Excerpt from article. Kinda puts the horror of the BP Horizon into perspective. DV

Evaluating impacts of human activities on marine ecosystems is difficult when effects occur out of plain sight. The Deepwater Horizon/BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico was the largest in the U.S. history, but some reports implied modest environmental impacts, in part because of a relatively low number (101) of observed marine mammal mortalities. The authors estimate historical carcass-detection rates for 14 cetacean species in the northern Gulf of Mexico that have estimates of abundance, survival rates, and stranding records and their preliminary analysis suggests that carcasses are recovered, on an average, from only 2% (range: 0-6.2%) of cetacean deaths. Thus, the true death toll could be 50 times the number of carcasses recovered, given no additional information. While there are caveats to this estimate, it does provide a counterpoint to illustrate the magnitude of misrepresentation possible in presenting only observed carcass counts.

Williams R, Shane Gero, Lars Bejder, et al (2011) Conservation Letters

Special thanks to Richard Charter

Home

I hope we have a gigantic turnout this year! DV

WHEN: June 25, 11:30 am
WHERE: Everywhere

Sign up to join or organize an event today»

Last year, as gallons upon gallons of noxious oil spilled into the Gulf of Mexico, thousands of people around the world joined hands and drew a figurative and literal line in the sand to say NO to dirty fossil fuels.

This year, with many in Congress trying to expand offshore drilling, we are joining together again to reaffirm our opposition to offshore drilling and support clean energy.

Will you join hands with me on June 25 and with thousands of other ocean lovers all over the world?

The concept is simple, the message is profound. On June 25, groups will gather on beaches, in parks, and on sidewalks all over the world, to join hands in a demonstration against offshore drilling and to show support for clean energy.

WHAT: Hands Across the Sand
WHEN: June 25, 11:30 am
WHERE: Your hometown, the Capital, Australia, Chile – all over the world

Right now, events everywhere are being organized. Sign up to attend or set up your own event today»

Thank you for joining hands with me and thousands of other committed ocean lovers, too.

For the oceans,
Matt Dundas
Oceana

http://www.keysnet.com/2011/05/27/343690/bahamian-oil-firm-ready-to-drill.html

Crude oil prices rise, but gas prices down as demand lowers

By David Goodhue
dgoodhue@keysreporter.com
Posted – Friday, May 27, 2011 11:58 AM EDT

In the wake of news that a deep-water oil-drilling rig will likely be operating off the coast of Cuba close to Key West by the late summer or early fall, the head of a petroleum investment firm announced that drilling in the Bahamas could begin next year.

Paul Crevello, chief executive officer of the Bahamas Petroleum Company, said this month that seismic experts are surveying the prospective wells, which span about 1,155 square miles of sea floor of the southern Bahamas. He said that information about the potential oil reserves that BPC and the seismic companies it hired have gathered so far indicates that drilling is “imminent.”

“These results and newly signed agreements confirm that the company is progressing well with its exploration program and is expecting to be drilling in 2012,” Crevello said in a May 16 statement to investors.

Original seismic interpretations of recent surveys show multiple underwater structures with four-way closures up to 75 miles long and three miles high, Crevello said. He said that the structures have never been breached and the reservoir and seal remain intact.

“What is most exciting is the scale and the size of the structures we have been able to map… .,” Crevello said. “The structures identified are similar to supergiant structures of the Mexican fields in the southern Gulf of Mexico and the Middle East.”

Crevello said some of the fields BPC is leasing in its agreement with the Bahamas could have yields as high as 500 million barrels of oil.

BPC already has an agreement with Norway’s StatOilHydro to be the operators of three of BPC’s offshore licenses in the Cay Sal area of the Bahamas, about 120 miles east of where Spanish oil company Repsol plans to start drilling off Cuba in September.

That project, which involves a giant, semi-submersible rig built in China and Singapore, has raised the concern of several U.S. lawmakers, including Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R) and Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson. Each vowed to try to stop the project through diplomatic pressure and legislation punishing companies and individuals doing business with the Cuban government and its energy programs. [See the related story on Page 5.]

Gas prices down for now

Meanwhile, as talk about offshore drilling heats up, gas prices in the U.S. have dropped slightly this week. Economists and industry watchers expect fluctuation as summer nears, but they also say drivers may see some continued relief.

“Where they go after that is very hard to say,” said Frederick Joutz, an economics professor at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. “There are supply issues and geopolitical events that could raise the price once again.”

According to AAA, the national average price for a gallon of regular gasoline on Wednesday was $3.81, down from $3.92 a week ago and $3.86 a month ago. Discount prices in the Upper Keys were about $3.72 a gallon at press time.

But the price of gasoline is linked with the price of oil, which went up above $100 a barrel again at the beginning of the week after forecasts for the price of Brent crude from the North Sea were higher than expected from investment firms Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan.

