Aerial Photos of BP Oil Spill; Oil impacts Redfish Bay in Louisiana's bird's foot delta, where the Mississippi River empties into the Gulf of Mexico. Photographed on Thursday, May 27
The following summary of the DeepSpill Joint Industry Project—an intentional deepwater oil spill experiment in 2000—suggests that BP and the Coast Guard should have been more prepared to deal with the “unique challenges” of a deepwater spill.
attorney Robert Wiygul, pointed out to us, that BP's federally registered plan for the development of this oil field included, and required, no plan to deal with the worst-case scenario
It is clear that the vast majority of our barrier islands and coastal marshes are exposed and vulnerable, with insufficient efforts on the water to rectify the problem. No skimming or booming was happening to contain or clean up the vast stretches of mousse we encountered.
There is a remarkable lack of study on how dispersants affect the water column, and wildlife but we do know that the oil that is “dispersed” is likely to remain hidden below the Gulf for some time to come. It’s is difficult to say whether or not dispersants should be used and under what circumstances, but
Hawksbill Sea Turtle photo courtesy of SeaTurtle.net
Three months of the BP drilling disaster have resulted in a total of 708 sea turtles collected by the Unified Command from Florida to Louisiana. 477 found dead on beaches, 17 found dead at sea. There are 207 sea turtles in rehabilitation centers around the Gulf. The good news is, the survival rate in rehab is very high.
There is something about a sea turtle that brings a smile to your face. Seeing one swim in an aquarium is mesmerizing. Seeing one from a boat is exciting. Watching one lay eggs on a beach is a cherished memory that you often share with others. To learn more and actually track satellite-tagged turtles and whales you can visit the Texas A & M University project and the Padre Island National Seashore project. There are currently 11 turtles from Florida to Texas with satellite uplinks that report their positions daily. Of these, 5 are in the oil affected area.
Sixty-one dead beached dolphins found, 5 others rescued live, 3 of which subsequently died.
One dead sperm whale was found near the Deepwater Horizon.
These are only the numbers of animals found, the number of turtles, dolphins, and whales that died and sank will never be known. It is impossible to guess.
The penalty for killing an endangered species is up to $10,000 fine and 1 year in jail for each animal.
Yesterday, thanks to the generous support of GRN member and gulf coast environmental activist, Jo Billups of the environmental music duo Sassafrass, I took another flight over the gulf coast to assess oil impacts and containment and clean-up efforts, if you can call it that. With me on board was Sig from Rehage entertainment, the producers of the Voodoo Music Experience and Essence festival, as well as freelance photographer, Robin Walker. This particular flight was in response to a 72 hr. notice of oil impacts for the Alabama Gulf that was issued on Monday, June 30th. Some of you may have heard that there are flight restrictions over Breton Sound and may be wondering how we were able to gain access. Let’s just say that we have the entire weight of the Gulf Restoration Network members and allies behind us and that thanks to them we are a force to be reckoned with.
Our flight began in Belle Chase at 8:40am, went over Breton Island, Breton Sound, Chandeleur Islands, Ship Island, Horn Island, Petit Bois Island, Dauphin Island, Mobile Bay, and over Gulf Shores, Alabama on Orange Beach.The first thing that I noticed was how incredibly calm the waters were along the coast line of Louisiana and Mississippi. From a birds-eye view we could see schools of red fish, sharks, sting rays, Brown Pelicans, sea-gulls, etc. We could also see clearly that the clean-up and containment was, once again, pathetic. According to our pilot, clear days like this only occur 20-30 days out of the year and that this calmness should provide clean-up responders an excellent opportunity to get a lot done. So, where were they? How come we didn’t spot a single clean-up vessel in Breton Sound? What happened to the 10,000 vessels that the Unified Command just announced were fully engaged in the effort to defend our coast? Hadn’t we just heard President Obama call for an immediate tripling of the numbers of vessels and responders?
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Nevertheless, we ventured on to the aforementioned islands and took plenty of photos of booms and other clean-up or containment contraptions deployed mostly along the bay side of the islands. Unfortunately, as we have learned in Louisiana, these booms are virtually ineffective at stopping oil from tarnishing are precious estuaries, barrier islands and ecosystem. Some of my prior posts have demonstrated this ineffectiveness very clearly via video and pictures.
I find it to be pretty troubling that on Orange Beach at Gulf Shores there were people swimming in the gulf waters. Troubling because, only a short few miles away we found oil and lots of it. Just 5 miles off the shore of Mobile Bay we ran into the infamous sheen as well as huge sheets of oil that had been hit with dispersants, as indicated by the bright orange colorization. What troubles me is that some of this toxic mixture could very well have already impacted those waters and beaches where tourists were frolicking. In my conversations with Marine biologist, Rick Steiner, I learned that it is entirely possible that the dispersant could flow inland at a faster rate than the oil itself and that it would be nearly impossible to detect with the naked eye. Shouldn’t we be erring on the side of caution and not have people swimming in areas that are in the immediate crosshairs for this BP drilling disaster mess?
