Big News today as the Department of Interior has indefinitely suspended plans for an oil and gas lease sale off the Virginia coastline. The department postponed the comment period on the plan indefinitely and canceled a series of public meetings that had been scheduled for this month on the proposed lease sale.
In a notice to be published in the Federal Register tomorrow, the Minerals Management Service announces the suspension of the comment period on the proposed Virginia lease sale, known formally as Outer Continental Shelf Mid-Atlantic Oil and Gas Lease Sale 220. No further comments are being solicited, pending a decision by Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, it says.
Could this be a prelude to reinstating the federal moratorium on new offshore oil drilling?
More details
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Live Oil Chat Today between Surfrider and Fl Oil Lobbyist
Join expert panelists David Mica, Executive Director/Lobbyist of the Florida Petroleum Council, and Ericka D'Avanzo, Florida Regional Manager of the Surfrider Foundation, for a live discussion of offshore oil drilling and the Deepwater Horizon explosion. They will be joined by Laurence Reisman, editorial page editor, and Michael Goforth, columnist, of Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers.
You can join the discussion on this page beginning at 11 a.m. EST Wednesday, May 5 or post your opinions via Twitter using the hashtag #deepwater.
You can also check out the transcript later by going to http://www.tcpalm.com/live-chat/oil-spill-chat/.
You can join the discussion on this page beginning at 11 a.m. EST Wednesday, May 5 or post your opinions via Twitter using the hashtag #deepwater.
You can also check out the transcript later by going to http://www.tcpalm.com/live-chat/oil-spill-chat/.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
State of the Gulf Spill - Week 2
Spill Size/ExtentSize: 13,104,000 gallons
Continuing rate of spill: 1,092,000 gallons per day.
More details:
http://oilonthebeach.blogspot.com/2010/05/updated-oil-spill-counter-gulf-oil.html
http://blog.skytruth.org/2010/05/gulf-oil-spill-new-spill-rate.html
State of Efforts to Stop Flow
On Sunday the NY Times reported: “On Monday, BP hoped to install a shut-off valve on one of the three leaks. But the biggest leak, at the end of the riser pipe, which is the source of most of the spewing oil, cannot be shut off this way. The company intends to address that leak by lowering a containment dome over it and then pumping the oil to the surface. That effort is still at least six days away. Another containment dome, for the third leak, which is on the riser near the wellhead, would follow two to four days after the first.”
Crews broke ground on the sea bed shortly after 3 p.m. Sunday as work began to drill a relief well. That work will take at least two months at best to complete.
Volunteer Response Resources
Surfrider volunteer oil spill toolkit: http://oilonthebeach.blogspot.com/2010/04/oil-spill-volunteer-toolkit.html
Response websites:
http://www.oilspillvolunteers.com
http://www.volunteerfloridadisaster.org
http://tinyurl.com/audubonvolunteer
Volunteer Phone numbers:
Deepwater Horizon Incident Volunteer Hotline: 866-448-5816
Vessel of Opportunities Program. Fishermen should phone 425-745-8017
Fact sheets related to oil spills in general and this spill:
http://www.piersystem.com/go/doctype/2931/53023/
http://response.restoration.noaa.gov/deepwaterhorizon
http://gulfseagrant.tamu.edu/oilspill/index.htm
Official Response Resources
United incident command:
www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com
Twitter:
http://twitter.com/usnoaagov
http://www.facebook.com/usnoaagov
Podcasts:
http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/podcast.html
NOAA Roles and Tools:
http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/topics/oceans/spills/
Phone numbers:
NOAA media inquiries: keeley.belva@noaa.gov or 301-713-3066
For response inquiries: Joint Information Center (JIC) at 985-902-5231 or 985-902-5240
BP Horizon Response Hotline: 281-366-5511
To report oil, or general Community and Volunteer Information: 866-448-5816
To report oiled or injured wildlife: 866-557-1401
Florida Specific Volunteer Information:
Oil spill related clean up; http://www.volunteerfloridadisaster.org
Opportunities will be posted as they become available.
