More oil gushing into Gulf after problem with cap
NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Tens of thousands of gallons more oil gushed into the Gulf of Mexico on Wednesday after an undersea robot bumped a venting system, forcing BP to remove the cap that had been containing some of the crude.The setback, yet another in the nine-week effort to stop the gusher, came as thick pools of oil washed up on Pensacola Beach in Florida and the Obama administration tried to figure out how to resurrect a six-month moratorium on deepwater drilling.
When the robot bumped the system just before 10 a.m. Wednesday, gas rose through the vent that carries warm water down to prevent ice-like crystals from forming, Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen said.
Crews were checking to see if crystals had formed before putting it back on. BP spokesman Bill Salvin could not say how long that might take.
"We're doing it as quickly as possible," he said.
Before the problem with the containment cap, it had collected about 700,000 gallons of oil in 24 hours and sucked it up to a ship on the surface. That's oil that's now pouring into the Gulf. Another 438,000 gallons was burned on the surface by a different system that was not affected by the issue with the cap.
A similar problem doomed the effort to put a bigger containment device over the blown-out well in May. BP had to abandon the four-story box after the crystals called hydrates clogged it, threatening to make it float away.
The smaller cap, which had worked fine until now, had been in place since early June. To get it there, though, crews had to slice away a section of the leaking pipe, meaning the flow of oil could be stronger now than before.
The current worst-case estimate of what's spewing into the Gulf is about 2.5 million gallons a day. Anywhere from 67 million to 127 million gallons have spilled since the April 20 explosion on the Deepwater Horizon rig that killed 11 workers and blew out the well 5,000 feet underwater. BP PLC was leasing the rig from owner Transocean Ltd.
The Obama administration was plotting its next steps Wednesday after U.S. District Judge Martin Feldman in New Orleans overturned a moratorium on new drilling, saying the government simply assumed that because one rig exploded, the others pose an imminent danger, too.
Feldman, appointed by President Ronald Reagan in 1983, has reported extensive investments in the oil and gas industry, including owning less than $15,000 of Transocean stock, according to financial disclosure reports for 2008, the most recent available. He did not return calls for comment on his investments.
The White House promised an immediate appeal of his ruling. The Interior Department imposed the moratorium last month in the wake of the BP disaster, halting approval of any new permits for deepwater projects and suspending drilling on 33 exploratory wells.
Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said in a statement that within the next few days he would issue a new order imposing a moratorium that eliminates any doubt it is needed and appropriate.
"It's important that we don't move forward with new drilling until we know it can be done in a safe way," he told a Senate subcommittee Wednesday.
Several companies, including Shell and Marathon Oil, said they would await the outcome of any appeals before they start drilling again.
Asked about it Wednesday on NBC's "Today" show, BP managing director Bob Dudley said his company will "step back" from the issue while it investigates the rig explosion.
BP said Wednesday that Dudley has been appointed to head the new Gulf Coast Restoration Organization, which is in charge of cleaning up the spill. He takes over from BP CEO Tony Hayward, who has been widely criticized for his handling of the crisis.
In Florida, dozens of workers used shovels to scoop up pools of oil that washed up overnight, turning the sand orange.
Tar balls have been reported as far east as Panama City, Fla., and heavier oil is predicted to wash ashore further east along the coast line in the coming days. Oil has also washed up on beaches in Alabama and coated wetlands in Louisiana.
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Associated Press Writer Curt Anderson in Miami and Melissa R. Nelson contributed to this report.
(This version CORRECTS that tar balls were found as far east, not west, as Panama City.)
Federal officials halt sand dredging to create Gulf of Mexico oil spill barrier
Published: Tuesday, June 22, 2010, 10:59 PM Updated: Wednesday, June 23, 2010, 9:29 AM
Federal authorities have ordered the state to stop dredging east of the Mississippi River, where sand from the bottom is being gathered to build barriers against the encroaching Gulf of Mexico oil spill, Gov. Bobby Jindal said.
Sand dredging operations near the Chandeleur Islands were photographed on Tuesday. Jindal and Plaquemines Parish President Billy Nungesser said federal authorities want the state to move a dredging site farther from the Chandeleur Islands, a sensitive chain of barrier islands.
However, the Interior Department said the order was issued because the state was pumping sand from a sensitive section of the island chain and had failed to meet an extended deadline to install pipe that would tap sand from a less-endangered area.
