The Environment / Oil Spills

• 8 Long Term Economic and Environmental Effects of the Gulf Oil Spill

  As oil continues to pour into the Gulf of Mexico at a staggering rate, many are now starting to realize that the pain from this oil spill will be felt not just for months or years - but for decades.  At least 4.2 million gallons of oil (and some estimates put the total at far higher than that) are already in the Gulf of Mexico causing untold damage to the ecologically fragile Louisiana coast.  The oil has already made contact with the Chandeleur Islands off of the coast of Louisiana, and over the next few days more areas are expected…

• Oil Spills: More Oil is Released Naturally Than from Human Errors

  The Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska's Prince William Sound released 10.8 million gallons of oil -- or almost 250,000 barrels of oil. But natural oil seeps off California release up to 80 times that amount. And natural seeps in the Gulf of Mexico release twice the amount as the Exxon Valdez every year. The Transocean oil spill may eventually match that of the Exxon Valdez -- if it continues leaking at the current rate for the next month or two or more. Politicians and environmentalists are already declaring states of emergency, but better technology may yet break up the…

• The Cover-up: BP's Crude Politics and the Looming Environmental Mega-Disaster

  WMR has been informed by sources in the US Army Corps of Engineers, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and Florida Department of Environmental Protection that the Obama White House and British Petroleum (BP), which pumped $71,000 into Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign -- more than John McCain or Hillary Clinton, are covering up the magnitude of the volcanic-level oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico and working together to limit BP's liability for damage caused by what can be called a "mega-disaster." Obama and his senior White House staff, as well as Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, are working with BP's…

• Some Perspective on the Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill

  Panic time, folks. News stories about impending environmental disasters. A couple of senators calling for hearings. The media calling it "Obama's Katrina". Time for that rarest of things, perspective. 1. Chance that a US operated Gulf of Mexico rig sinks and spills?  A. 0.025% or 1 in 4000. 2. How much oil will this spill (worst case scenario)?  A. 150,000 barrels. 3. How much is it leaking now?  A. 5,000 barrels per day, although it sounds so much bigger when you multiply by 42 and put it into gallons. 4. How much natural oil seepage is there in the Gulf of Mexico?  A.  5,000…

• Gulf Oil Spill Rapidly Expanding Through Region (Picture)

  The NOAA picture below predicts the potential path the Gulf Oil Spill could take. This is where it could have spread to by the end of the day. At present the spill is largely Louisiana state waters at the mouth of the Mississippi River to waters off Florida’s Pensacola Bay.

• The Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill - No Easy Economic or Environmental Solutions

  We have all been reading about the blowout that led to huge fire and sinking of the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico. Now there is news that there is a huge oil spill coming from the underground pipe where this occurred, and there is a possibility that it will be months before it can be stopped. What does this all mean? How could this happen? Below the fold, I will tell you the story as I understand it. It seems to me that the great depth and attendant pressures, and the learning curve that goes working…

• Oil Spills: The Science Behind Cleanups!

  As long as we continue to enjoy the vast benefits brought to our lives by our consistent utilization of oil, we will constantly be at periodic risk of experiencing the occasional, accidental oil spill. All oil spills are bad, but logically those occurring near the coastline are potentially far more devastating, simply because of the vast animal and plant life placed in eminent danger! Coastal areas are home to far more concentrated and diversified populations of marine and land life than is found in the greater depths of the sea. However, if not properly dealt with immediately, even spills out…