Oil Still Fouling Louisiana Marshes
More than 8 months after BP disaster, boat tour finds oil still fouling Louisiana marshes. No cleanup workers were there. The marshes are critical to the Louisiana coast because they protect the shore from hurricanes and serve as a nursery for Gulf sea life.
A New York Times Investigation: Deepwater Horizon’s Final Hours
The explosion on an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico that caused the largest environmental disaster in US history occurred because every single defense on the rig named Deepwater Horizon failed, The New York Times reported. The very first, was a failure to train for the worst.
FDA Underestimates Gulf Coast Residents’ Exposure to Carcinogens in Seafood
A survey of Gulf Coast seafood consumption habits released by the NRDC reveals that many Gulf residents are eating far more seafood, far more often, than the federal government has acknowledged, bringing Gulf seafood safety standards under renewed scrutiny. The survey revealed that the rate of shrimp consumption in coastal communities significantly exceeded the estimates used by FDA to calculate a safe level of exposure to PAHs.
Report Finds Oil-Drilling Inspectors in Disarray
Federal inspectors charged with ensuring the safety of offshore oil drilling are overwhelmed, insufficiently trained, work without official procedures for some of their most crucial decisions and sometimes have insufficient support from their supervisors for resisting industry influence, report says.
US closes shrimping near oil spill as precaution
The precautionary measure was taken after a commercial shrimper, having hauled in his catch of shrimp, discovered tar balls in his net.
Lessons from Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill
Now that the immediate crisis is over, the accident clearly illustrates the need for continuous oceanographic monitoring of all American coastlines and the need for rapid sharing of information, both of which were in short supply immediately following the oil spill disaster.
Excavation to begin on Dauphin Island berm
A 4-mile-long stretch of shore-side berm on Dauphin Island’s public beach, built earlier this summer, using money received from BP, will be now knocked down and cleaned as part of an effort to improve the aesthetic value of the beach.
Louisiana Rethinks Its Sand Berms
Many faulted the project as pointless, and transforming the rapidly built berms into permanent barrier islands that can withstand the strong storms and tides of coastal Louisiana will be extremely challenging.
Where’s the Gulf oil? In the Coastal Planktonic Food Web, Study Says
The eye-opening speed of how the oil components moved through the ecosystem may affect the overall health of the Gulf and beyond.