Below is the latest report from Deep Sea News, a blog written by several scientists about deep sea and ocean news.
If you go to the Deep Sea News oil spill update page, you will see a a satellite radar image of where the oil slick is now, as of July 12, 2010.
There is also discussion of a model for where the spill will be in a year: In the model, the oil begins in the Gulf of Mexico, weaves its way to the Gulf Stream, hits the Carolinas and Georgia around October 2010, and even delivers a diluted film to Europe’s Atlantic coast. Timmermann notes, “After one year, about 20% of the particles initially released at the Deepwater Horizon location have been transported through the Straits of Florida and into the open Atlantic.”
BP takes the old cap off allowing oil to flow freely in attempt to place new better fitting cap on. The federal official leading the Gulf oil spill cleanup stated the new containment cap and an additional ship collecting oil could effectively contain the spill by Monday. BP CEO says oil reservoir is 2.1 billion gallons. If the relief wells fail, it would spill for 2 more years.
If the “Emergency Relief Well Act” passes it would require concurrent drilling of at least 1 relief well whenever new well is drilled.
Progress continues with the relief wells, with the first of two potentially finished by the end of July. BP already working on a backup to that calls for transferring the crude to non-producing underwater wells miles away.
“Louisiana’s state health department reported 128 cleanup workers believed to have been sickened by exposure to oil by the end of June, with symptoms like dizziness, nausea and breathing issues.”
The smoggy view from the Maple Ridge Trail, Mt. Mansfield
Hiking up the Overland Trail on Mt. Mansfield
Partridgeberry in bloom
Wood Sorrel
Mountain Sandwort
Vermonters are experiencing the annual heat wave, with temperatures in the 90′s. I for one am not a fan of hot weather: it usually doesn’t last very long here, but the heat can be brutal. As my energy level plummeted yesterday I decided to take a hike up Mount Mansfield, hoping for a cool breeze and good views. Cool breeze yes, good views no. The view was obscured by smog that filled the valleys, so there wasn’t the 360 degree panorama that included the White Mountains and Adirondacks. I was lucky to see a portion of Lake Champlain!
However, the hike up through the woods was very pleasant and cooler than the pavement of Burlington. My choice of trail up this time was the Overland, which I ski frequently in the winter, but have never hiked in the summer: usually I climb the Nebraska Notch Trail to get to the Long Trail. I was able to find a few plants blooming like Partridgeberry and Common wood sorrel.
Once I reached the alpine zone and the top of the Forehead, I observed many patches of Mountain Sandwort in bloom, gently swaying to the refreshing breeze that I was seeking. The wild blueberries were still tiny and green but I look forward to another hike when they are ripe for eating.
As nice as the breeze was, there were places where it died down a bit and presented the opportunity for every black fly in the area to swarm around and bite me. They must not have had a good meal that day.
What could be more refreshing than a cool mountain breeze on a very hot day? Taking a dip in a cold mountain stream: afterward I was sufficiently cooled down enough to get in my hot car and drive back to sweltering Burlington, cool and comfortable the entire way home. A brief respite from our brief heat wave.
–> UPDATE: July 13, 2010: From the LA Times, an article about the suspension of offshore drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. A new moratorium that will last until November 30. Let’s hope the federal court in Florida gets a clue and doesn’t block it.
UPDATE: July 12, 2010: I posted a blog entry that includes the latest update from another blog entitled Deep Sea News. Lots of good information on where the oil spill has spread in the Gulf, a one-year projection of its path, the relief wells, health concerns from the use of oil dispersants and more.
UPDATE: July 9, 2010: Please check out this great website from A Cleaner Future – their mission aims to provoke, inspire, and provide information about alternative and renewable energy sources. They are not experts on what should be done, just concerned citizens that want there to be an earth for our children and many future generations to come. Included on the site is a list of “10 Solutions to Minimize Oil Consumption”, and this group is producing a documentary on the Gulf oil spill, entitled Dark Horizon: A Documentary about the Gulf Oil Disaster. You can also create an oil spill on your website!
