http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/05/29/gulf-oil-spill-media-access_n_594592.html?ref=fb&src=sp

MATTHEW BROWN | 05/29/10 05:25 PM |

NEW ORLEANS – Media organizations say they are being allowed only limited access to areas impacted by the Gulf oil spill through restrictions on plane and boat traffic that are making it difficult to document the worst spill in U.S. history.

The Associated Press, CBS and others have reported coverage problems because of the restrictions, which officials say are needed to protect wildlife and ensure safe air traffic.
Ted Jackson, a photographer for The Times-Picayune newspaper in New Orleans, said Saturday that access to the spill “is slowly being strangled off.”

A CBS news story said one of its reporting teams was threatened with arrest by the Coast Guard and turned back from an oiled beach at the mouth of the Mississippi River. The story said the reporters were told the denial was under “BP’s rules.”

U.S. Coast Guard and Federal Aviation Administration officials said BP PLC, the company responsible for cleaning up the spill, was not controlling access.

Coast Guard officials also said there was no intent to conceal the scope of the disaster. Rather, they said, the spill’s complexity had made it difficult to allow the open access sought by the media.

Coast Guard Lt. Commander Rob Wyman said personnel involved in the CBS dispute said no one was threatened with arrest.

Vessels responding to the spill are surrounded by a 500 yard “standoff area” with restricted access, he said.

“If we see anybody impeding operations, we’re going to ask you to move. We’re going to ask you to back up and move away,” he said.

BP contractors are operating alongside the FAA and Coast Guard at command centers that approve or deny flight requests. Charter pilots say they have been denied permission to fly below 3,000 feet when they have reporters or photographers aboard.

Those special flight restrictions, imposed on May 12, cover thousands of square miles of the Gulf and a broad swath of Louisiana’s coast. Normally there are no restrictions on flying.

The chief of the Coast Guard’s public affairs programs branch said access had been hampered by a cumbersome approval process that stretched all the way to the White House.

Chief Warrant Officer Adam Wine said White House officials had to sign off on requests for tours of the spill zone before they could proceed. The Coast Guard is attempting to increase access through guided boat and aircraft tours, he said. Still, there is no plan to lift restrictions on flights or boat traffic into offshore areas – including some barrier islands.

White House officials referred questions about their involvement to Wyman. He said Wine’s description of the chain of command was incorrect and that all requests from media were decided on by the command center in Robert, La. The Department of Homeland Security is notified, he said.

Two weeks ago, oceanographer Jean-Michel Cousteau was turned away from waters near a wildlife sanctuary after the Coast Guard discovered a reporter and a photographer from The Associated Press were on board.

Jackson, The Times-Picayune photographer, said he had been kept back from oil-covered beaches and denied a request to fly below 3,000 feet.

“The oil spill from there is just a rumor,” he said.
FAA spokeswoman Laura Brown said hundreds of flights related to the recovery effort go each day into the restricted airspace. She said aircraft from the oil industry and law enforcement also are allowed in those areas.

Special thanks to Richard Charter

http://laist.com/2010/05/29/caught_on_tape_police_harass_bike_r.php
By Lindsay William-Ross in News on May 29, 2010 10:00 AM

A large group bike ride was staged last night in protest of British Petroleum and the gulf oil spill. There were an estimated 200-1,000 bike riders in fluctuating numbers who took part in the ride that converged on the BP gas station at Robertson and Olympic, however encounters with LAPD officers signaled an end to the ride for a few in Hollywood.

The ride was described by WeHo Daily as being “loosely organized,” by Critical Mass. They did not stay at the BP station long, however, and both the LAPD and LAFD were aware of their presence on the street.

Many calls came in to the LAPD about the group, with one frustrated driver complaining that some riders around Olympic and Fairfax were hitting their vehicle as they passed, perhaps with their hands as the driver attempted to pull into their path.

The group traveled to Pan Pacific Park, where police thought the group had grown to be about 1,000 people strong, and they increased their presence as some riders began to head towards Hollywood.

Police were busy with the riders all evening, escorting them at different points with patrol cars. They became concerned about traffic and the possible resulting interference to emergency vehicle response times, especially when the riders were in the Hollywood area. Fire department units were notified of the disruption.

It was in Hollywood, however, that things seemed to turn ugly for the riders and the LAPD. A video sent to us by email shows a portion of the Hollywood segment of the ride, and an LAPD officer sticking his foot out deliberately in what appears to be a kick aimed at bringing down a cyclist or interfering in his ride. The rider making the video shouted out in protest, and moments later was taken down by police in a confusing tackle; one shouts “get up,” while the other shouts “get down.” The rider, whose camera has been dropped on the street, repeatedly yells “What’d I do?”

According to the email tipster:
The *vast majority* of the police along the way were helpful and accommodating. Even firefighters were out on the sidewalks outside of their stations giving high fives and waving hello. But for whatever reason the police in Hollywood were extremely aggressive and were harassing riders for no reason other than to get their kicks (I presume).

