As oil continues to leak from the site of the Deepwater Horizon drilling accident, ecologists are preparing for the impact of oil on America’s beaches. Here’s a round up of other news from the Gulf of Mexico.
“There is no good answer to this. If it doesn’t show the impotence of the government, it shows the limits of the government.”
An unnamed ‘senior administration official’ talks to Politico about the impact of the spill on perceptions of US President Barack Obama.
“The ultra-deepwater semisubmersible rig Development Drill III had begun operations for drilling a relief well Monday, May 3, 2010. A relief well is designed to drill down and intersect the existing well bore and pump heavy fluids and cement in to stop the leaking oil.”
The Deepwater Horizon Response team says a relief well that may be able to plug the flow of the original leak is now under construction (photo).
“Response crews continue to test a new technique to break up the oil before it reaches the surface—a remotely operated underwater vehicle dispensing sub-surface dispersant at a rate of nine gallons per minute—with encouraging results so far. Nearly 3,000 gallons of subsea dispersants were applied, and BP and NOAA continue to evaluate these tests to determine the feasibility of continued use of subsea dispersants.”
The Deepwater Horizon Response team is also looking at new ways of dealing with the oil, as it becomes increasingly clear the leaks will not be stopped any time soon.
“Today NOAA restricted fishing in federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico threatened [by] the BP oil spill – from the mouth of the Mississippi to Pensacola Bay. The closure, which will be in effect for at least 10 days, is to protect consumers and the seafood industry.”
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration clamps down on fishing in waters polluted by the oil spill.
“All of you have seen, when you turn on the television, the devastation in the gulf, and I’m sure that they also were assured that it was safe to drill. … That will not happen here in California, and this is why I am withdrawing my support for the T-Ridge project.”
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger withdraws his support for drilling off his state’s coast after the Deepwater Horizon accident (San Francisco Chronicle).
“BP shares dropped to a low of 546p when trading in London began as City investors took their first opportunity to offload BP shares following the long weekend. This knocked more than £5bn off last Friday’s market capitalisation taking it to around £102.5bn. At the start of last week, the company was valued at £122bn.”
The Guardian looks at the impact of the accident on BP’s financial situation.
“Alabama Attorney General Troy King said tonight that he has told representatives of BP that they should stop circulating settlement agreements among coastal Alabamians. The agreements, King said, essentially require that people give up the right to sue in exchange for payment of up to $5,000.”
The Alabama Press-Register looks at attempts to pay off locals potentially impacted by the spill.
Image: Deepwater Horizon spill on 1 May, just southeast of the Mississippi Delta / NASA/Goddard/MODIS Rapid Response Team.