UPDATE: July 8, 2010: A link to an editorial from the Mississippi Press Editorial Board. Makes me wonder who is in charge … or not.
Editorial: It’s a mad, mad, mad, mad oil spill
THE GULF Coast is far from winning its war against the oil spill, and one reason might be the chaos on the ground. Consider a few of these dispatches from the battlefield:
– A pelican soiled with oil on Ship Island died this week, partly because of delays, including when a wildlife hotline operator in Houston hung up on the Mississippi caller who was reporting the problem.
– The A Whale mammoth skimmer arrived in the Gulf last week, but couldn’t immediately work because the EPA had to sign off on the water it would pump back into the Gulf. That water, regulators fear, might contain trace amounts of crude oil.
– While OSHA requires specialized training for cleanup workers, oily refuse can be found near public places. In Alabama, for instance, oil is being dumped at a site in Foley near the Grove retirement community until it can be shipped to a landfill in Magnolia Springs.
– Three weeks ago in Alabama, when there were 135 boats working out of Dog River and 54 out of Fairhope, none had the training required to handle the oil at that time. All captains could do was report the slicks … more
UPDATE: July 7, 2010: The link below is to an article from The Guardian online entitled, Abandoned oil wells make Gulf of Mexico ‘environmental minefield’. Please read, it is shocking to think about thousands of abandoned oil wells in the Gulf that could potentially leak.
AP investigation finds BP was responsible for 600 of more than 27,000 abandoned wells in the Gulf of Mexico
[Detail of a map showing geology, oil (in red) and gas (green) fields, in the Gulf of Mexico Region Illustration: U.S. Geological Survey US Geological Survey.]
The Gulf of Mexico is packed with abandoned oil wells from a host of companies including BP, according to an investigation by Associated Press, which describes the area as “an environmental minefield that has been ignored for decades”.
While the explosion and subsequent sinking of the Deepwater Horizon rig has thrown the spotlight sharply on BP’s activities in the Gulf of Mexico, environmental safety in the area has been neglected for decades.
There are more than 27,000 abandoned wells in the Gulf of Mexico, according to AP, of which 600 belonged to BP … more
UPDATE: July 6, 2010: The next gathering for The Gulf Call to Sacred Action is coming up! The Power of Sacred Prayer, Tuesday July 6th, 5:30 PM Pacific/8:30 PM Eastern.
Our collective prayers and thoughts have the power to cause a profound shift on the planet. Pray with some of the most powerful spiritual thought leaders — Reverend Michael Bernard Beckwith, Joan Borysenko, James O’Dea, and more. In this world-changing conversation, moderated by Debbie Ford, together we will discover that we have the power to change the world.
To listen live over the phone to the call, please dial in to 712-432-0075 code 753806#. Space is limited on the phone line, so we encourage you to dial in a few minutes early. Long distance charges do apply.
UPDATE: July 6, 2010: Please take the time to watch this amazing film entitled, Fuel, if you want to be inspired about changing our fossil fuel-based society. It is well worth the hour and 52 minutes. Then contact our group at yellow.ladyslipper@gmail.com and join us for further actions to help the Gulf Coast and mobilize toward a sustainable energy future!
UPDATE: July 2, 2010: Below is an excerpt from Solutions Journal’s interview with Dr. Paul Raskin—founding director of the Tellus Institute and founder of the Great Transition Initiative—discussing alternative global futures and ways to transition to a sustainable and livable planetary civilization. Click the link above to read the entire article.
What developments can shift society toward a Great Transition?
A critical development for reaching a planetary civilization worth living in would be a widening cultural shift and political mobilization among concerned citizens the world over. This Global Citizens Movement would be a central social actor in a Great Transition scenario, a global future of enhanced lives, environmental sustainability, and strong commitments to global citizenship and justice. The movement, were it to coalesce, would be a fitting answer to the poignant question now heard everywhere: “What can I do?” But to get there, I think, requires four conditions.
One is cultivating a politics of trust, learning to tolerate proximate differences in order to nurture the deeper basis for solidarity and systemic change.