Is it time yet to contain the spill with tankers and oil skimmers at the source?  DV

THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

_______________________________________________________________________________________

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 29, 2010

Statement by the President on the Latest Efforts to Contain the BP Oil Spill

Today, I’ve spoken with National Incident Commander Admiral Thad Allen, as well as Energy Secretary Steven Chu, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson, and senior White House advisors John Brennan and Carol Browner regarding the ongoing efforts to stop the BP oil spill.  From the beginning, our concern has been that the surest way to stop the flow of oil – the drilling of relief wells – would take several months to complete.  So engineers and experts have explored a variety of alternatives to stop the leak now.  They had hoped that the top kill approach attempted this week would halt the flow of oil and gas currently escaping from the seafloor.  But while we initially received optimistic reports about the procedure, it is now clear that it has not worked.  Rear Admiral Mary Landry today directed BP to launch a new procedure whereby the riser pipe will be cut and a containment structure fitted over the leak.

This approach is not without risk and has never been attempted before at this depth. That is why it was not activated until other methods had been exhausted.  It will be difficult and will take several days.  It is also important to note that while we were hopeful that the top kill would succeed, we were also mindful that there was a significant chance it would not.  And we will continue to pursue any and all responsible means of stopping this leak until the completion of the two relief wells currently being drilled.

As I said yesterday, every day that this leak continues is an assault on the people of the Gulf Coast region, their livelihoods, and the natural bounty that belongs to all of us.  It is as enraging as it is heartbreaking, and we will not relent until this leak is contained, until the waters and shores are cleaned up, and until the people unjustly victimized by this manmade disaster are made whole.

###special  thanks to Richard Charter

How Much Oil Has Leaked Into the Gulf of Mexico?

View ticker with live video feed. Last updated 11 a.m. ET on May 27.

Nobody knows for certain how much oil has leaked into the Gulf of Mexico since last month’s oil rig explosion. What we do have are estimates — from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, from outside experts, from British Petroleum — of how fast crude is flowing out of two remaining leaks (a third was plugged Wednesday).

Oil has been flowing out of ruptures in the Deepwater Horizon well on the ocean floor since around 10 a.m. on April 22, two days after the BP-leased rig exploded, leaving 11 workers missing and presumed dead.

According to NOAA, an estimated 210,000 gallons (5,000 barrels) a day is coming from the remaining ruptures. At that rate, this leak would surpass the 11 million gallons spilled by the Exxon Valdez in 1989 in mid-June if left unchecked.

Other estimates are far more grim. The New York Times reported that BP told members of Congress the rate could be much, much higher:

In a closed-door briefing for members of Congress, a senior BP executive conceded Tuesday that the ruptured oil well could conceivably spill as much as 60,000 barrels a day of oil, more than 10 times the estimate of the current flow.

A barrel of crude oil contains roughly 42 gallons. In a follow-up story, the Times talked to a BP spokesman for more on the estimate:

“The rate could go up to that,” Mr. Suttles of BP said, when asked to verify a report in The Times. “It’s not the situation we have at this moment, but it’s not impossible.”

Based on this range of figures, we built the meter atop this post to give a ballpark figure of how much oil may have leaked into the Gulf based on each scenario (by multiplying the rate of leakage by the amount of time passed since the rupture) and other possible rates between those estimates.

At the low end is NOAA’s estimate of 210,000 gallons per day. At the high end is what BP told Congress. Drag the slider between those poles to see other possible rates. Keep in mind that all of this is only an estimate.

You can also embed this meter on your own site or blog. We’ll keep monitoring the situation and check on updates to our calculations as needed.

Editor’s Note: An earlier version of the text of this story included a reference to NOAA’s estimate as 210,000 barrels of oil per day. The correct measure is 210,000 gallons. This is an updated version.

Vanessa Dennis contributed to this report.

http://www.nytimes.com?emc=na

It’s kinda like the wars…..endless.   Is it time  yet to put tankers at the blowout site to capture the continuing flow of oil and gas?  How about skimmers all around them?  DV

Sat, May 29, 2010 — 6:37 PM ET
BP said Saturday that its latest attempt to stop the gushing
oil well in the Gulf of Mexico was unsuccessful, and the
effort, known as a “top kill,” was being scrapped in favor of
yet another maneuver to stem the flow spreading into the
waters.

The announcement marked the latest setback in the attempt to
plug the spill that is polluting gulf waters at an estimated
rate of 12,000 to 19,000 barrels a day.

Doug Suttles, BP’s chief operating officer, said the next
step is called a “lower marine riser package cap” and
involves sawing off the riser and placing a device atop it to
capture the escaping oil. Equipment has already been deployed
on land and on the sea bed, he said.

Special thanks to Richard Charter