http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/30/opinion/30shaw.html?adxnnl=1&ref=opinion&adxnnlx=1275224625-kfcosGPQ6O5crzOFeLBFXw

I’m with her on the use of dispersant; lose them now–they’re killing everything in the water column. DV

OP-ED CONTRIBUTOR
By SUSAN D. SHAW
Published: May 28, 2010

Blue Hill, Me.

FOR the last few days, attention has understandably been directed at the shores of the Gulf Coast as oil has started to wash up on beaches and in marshes. But last week I had the chance to see the effects of the spill from another perspective – when I dived into the oil slick a few miles off the Pass a Loutre wetlands in southern Louisiana. What I witnessed was a surreal, sickening scene beyond anything I could have imagined.

As the boat entered the slick, I had to cover my nose to block the fumes. There were patches of oil on the gulf’s surface. In some places, the oil has mixed with an orange-brown pudding-like material, some of the 700,000 gallons of a chemical dispersant called Corexit 9500 that BP has sprayed on the spreading oil. Near Rig No. 313, technically a restricted zone, the boat stopped and I (wearing a wetsuit, with Vaseline covering exposed skin) jumped in.

Only a few meters down, the nutrient-rich water became murky, but it was possible to make out tiny wisps of phytoplankton, zooplankton and shrimp enveloped in dark oily droplets. These are essential food sources for fish like the herring I could see feeding with gaping mouths on the oil and dispersant. Dispersants break up the oil into smaller pieces that then sink in the water, forming poisonous droplets – which fish can easily mistake for food.

Though all dispersants are potentially dangerous when applied in such volumes, Corexit is particularly toxic. It contains petroleum solvents and a chemical that, when ingested, ruptures red blood cells and causes internal bleeding. It is also bioaccumulative, meaning its concentration intensifies as it moves up the food chain.

The timing for exposure to these chemicals could not be worse. Herring and other small fish hatch in the spring, and the larvae are especially vulnerable. As they die, disaster looms for the larger predator fish, as well as dolphins and whales.

As I swam back to the surface, some big fish came up to the boat – cobia, amberjacks weighing up to 60 pounds – looking for a handout. These are the fish that have made the Gulf a famously productive fishing area. But they rely on the forage fish that are now being devastated by the combined effects of oil and chemical dispersants. In a short time, the predator fish will either starve or sicken and die from eating highly contaminated forage fish.

Yes, the dispersants have made for cleaner beaches. But they’re not worth the destruction they cause at sea, far out of sight. It would be better to halt their use and just siphon and skim as much of the oil off the surface as we can. The Deepwater Horizon spill has done enough damage, without our adding to it.

Susan D. Shaw is a marine toxicologist and the director of the Marine Environmental Research Institute, a nonprofit scientific research and educational organization.

Special thanks to Richard Charter

CONTACT:

Joint Information Center
(985) 902-5231
(985) 902-5240
 EPA CONTACT:

Brendan Gilfillan
gilfillan.brendan@epa.gov
 
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 29, 2010

Trips by Top Leaders to Inspect All-Hands-on-Deck Response Total 28
 
WASHINGTON – At the direction of the President, Department of the Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson and NOAA Administrator Jane Lubchenco will return to the Gulf region next week as they continue their work, aggressively responding to the BP oil spill.
 
These officials’ actions on scene will be coordinated by National Incident Commander Admiral Thad Allen, who is leading the administration-wide response and directing all interagency activities.
 
Administrator Jackson will make her fourth trip to the Gulf Coast to inspect coastline protection and cleanup activities and meet with community members to discuss ongoing efforts to mitigate the oil’s impacts on public health and the environment. A native of the Gulf region, Administrator Jackson will spend a total of six days on the ground, visiting Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama to review plans for cleanup of oil-impacted wetlands and marshes, analyze scientific monitoring of dispersant use, and ensure that recovery and cleanup plans are proceeding quickly.
 
