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United States News Title: Some Oil Spill Events From Thursday, May 20, 2010 A summary of events on Thursday, May 20, Day 30 of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill that began with the April 20 explosion and fire on the drilling rig Deepwater Horizon, owned by Transocean Ltd. and leased by BP PLC, which is in charge of cleanup and containment. The blast killed 11 workers. Since then, oil has been pouring into the Gulf from a blown-out undersea well at a rate of at least 210,000 gallons per day. HOW MUCH? BP conceded Thursday that more oil than it estimated is gushing into the Gulf of Mexico as heavy crude washed into Louisiana's wetlands for the first time. Mark Proegler, a spokesman for oil giant BP PLC, said a mile-long tube inserted into a leaking pipe over the weekend is capturing 210,000 gallons a day - previously estimated as the total gushing into the sea - but some is still escaping. He would not say how much. Several professors who have watched video of the leak have said they believe the amount spewing out is much higher than official estimates. WHERE IT'S GOING: MARSHES Heavy, sticky oil was starting to clog Louisiana marshes, while another edge of the partly submerged crude reached a powerful current that could take it to Florida and beyond. Small amounts of light oil have washed up in delicate coastal areas of Louisiana over the past several weeks, but nothing like the brown ooze from the spill that started coating marsh grasses and hanging in the shallow water of a wetland Wednesday. The wetlands at the mouth of the Mississippi are home to rare birds, mammals and a wide variety of marine life. WHERE IT'S GOING: FLORIDA? The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Wednesday that a small portion of the slick had entered the so-called loop current, a stream of faster moving water that circulates around the Gulf before bending around Florida and up the Atlantic coast. Its arrival may portend a wider environmental catastrophe affecting the Florida Keys and tourist-dotted beaches along the state's east coast. Florida's state meteorologist said it will be at least another seven days before the oil reaches waters west of the Florida Keys. The loop moves based on shifting winds and other environmental factors, so oil may be in the current one day and out the next. And the slick itself has defied scientists' efforts to track it and predict its path. DISPERSANT The Environmental Protection Agency directed oil giant BP to use a less toxic form of chemical dispersant to break up the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Two Obama administration officials confirmed the order Thursday. Some lawmakers and environmental groups have criticized use of the dispersants, which are being shot thousands of feet beneath the sea to break apart the oil and keep it from reaching the surface. TOP KILL BP PLC was marshaling equipment and conducting tests Thursday for a new effort to choke off the oil's flow. Crews hoped that by Sunday they can start the "top kill," which involves pumping heavy mud into the crippled equipment on top of the well, then permanently sealing it with cement. The procedure has been used before to halt gushing oil above ground, but it has never been used 5,000 feet below the surface. Scientists and engineers have spent much of the last week preparing for the complex operation and taking measurements to make sure that the mission doesn't backfire. REGULATION The U.S. government is not alone in ceding responsibility to the oil industry for the design of key safety features on offshore rigs. Across the globe, industry-driven regulation is the norm, not the exception - and critics are calling for a re-examination of a system that puts crucial safety decisions into the hands of corporations motivated by profit. An Associated Press investigation shows other nations harvesting oil and gas from offshore fields, including Britain, Norway, Australia and Canada, have moved in the same direction: Governments set the general safety standards that must be met, but leave it to rig operators to work out the details. LIVE VIDEO Rep. Edward J. Markey, D-Mass., said in a news release that BP complied with his request that a live feed of the oil spill be made publicly available on the Web, available at http://globalwarming.house.gov/spillcam CLIMBING BP HQ Greenpeace activists scaled BP's London headquarters Thursday to hang a flag accusing the oil company of polluting the environment. The group said the action was prompted by the Gulf oil spill and a controversial project in Canada. "It takes some cheek to go and use a sunflower logo when your business is dirty oil," Greenpeace activist Ben Stewart said. BP spokesman Robert Wine called the action "a very calm and genteel protest," and said no employees had been prevented from getting to work.
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#1. To: Brian S (#0)
The site must be swamped because I'm still trying to get connected to it.
And it takes even more 'cheek' to not say a word about Owe-bama receiving more money from BP Oil over the past four years than any other politician. It takes some 'cheek' not to note that the Owe-bama administration gave BP oil 12 exemptions in the proceeding 12 months before the explosion related to inspections of the rig that blow up and caused this 'disaster'. Not to mention Owe-bama didn't say a word about this for nine days, hasn't returned any of the money he received from BP Oil, or that his head of FEMA decided going whitewater rafting was more important than dealing with the ecological disaster. Or bring up the Owe-bama Administrations view the first Monday after the explosion was 'no leakage is occuring' when in fact millions of gallons were spewing out. Personally, I think the world would be better off if Japanese whaling ships began arming themselves with chainguns, and wiping the ocean of Greenpeace, rank hypocrites.
For approximately 72K, BP Oil bought Owe-bama. And as President, he let them Spill, Baby, Spill! Its documented.
Never swear "allegiance" to anything other than the 'right to change your mind'!
When will Sarah Palin say something about this?
Being a Republican means you get to choose your own reality.
Already did. Catch up...(laughing)
For approximately 72K, BP Oil bought Owe-bama. And as President, he let them Spill, Baby, Spill! Its documented.
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