Gulf of Mexico
Long-term effects of Gulf oil spill still unknown
While extensive testing on Gulf of Mexico seafood assures its safety, the long-term effects on fish species from that oil, and the chemicals used to fight it, are still largely unknown. The federal officials are currently assessing some of the BP spill's potential effect on shrimp, and various states are also conducting toxicity testing to evaluate survival, reproduction, growth and disease responses of representative Gulf species. Full article.
BP touting progress in Gulf
Nearly 20 months after the BP oil spill, the oil giant is pushing a slick nationwide public relations campaign to persuade Americans that the Gulf region recovered. Now, BP is touting evidence that the Gulf's ecology has not been severely damaged by the spill and highlighting improving economic signs. Full article.
Deep-water drilling thrives in Gulf of Mexico
Two hundred miles off the coast of Texas, deep water drilling continue on Perdido, one of Shell’s floating platforms. Oil companies’ continued interest in this area stems from a geologic formation found throughout the Gulf of Mexico that might contain enough oil to satisfy U.S. demand for two years. Full article.
BP settles with maker of failed blowout preventer
BP representatives recently indicated that Cameron International, the maker of the Deepwater Horizon blowout preventer that failed to prevent a blowout, agreed to pay $250 million to BP under a legal settlement. The settlement comes in advance of a federal trial over the catastrophic Gulf oil spill. Full article.
Drilling permit regulator: Paperwork problems cause delays
The top federal regulator of offshore drilling recently lambasted the oil and gas industry for complaints about the permitting process and indicated that paperwork problems frequently cause delays. Full article.
Seven missing oil workers found alive
Mexico's state oil company, stated that rescue teams found seven of ten oil workers missing in the Gulf of Mexico alive after three days at sea. They also recovered two unidentified bodies, and one worker is still missing. The employees of Houston-based Geokinetics Inc. called for help after evacuating to an enclosed life raft in the middle of Tropical Storm Nate. Full article.
Coastal LA braces for up to 20 inches of rain
A slow-moving tropical depression in the Gulf could bring Coastal LA up to 20 inches of rain. On Sept. 1, Gov. Jindal declared a state of emergency because of the threat of flash flooding. Forecasts were for landfall over the weekend included the southern LA coast, but it is still too early to predict where landfall will occur. Full article.
Forecasters eye Gulf Disturbance
A low-pressure system over the Gulf of Mexico could become a tropical depression by the weekend. Weather forecasters, however, indicate that it is too early to tell exactly how it will affect the Gulf Coast. Full article.
Exxon, U.S. Government duel over oil discovery
Exxon Mobil Corp. is fighting with the U.S. government to keep control of one of its biggest oil discoveries. The massive Gulf of Mexico discovery contains an estimated one billion barrels of recoverable oil. The problem lies in the fact that the Interior Department says Exxon's leases expired and the company hasn't met the requirements for an extension. Exxon sued to retain the leases. Full article.
BP: Oil sheen in Gulf not from Macondo site
Oil giant BP Plc indicated that a new oil sheen discovery in the Gulf of Mexico has nothing to do with its operations, and is far from the site of its disaster-hit Macondo well. BP spokesman Daren Beaudo said the company sent several mini-submersibles into the water over the weekend to investigate the source of the sheen — a shiny coating that floats on the surface of the water which could come from leaked or spilled oil — but had concluded "that it couldn't have been from anything of ours." Full article.