If you live in these areas and want to help:
Okaloosa County call: 850-651-7150
Bay County call: 763-6587
Walton County: go to www.waltonso.org
If Florida Palm Beach/Treasure Coast area volunteers email the Florida Regional Manager: Ericka Davanzo: edavanzo@surfrider.org
Donations Needed
Help already trained personnel prepare for animal response by giving supplies or donating. The Wildlife Sanctuary in Pensacola: www.pensacolawildlife.com/ are looking for the following donations:
--Baby blankets
--Towels
--Heating pads (w/o auto shut off if possible)
--Large Rubbermaid containers with lids
--Heating lamps
--Rubbermaid troughs (can be purchased at Tractor Supply)
--Large backyard portable pools like found at Wal-Mart
The Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary in Indian Shores is looking for volunteers and donations of the following supplies:
--Linens
--Kennels
--Towels
--Sheets
--Dawn dish detergent
--Pepto-Bismol and toothbrushes
The sanctuary is a local dropoff center for the donations at 18328 Gulf Blvd., Indian Shores. It is open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. See its website for details or call (727) 391-6211 for information, or e-mail jessicag@seabirdsanctuary.com.
Florida Information Numbers and Websites:
DEP Related Media Questions: Amy Graham at 850-245-2112 or -2113
Florida Emergency Information Line: 800-342-3557
Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) incident response website:
http://www.dep.state.fl.us/deepwaterhorizon/default.htm
CRCL encourages pre-veterinary students, veterinary technicians, and anyone with HAZWOPER training to volunteer. Anyone with experience in wildlife handling, rehabilitation, or hazardous materials clean up is also strongly encouraged to volunteer.
Mobile Bay National Estuary Program
Mississippi Department of Marine Resources - (228) 374-5000 www.dmr.state.ms.us
Galveston Bay Foundation www.galvbay.org/volunteer_oil_signup.html
"If the oil reaches the shore it will kill all the shrimp, all the crabs and all the oysters," Kim Vo, owner of the largest shrimp distributor in Venice, LA, Sharkco Seafoods International, told the Wall Street Journal. The oil, which will likely also devastate nesting birds and whales, is also threatening two national wildlife refuges, in addition to the tourism and fishing industries of dozens of coastal communities.
Commercial and recreational fishing in the Gulf of Mexico waters affected by the massive oil leak have been restricted for 10 days, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Sunday. The closings are from Louisiana state waters at the mouth of the Mississippi River to waters off Florida's Pensacola Bay. There are fish, crabs, oyster and shrimp near the spill and officials are working to prohibit harvesting from affected areas, NOAA said. The closure will be in effect until 12:01 a.m. local time May 12, 2010, unless conditions allow NOAA Fisheries Service to terminate it sooner.
For more information: http://www.nottheanswer.org
Urge Obama and Congress to ban new drilling: http://www.surfrider.org/nodrilling
Join the Surfrider Foundation: http://www.surfrider.org/join
Link to this entire document as: http://www.surfrider.org/files/StateoftheSpill_week2.pdf"
Monday, May 3, 2010
Updated Oil Spill Counter: Gulf Oil Disaster is spilling 1,092,000 gallons/day
This is update on our revised estimate of the total amount of oil spilled from the Deepwater Horizon spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
Our original calculation was based on the approach used by SkyTruth, which is explained below.
A more accurate assessment of recent satellite images reveals that the volume and therefore the rate of the spill must be much higher than previously predicted. The current estimate is 26,000 barrels (1,092,000 gallons) per day.
Read how Dr. Ian MacDonald and SkyTruth made this calculation here.
Here's a summary of our prior estimate.
Schwarzenegger Announces Withdrawl of Support for Controversial Offshore Oil Drilling Project
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger withdrew his support Monday for a controversial new offshore oil drilling project off the Santa Barbara coast in the wake of a massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
Read more
Surfrider and Other Groups Tell Senators Offshore Oil Drilling is Not the Answer
Today Surfrider Foundation joined over 70 other environmental organizations in sending the following letter to members of the U.S. Senate.
