Upcoming Hearings about Oil Spill Response and Safety

Attend a public hearing to speak about protection of our coastlines and the importance of oil spill containment and rapid response.  The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (formally the MMS--the agency who oversees drilling for the U.S.) needs to hear from you.  Our collective voice as a community can help decision makers prepare better safety mechanisms and response plans.

This will also be a great opportunity to voice your opposition to new offshore drilling which our Federal Government is currently considering along the east coast and sensitive parts of Alaska.  Join Surfrider Foundation activists as we speak out against new drilling and spread the message that offshore oil drilling in not the answer.

Go here to learn more about when and where the hearings are located.  

Environmental Film Series and Speakers Forum

If you live in the Los Angeles area, please join Surfrider Foundation staff as we discuss the 'state of state' for offshore oil drilling in America.  Discussion will begin promptly after film première.   A portion of the donations benefit the Surfrider Foundation's Not the Answer campaign. 

 View event information here.

Up to 79% of the spill oil still in the Gulf

Contrary to NOAA's August 4th report that most of the oil from the Deepwater Horizon spill was gone, a new report from five prominent marine scientists at the University of Georgia concludes that up to 79 percent of the oil released into the Gulf of Mexico from the Deepwater Horizon well has not been recovered and remains a threat to the ecosystem.

The Obama adminstration continues their long running habit of underestimating the severity and impact of the spill, only to be corrected by independent scientists. First they underestimated the rate of the spill , the toxicity of the dispersants, and denied the existence of underwater plumes before claiming the oil was gone.

Read press release here.

News story here.

The complete Georgia Sea Grant/University of Georgia Oil Spill report is available online at http://uga.edu/aboutUGA/joye_pkit/GeorgiaSeaGrant_OilSpillReport8-16.pdf

Figures from the report are available at http://uga.edu/aboutUGA/joye_pkit/GeorgiaSeaGrant_OilChart.pdf.

President Obama (doesn't really) swims in the Gulf

In a stunt that was well covered by the media over the weekend, President Obama made a big deal about swimming off the coast of Florida on Saturday and declared the Gulf area's beaches "open for business," trying to show by example that a region hit by the BP oil spill was safe for tourists to enjoy.

However, there is a catch. Obama didn't really swim in the Gulf. Instead, it turns out the President swam in St. Andrews Bay, a freshwater bay that is fed mostly by adjoining creeks and springs and wasn't nearly as affected as the beaches off the coast of Louisiana.

Yet another stunt to try and down play the severity and impact of the gulf oil spill.

ESPN Highlights Pro's Thoughts on the Oil Spill

Life after the ASP World Tour is an interesting one. For one thing, you're still a surfer even if you're not in the Top 44. It's not like you hang up the board with the jersey. You certainly don't just loose the passion. In fact, some of the most inspiring and popular surfers today are Dream Tour alumnus. It also gives you time -- time to think more deeply about the world around you, time to raise a family, time to teach others to surf.

Recently there has been 1 particular prosurfer become the poster child for talking about the impact oil to our coasts and recreation.

To read more click here.

Tell the Senate to Respond to the Gulf Spill Now!

A couple of days ago, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid pulled the plug on the Senate’s efforts to pass a series of offshore oil drilling reforms. This is extremely disappointing news in the wake of America’s worst environmental disaster and just after the House of Representatives passed the CLEAR act, which would have put necessary response and reforms into action. Tell the Senate to get over their partisan bickering and take responsibility to ensure we can respond to the Gulf spill and prevent another oil spill disaster of this magnitude from ever happening again.

Read more here...

Take Action! Click here to tell the Senate they must act to respond to the Gulf spill - this delay is unacceptable.

4.9 Million Barrels

Today, federal officials released a revised estimate of the flow rate and total amount of oil spilled during the Deepwater Horizon disaster.

They estimate that the flow rate varied from 62,000 to 53,000 barrels a day over the 87 days that oil was spilling.

The new estimates reflect the collaborative work and discussions of the National Incident Command’s Flow Rate Technical Group (FRTG), led by United States Geological Survey (USGS) Director Marcia McNutt, and a team of Department of Energy (DOE) scientists and engineers, led by Energy Secretary Steven Chu.

Note, the serious underestimates made by Coast Guard in the first weeks of the spill.

Read more here, here & here