Congressman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen to host a briefing on the Deepwater Horizon oil spill Monday May 17 in Miami

MEDIA ADVISORY
For more information:                                                                                     May 10, 2010
Alex Cruz, Communications Director
Office    305-668-5994 or 202-225-3931
Cellular 202-225-8200 or 202-225-4630

Miami, Florida — Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, a senior Member of the Florida Congressional Delegation, and leading opponent of offshore oil drilling, is hosting a briefing on the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and its implications for Florida’s economy and environment.
 
When:          Monday, May 17, 2010, 10:00 AM through 11:00am
 
Where:         University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, located at 4600 Rickenbacker Causeway, Key Biscayne, Florida
 
Invited participants include representatives from the United States Coast Guard, NOAA, Florida Department of Environmental Protection, as well as leading UM marine experts, and environmental advocacy organizations.
 
 
 
 
 
###
 
 
Alex J. Cruz
Communications Director
Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen
Cell: 202-225-8200

Citizens for Legitimate Government: Transocean Ltd. Announces Exchange Rate in Proposed US$1.0 Billion Distribution to Shareholders and other oil blowout stories….

Breaking News and Commentary from Citizens for Legitimate Government
12 May 2010
http://www.legitgov.org
All links are here:
http://www.legitgov.org/#breaking_news
 
Transocean Ltd. Announces Exchange Rate in Proposed US$ 1.0 Billion Distribution to Shareholders

12 May 2010 Transocean Ltd. today announced the applicable exchange rate to determine the Swiss franc (“CHF”) amount of the proposed cash distribution to shareholders in the form of a par value reduction equal to USD 3.11 per issued share (including treasury shares) to be calculated and paid in four quarterly installments… Shareholders will have the opportunity to vote on the proposed cash distribution at the Annual General Meeting to be held in Zug, Switzerland, on May 14, 2010.
 
Gulf oil spill: firms ignored warning signs before blast, inquiry hears –Documents suggest BP, Transocean and Halliburton ignored tests indicating faulty safety equipment, says committee 12 May 2010 Oil executives ignored warning signs in the hours before the disastrous Deepwater rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico last month, a congressional hearing heard today. In a second day of hearings, the House of Representatives’ energy and commerce committee said documents and briefings suggested that BP, which owned the well; Transocean, which owned the rig; and Halliburton, which made the cement casing for the well, ignored tests in the hours before the 20 April explosion that indicated faulty safety equipment.
 
U.S. Coast Guard Led Big Oil Spill Exercise Prior to Rig Explosion 11 May 2010 Three weeks before the massive Gulf oil rig explosion, U.S. Coast Guard officials led an elaborate exercise in which they practiced their response to a major oil spill — one of four dry runs over the past decade that foreshadowed many of the weaknesses in coordination, communication, expertise and technology that are now hampering the federal response to the oil rig disaster in the Gulf of Mexico.
 
BP Releases Oil Spill Video After Pressure From White House and Media 12 May 2010 Twenty-three days after the explosion and under pressure from the White House and the media, BP today finally released a thirty second underwater video of the oil from its broken well spewing into the Gulf of Mexico. BP said the video was released only today because the it had not received a request for the video until Monday. In fact, ABC News and other news organizations made numerous requests over the past few weeks for the video.
 
‘U.S. officials said in interviews that the elaborate dry runs taught them important lessons.’ [Oh, I’m *sure* they did!] After Oil Rig Blast, BP Refused to Share Underwater Spill Footage –Message Control a Key Industry Focus During Oil Disaster Drills 12 May 2010 During a series of dry-run exercises, where the U.S. Coast Guard, other agencies and oil companies practiced their response to major oil spill disasters, industry executives repeatedly pressed federal regulators to give them more say on what information would be released to the public if disaster struck. Reports obtained in a joint investigation by ABC News and the Center for Public Integrity show oil companies targeted the potential release of “confidential” information as a key concern [whenever they’re caught ‘going live’].
 
Hydraulic Leak Cited as Possible Cause of Spill 12 May 2010 As crude oil gushes into the Gulf of Mexico for the fourth week, a Congressional investigation said that a safety mechanism that was supposed to seal an undersea well in the event of a sudden pressure release might have failed on April 20 because of a hydraulic leak. Lawmakers disclosed the findings at a hearing before a subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee on Wednesday, as the White House proposed a package of legislative changes meant to help people affected by the huge oil spill and to ensure that the companies involved pay more [should be *all*] of the cleanup bill.
 
BP Prepares to Lower ‘Top Hat’ on Oil Leak 12 May 2010 BP PLC has lowered a new containment device to the floor of the Gulf of Mexico and will deploy it on a leaking oil well in the next two days, an executive said Wednesday. BP is still deciding whether first to attempt to lower the device, known as a top hat, on the leak itself, or to divert oil by inserting a tube into the broken pipe that once connected the well to the Deepwater Horizon rig, which caught fire on April 20 and sank two days later. In both cases, oil would then be funneled up to a rig on the surface.
 