I also found it extremely troubling and frustrating that we could only see two shrimp boats retrofitted with boom working in vain to contain this oil. How is this even possible? BP and the federal government have known for weeks that this scenario would play out and yet they demonstrated an utter failure to defend our coast. If they cannot do it then they need to step out of the way and let those who can get to work. Instead, what does BP do? They have initiated a new no-fly rule over the Alabama gulf coast since our flight yesterday. Stay tuned as we fully intend to continue with our independent watchdogging over BP's drilling disaster.
One of the most fascinating and unique features of the Gulf of Mexico is a string of thriving deepwater coral reefs which ring the Gulf. In recent years, NOAA and others, including GRN, have been interested in designating many of these deepwater reefs as Marine Protected Areas, but most of these areas still lack such protections.
Two of these sites are directly in the path of BP’s oil drilling disaster, and many other significant deepwater corals are close to the impact zone (click for map of some of the sites). Now, the New York Times is reporting that scientists are concerned with how underwater oil plumes will affect a newly discovered deepwater reef just 20 miles from the epicenter of the disaster. Click on the picture below to see a slideshow of photos from a recent expedition to this coral reef.
A close-up of the scleractinian coral Lophelia pertusa. Image courtesy of Lophelia II 2009: Deepwater Coral Expedition: Reefs, Rigs, and Wrecks.
For Immediate Release:For More: Tuesday, June 1, 2010 Cynthia Sarthou, GRN, (504) 525-1528 Mary Lee Orr, LEAN, (225) 588-5059 Heather Emmert, Environment America, (504) 861-4427 Joel Waltzer, Esq., (504) 340-6300
Gulf Restoration Network, Louisiana Environmental Action Network, and Environment America Intend to Use Federal Clean Water Act to Force BP to Full Disclosure and Deployment of All Means Available to Clean Gulf Waters
Local, state, and national environmental groups announced today that they intend to use the citizen enforcement provision of the federal Clean Water Act to sue BP in federal district court in New Orleans to force a more effective response to the ongoing oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico.
The Gulf Restoration Network (GRN), the Louisiana Environmental Action Network (LEAN), and Environment America announced that last Friday they sent a formal notice letter alleging that BP is violating the Clean Water Act (CWA) by discharging millions of gallons of oil into the Gulf from the Deepwater Horizon drill site, by failing to accurately measure its plume and flow, and by failing to remove the oil from the waters on and within the Gulf of Mexico.
“’Remove’ does not mean hiding oil beneath the sea surface or leaving it to naturally decay. Remove means take away. If BP can remove oil from miles beneath the earth, under 5000 feet of water, it can remove oil plumes from the Gulf,” said Joel Waltzer, one of the attorneys representing the environmental groups.
The groups will ask the Court to order the following relief (beyond plugging the well):
• Measure and disclose the full amount of pollution released in this disaster; • Provide the best possible, most accurate 3-D footprint of the oil already discharged; • Disclose all technologies which may be employed to remove the oil on or below the surface of the Gulf and on coastal land; • Remove the oil from the Gulf by all means and as quickly as possible, regardless of cost.
“The BP spill is a tragic example of what happens when corporations are able to flout the law,” said Cynthia Sarthou, Executive Director of GRN. “We are acting today because we want to ensure that BP is forced to act quickly, using every available technology, to clean up this destructive spill.”
“BP has put the health, safety, and viability of our coastal communities in grave danger, and has repeatedly failed to be transparent and fully cooperative with the government and the public,” said Marylee Orr, Executive Director of LEAN. “This Clean Water Act enforcement suit is necessary to ensure that our communities and the environments that they rely on are made whole.”
“The BP fiasco is a tragic reminder that deepwater oil drilling is an inherently dirty and dangerous business,” said Heather Emmert, Gulf States Field Organizer for Environment America. “Because BP executives failed to adequately prepare for or respond to this ongoing disaster, citizens are now stepping up to the plate to force a more transparent and effective response.”
The federal Clean Water Act contains a “citizen suit” provision that allows private citizens affected by violations to bring an enforcement suit in federal court after providing a 60 day prior notice to the violator and to state and federal environmental agencies. Citizens can seek a court order mandating compliance with the law and with all permit requirements, and mitigation of the harm caused by violations of the Act.
Check out the 2nd episode in our ongoing series documenting BP's drilling disaster, and its impacts on the Gulf ecosystem and coastal communities. This episodes features images of coastal marsh and seaturtles affected by BP's crude, and interviews with Mike Lane of RodNReel.com, Dean Blanchard of Blanchard Seafood, and Cyn Sarthou with the Gulf Restoration Network - plus narration by Tim Robbins. Created by GRN and NOLA Image Works with support from the VItalogy Foundation.
