This happened a few days ago and nobody has posted it, but since it's getting worse by the day I thought I'd post about it. On April 20th 2010 there was a sudden explosion at an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico. 11 are said to be missing and not expected to have survived the explosion. On April 24th they discovered that the well head was damaged and leaking oil into the gulf.
The U.S. Coast Guard discovered Saturday that oil is leaking from the damaged well underneath a massive rig that exploded this week off Louisiana's shore, while bad weather halted efforts to clean up the mess that threatens the area's fragile marine ecosystem.
For days, the coast guard has said no oil appeared to be escaping from the wellhead on the ocean floor. Rear Admiral Mary Landry said the leak was a new discovery but could have begun when the offshore platform sank on Thursday, two days after the initial explosion.
“We thought what we were dealing with as of yesterday was a surface residual [oil] from the mobile offshore drilling unit,” Landry said. “In addition to that is oil emanating from the well. It is a big change from yesterday .… This is a very serious spill, absolutely.”
Coast guard and company officials estimate that as much as 1,000 barrels of oil is leaking each day after studying information from remotely operated vehicles and the size of the oil slick surrounding the blast site. The rainbow-coloured sheen of oil stretched 32 kilometres square on Saturday — about 25 times larger than it appeared to be a day earlier, Landry said.
The oil could reach the coast as soon as Friday which would cause detrimental damage. It's heading towards the Mississippi river.
Winds and currents in the Gulf have helped crews in recent days as they try to contain the leak. The immediate threat to sandy beaches in coastal Alabama and Mississippi has eased. But the spill has moved steadily toward the mouth of the Mississippi River and the wetland areas east of the river, home to hundreds of species of wildlife and near some rich oyster grounds.
The cost of the disaster continues to rise and could easily top $1 billion.
Because of this they are considering setting fire to the oil today. This would cause minimal damage to wildlife but it's a complete double edge sword. Imagine the kind of stuff that's going to be spilling into the air because of it.
OVER THE GULF OF MEXICO — It's a hellish scene: Giant sheets of flame racing across the Gulf of Mexico as thick, black smoke billows high into the sky.
This, though, is no Hollywood action movie. It's the real-life plan to be deployed just 20 miles from the Gulf Coast in a last-ditch effort to burn up an oil spill before it could wash ashore and wreak environmental havoc.
Crews late Wednesday afternoon started a test burn to see how the technique was working. Rig operator BP PLC had planned to continue the oil fires after the test, but as night fell, no more were lit. The burns were not expected to be done at night, and the Coast Guard said crews could resume work Thursday morning if the weather cooperated.
Crews planned to use hand-held flares to set fire to sections of the massive spill. Crews turned to the plan after failing to stop a 1,000-barrel-a-day leak at the spot where a deepwater oil platform exploded and sank.
About 42,000 gallons of oil a day are leaking into the Gulf from the blown-out well drilled by the Deepwater Horizon oil rig. Eleven workers are missing and presumed dead. The cause of the explosion has not been determined.
Greg Pollock, head of the oil spill division of the Texas General Land Office, which is providing equipment for crews in the Gulf, said he is not aware of a similar burn ever being done off the U.S. coast. The last time crews with his agency used fire booms to burn oil was a 1995 spill on the San Jacinto River.
“When you can get oil ignited, it is an absolutely effective way of getting rid of a huge percentage of the oil,” he said. “I can't overstate how important it is to get the oil off the surface of the water.”
The oil has the consistency of thick roofing tar.
When the flames go out, Pollock said, the material that is left resembles a hardened ball of tar that can be removed from the water with nets or skimmers.
“I would say there is little threat to the environment because it won't coat an animal, and because all the volatiles have been consumed if it gets on a shore it can be simply picked up,” he said.
Authorities also said they expect minimal impact on sea turtles and marine mammals in the burn area.
A graphic posted by the Coast Guard and the industry task force fighting the slick showed it covering an area about 100 miles long and 45 miles across at its widest point.
“It's premature to say this is catastrophic. I will say this is very serious,” said Coast Guard Rear Adm. Mary Landry.
From the air, the thickest parts of the spill resembled rust-colored tentacles of various thickness. The air was thick with the acrid smell of petroleum.