Dear Senator:
On behalf of our organizations, and the millions of members they represent, we are writing you today to urge the United States Senate to reconsider any plans to include expanded offshore oil and gas exploration and drilling in any legislation. In light of the events surrounding the Deepwater Horizon rig in the Gulf of Mexico, our organizations urge you to oppose efforts to expand offshore oil and gas exploration and drilling off of our coasts. Expanding exploration and drilling into previously protected and remote areas is unacceptable when it is clear that we are not capable of responding to oil spills in a timely manner. The Senate faces a choice between leading America forward in a new clean energy economy or holding America back by preserving the failed energy policies of the past. This human and environmental catastrophe is proof positive that we must end our addiction to oil, enact a firm limit on carbon pollution, and ensure this type of disaster never happens again.
What began with the apparent tragic loss of 11 lives on April 21, 2010 now has the potential to be one of the worst environmental disasters in U.S. history. The unfolding catastrophe clearly illustrates that offshore drilling is an inherently dangerous, risky, and dirty business. Furthermore, these events raise numerous questions about the safety and environmental safeguards that are intended to protect our coastlines. If we cannot contain an oil spill in the very temperate Gulf of Mexico, how can we have any faith that a similar disaster does not await the "exploratory" drilling currently planned for the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas in the extreme conditions of the Arctic Ocean where we already know technology does not exist to clean up a spill in icy water.
Currently, the oil slick resulting from the Deepwater Horizon disaster continues to grow, posing hazards to marine wildlife. The slick of toxic oil has made landfall on the coastline of Louisiana and threatens the coasts of Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida. Exposure to the oil will likely have devastating impacts for coastal and marine wildlife and commercial and recreational fisheries.
Oil can persist in the environment long after a spill. This prolonged exposure to oil could result in major impacts on the coastal economies of the Gulf region. Gulf of Mexico fisheries are among the most productive in the world. In 2008, according to the National Marine Fisheries Service, the commercial fish and shellfish harvest from the five U.S. Gulf states was estimated to be 1.3 billion pounds valued at $661 million. The Gulf also contains four of the top seven fishing ports in the nation by landed weight. The Gulf of Mexico has eight of the top 20 fishing ports in the nation by dollar value of landings.
Accidents happen, and they will continue to happen in the future. Any expanded offshore exploration and drilling should be off the table. Instead, legislation should focus on emphasizing development of carbon-free energy technologies, including offshore and land-based wind power and solar power, consistent with the protection of wildlife and ecosystems, and the development of a meaningful national renewable electricity standard.
Provisions creating new incentives (such as state revenue sharing) or reduced safeguards for expanded offshore drilling are simply not acceptable. The energy bill reported by the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, the American Clean Energy Leadership Act (ACELA) of 2009, reverses the bipartisan agreement reached in the 2006 Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act (GOMESA). The language would allow drilling within 10 miles of Pensacola, and shrink the current 125-mile-wide buffer elsewhere along Florida's West Coast to 45 miles. Clearly, an accident similar to the Deepwater Horizon would devastate Florida’s coast regardless of buffers provided in the bill. We oppose inclusion of any such provisions in legislation considered by this Congress.
The numbers don’t lie. There is not enough oil off of our shores to make America energy independent or to reduce gas prices. But, clearly there is enough to damage ocean and coastal ecosystems and billion-dollar coastal economies. Instead of expanding offshore oil drilling, responsible climate legislation needs to focus on innovation and investment in clean, renewable, carbon-free energy that creates jobs and protects our coastal economies and ecosystems.
The Senate has a profound responsibility to build a clean energy future for our nation without sacrificing our oceans and coasts in the process. Now is the time for strong clean energy and climate policy. It is up to you to ensure that we put the United States on the path to economic, environmental and national security.
Dear Senator:
On behalf of our organizations, and the millions of members they represent, we are writing you today to urge the United States Senate to reconsider any plans to include expanded offshore oil and gas exploration and drilling in any legislation. In light of the events surrounding the Deepwater Horizon rig in the Gulf of Mexico, our organizations urge you to oppose efforts to expand offshore oil and gas exploration and drilling off of our coasts. Expanding exploration and drilling into previously protected and remote areas is unacceptable when it is clear that we are not capable of responding to oil spills in a timely manner. The Senate faces a choice between leading America forward in a new clean energy economy or holding America back by preserving the failed energy policies of the past. This human and environmental catastrophe is proof positive that we must end our addiction to oil, enact a firm limit on carbon pollution, and ensure this type of disaster never happens again.