Kerry-Lieberman Climate Proposal a Disaster for Climate (Center for Biological Diversity) 12 May 2010 In the midst of what appears to be the worst offshore oil disaster in American history, U.S. Senators John Kerry (D-Mass.) and Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn.) will today put forth a draft climate bill that will not solve the problems of global warming and continues pandering to the fossil fuel industry — including expanded offshore oil drilling — that created the problems in the first place.

Special thanks to Richard Charter

Risingtideamerica.org: May 14 National Day/Night of Mourning against Offshore Oil

http://www.risingtidenorthamerica.org/wordpress/category/front-page/

Day of Action Night of Mourning

 

Day of Action, Night of Mourning
Against Offshore Drilling

Once again the fossil fuel industry has brought crisis to the Gulf Coast. Devastation of untold proportions spews non-stop from BP’s oil well as politicians try to save face with empty promises, and oil companies preserve their profits with PR campaigns. This catastrophic spill comes on the heels of Obama’s plan to expand offshore drilling. The price of burning fossil fuels is too high. From combustion to extraction the oil industry poisons our communities, destroys ecosystems, and destabilizes the climate. Now is the time to stop offshore drilling dead in its tracks and drive another nail into the fossil fuel industry’s coffin.

DAY OF ACTION FLIER[DOWNLOAD FLIER JPG | PDF ]

Map of actions up soon.  Let us know about your action here!

Take action Friday May 14 to demand:

-An immediate ban on all offshore drilling

-A rapid and just transition away from fossil fuels

-No bailouts for the oil industry. All recovery costs must be paid for by BP, Halliburton, Transocean and other implicated companies.

-The federal government must remove any caps on liability for oil companies.

-BP provides full compensation for impacted communities and small businesses.

-BP provides full funding for long-term ecosystem restoration for impacted areas.

-Oil companies operating in the Gulf fully fund restoration of coastal ecosystems damaged by canals, pipelines, and other industry activities.

Take action at:

-BP gas stations and offices

-Halliburton and Transocean offices

-Federal buildings

-Offices of members of Congress

-State government officials in states affected by Obama’s offshore drilling proposal.

-Critical Mass bike rides

-Vigils to mourn the unspeakable loss brought by this spill

-Get creative!

Endorsing Organizations:

The Yes Men, Climate SOS, Rainforest Action Network, Rising Tide North America, Institute for Social Ecology, Eastside Fellowship of Reconciliation, Biofuelwatch, Codepink Women for Peace, Little Village Environmental Justice Organization, Earth First!

Get connected. Pledge resistance and report your actions using the form below or write to oilspill@risingtidenorthamerica.org

Special thanks to Maryann Lucking/Coralations.org

Keysspill.com Update: Florida Keys Oil Spill planning efforts underway

From: Dan Robey <danrobey@thepowerofpositivehabits.com>
Subject: Keysspill.com UPDATE
Date: Tuesday, May 11, 2010, 10:51 PM

Please forward this “Oil Spill” update to everyone you know in the
Keys and ask friends to volunteer to help protect our environment
and economy at http://keysspill.com/ We need boat captains,
boat owners and anyone that wants to volunteer to help in any way.
Please download, print and handout flyers from keysspill.com

PAST 24 HOURS

* Meeting at Key Largo Government Center

A special Workshop on the Oil Spill was held at Monroe County
Nelson Govt Center Bldg, MM102, Bayside, Key Largo today at 1 pm,
a video link of the meeting will be up soon.

* New links and documents added to www.keysspill.com today

* The President Meets with Cabinet Members in the Situation Room

President Obama met with a number of Cabinet members and senior
staff in the White House Situation Room to review BP’s efforts to
stop the oil leak as well as to decide on next steps to ensure all
is being done to contain the spread, mitigate the environmental
impact and provide assistance to affected states, including
individuals, businesses, and communities.

The President asked Secretary Chu to lead a team of top
administration officials and government scientists to Houston this
week for an extensive dialogue with BP officials to continue to
aggressively pursue potential solutions.

In addition, to deal more generally with the harms created by oil
spills, the President has requested that legislation be sent to
Congress to toughen and update the law surrounding caps on damages.

* EPA Administrator Jackson Returns to the Gulf Coast

Administrator Jackson made another visit to the Gulf region to
oversee efforts to mitigate the environmental and human health
impact of the ongoing BP oil spill visiting Baton Rouge, La., to
receive a briefing by Louisiana State University scientists; and
Robert, La., to receive a briefing by federal agency scientists.
Secretary Salazar Dispatches Top Land Management Official
Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced today that Director of the
Bureau of Land Management Robert Abbey has been dispatched to the
Gulf Coast to support ongoing response efforts to the BP Deepwater
oil spill.

* Navy Supports Skimming Operations

The U.S. Navy is providing assistance in the areas of skimming and
salvage operations including 16 Modular Skimming Systems deployed
to Gulfport, Miss. 1,400 total associated Department of Defense
personnel have been deployed in support of spill cleanup and
mitigation.