Amid several of the thicker streaks, four gray whales could be seen swimming, and one of them appeared to be rolling and curling as if struggling or disoriented. It was not clear if the whale was in danger.
More than two dozen vessels moved about in the heart of the slick pulling oil-sopping booms.
Earlier Wednesday, Louisiana State Wildlife and Fisheries Secretary Robert Barham told lawmakers that federal government projections show a “high probability” oil could reach the Pass a Loutre wildlife area Friday night, Breton Sound on Saturday and the Chandeleur Islands on Sunday.
Please send good, loving energy to those who are missing, the families of the missing, the animals and habitat near the spill, and the people whose work relies on the gulf (fisherman, oystermen, etc). This is quite bad.
“ Come away, O human child: To the waters and the wild with a fairy, hand in hand, For the world’s more full of weeping than you can understand." ~William Butler Yeats
Cocoa, thank you so much for posting this- I was going to post something soon on it- and am glad you did!
Even though this oil disaster occurred with a supposedly environmentally safe newer oil rig, our federal government still intends to continue with thier plans of more exploratory oil drilling as our president announced -regardless that this oil explosion/ leak is probably the worst our coast has ever faced in the history of mankind.
There is a nature preserve not far from where this happened that is just barely recovering from the assaults of Hurricane Katrina. If this oil spill reaches there- it will kill wildlife, coral reef life , and hurt wild birds there like pelicans, etc. dramatically and devestate the entire nature preserve there.
It will also devestate the coral reefs near Loiuisiana and Mississipi- Prayers and healing energy are needed big time
I've been putting this matter before the Great Spirit daily- and I havent been getting much sleep over this- it's really affected me . I keep telling God- "Look God- it's not fair that the innocent animals that suffer so much from us humans in the first place, should have to suffer this horror- so if not for us humans -then at least for the sake of the animals- please create a miracle and get them to plug up the leaks– it's all in your Hands.!
I had a Christian radio station on this evening which had some World News broadcasted. One of the officials interviewd was very emotional about this oil spill and he said that people are working around the clock- and he was happy to see so many people willing to be involved with getting this mess fixed.
That made me feel good- Also when I did say a prayer, I did feel an inner confirmation in my heart that our Creator heard me and is going to help in some way — If I could go over there and help, I would ..
hugs
Lisa
"It is more important that you love than that you see!"
It's so strange. This has been all over our local news since the initial explosion. I'm actually watching it at this moment and now they're saying that the oil is less than three miles from the Louisiana coastline. And now there's the most nauseating smell when you walk outside, it really gives a sense of how close to home this is. It's actually kind of scary. Everyone's been really tense, too; I know people whose family members run or work with a fishing/shrimping/oyster/etc. company, which could be absolutely devastated if it can't be brought under control.
And now so many animal and plant species are in danger. The pelicans were just taken off the endangered species list, and the oil is where sperm whales feed and bluefin tuna spawn…it's horrible.
I just wish I could do more besides sending positive energy and hoping for the best. Hopefully it won't get any worse, it would be dreadful if it reached Lake Pontchartrain and our river systems…
"We are all born mad. Some of us remain so."
-Samuel Beckett, Waiting for Godot, Act II
I've heard that there are pictures of dead sea turtles and other animals because of this… I don't even want to see them. Why can't there be a magical wand that somebody could wave and get rid of all of these things? I just don't get it.
“ Come away, O human child: To the waters and the wild with a fairy, hand in hand, For the world’s more full of weeping than you can understand." ~William Butler Yeats
"Oil around Elmer’s Island in Grand Isle, Louisiana."
“ Come away, O human child: To the waters and the wild with a fairy, hand in hand, For the world’s more full of weeping than you can understand." ~William Butler Yeats
VENICE, Louisiana (Reuters) – The first heavy oil from a giant Gulf of Mexico spill sloshed ashore in fragile Louisiana marshlands on Wednesday and part of the mess entered a powerful current that could carry it to Florida and beyond.
The developments underscored the gravity of the situation as British energy giant BP Plc raced to capture more crude gushing from a ruptured well a mile beneath the surface. The spill is threatening an ecological and economic disaster along the U.S. Gulf Coast and beyond.