A second would be developing a unifying conceptual framework that links the many issues that concern people as expressions of a common challenge—a common challenge that requires a systemic solution. That challenge is navigating through the Planetary Phase of Civilization, as I call our time of deepening and thickening global interdependence, to a Great Transition future.
A third condition for an authentic Global Citizens Movement would be pragmatic visions of possible futures that are rigorous, legitimate, and inspiring. Articulating the broad contours of “another world” can help bring the hope and confidence that is necessary for attracting people who are increasingly uneasy about the global drift, but despair of finding an alternative and lack a means of engagement on the scale of the challenge.
The fourth element for sustaining momentum is generating a sophisticated strategic orientation that can bring victories, and in their wake additional participants.
UPDATE: July 1, 2010: Below is an excerpt from Lynn McTaggart’s blog post on June 25 concerning Tony Hayward of BP and the Gulf Coast oil spill Senate hearing. Her words are poignant are important to keep in mind as we move forward in future actions.
‘Lately, we Americans have cut back on their reliance on big SUVs and cars in general, but the problem is far greater than driving a little less.
We must all realize that this is no one company’s or country’s problem. We don’t just have to drive differently. The Gulf disaster signals the end of a petroleum-based world. What this requires is that we come to terms with the fact that that we have to live differently, produce things differently, consume things differently.
It’s time for us all to take responsibility for Deepwater Horizons by doing whatever we can, individually and collectively, to evolve a society that does not depend on oil at every turn.
Since the Gulf of Mexico explosion, words from an old Rolling Stone song keep rattling around in my head. The song is Sympathy for the Devil, and the line goes like this:
I shouted out, ‘Who killed the Kennedys?’
Well, after all, it was you and me.
I have an intention that we heal the area, but mostly that we heal ourselves and our division from the natural world. It is important to view the Gulf disaster, however painful, as something positive — nature’s early warning signal to make changes in our lives now before it is too late.’
UPDATE: June 29, 2010: Please check out the video from the Burlington, Vermont Hands Across the Sand event. I am so grateful to the dedicated people that came to show their support for the people and environment of the Gulf Coast, no offshore oil drilling and clean energy.
UPDATE, June 27, 2010: Do you feel helpless, angry or powerless to make a difference as you watch millions of gallons of oil pouring into the Gulf every day with no end in sight and thousands losing their lives and their livelihoods? Join The Gulf Call to Sacred Action. The Evolutionary Leaders: In Service to Conscious Evolution have joined together to be a loud and important voice for all who feel powerless. The People Need You ~ The Gulf Needs You. Join the Evolutionary Leaders for three FREE inspiring, profound and world-changing, global, 70-minute gatherings via telephone and internet.
UPDATE, June 27, 2010: The Burlington, Vermont Hands Across the Sand Event was a success! Seventy-five dedicated people turned out during a very rainy Saturday morning to join hands in solidarity for clean, renewable energy alternatives and to say NO to offshore oil drilling. Our organizers did a fantastic job of planning the event and getting the word out to our communities. Below are two photos and links to coverage by WCAX and Fox 44 News. We collected many signatures from people wanting to voice their support for this event’s objectives. We are also planning to follow up with more actions and activities in the near future. If you are interested in joining us, contact Joanna at yellow.ladyslipper@gmail.com
It can be overwhelming to consider the death and destruction the BP oil spill has created in the Gulf of Mexico: the men killed in the oil rig explosion, economic hardship and job loss, a devastated ecosystem, and the guilt of participating in a fossil-fueled economy. In response to this disaster, Vermonters have been asking “what can we do”, so a group in Burlington has decided to organize a Hands Across the Sand (HATS) event on June 26 as a first step in getting people involved and raising awareness.
What is Hands Across the Sand? The excerpt below is from the organization’s website:
Hands Across the Sand is a movement made of people of all walks of life and crosses political affiliations. This movement is not about politics; it is about protection of our coastal economies, oceans, marine wildlife, fishing industry and coastal military missions. Let us share our knowledge, energies and passion for protecting all of the above from the devastating effects of oil drilling.
