'Not for public': the oil spill may be getting much worse

[seemslikeadream]

the oil reservoir that is feeding the spill is colossal.

[justdrew]

Still no word on methane releases... Japan has a sat that need to be looking at this urgently....
http://www.gosat.nies.go.jp/index_e.html

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) recently launched the Greenhouse Gases Observing Satellite, also known as GOSAT, on January 23, 2009. This significant event marks the launch of the first satellite dedicated to measuring greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide and methane, from space.
This development is particularly relevant to the oil and natural gas industry because GOSAT could significantly increase capabilities to detect and monitor methane leaks from oil and natural gas systems.
According to JAXA, the GOSAT satellite will be the first dedicated observation station capable of monitoring greenhouse gases at 56,000 observation points every three days. This will enable scientists to combine the global observation data sent from space with the data already collected on Earth. Another unique feature of GOSAT, JAXA noted, is that it can observe leakage points with a spatial resolution of 10 kilometers compared with widely used technologies today that have a spatial resolution of about 100 kilometers.
Therefore, GOSAT technology offers the potential to significantly facilitate the quick identification of natural gas leaks, such as from pipelines, and subsequent repair by operators.

[Hugo Farnsworth]

The seismically based estimates for the Macondo discovery is 100 Mb. Of course, the blowout is ruining the reservoir, and if it is water-driven, will eventually start producing large amounts of brine (extremely saline water) along with the oil and gas.

Fluid mechanics dictate that pressure relief will cause fluids to take the path of least resistance. If, for example, they had been able to shut the well in, there would have been the possibility that the fluid simply would have gone into another formation or began to breakdown the well bore structure--an underground blowout could have occurred.

As things stand now, I don't see the sea-bed collapsing. Most of the methane being produced by the blowout is hydrating on the seabed.

Not trying to minimize the disaster (it is truly terrifying) but most people do not realize that the GoM naturally seeps huge amounts of oil and gas and has done so for millions of years. Stroll along any beach on the GoM and you will see chunks of tar. The biggest methane producer on the planet are termites. We are number two because of our numbers and the cattle feed lots. If Thomas Gold is right, the planet also upwells large amounts of methane from the mantle (primordial).

[DoYouEverWonder]

The seismically based estimates for the Macondo discovery is 100 Mb. Of course, the blowout is ruining the reservoir, and if it is water-driven, will eventually start producing large amounts of brine (extremely saline water) along with the oil and gas.

Fluid mechanics dictate that pressure relief will cause fluids to take the path of least resistance. If, for example, they had been able to shut the well in, there would have been the possibility that the fluid simply would have gone into another formation or began to breakdown the well bore structure--an underground blowout could have occurred.

As things stand now, I don't see the sea-bed collapsing. Most of the methane being produced by the blowout is hydrating on the seabed.

Not trying to minimize the disaster (it is truly terrifying) but most people do not realize that the GoM naturally seeps huge amounts of oil and gas and has done so for millions of years. Stroll along any beach on the GoM and you will see chunks of tar. The biggest methane producer on the planet are termites. We are number two because of our numbers and the cattle feed lots. If Thomas Gold is right, the planet also upwells large amounts of methane from the mantle (primordial).

And if Thomas Gold is right, there's no such thing as peak oil, which I think this disaster bolsters that conclusion.

[Hugo Farnsworth]

The seismically based estimates for the Macondo discovery is 100 Mb. Of course, the blowout is ruining the reservoir, and if it is water-driven, will eventually start producing large amounts of brine (extremely saline water) along with the oil and gas.

Fluid mechanics dictate that pressure relief will cause fluids to take the path of least resistance. If, for example, they had been able to shut the well in, there would have been the possibility that the fluid simply would have gone into another formation or began to breakdown the well bore structure--an underground blowout could have occurred.

As things stand now, I don't see the sea-bed collapsing. Most of the methane being produced by the blowout is hydrating on the seabed.

Not trying to minimize the disaster (it is truly terrifying) but most people do not realize that the GoM naturally seeps huge amounts of oil and gas and has done so for millions of years. Stroll along any beach on the GoM and you will see chunks of tar. The biggest methane producer on the planet are termites. We are number two because of our numbers and the cattle feed lots. If Thomas Gold is right, the planet also upwells large amounts of methane from the mantle (primordial).

And if Thomas Gold is right, there's no such thing as peak oil, which I think this disaster bolsters that conclusion.

I disagree. The biogenic vs abiogenic argument is simply about the origin of petroleum. What is not argued is that it takes time for it to collect in permeable rock reservoirs that can be commercially exploited. Once we have depleted all those reservoirs at least half-way, peak oil is upon us. The rate at which these reservoirs recharge is far far less than the depletion rate.

[IanEye]

Paging Hugh Manatee Wins...

[seemslikeadream]

Transocean To Workers After Rig Explosion: Sign The Waiver Here, Please! (VIDEO)
Justin Elliott | May 12, 2010, 2:34PM



The Deepwater Horizon oil rig sinks; the Transocean form presented to survivors (inset)
Read More
BP, Deepwater Horizon, Gulf Coast Oil Spill, Oil, Oil spill, Tony Buzbee, TransOcean LTD.
Share

When rescued workers were brought ashore following the explosion on the Deepwater Horizon rig last month, officials with drilling giant Transocean presented them with forms stating they had not been injured and that they had no first-hand knowledge of what happened. Lawyers for the workers are now crying foul about what they say is an all too common industry practice to impeach workers' credibility in future legal proceedings.

Some workers are saying they were coerced into signing the form, a charge Transocean denies. But the episode is reminiscent of reports that BP presented Alabama fishermen with contracts that included a no-sue clause in exchange for $5,000.

The rig exploded April 20, killing 11 members of the 126-person crew. When the survivors finally came ashore on a rescue boat at Port Fourchon, Louisiana -- 27 hours after the accident, according to Transocean -- they were brought to the Crowne Plaza Hotel outside the New Orleans airport.

There, they were presented with this one-page form (obtained and posted by NPR), with two sections for workers to initial:




I was not a witness to the incident requiring the evacuation and have no first hand or personal knowledge regarding the incident.
________
(Initials)

I was not injured as a result of the incident of evacuation.
________
(Initials)

Rig worker Chris Choy, 23, told the PBS NewsHour: "It shouldn't count, because I had been up for almost 40 hours, and just gone through hell. And they want to throw papers in my face for me to sign to take them, you know, out of their responsibility."

In an interview with TPMmuckraker, Tony Buzbee, a Houston attorney representing 10 of the rig workers, who has also sued BP and Transocean after previous accidents, said that such forms are quite common after "mass casualty" accidents on land or at sea. He said the statements can come back to haunt workers during a deposition or at trial.

"It not only protects them against that individual worker, but it might protect them against that worker being a witness for someone else," Buzbee says.

"It's used in several ways: number one, if the worker later is called as a witness to say, 'Yes, I saw Joe Blow fall down the stairs.' Then this statement is thrown in his face," says Buzbee. "Later if the guy's neck begins to hurt and he seeks treatment, they stick the statement in his face and say, 'Well you told us on the day of the incident you weren't hurt.'"

Following reports about the form from the AP and NPR, Transocean, which is based in Switzerland, issued a statement Tuesday with an account of the rescue and what happened at the hotel.


Transocean President Steven Newman
"Upon arriving at the hotel, crew members were offered the opportunity to meet with qualified medical professionals, to retire to private rooms where they could eat, shower and sleep, or go home," the statements says. "Only then did Transocean and its representatives present crew members with a standard one-page document that asked them to describe where they were at the time of the incident, what they were doing, and to affirm, if true, that they were not a witness and/or that they were not injured. They were free to complete the form at their leisure, or not at all. Some crew members even took the forms home and returned them more than seven days after the incident."

Buzbee fires back that while there may be a few outliers, most of the crew probably signed the forms immediately. He notes that some of his clients are intensely loyal to the company after years on the job, particularly since they often make salaries far above what is typical for their education level.

"When I encourage my employees to do something, guess what? They do it. These are subordinates," he says. "It's very easy for Transocean to get them to sign something like that, especially when all they're thinking about is getting back to their families."

And NPR reports that the company is already leveraging the statements to its advantage:

Documents show those initials now are being used against the survivors as they file lawsuits seeking payment for emotional distress and other claims. [Houston Attorney Steven] Gordon says "When we were hired by one of the survivors, we gave notice to Transocean's lawyers. And the immediate response was, 'Wow, we're surprised. Here's a statement that says he's not hurt.'"
Late Update: It turns out a Democratic congressman grilled Transocean CEO Steven Newman on this very issue at a hearing today -- check it out here.

Here's Choy, the rig worker, talking to PBS:


And here's Transocean's full statement:

Transocean Ltd. Issues Statement of Clarification
ZUG, SWITZERLAND, May 11, 2010 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) --In response to several inaccurate reports that detail Transocean's (NYSE: RIG) (SIX: RIGN) treatment of crew members immediately following the April 20, 2010 explosion aboard the Deepwater Horizon, including erroneous allegations that crew members were asked to sign "waivers," the Company would like to clarify the series of events that transpired that evening and the days after the incident.

-- U.S. Coast Guard, as on-scene incident command, not Transocean, in
control of rescue vessel: All decisions aboard the rescue boat, the
Damon Bankston, were made solely by the Coast Guard and all efforts to
transport crew members from the rig to shore were coordinated by the
Coast Guard according to standard maritime procedures. The Company's
immediate concern was to account for all those aboard the rig and to
search for those 11 men who were ultimately determined lost. All
decisions aboard the rescue boat were made solely by the Coast Guard,
including the length of time crew members were kept at sea, the final
destination port and the decision not to allow them use of the
satellite phones aboard the boat. Those crew members who were
critically injured were immediately transported by Medevac to the
appropriate medical facilities. All actions taken by the Coast Guard
were consistent with those taken during other emergency actions at
sea.


-- Transocean did not present incident response forms when crew members
arrived at shore: The rescue ship arrived at Port Fourchon
approximately 27 hours after the incident. Contrary to several
erroneous reports, there was no distribution of any incident response
forms on behalf of Transocean to the crew members at that time. Upon
arrival at Port Fourchon, crew members were given an opportunity to
leave, however, were encouraged to accept transportation to the Crowne
Plaza Hotel in Kenner, Louisiana.


-- Crew members were offered medical care, rooms and opportunity to go
home upon arrival at hotel: The Crowne Plaza Hotel was used as a
central location for the crew members and their families with the goal
of meeting all of their personal and medical needs and of obtaining as
much information about the incident as possible. Upon arriving at the
hotel, crew members were offered the opportunity to meet with
qualified medical professionals, to retire to private rooms where they
could eat, shower and sleep, or go home. Only then did Transocean and
its representatives present crew members with a standard one-page
document that asked them to describe where they were at the time of
the incident, what they were doing, and to affirm, if true, that they
were not a witness and/or that they were not injured. They were free
to complete the form at their leisure, or not at all. Some crew
members even took the forms home and returned them more than seven
days after the incident.


"Transocean's first commitment has always been and will continue to be to the safety and well-being of our people," said Steven L. Newman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Transocean. "All actions and decisions taken by our Company representatives, as well as those by the U.S. Coast Guard, on the evening of the incident and throughout the days following, were made with a focus on meeting the personal and medical needs of all those aboard the Deepwater Horizon."

[Gouda]

Huge underwater oil plumes found in Gulf of Mexico

By JEFFREY COLLINS, Associated Press Writer Jeffrey Collins, Associated Press Writer

(16 May, 2010) ROBERT, La. – Scientists have found huge plumes of oil lurking under the surface of the water in the Gulf of Mexico, as BP hit a snag in its latest effort to slow down the oil blasting out of a broken undersea pipe.

...

Researchers from the National Institute for Undersea Science and Technology, meanwhile, say they have detected large oil plumes from just beneath the surface of the sea to more than 4,000 feet deep.

Three or four large plumes have been found, at least one that is 10 miles long and a mile wide, said Samantha Joye, a marine science professor at the University of Georgia.

Researchers Vernon Asper and Arne Dierks said in Web posts that the plumes were "perhaps due to the deep injection of dispersants which BP has stated that they are conducting."

These researchers were also testing the effects of large amounts of subsea oil on oxygen levels in the water. The oil can deplete oxygen in the water, harming plankton and other tiny creatures that serve as food for a wide variety of sea critters.

Oxygen levels in some areas have dropped 30 percent, and should continue to drop, Joye said.

"It could take years, possibly decades, for the system to recover from an infusion of this quantity of oil and gas," Joye said. "We've never seen anything like this before. It's impossible to fathom the impact."

Joye's lab was waiting for the research boat to return so a team of scientists can test about 75 water samples and 100 sediment samples gathered during the voyage. Researchers plan to go back out in about a month and sample the same areas to see if oil and oxygen levels have worsened.

...

Meanwhile, BP began spraying undersea dispersants at that leak site and said the chemicals appear to have reduced the amount of surface oil.

This unprecedented use of chemical dispersants underwater, and the depth of the leak has created many unknowns regarding environmental impact, and researchers hurriedly worked to chart its effects.

Federal regulators on Friday approved the underwater use of the chemicals, which act like a detergent to break the oil into small globules and allow it to disperse more quickly into the water or air before it comes ashore.

The decision by the Environmental Protection Agency angered state officials and fishermen, who complained that regulators ignored their concerns about the effects on the environment and fish.

"The EPA is conducting a giant experiment with our most productive fisheries by approving the use of these powerful chemicals on a massive, unprecedented scale," John Williams, executive director of the Southern Shrimp Alliance, said in a news release.

Louisiana Health and Hospitals Secretary Alan Levine sent a letter to BP outlining similar concerns, but the company and the Coast Guard said several tests were done before approval was given.

"We didn't cross this threshold lightly," Coast Guard Rear Adm. Mary Landry said. "This is a tool that will be analyzed and monitored."

Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano, meanwhile, pressured BP to make clear whether the company would limit how much it will pay for clean up and compensation to those hurt by the spill.

In a letter to BP chief executive Tony Hayward, she noted that he and other executives have said they are taking full responsibility for cleaning up the spill and will pay what they call "legitimate" claims. Napolitano said the government believes this means BP will not limit its payments to a $75 million cap set by law for liability in some cases.

"The public has a right to a clear understanding of BP's commitment to redress all of the damage that has occurred or that will occur in the future as a result of the oil spill," Napolitano wrote.
...

[pepsified thinker]

Who owns BP?

I'm completely ignorant about such things--sorry to inflict stupidity on the borad--but does the 'British' in British Petroleum mean it's at all a state owned company? Doesn't the queen/British royals own a large portion of Royal Dutch Shell? Is there such a relationship with BP?

Because seems like this could be the end of BP as a profit making company.

Who would that hurt, if so?

I'm getting the sense that BP is starting to back away from the assurances of paying for this mess that it earlier made, so probably there'll be a long, drawn-out court case to get through before any final answers, but still.

Course that doesn't really matter--we're all going to be paying for this in so many ways.

But just to go with the financial/economic aspects, if this well pumps for another month or two, and if it's worse or gets so, than initially stated, how long before the coast of Florida ceases to be desirable real estate? If that kills the economy of Florida (and the eastern Gulf coast in general), what will that pull down in terms of investments and so on--it's not the same as having a quake that sends California's coast sliding into the Pacific, but in some ways, it is. WIth the economy already stressed, I'm able to imagine things going to the 'sh_t in the fan' mode that I just said wasn't so on another thread.

How long will it take, or what wil it take for this to sour the economy of the entire Gulf coast, and thus start a out-migration that'll make Katrina look like the proverbial church picnic.