"This wasn't tar balls. This wasn't sheen," Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal said after a boat tour to the southernmost point of the Mississippi River estuary. "This is heavy oil in our wetlands."
The marshes are the nurseries for shrimp, oysters, crabs and fish that make Louisiana the leading producer of commercial seafood in the continental United States and a top destination for recreational anglers. The United States has already imposed a large no-fishing zone in waters in the Gulf seen affected by the spill.
Meanwhile, the U.S. government's top weather forecaster said a "small portion" of light sheen from the giant oil slick has already entered the Loop Current, which could carry the oil down to the Florida Keys, to Cuba and even up the U.S. East Coast.
BP, its reputation on the line in an environmental disaster that could eclipse the 1989 Exxon Valdez spill in Alaska, has marked some progress at siphoning some of the oil from the well, which ruptured after an April 20 explosion of the Deepwater Horizon rig that killed 11 workers.
BP said it is now siphoning about 3,000 barrels (126,000 gallons/477,000 liters) a day of oil, out of what the company estimated was a 5,000 barrels (210,000 gallons/795,000 liters) a day gusher. And BP could begin injecting mud into the well as early as Sunday in a bid to permanently plug the leak.
'NOT ROCKET SCIENCE'
A U.S. congressional panel heard testimony from experts who said the spill rate could be many-fold larger.
"This is not rocket science," said Steve Wereley, associate mechanical engineering professor at Purdue University, who pegged the spill's volume at about 70,000 barrels per day. "All outside estimates are considerably higher than BP's."
The development may still be welcome news for the company and its battered share price. BP shares closed down nearly 2 percent in London on Wednesday, extending recent steep losses.
The political fall-out also continues. The U.S. Interior Department said on Wednesday its embattled Minerals Management Service will be broken up into three separate divisions, as part of an effort to restructure the way the department handles offshore energy production.
Florida's tourism gained a respite when tar balls found on Keys beaches were shown not to come from the Gulf of Mexico oil leak, but officials said the $60 billion-a-year industry was already taking a beating from the month-old spill.
To the relief of Florida officials, the Coast Guard said laboratory tests had shown that 50 tar balls found this week on the Lower Keys — a mecca for divers, snorkelers, fishermen and beach goers — were not from the Gulf spill.
CRIME SCENE
Wildlife and environmental groups accused BP of holding back information on the real size and impact of the growing slick, and urged President Barack Obama to order a more direct federal government role in the spill response.
In prepared testimony for a congressional committee, National Wildlife Federation President Larry Schweiger said BP had failed to disclose results from its tests of chemical dispersants used on the spill. He also said it had tried to withhold video showing the true magnitude of the leak.
"The federal government should immediately take over all environmental monitoring, testing and public safety protection from BP," he said. "The Gulf of Mexico is a crime scene and the perpetrator cannot be left in charge of assessing the damage."
The Washington-based Center for American Progress published comments by its health experts Lesley Russell and Ellen-Marie Whelan saying the huge spill, and the dispersants being used against it, posed "insidious and unknown" human risks.
Noting the federal government had allowed BP to test the undersea use of dispersants, they added, "But are we letting the fox guard the hen house by letting the oil companies determine the safety of these cleaning agents?"
The spill has forced Obama to put a hold on plans to expand offshore oil drilling and has raised concerns about planned oil operations in other areas like the Arctic.
“ Come away, O human child: To the waters and the wild with a fairy, hand in hand, For the world’s more full of weeping than you can understand." ~William Butler Yeats
Thanks for posting the update Cocoa.. I watched this horror on Good Morning America this morning– how the petroleum has now entered the Gulf stream and will be heading up to Florida, the Carolina's , etc….
I am not surprised that BP has minimized the extent of the damage they caused. This is public relations spin doctoring on thier part. Several scientists already confirmed the disaster is more like 70,000 barrels of oil a day than just 5,000 barrels. So it doesnt give me much comfort that BP is only able to suck up 1,000 barrels a day of crude with that tube they have while 69,000 barrels keep gushing into the ocean .