The two Louisiana officials argue dredging should continue.
The dredging area includes the Chandeleurs and other barrier islands that are sensitive nesting grounds for species such as the brown pelican, which has been hit hard by oil washing up from the BP well 40 miles southeast of the mouth of the river.
Interior Assistant Secretary Tom Strickland said the berms are important in protecting marshes and wildlife. "But the berms have to be built right so they don't compromise the barrier islands, which serve as a first line of defense against storm surges and hurricanes," he said.
"We will continue to work closely with the state of Louisiana to move the project forward as we fight to protect Louisiana's coasts, communities and wildlife from the BP spill," Strickland said.
Strickland said the state originally agreed to take sand from an area in the northern Chandeleurs, but had been been pumping from a more sensitive area in the middle part of the chain. He said earlier this month the state asked for a week's extension on its agreement to run pipe to the more desired area but did not meet the deadline. "All we are trying to do is hold them to their own agreement," Strickland said.
Sand dredging operations near the Chandeleur Island were photographed Tuesday. In a letter to President Barack Obama, Nungesser urged Obama to let the dredging continue.
Jindal said about 450,000 cubic yards of sand has been dredged in the area.
He said it would take about 5 days to build the pipeline federal authorities want to access the new dredging site. "It took so long to approve this project. We don't want to be tied up in more red tape," he said.
Jindal, a frequent critic of the BP and federal responses to the spill, has proposed building massive berms to intercept the oil before it gets to the coast. The plan has received partial approval from the corps. BP has agreed to pay $360 million for the project.
The Army Corps of Engineers oversees the permitting process. A corps spokesman says the permit has not been suspended.
The berm project has drawn criticism from some coastal scientists who fear it will change tidal patterns and could lead to more long-term erosion of the islands.
Cain Burdeau of The Associated Press wrote this report.
Gulf oil spill: Boat captain, despondent over spill, commits suicide
William Allen Kruse, 55, a charter boat captain recently hired by BP as a vessel of opportunity out of Gulf Shores, Ala., died Wednesday morning before 7:30 a.m. of a gunshot to the head, likely self-inflicted, authorities said.
"He had been quite despondent about the oil crisis," said Stan Vinson, coroner for Baldwin County, which includes Gulf Shores.
Kruse, who lived with his family in nearby Foley, Ala., reported to work Wednesday morning as usual at the Gulf Shores Marina on Fort Morgan Road in Gulf Shores, Vinson said. He met up with his two deckhands at his boat, The Rookie. One of the deckhands later told Vinson that Kruse seemed his usual self, sending them to fetch ice while he pulled the boat around to the gas pumps.
As the deckhands walked off to get ice, they heard what sounded like a firecracker, Vinson said. They turned around but didn't see anything out of the ordinary. So they proceeded to gather the ice and wait for Kruse at the pumps. "He never showed," Vinson said.
After waiting a while, the deckhands returned to the boat, which was moored where they had left it, Vinson said. They went aboard and found Kruse at the captain's bridge above the wheelhouse, Vinson said. He had been shot in the head. A Glock handgun was later recovered from the scene, and investigators do not suspect foul play, Vinson said.
Vinson said Kruse was in good health, did not suffer from any mental illness and was not taking psychotropic medications.
But he said it's not surprising the oil spill had weighed heavily on his mind, as it has on many local fishermen no longer able to support themselves with deep-sea sport fishing trips for marlin and the like, Vinson said.
"All the waters are closed. There's no charter business anymore. You go out on some of the beaches now, with the oil, you can't even get in the water," Vinson said. "It's really crippled the tourism and fishing industry here."
Vinson's office was to perform an autopsy Wednesday, and the Gulf Shores Police Department is still investigating. Det. Justin Clopton did not return calls.
Kruse's family was notified by Wednesday afternoon, Vinson said, and his deckhands were sent home for the day.
-- Molly Hennessy-Fiske
Raining Oil On Louisiana
RussiaToday — June 23, 2010 — Louisiana residents witness a strange rain that leaves oil puddles near their homes. For more info check out the links below.
Is It Raining Oil In Florida? This Is Just The Beginninghttp://www.sott.net/articles/show/209...Air tests from the Louisiana coast reveal human health threats from the oil disaster
http://usahitman.com/?p=7894is it raining oil here?
A volcano of oil erupting
http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-81...Cypress Point Park Tampa Bay Oil Spill Or Sewage?