* New Staging Location Opens in Amelia, La.
14 staging areas have been set up to protect vital shoreline in all
potentially affected Gulf Coast states (Biloxi, Miss., Pascagoula,
Miss., Pensacola, Fla., Panama City, Fla., Dauphin Island, Ala.,
Grand Isle, La., Shell Beach, La., Slidell, La., Venice, La.,
Orange Beach, Al., Theodore, Al., Pass Christian, Ms., Amelia, La.,
and Cocodrie, La.).

* Property Damage Claims Processed

BP reports that 5,710 property damage claims have been opened, from
which $2.4 million has been disbursed. No claims have been denied
at this time. Approximately 60 operators are answering phones, and
average wait time is currently less than a minute. To file a claim,
or report spill-related damage, call BP helpline at (800)
440-0858. For those who have already pursued the BP claims process
and are not satisfied with BPs resolution, can call the Coast
Guard at (800) 280-7118.

* NOAA Conducts Research and Evaluation

NOAA Research is evaluating the information obtained from the NOAA
P-3 (hurricane hunter) aircraft flight over the Gulf of Mexico Loop
Current on May 8.

* Lessons Learned from Exxon Valdez Examined

Alaska and Louisiana Sea Grant personnel are meeting regularly with
Alaska Oil Spill Responders to explore lessons learned from the
Exxon Valdez incident and possible applications to the Deepwater
Horizon. NOAA’s Sea Grant is a university-based network of more
than 3,000 scientists, engineers and educators.

* Fish & Wildlife Field Crews Respond

Eight field crews have been deployed from the Dennis Pass Wildlife
Staging Area to observe the impact on wildlife due to the spill.
Wildlife search and capture teams conducted boat operations from
the Lake Borgne to the Southwest Pass of the Mississippi River and
west to Cameron, La. Four helicopters conducted aerial surveys to
observe wildlife and determine if rescue operations are needed in
potentially affected areas.
 
* Water and Sediment is Sampled

The U.S. Geological Survey completed water and sediment sampling at
16 sites along coastal Alabama and Mississippi. USGS is preparing
for sampling in Texas and Florida, and also for sea-grass bed
surveys.
 
* Plans Begin for Bioremediation

USDAs Natural Resources Conservation Service is assessing the
capabilities of Plant Materials Centers and asking commercial
growers to ramp up plant propagation efforts for potential future
bioremediation efforts.
 
* Aerial Dispersant Spray Missions Flown

Modular Aerial Spray System (MASS) aircraft flew multiple
missions dispensing the same dispersant chemical being used by
BP and the federal responders. These systems are capable of covering
up to 250 acres per flight.
 
* By the Numbers to Date:

Personnel were quickly deployed and approximately 10,000 are
currently responding to protect the shoreline and wildlife.
 
More than 290 vessels are responding on site, including skimmers,
tugs, barges, and recovery vessels to assist in containment and
cleanup efforts in addition to dozens of aircraft, remotely
operated vehicles, and multiple mobile offshore drilling units.
 
More than 1 million feet of boom (regular and sorbent) have been
deployed to contain the spill and more than 1.3 million feet are
available.

Nearly 3.5 million gallons of an oil-water mix have been
recovered.
 
Approximately 325,000 gallons of dispersant have been deployed.
More than 500,000 gallons are available.
 
14 staging areas have been set up to protect vital shoreline in
all potentially affected Gulf Coast states (Biloxi, Miss.,
Pascagoula, Miss., Pensacola, Fla., Panama City, Fla., Dauphin
Island, Ala., Grand Isle, La., Shell Beach, La., Slidell, La.,
Venice, La., Orange Beach, Al., Theodore, Al., Pass Christian, Ms.,
Amelia, La., and Cocodrie, La.).

* Resources:
For information about the response effort, visit
www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com.
 
For specific information about the federal-wide response, visit
http://www.whitehouse.gov/deepwater-bp-oil-spill.
 
To contact the Deepwater Horizon Joint Information Center, call
(985) 902-5231.
 
To volunteer, or to report oiled shoreline, call (866) 448-5816.
Volunteer opportunities can also be found here.
 
To submit your vessel as a vessel of opportunity skimming system,
or to submit alternative response technology, services, or
products, call 281-366-5511.
 
To report oiled wildlife, call (866) 557-1401. Messages will be
checked hourly.
 
For information about validated environmental air and water
sampling results, visit www.epa.gov/bpspill.
 
For National Park Service updates about potential park closures,
resources at risk, and NPS actions to protect vital park space and
wildlife, visit http://www.nps.gov/aboutus/oil-spill-response.htm.
 
To file a claim, or report spill-related damage, call BPs
helpline at (800) 440-0858. A BP fact sheet with additional
information is available here. For those who have already pursued
the BP claims process and are not satisfied with BP’s resolution,
can call the Coast Guard at (800) 280-7118. 
 

Abritt Publishing, 13484 SW 144 Ter, Miami, Fl 33186, USA

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special thanks to Kim Walsh

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