It breaks my heart in it's deepest level hearing today how the petroleum– not tar balls, but saturating petroleum has now hit the Louisiana marshlands. This has upset me so much today that at work I was very depressed. People at work are carrying on talking about American Idol on television, and sports, etc… and when they asked me why I was so down today, and I told them — because of this gulf disaster, they told me I need to lighten up . I think they need to WAKE up!
Noone around me realizes the horrible impact this disaster is going to leave our Country- not only with our economy and oil prices, but more importantly with all dolphins, whales, sea turtles, shore birds, coral reefs, etc, etc… and also migratory birds that will be leaving my State and the Northern and North Eastern states in October to migrate to the South and the gulf– only to find destruction in thier wake– It will greatly hurt their chance for survival when they migrate to the Gulf and Southern areas this Fall- By Spring of 2011 there may be no more migratory birds coming back– people will be wondering what happened to all of the humming birds, geese, Orioles, herons, etc.,etc, etc. The geese nest in the marshlands — but now the Marshlands will be destroyed
The monarch butterfly is already in peril as it is– and the Monarch butterfly has to cross the Gulf of mexico to get to the States (California's monarchs don't have to cross the gulf- thank God) so say goodby forever to the monarch butterfly– there is no way they will be able to cross the Gulf in the disaster it is in . They often rest on fishing ships on their travel, but there will be no ships for them to rest on.
When I called the website I placed my order for that milkweed- to see how long my back-order is going to take, they told me that this gulf oil rig disaster wil affect all of the States in the U.S.– not just Louisiana and the Southern States.
God have mercy on the animals and Wild Kingdom
"It is more important that you love than that you see!"
This is far from over unfortunately and we will probably see the devastation for years to come but maybe we can send energy to this disaster and start the healing sooner.
The following was sent to me and maybe it will give us some inspiration in this direction:
A letter from Chief Arvol Looking Horse
A Great Urgency
To All World Religious and Spiritual Leaders
My Relatives,
Time has come to speak to the hearts of our Nations and their Leaders. I ask you this from the bottom of my heart, to come together from the Spirit of your Nations in prayer.
We, from the heart of Turtle Island, have a great message for the World; we are guided to speak from all the White Animals showing their sacred color, which have been signs for us to pray for the sacred life of all things. As I am sending this message to you, many Animal Nations are being threatened, those that swim, those that crawl, those that fly, and the plant Nations, eventually all will be affect from the oil disaster in the Gulf.
The dangers we are faced with at this time are not of spirit. The catastrophe that has happened with the oil spill which looks like the bleeding of Grandmother Earth, is made by human mistakes, mistakes that we cannot afford to continue to make.
I asked, as Spiritual Leaders, that we join together, united in prayer with the whole of our Global Communities. My concern is these serious issues will continue to worsen, as a domino effect that our Ancestors have warned us of in their Prophecies.
I know in my heart there are millions of people that feel our united prayers for the sake of our Grandmother Earth are long overdue. I believe we as Spiritual people must gather ourselves and focus our thoughts and prayers to allow the healing of the many wounds that have been inflicted on the Earth. As we honor the Cycle of Life, let us call for Prayer circles globally to assist in healing Grandmother Earth (our Unc'I Maka).
We ask for prayers that the oil spill, this bleeding, will stop. That the winds stay calm to assist in the work. Pray for the people to be guided in repairing this mistake, and that we may also seek to live in harmony, as we make the choice to change the destructive path we are on.
As we pray, we will fully understand that we are all connected. And that what we create can have lasting effects on all life.
So let us unite spiritually, All Nations, All Faiths, One Prayer. Along with this immediate effort, I also ask to please remember June 21st, World Peace and Prayer Day/Honoring Sacred Sites day. Whether it is a natural site, a temple, a church, a synagogue or just your own sacred space, let us make a prayer for all life, for good decision making by our Nations, for our children's future and well-being, and the generations to come.
Onipikte (that we shall live),
Chief Arvol Looking Horse 19th generation Keeper of the Sacred White Buffalo Calf Pipe (Wolakota.org)
We are very concerned about this here as well in Canada. We are directly on the gulf stream and if the oil spill leaves the confines of gulf it will affect us quite drastically. I join my prayers with yours.
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