The evening news shows on MSNBC have had plenty of coverage of the growing environmental disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. British Petroleum is proving itself as incompetent in stopping the oil gushing into the waters of the Gulf of Mexico as incompetent as it was in making sure that safety rules and procedures were followed before the blowout occurred. Some - and I am one of them - believe that the U.S. government needs to take control of the effort to stop the oil flow and do whatever is needed to blow up the well head and stop the oil flow - even if that means the well and surrounding area are lost completely and BP takes an even bigger financial hit on the lost well. Incredibly, the CEO of BP was delusional enough to previously claim that the damage from the spill would not be a major catastrophe. Now, reports are coming in that not only is the Gulf of Mexico being destroyed - along with the local fishing and seafood industries - but that now the Florida Keys and the majority of the East Coast ARE potentially going to be damaged. The still flowing oil has found its way into the "loop current" that flows clockwise around the Gulf , through the Florida Straits and then up the East Coast via the Gulf Stream. Here are highlights from a BBC report:*
A "small portion" of oil sheen is in the Loop Current, which circulates in the Gulf, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said. Diluted oil could appear in isolated parts of Florida if persistent winds pushed the current that way, it added.
*
European scientists warn the spill could reach Florida within six days. Oil has been spewing into the Gulf since the offshore drilling rig Deepwater Horizon, leased by oil giant BP, exploded off the coast of Louisiana on 20 April and sank two days later.
*
Satellite images released by the European Space Agency (ESA) depict a streak of oil stretching south from the main slick into the Loop Current - a body of fast-flowing water coming from the Caribbean which the agency says is likely to propel oil towards Florida within six days.
*
Also on Wednesday, the US said it was having talks with Cuba over the spill. Observers say the rare talks demonstrate a concern that the oil may be carried by currents far from the site of the Deepwater Horizon disaster.
*
In Louisiana, a lawyer has asked a panel of federal judges to consolidate more than 100 cases related to the oil spill into a single action. Daniel Becnel asked that the growing number of cases against oil companies BP, Transocean, Halliburton and Cameron be combined and heard in Louisiana, the Associated Press news agency reported. The lawsuits have been filed by commercial fishermen, restaurants, hotels and property owners and others who say the oil spill has cost them income.
A "small portion" of oil sheen is in the Loop Current, which circulates in the Gulf, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said. Diluted oil could appear in isolated parts of Florida if persistent winds pushed the current that way, it added.
*
European scientists warn the spill could reach Florida within six days. Oil has been spewing into the Gulf since the offshore drilling rig Deepwater Horizon, leased by oil giant BP, exploded off the coast of Louisiana on 20 April and sank two days later.
*
Satellite images released by the European Space Agency (ESA) depict a streak of oil stretching south from the main slick into the Loop Current - a body of fast-flowing water coming from the Caribbean which the agency says is likely to propel oil towards Florida within six days.
*
Also on Wednesday, the US said it was having talks with Cuba over the spill. Observers say the rare talks demonstrate a concern that the oil may be carried by currents far from the site of the Deepwater Horizon disaster.
*
In Louisiana, a lawyer has asked a panel of federal judges to consolidate more than 100 cases related to the oil spill into a single action. Daniel Becnel asked that the growing number of cases against oil companies BP, Transocean, Halliburton and Cameron be combined and heard in Louisiana, the Associated Press news agency reported. The lawsuits have been filed by commercial fishermen, restaurants, hotels and property owners and others who say the oil spill has cost them income.
No comments:
Post a Comment