Tuesday, 10 August 2010
Consolidated BP Oil Spill Lawsuits Will Be Adjudicated in New Orleans
BP will face hundreds of lawsuits over the Deepwater Horizon disaster in federal court in New Orleans, a panel of judges ordered, a victory for plaintiffs seeking billions of dollars in damages for the largest oil spill in U.S. history. U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier will preside over more than 300 suits, including wrongful-death claims by families of workers killed in the April explosion. Claims also cover revenue lost by Gulf Coast businesses and environmental damage. BP investors’ suits over losses tied to the spill will go to federal court in Houston.
Tuesday, 27 July 2010
Tow Boat Hits Abandoned Well in Gulf, Sends Oil Spewing
A tow boat slammed into an abandoned wellhead near Mud Lake close to Barataria Bay, sending a plume of oil and gas spewing into the air Tuesday. The well is abandoned, the Coast Guard said. Thad Allen, the government's point man for the massive BP spill in the Gulf of Mexico, said 6,000 feet of protective boom was placed around the site. The boom and skimming equipment were already nearby because of the Gulf spill.
Friday, 04 June 2010
Oil Hits Gulf Shores Beaches -- Resorts Cut Rates to Attract Visitors
Oil hit the beaches in Gulf Shores, Alabama, with tourists reporting gobs of oil washing up in the surf and the smell of oil heavy in the air. As resorts cut rates to attract tourists, some reported that restaurants and resorts were not hiring and were operating on their winter staff rates because tourists were afraid to visit. Cleanup crews were nowhere to be seen.
Friday, 04 June 2010
Legislature Passes Resolution Against Moratorium
The Louisiana House of Representatives unanimously passed a resolution urging the federal government to cancel its six-month moratorium on drilling in the Gulf of Mexico, saying the ban would kill the state's struggling economy. "Don't shut down Louisiana," said the sponsor, Rep. Gordon Dove of Houma. Rep. Ernest Wooton of Belle Chasse said the moratorium could push the state's $2 billion budget deficit to $10 billion. The Advocate's Arthur Lauck caught this photo of legislators posturing at the microphone during debate.
Wednesday, 02 June 2010
White House approves Louisiana berm plan
U.S. Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen told BP to pay for the five berms approved by the White House, in addition to one he and the Army Corps of Engineers approved last week. The British energy company later said it supported the six projects and would pay the estimated $360 million cost to build them.
Tuesday, 01 June 2010
BP CLASHES WITH CRITICS OVER FACTS SURROUNDING OIL SPILL
With no progress to report on Memorial Day, BP continued to stir up controversy with comments by BP chief executive Tony Hayward that contradicts scientists and some of his company's previous statements. First was Hayward's statement to the Associated Press that the oil is on the surface and that there aren't any oil plumes under the surface of the water, a fact disputed by scientists. Then came BP's response to clean-up workers who became sick and were hospitalized, but only after being stripped of their clothing and forced to take showers by BP outside the hospital before being allowed to enter. This would presumably affect any future litigation against the company by the workers.
Friday, 28 May 2010
Gulf Oil Spill Worst in Nation's History -- Much Bigger Than Exxon Valdez
Scientists say the Gulf oil spill is the worst in our nation's history, far out-distancing the Exxon Valdez in the amount of oil released into the waters off Alaska. The Gulf oil spill has resulted in somewhere between 18 and 28 million gallons of oil being dumped into the Gulf of Mexico; in contrast, the Exxon Valdez saw 11 million gallons dumped. Rep. Ed Markey of Massachusetts has suggested that BP may be low-balling the amount of oil lost to prevent higher fines to the company for the accident.
Tuesday, 25 May 2010
House Majority Leader criticizes Bobby Jindal for 'hand-wringing'
House Majority leader Steny Hoyer criticized Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) for being part of the “drill, baby, drill crowd,” then turning on the federal government in the wake of the gigantic oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Hoyer (D-Md.) said Jindal shouldn’t be “wringing his hands” over the federal response in Louisiana.
Monday, 24 May 2010
Website Offers Betting on Spill-Related Extinctions of Gulf Species
A gambling website has placed odds today on what species would be first to become extinct as a result of crude belching from BP PLC's ruptured well in the Gulf of Mexico. In a statement announcing the extinction pool, the Irish bookmaker said it hoped the betting would "highlight the environmental catastrophe" and the "sure bet" that it would lead to the loss of some marine species.
Sunday, 23 May 2010
Cleaning Oiled Wetlands May be Impossible -- Officials Considering Drastic and Risky Solutions
Government officials and independent scientists agree: the thick, gooey oil washing into the maze of marshes along coastal Louisiana could prove impossible to remove, leaving behind a toxic stew lethal to fish and wildlife. Officials are considering some drastic and risky solutions: They could set the wetlands on fire or flood them in hopes of floating the oil out. They are warning that aggressive clean-up efforts could do more harm than good, and the only viable option for many affected areas will be to do nothing and let nature break down the spill.
LAProgress