Secretary Salazar will make his eighth trip to the area to meet with top BP officials, federal personnel and government scientists in Houston to get a firsthand account of the on-scene direction and oversight of BP’s efforts to cap the leaking well.  He will also participate in discussions with state, local and business leaders to discuss the ways the administration is supporting their communities during this catastrophe.
 
Administrator Lubchenco will make her third visit to the affected area to meet with top government and independent scientists and engineers who are working with BP and coordinating efforts across the federal government to ensure the best science is used to assess and mitigate the BP oil spill’s impacts to the environment.
 
President Obama visited the affected area for the second time yesterday to view the administration’s all-hands-on-deck response to this unprecedented disaster. He spoke to the frustration felt by those in the local community and across America and discussed extensively what he saw touring the tragedy this morning. The President also commended those in the area who have “rolled up their sleeves” to help with the clean up, saying that “we’re in this together.”
 
In total, senior administration officials have visited the region 28 times since BP’s oil rig exploded on April 20—including trips by the President, National Incident Commander Admiral Thad Allen, Interior Secretary Salazar, EPA Administrator Jackson, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, Energy Secretary Steven Chu, Commerce Secretary Gary Locke, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen, NOAA Administrator Lubchenco and SBA Administrator Karen Mills.

Special thanks to Richard Charter

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/05/29/gulf-oil-spill-media-access_n_594592.html?ref=fb&src=sp

MATTHEW BROWN | 05/29/10 05:25 PM |

NEW ORLEANS – Media organizations say they are being allowed only limited access to areas impacted by the Gulf oil spill through restrictions on plane and boat traffic that are making it difficult to document the worst spill in U.S. history.

The Associated Press, CBS and others have reported coverage problems because of the restrictions, which officials say are needed to protect wildlife and ensure safe air traffic.
Ted Jackson, a photographer for The Times-Picayune newspaper in New Orleans, said Saturday that access to the spill “is slowly being strangled off.”

A CBS news story said one of its reporting teams was threatened with arrest by the Coast Guard and turned back from an oiled beach at the mouth of the Mississippi River. The story said the reporters were told the denial was under “BP’s rules.”

U.S. Coast Guard and Federal Aviation Administration officials said BP PLC, the company responsible for cleaning up the spill, was not controlling access.

Coast Guard officials also said there was no intent to conceal the scope of the disaster. Rather, they said, the spill’s complexity had made it difficult to allow the open access sought by the media.

Coast Guard Lt. Commander Rob Wyman said personnel involved in the CBS dispute said no one was threatened with arrest.

Vessels responding to the spill are surrounded by a 500 yard “standoff area” with restricted access, he said.

“If we see anybody impeding operations, we’re going to ask you to move. We’re going to ask you to back up and move away,” he said.

BP contractors are operating alongside the FAA and Coast Guard at command centers that approve or deny flight requests. Charter pilots say they have been denied permission to fly below 3,000 feet when they have reporters or photographers aboard.

Those special flight restrictions, imposed on May 12, cover thousands of square miles of the Gulf and a broad swath of Louisiana’s coast. Normally there are no restrictions on flying.

The chief of the Coast Guard’s public affairs programs branch said access had been hampered by a cumbersome approval process that stretched all the way to the White House.

Chief Warrant Officer Adam Wine said White House officials had to sign off on requests for tours of the spill zone before they could proceed. The Coast Guard is attempting to increase access through guided boat and aircraft tours, he said. Still, there is no plan to lift restrictions on flights or boat traffic into offshore areas – including some barrier islands.

White House officials referred questions about their involvement to Wyman. He said Wine’s description of the chain of command was incorrect and that all requests from media were decided on by the command center in Robert, La. The Department of Homeland Security is notified, he said.

Two weeks ago, oceanographer Jean-Michel Cousteau was turned away from waters near a wildlife sanctuary after the Coast Guard discovered a reporter and a photographer from The Associated Press were on board.

Jackson, The Times-Picayune photographer, said he had been kept back from oil-covered beaches and denied a request to fly below 3,000 feet.

