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Politics : Rat's Nest - Chronicles of Collapse -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Wharf Rat who wrote (10471)	5/9/2010 3:27:12 PM
From: Wharf Rat	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 24231

Oil Spill - New Thread - May 9 Posted by Gail the Actuary on May 9, 2010 - 11:23am With all of the comments on last night's thread regarding the Dome not working, it is probably time to start a new oil spill thread. The prior thread is still available; we just moved it down the page a bit. A couple of updates: Deepwater Horizon Response Joint Information Center sent us the following information in an e-mail: Right now, we have approximately 9,900 personnel who are responding to protect the shoreline and wildlife with an additional 9,500 volunteers. There are already 335 vessels that are on the scene, including skimmers, tugs, barges, and recovery vessels that are here to assist in the containment and cleanup efforts. We also are using aircraft, ROVs, and multiple offshore drilling units in the effort to stem the oil flow. If anyone wants to volunteer their time or their boat to the effort, they can find out more at our web site: deepwaterhorizonresponse.com The amount of boom being used has been a hot topic of discussion, so here are some numbers for you: * Containment - Staged: 424,504 ft.; Assigned: 928,265 ft. * Sorbent - Staged: 941,603 ft.; Assigned: 143,087 ft. * Fire - Staged: 2,650 ft.; Assigned: 1,000 ft. In total, that's nearly 1.4 million feet of staged boom and 1 million feet of assigned boom. We're working with everyone we can, including the international community to ensure there is enough boom. There are also 23 helicopters assigned and 14 fixed wing aircraft being used in this operation. In the past 24 hours, 43,250 ft of boom has been deployed, more than 3.4 million gallons of oily water mix has been recovered, and 308,885 gallons of dispersant deployed. Regarding the dispersant being used by BP in the Gulf, it is authorized as part of the "National Contingency Plan Product Schedule". However, at any time, we reserve the right to stop BP from continuing to use the dispersant on the water's surface if we determine air quality is being adversely affected. As you have probably seen on reports, there has been confirmation of tarballs coming ashore at Dauphin Island. A tarball is a small patty of oil that can be hard on the outside but sticky on the inside. It is recommended that all individuals avoid contact with oil, but brief contact with a small amount of oil will rarely cause any harm. As tarballs make landfall, Shoreline Cleanup Assessment Teams (SCAT) will evaluate the situation to determine how best to remove them, which is done either by hand (with protective gloves) or with beach cleaning machinery. We're asking the general public that if you find new tarballs on a beach please, call 866-448-5816. Regarding SCAT (yes, I know, interesting acronym choice - not my call, so don't shoot the messenger), they are being deployed using all available means (air, land, and sea). Some folks are saying that oil came ashore at Grand Island - that is not correct. It was algae. Algae can look similar to oil. It is also important to note that all shipping channels remain open and no vessels have required cleaning or decontamination - teams are on standby if necessary. Mobile Bay also remains open and no change to its status is immediately anticipated. They are, however, constructing gating and booming for the entrance to Mobile Bay. The containment dome does present some challenges, but that was expected with this operation as it has never been tried at this depth before. However, work does continue on it. You can find a lot of this information and more, including updates, from our web site: deepwaterhorizonresponse.com The Wall Street Journal has as its top headline: U.S. Considers 'Malfeasance' in Leak Attorney General Eric Holder on Sunday said he had dispatched Justice Department officials to the Gulf Coast to determine whether there had been any "misfeasance" or "malfeasance" related to the leaking oil rig off the Gulf of Mexico. Mr. Holder, speaking on ABC's "This Week," said he sent the officials to the area to advise him on "what our options are." He said the government's primary focus was on preventing the leaking oil from devastating the coast when it reaches land. theoildrum.com