times.
Dr. McNutt, on Thursday, announced that three of the scientific teams had reached their new assessment based on detailed analysis of flow rates from the Deepwater Horizon well before June 3, the day the riser was cut.
“Each of the methodologies that the scientific teams is using has its advantages and shortcomings, which is why it is so important that we take several scientific approaches to solving this problem, that the teams continue working to refine their analyses and assessments, and that those many data points inform the updated best estimate that we are developing, ” said Dr. McNutt, in the official announcement by the Deepwater Horizon Incident Joint Information Center.
Referencing the upcoming meeting next week between President Obama and BP officials, Allen said “it was time to sit down and talk.”
In an attempt to allay fears over BP’s ability to pay dividends to stockholders, BP spokesman Andrew Gowers said: “We intend to meet all our obligations to all our stakeholders. We are a very financially strong company.”
Regardless, Credit Suisse has estimated the cleanup costs at $15 billion to $23 billion, with an additional $14 billion in claims.
As the crude oil continues its trek through the Gulf’s waters, Florida is bracing itself for the inevitable impact upon its tourism industry. The state, along with Escambia County officials, have announced the closing of Pensacola Pass to any vessel traffic during flood tide. Pensacola Pass will reopen during the ebb tide cycle and this plan will remain in effect until further notice.
Referencing the upcoming meeting next week between President Obama and BP officials, Allen said “it was time to sit down and talk.”
http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/293304Air space over oil disaster restricted, media access limited
BP’s latest efforts at containing the oil spill were given a huge assist this week by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), by way of temporary flight restrictions over much of the Deepwater Horizon well’s impacted area.
A new Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) issued late Wednesday night restricts air flights over BP’s Gulf of Mexico catastrophe and ultimately limits the media’s ability to provide current photography and video of much of the affected area. A map on the FAA website shows the controlled air space stretches from Louisiana to Florida and off-shore below the well site.
In part, the NOTAM states: “All aircraft operations are prohibited except those flights authorized by ATC, routine flights supporting offshore oil operations; federal, state, local and military flight operations supporting oil spill recovery and reconstitution efforts; and air medical and law enforcement operations.”
It goes on to state that numerous low level operations associated with the blown-out well have forced the restricted air space below 3,000 feet. These low level operations include aircraft making “sudden changes in direction, speed, and altitude.”
This latest move by a federal agency gives a clear indication of who is actually in charge of the US government. Blocking media access to much of the area where the oil debacle is most visible helps validate earlier reports by the media about restricted travel over and into the contaminated zone.
The NOTAM, issued on June 9 by the FAA, is a direct contradiction to President Obama’s insistence that BP provide more transparency, as noted in a letter from Obama’s point man, Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen, to BP CEO Tony Hayward.
The FAA notice also impacts documentary efforts of the worst man-made environmental disaster in the country’s history and will help BP in its containment efforts at public opinion, seeing how its containment efforts with the blown-out well have been futile thus far.
The New York Times reports journalists are repeatedly being denied access to public areas impacted by the environmental polluter’s unimpeded assault on the food chain. Those denying access to the media include not only BP, but local law enforcement, government officials and the US Coast Guard.
Michael Oreskes, a senior managing editor with the Associated Press, compares the Gulf situation with the embedding of reporters and military operations in Afghanistan.
“There is a continued effort to keep control over the access,” Mr. Oreskes said. “And even in places where the government is cooperating with us to provide access, it’s still a problem because it’s still access obtained through the government.”
In the NOTAM, the FAA identifies the nature of the oil catastrophe as being “dynamic” and for that reason all approved flights are subject to last-minute changes or cancellations.
Whoops ,a little miscalculation .we're now up to 200.000 gallons a day coming up the shaft .Some of this is being collected as we know .I also realize that it is difficult to calculate but didn't we start off in the 40,000 gallon range .
I'd like to take some (most) of these SOB's on a one way diving trip to the gulf!:reddevil:
I think a one way ticket into the courtroom will be a better way to let them know that we are not happy about their actions. As a citizen of Florida who moved to this state with the intentions of having the Gulf of Mexico at my disposal during my retirement, I have a legitimate claim against them for damages. This applies to a boatload of people as well. ANYONE who planned on having the Gulf of Mexico figure into a portion of their quality of life will have a claim against BP.
Personally, I will not buy anything from BP any longer. Between them being boycotted and tons of legal claims against them, they are unlikely to survive this incident as a business entity. When the enormity of this finally sinks in, it may not even be safe PHYSICALLY to be known as an employee of that company.
Quite likely the decision makers in that company will become fugitives from USA justice and there will be a major political riff between the USA and Britain if they shield those fugitives from extradition....
I'm a native here.
My plans for retirement were to do airboat and fixed hull charters (tours, etc), and retire on the water somewhere.
I will likely still do it, but I doubt the business will be a lucrativeAt least it'll be a great tax write off for the 1st 5 years
With that said, we have squat for claims. We don't presently earn a living from the gulf and don't depend on it for our existence as the fishermen and restaurants along the gulf do.
Even if we did, the possibility of ever seeing a dime of whatever you could possibly imagine, is slim to none.
Taking out our frustrations on the small, non-corporate, BP owners is ludicrous, will likely have little impact on the corporation, and will only serve to put another small business person out of businessThat doesn't help us as a country one bit.
Instead, I'll still purchase dry goods from them, and fuel if it's cheap enough. If there's $.01 difference in them and thier competitior, then it's the competitor
If it's a corporate store, all bets are off!
I don't want to see vigilantism taking it's toll on the employees....they're like the rest of us. Just trying to eek out a living.
Now....the corporate thieves....that's another story....I still thing the diving trip is a much better idea.....lot of bad chit can happen on and under the water.
The sea's an unfogiving MOFO:reddevil: