2010 Gulf oil spill aftermath: Millions of dead fish floating to surface

Image by SkyTruth via Flickr

The oil flow may have stopped flowing but the environmental disaster lives on. Environmental expert Rick Steiner believes that the oil spilled into the Gulf during the Deepwater Horizon disaster may have caused permanent damage to the ecosystem. Steiner and top NOAA official David Kennedy believe sheer volume of oil spilled is at the heart of the grim prognosis.

Approximately 4 million barrels of oil were poured into the Gulf of Mexico during the four month long gusher. Many scientists believe that BP’s heavy use of the chemical dispersant, made long term ecosystem damage worse.

Senior Washington Correspondent for the Huffington Post, Dan Froomkin said, “The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is hoarding vast amounts of raw data that independent marine researchers say could help both the public and scientists better understand the extent of the damage being caused by the massive BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico”

BP has been hiding data since the Deepwater Horizon rig exploded on April 20, 2010. Just days after the disaster took eleven lives, BP officials persuaded an unknown number of scientists with lucrative contracts designed to block the public release of environmental and public health and safety data.

In a recent Fox 8 News interview, Louisiana Plaquemines Parish President, Billy Nungesser said he was demanding federal involvement when it comes to testing the waters in the parish hit by heavy oil. “We’ve never seen so many species floating in so many different areas. I’m begging the E.P.A., or somebody,” he said, “I’m begging them to do their job, get out there and let’s test and see what the hell is going on in the water.” 

P.J. Hahn, the Director the Plaquemines Parish Coastal Zone Management Department, is also deeply concerned about the implications from the numbers of dead fish now floating to the surface in Louisiana waters.

Sources and related articles

• BP's Oil Spill Still Killing the Gulf [Oil Spill]

• Third fish kill reported in Plaquemines Parish

  BP oil spill: Gulf of Mexico environmental damage may be permanent: NOAA video

Senate Republicans block subpoena power for BP oil spill investigation

Image via WikipediaThere was no explanation, only an objection by Republicans which effectively blocked the Presidential Commission on the BP oil spill from having subpoena power to conduct the investigation. “These guys are in bed with the oil industry,” said MSNBC Hardball host Chris Matthews.

The move makes little sense, apart from Matthews conclusion which suggests that Republicans have been financially motivated to protect BP from being forced to supply the facts on what caused the April 20, 2010 disaster that killed eleven people, and polluted the Gulf of Mexico with almost 5 million barrels of oil and 2 million gallons of toxic chemical dispersant.

Sen. Byron Dorgan D-ND said, “At a hearing that I was at we had Halliburton, Transocean and BP, all of whom were involved on this rig and this drill, and you know what they were doing is pointing at each other. Well, listen, the only way you’re going to get to the real truth and find out exactly what happened is to be able to subpoena all of them and say, look, you have got to produce all of your books and records so that we can inspect them and understand what happened a mile under the ocean out there.”

Historically, blocking subpoena power in disaster investigative commissions is unheard of. The terrorists crisis, the financial crisis and Three Mile Island commissions all had subpoena power.
Protecting BP does not serve the American people, and it will not bring the truth to the millions of people along the Gulf Coast who are entitled to answers. Moreover, it is an insult to the families of the eleven men who were killed the night the Deepwater Horizon exploded. It is difficult to fathom how the Republicans can justify obstructing justice in the BP oil spill, but that is exactly what they have done. The bigger question is, how can Americans let them get away with it?

BP To Remove Damaged BOP From Gulf Oil Spill Well

Image via WikipediaBP is scheduled to remove the damaged blowout preventer from the well that leaked more than 4.7 million barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico during the course of a four-month long oil spill disaster that began on April 20, 2010, with the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig. The BOP will be used as evidence in the United States Attorney General’s Office criminal investigation against BP.

According to Gulf Oil Spill Incident Commander Thad Allen, The Department of Justice is overseeing the removal of the old blowout preventer, which failed to stop the oil well from gushing out of control.

“Keeping the blowout preventer intact is important because it's considered an essential piece of evidence in determining what caused the blast aboard the Deepwater Horizon on April 20. After the explosion, 206 million gallons of oil spilled into the Gulf of Mexico until the temporary cap stopped the flow. A new blowout preventer will be placed atop the well once the one that failed is raised. After that, the goal is to drill the final 50 feet of a relief well beginning Sept. 7, Allen said. From there, it will take about four days for drilling crews to reach their target,”according to Fox.

Once the new BOP is installed on the BP Macondo oil well, the relief well should complete the final sealing of the oil well before the end of September.

BP Chemical Dispersant called the Agent Orange of the 21st Centruy

Image via WikipediaThe Vietnam War and the BP 2010 Gulf oil spill may have more in common than most people think. Time will tell if Agent Orange and the BP oil spill dispersant, Corexit, are equally dangerous to human health. Some data suggests that the BP dispersant may be worse.

In August 2010, the government reported the death toll for animals in the Gulf oil spill disaster. Many scientists believe that the 4,181 count is a gross underestimation of the real numbers. Considering the fact that BP grossly underestimated the number of gallons of oil they spilled into the Gulf of Mexico, it should be no surprise that the public may be getting another miscount.

More than 150,000 Vietnamese children were born with birth defects after the US government used Agent Orange to clear forests during the Vietnam War. Another 3 million suffered other adverse health affects.

Democracy Now said, “With BP having poured nearly two million gallons of the dispersant known as Corexit into the Gulf of Mexico, many lawmakers and advocacy groups say the Obama administration is not being candid about the lethal effects of dispersants. ”

EPA whistle blower Hugh Kaufman said, “These dispersants were used in massive quantities, almost two million gallons, to hide the magnitude of the spill and save BP money. The government—both EPA, NOAA, etc.—have been sock puppets for BP in this cover-up. By hiding the amount of spill, BP is saving hundreds of millions, if not billions, of dollars in fines, and so, from day one, there was tremendous economic incentive to use these dispersants to hide the magnitude of the gusher.”

During Senate hearings on the oil spill disaster, Senator Barbara Makulski (D- Maryland) referred to BP's chemical dispersants as the “agent orange” of the Gulf oil spill disaster.
It may be years before we know the true impact from the BP dispersant used in the Gulf oil spill disaster.

As more BP whistle blowers come forward with damaging evidence on the oil spill chemical, there will be more need for the public to be concerned. If it turns out that Corexit is as dangerous to human health as Agent Orange was, the worst part of the 2010 Gulf oil spill disaster may be yet to come.

More links:

BP media blackout feeds conspiracy theory with false govt. reports of vanishing oil

BP Media Blackout Hides Dead Oil Spill Animals, Cutting Heads Off ...

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