What began with the apparent tragic loss of 11 lives on April 21, 2010 now has the potential to be one of the worst environmental disasters in U.S. history. The unfolding catastrophe clearly illustrates that offshore drilling is an inherently dangerous, risky, and dirty business. Furthermore, these events raise numerous questions about the safety and environmental safeguards that are intended to protect our coastlines. If we cannot contain an oil spill in the very temperate Gulf of Mexico, how can we have any faith that a similar disaster does not await the "exploratory" drilling currently planned for the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas in the extreme conditions of the Arctic Ocean where we already know technology does not exist to clean up a spill in icy water.
Currently, the oil slick resulting from the Deepwater Horizon disaster continues to grow, posing hazards to marine wildlife. The slick of toxic oil has made landfall on the coastline of Louisiana and threatens the coasts of Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida. Exposure to the oil will likely have devastating impacts for coastal and marine wildlife and commercial and recreational fisheries.
Oil can persist in the environment long after a spill. This prolonged exposure to oil could result in major impacts on the coastal economies of the Gulf region. Gulf of Mexico fisheries are among the most productive in the world. In 2008, according to the National Marine Fisheries Service, the commercial fish and shellfish harvest from the five U.S. Gulf states was estimated to be 1.3 billion pounds valued at $661 million. The Gulf also contains four of the top seven fishing ports in the nation by landed weight. The Gulf of Mexico has eight of the top 20 fishing ports in the nation by dollar value of landings.
Accidents happen, and they will continue to happen in the future. Any expanded offshore exploration and drilling should be off the table. Instead, legislation should focus on emphasizing development of carbon-free energy technologies, including offshore and land-based wind power and solar power, consistent with the protection of wildlife and ecosystems, and the development of a meaningful national renewable electricity standard.
Provisions creating new incentives (such as state revenue sharing) or reduced safeguards for expanded offshore drilling are simply not acceptable. The energy bill reported by the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, the American Clean Energy Leadership Act (ACELA) of 2009, reverses the bipartisan agreement reached in the 2006 Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act (GOMESA). The language would allow drilling within 10 miles of Pensacola, and shrink the current 125-mile-wide buffer elsewhere along Florida's West Coast to 45 miles. Clearly, an accident similar to the Deepwater Horizon would devastate Florida’s coast regardless of buffers provided in the bill. We oppose inclusion of any such provisions in legislation considered by this Congress.
The numbers don’t lie. There is not enough oil off of our shores to make America energy independent or to reduce gas prices. But, clearly there is enough to damage ocean and coastal ecosystems and billion-dollar coastal economies. Instead of expanding offshore oil drilling, responsible climate legislation needs to focus on innovation and investment in clean, renewable, carbon-free energy that creates jobs and protects our coastal economies and ecosystems.
The Senate has a profound responsibility to build a clean energy future for our nation without sacrificing our oceans and coasts in the process. Now is the time for strong clean energy and climate policy. It is up to you to ensure that we put the United States on the path to economic, environmental and national security.
Gulf Fishing Fleet Grounded as Spill Grows
On Sunday, federal authorities closed all recreational and commercial fishing over a large portion of the Gulf - from Louisiana to the Florida panhandle. The ban will remain in affect for at least the next ten days.
The closure affects what is one of the nation's richest fishing grounds - supplying 44% of all shrimp and 36% of all oysters caught in America. With the spill continuing to flow at upwards of 210,000 gallons a day, authorities have not been able to predict how long the ban may continue. Fishermen worry that any disruption will open the door for foreign competition, which already accounts for over 80% of total consumption in the United States.
Recreational fishing will likely be hit just as hard. According to the American Sports Fishing Association, saltwater angling supports more than 300,000 jobs and contributes $41 billion dollars annually throughout the Gulf Coast.
As has been mentioned numerous times on this blog and elsewhere, this is just a taste of the economic impacts associated with offshore spills. Rest assured, it will only get worse from here.
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