Still, Jessica Brady, a spokeswoman with AAA South, does not expect the forecasts to impact gasoline prices in the coming months. Where oil closes at the end of the week on the New York Mercantile Exchange is a more predictable indicator, she said.

Brady said gas prices are coming down because world economic growth has slowed and fuel demand is down. Also, the U.S. dollar is strengthening a bit against the Euro. Oil is priced in dollars, and it goes higher the more the dollar weakens because of international investors holding other world currencies.

Mark Isaac, an economics professor at Florida State University, said drivers shouldn’t get comfortable with the lower prices — or expect prices to come down much more. The price of oil is always one disaster away from skyrocketing, he said.

“As usual, there are political and regular economic factors at play. Right now, the politics is pretty quiet — Libya is at a stalemate — so that’s factored in. But politics can turn on a dime on one day’s headline, as we’ve seen,” Isaac said.

Florida Senator Nelson is exerting effort to try to move along restoration of the Gulf of Mexico and help those affected. Here’s a standard response letter he sends out that contains a lot of info on his good works in this regard. Too bad our other senator is simply watching. DV

Dear Mrs. Quirolo:

Thank you for contacting me regarding ongoing plans for restoration of the Gulf Coast one year after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. As you may know, I have opposed drilling off Florida for a long time now. There just isn’t enough oil in the eastern Gulf to justify risking our shores, our natural resources, and the many industries that rely on our coasts and waters and the military testing and training area off the Gulf.

Shortly after the spill, I introduced legislation that would lift the cap on oil companies’ liability in spills from $75 million to $10 billion. More recently, I introduced S.862, the Gulf of Mexico Recovery, Restoration, and Resiliency Act, which would dedicate 100% of the Clean Water Act penalties assessed to BP for ecosystem restoration and research, job and workforce development, and tourism promotion. It also would create a Citizens Advisory Committee and a Scientific Advisory Committee to provide input on the direction of Gulf restoration activities.

I just introduced S.983, which would prevent oil companies like BP from deducting the cost of oil spill recovery efforts. Last year, BP announced that they’d use nearly $12 billion in tax savings to offset clean-up costs associated with the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. I introduced this legislation because we should not allow oil companies to shift the cost of their mistakes to the average taxpayer.

I’ve been monitoring closely the work of the Gulf Coast Claims Facility (GCCF), which BP established and funded to handle claims of economic damage due to the spill. At a recent Senate committee hearing, I questioned the head of the GCCF—Kenneth Feinberg—about the process for reviewing and settling claims. When he was appointed to the post, Feinberg promised the process would be open, quick, and independent of BP. But we’ve since learned there’s very little independence. And I’ve been hearing from way too many people who say they can’t get their claims paid in a timely fashion. I wrote the Administration to demand an investigation into the GCCF and its methods, and I won’t rest until this process becomes more transparent and efficient. Meantime, if you or someone you know is having difficulty with a claim, please call my Orlando office toll-free at 888-671-4091.

It is my hope and my belief that by the passage of time, the hard work and dedication of individuals, and the power of Mother Nature, the Gulf Coast will recover. Please do not hesitate to contact my office again.

Sincerely,
Senator Bill Nelson

P.S. From time to time, I compile electronic news briefs highlighting key issues and hot topics of particular importance to Floridians. If you’d like to receive these e-briefs, visit my Web site and sign up for them at http://billnelson.senate.gov/news/ebriefs.cfm

http://www.offshore-mag.com/index/article-display/8176386843/articles/offshore/regional-reports/us-gulf-of-mexico/2011/May/court-enters_judgment.html?cmpid=EnlOSWeeklyMay312011

Published: May 24, 2011
Offshore staff
HOUSTON – The US Department of the Interior “acted unlawfully by unreasonably delaying action” on permit requests from ATP Oil & Gas Corp. according to the Final Judgment issued by the US District Court in the Eastern District of Louisiana.

The suit that resulted in this judgment concerned two permits that were submitted by ATP, but not acted on within 30 days. The permits were approved, but not until more than five months after the federal GoM drilling moratorium was lifted.

In its judgment, the Court said, “Court wrote that, “The thirty-day timeline is reasonable, in part because the government has failed to establish that the individual permit applications pending in this case individually require more (or less) care. The Court has repeatedly acknowledged that some delays are understandable in a more regulated environment, but that now, over a year after the Deepwater Horizon tragedy, delays must reach some end.

Without evidence showing otherwise, a thirty-day timeline derived from the statute and past practices remains reasonable. And as this Court has previously explained, thirty days seems to have Congress’s acknowledgment as reasonable within the statutory plan.”
The originating court action was by ATP and also Ensco Offshore Co.

Special thanks to Richard Charter.