This is a peaceful gathering of the people of the world … Go to YOUR beach on June 26 at 11:00 A.M. in your time zone. Form lines in the sand and at 12:00, JOIN HANDS. The image is powerful, the message is simple. NO to Offshore Oil Drilling, YES to Clean Energy.
The movement started in Florida on Saturday, February 13, 2010, a statewide gathering against offshore oil drilling occurred. Thousands of Floridians representing 60 towns and cities and over 90 beaches joined hands to protest the efforts by the Florida Legislature and the US Congress to lift the ban on oil drilling in the near and off shores of Florida. Florida’s Hands Across The Sand event was the largest gathering in the history of Florida united against oil drilling. Thousands joined hands from Jacksonville to Miami Beach and Key West to Pensacola Beach, each against oil drilling in Florida’s waters.
Hands Across the Sands Mission Statement
1. To organize a national movement to oppose offshore oil drilling and champion clean energy and renewables. These gatherings will bring thousands of American citizens to our beaches and cities and will draw metaphorical and actual lines in the sand; human lines in the sand against the threat oil drilling poses to America’s coastal economies and marine environment.
2. To convince our State Legislators, Governors, Congress and President Obama to stop the expansion of offshore oil drilling and to adopt policies encouraging clean and renewable energy sources. America needs legislation that creates tax incentives and subsidies to encourage the growth of clean energy and renewable industries for America’s future.
Now is the time for America and our leaders to join hands and steer our country’s energy policy away from our dependence on fossil fuels and into the light of clean energy and renewables.
The Burlington Hands Across the Sand event will take place June 26 at 11:00 a.m. at Oakledge Park’s Blanchard Beach in Burlington, VT. Oakledge Park is located at the end of Flynn Ave. off Shelburne Road in Burlington. Parking at Oakledge costs $5, but you may be able to park along Flynn Ave. (look for no parking signs on portions of this road). One-quarter mile before the park, before crossing railroad tracks, there is a parking lot behind a brick building on the right. The Burlington bike path runs right through the park, so you can walk, roller blade or ride your bike to the event. Kayers and canoers can access the event also at Blanchard Beach.
The organizers want this event to emulate the HATS movement as a peaceful gathering of people interested in protecting the environment from offshore oil drilling, and the following tips will help us all do that:
Tips for the Day
1. Use only approved beach accesses and parking.
2. Create as long a line or as many lines as you wish.
3. Be courteous and respectful to those who disagree with your view.
4. Please steer clear of bird nesting areas.
Below you will find more information and links concerning the BP Gulf of Mexico oil spill: (please contribute links and other information by commenting on this post)
Video from the Florida Hands Across the Sand event in February:
Easy action items from Green America:
Boycott oil – Make one new choice every week to use less fossil fuel. Take public transportation, ride a bike, walk, or carpool instead of one weekly solo car trip. If every American who currently drives to work alone were to carpool with just one other person, together we would reduce our country’s oil consumption by 15 billion gallons per year and reduce carbon emissions by almost 300 million tons. Offshore oil drilling generates about 730 million gallons of oil per year. So if each American took this simple step – one less car trip per week – we would eliminate the need for offshore oil drilling. If you can, look into the next generation of hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and electric cars.
Boycott BP – Our allies at Public Citizen have started a BP boycott that you can join, and our allies at CREDO are calling for BP to lose its federal contracts. You can amp up the boycott’s power by contacting BP directly and explaining exactly why you won’t be spending any money with them anytime soon. Demand meaningful action to make reparations to the damaged communities of the Gulf Coast, to fully fund the clean-up effort (no caps on damages), and to reframe their business model to invest in renewable energy. Don’t just boycott the oil and gas, cut up their credit cards, and refuse to purchase BP retail products.
[Detail of a map showing geology, oil (in red) and gas (green) fields, in the Gulf of Mexico Region Illustration: U.S. Geological Survey US Geological Survey.]