“The oil spill from there is just a rumor,” he said.
FAA spokeswoman Laura Brown said hundreds of flights related to the recovery effort go each day into the restricted airspace. She said aircraft from the oil industry and law enforcement also are allowed in those areas.

Special thanks to Richard Charter

http://laist.com/2010/05/29/caught_on_tape_police_harass_bike_r.php
By Lindsay William-Ross in News on May 29, 2010 10:00 AM

A large group bike ride was staged last night in protest of British Petroleum and the gulf oil spill. There were an estimated 200-1,000 bike riders in fluctuating numbers who took part in the ride that converged on the BP gas station at Robertson and Olympic, however encounters with LAPD officers signaled an end to the ride for a few in Hollywood.

The ride was described by WeHo Daily as being “loosely organized,” by Critical Mass. They did not stay at the BP station long, however, and both the LAPD and LAFD were aware of their presence on the street.

Many calls came in to the LAPD about the group, with one frustrated driver complaining that some riders around Olympic and Fairfax were hitting their vehicle as they passed, perhaps with their hands as the driver attempted to pull into their path.

The group traveled to Pan Pacific Park, where police thought the group had grown to be about 1,000 people strong, and they increased their presence as some riders began to head towards Hollywood.

Police were busy with the riders all evening, escorting them at different points with patrol cars. They became concerned about traffic and the possible resulting interference to emergency vehicle response times, especially when the riders were in the Hollywood area. Fire department units were notified of the disruption.

It was in Hollywood, however, that things seemed to turn ugly for the riders and the LAPD. A video sent to us by email shows a portion of the Hollywood segment of the ride, and an LAPD officer sticking his foot out deliberately in what appears to be a kick aimed at bringing down a cyclist or interfering in his ride. The rider making the video shouted out in protest, and moments later was taken down by police in a confusing tackle; one shouts “get up,” while the other shouts “get down.” The rider, whose camera has been dropped on the street, repeatedly yells “What’d I do?”

According to the email tipster:
The *vast majority* of the police along the way were helpful and accommodating. Even firefighters were out on the sidewalks outside of their stations giving high fives and waving hello. But for whatever reason the police in Hollywood were extremely aggressive and were harassing riders for no reason other than to get their kicks (I presume).

Is it time yet to contain the spill with tankers and oil skimmers at the source?  DV

THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

_______________________________________________________________________________________

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 29, 2010

Statement by the President on the Latest Efforts to Contain the BP Oil Spill

Today, I’ve spoken with National Incident Commander Admiral Thad Allen, as well as Energy Secretary Steven Chu, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson, and senior White House advisors John Brennan and Carol Browner regarding the ongoing efforts to stop the BP oil spill.  From the beginning, our concern has been that the surest way to stop the flow of oil – the drilling of relief wells – would take several months to complete.  So engineers and experts have explored a variety of alternatives to stop the leak now.  They had hoped that the top kill approach attempted this week would halt the flow of oil and gas currently escaping from the seafloor.  But while we initially received optimistic reports about the procedure, it is now clear that it has not worked.  Rear Admiral Mary Landry today directed BP to launch a new procedure whereby the riser pipe will be cut and a containment structure fitted over the leak.

This approach is not without risk and has never been attempted before at this depth. That is why it was not activated until other methods had been exhausted.  It will be difficult and will take several days.  It is also important to note that while we were hopeful that the top kill would succeed, we were also mindful that there was a significant chance it would not.  And we will continue to pursue any and all responsible means of stopping this leak until the completion of the two relief wells currently being drilled.

As I said yesterday, every day that this leak continues is an assault on the people of the Gulf Coast region, their livelihoods, and the natural bounty that belongs to all of us.  It is as enraging as it is heartbreaking, and we will not relent until this leak is contained, until the waters and shores are cleaned up, and until the people unjustly victimized by this manmade disaster are made whole.

###special  thanks to Richard Charter