Okay--I've had my moment of preaching panic/doom. Now please tell me why I'm overreacting.

[Project Willow]

Analysis needed on the 60 Minutes piece. What is going on with this MSM reporting?

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=6490348n&tag=related;photovideo

[Project Willow]

I'm perplexed. 60 Minutes is for me the epitome of media acquiescence to overt control. Hell, when I see a couple of those regular 60 Minutes faces, I just read CIA. What is going on here? Haliburton is only mentioned twice, perhaps 3 times.

[Nordic]

The 60 minutes piece is pretty compelling, mainly because of the storytelling of the survivor. Very gripping.

[seemslikeadream]

Who owns BP?

Structure/Ownership
BP Group is the top level of the company hierarchy. For organisational purposes Group is divided into 4 divisions: Exploration & production, Oil, Chemicals and Gas & Power (see divisional chief executives above). Figures for production volumes and financial performance are reported separately for each division in BPs quarterly Financial and Operating Information. Most senior figures within BP Group including John Browne himself have made their way up through exploration and production, and despite BPs re-branding as an environmentally aware energy company it is this division which continues to drive the direction of the group.

Top Institutional Holders of BP[110] Shares Value

State Street Corporation 74,838,292 $3,708,237,369
FMR Corporation(Fidelity Management & Research Corp) 45,746,425 $2,266,735,359
AXA Financial, Inc. 44,415,420 $2,200,784,061
UBS Warburg LLC 16,933,090 $839,034,610
Morgan Stanley Dean Witter & Company 16,617,457 $823,394,994
Barrow, Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss, Inc. 15,631,424 $774,537,059
Bank of America Corporation 15,402,166 $763,177,325
Citigroup Inc. 13,230,389 $655,565,775
First Union Corporation 12,831,490 $635,800,330
State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Co 12,228,148 $605,904,733
Top Mutual Fund Holders of BP[111] Shares Value

Fidelity Contrafund Inc 11,639,166 $576,720,675
Vanguard/Windsor II 11,098,572 $549,934,243
Alliance Premier Growth Fund 8,291,672 $410,852,348
Fidelity Growth And Income Portfolio 7,362,220 $364,798,001
Fidelity Equity-Income Fund 7,162,404 $354,897,118
Massachusetts Investors Trust 6,858,598 $339,843,531
Fidelity Magellan Fund Inc 6,368,842 $315,576,121
Variable Insurance Products...
Fd-Equity-Income Portfolio 5,970,742 $295,850,266
Putnam Fund For Growth And Income 5,825,526 $288,654,813
Price (T.Rowe) Equity Income Fund 5,071,026 $251,269,338

[nathan28]

Who owns BP?

The shareholders, of course! :rimshot:

From Yahoo! Finance & BP's site:

Executives (all sit on the board):

Dr. Tony Hayward, CEO
Dr. Byron Elmer Grote Ph.D., CFO
Mr. Andrew Inglis, CE of Exploration & Prod'n
Mr. Robert W. Dudley, Managing Director & VP
Mr. Iain Conn, CE of Refining & Marketing


Non-Executive Board Members:

Carl-Henric Svanberg, Chairman
Paul Anderson
Antony Burgmans, KBE
Cynthia Carroll
Sir William Castell, LVO
George David
Ian Davis
Douglas J Flint, CBE
Dr DeAnne S Julius, CBE



Institutional shareholders are on edit already posted above.

[Bruce Dazzling]

Chris Hedges' latest:

Cultures that do not recognize that human life and the natural world have a sacred dimension, an intrinsic value beyond monetary value, cannibalize themselves until they die. They ruthlessly exploit the natural world and the members of their society in the name of progress until exhaustion or collapse, blind to the fury of their own self-destruction. The oil pouring into the Gulf of Mexico, estimated to be perhaps as much as 100,000 barrels a day, is part of our foolish death march. It is one more blow delivered by the corporate state, the trade of life for gold. But this time collapse, when it comes, will not be confined to the geography of a decayed civilization. It will be global.

More:

http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/bp_ ... _20100517/