by Carl Safina
14 Salazar issues a new moratorium, and quote from American Petroleum Institute F. J. Frommer, “Obama Hopes New Drilling Moratorium Can Survive,” Associated Press, July 13, 2010; http://www.philly.com/philly/business/20100713_ap_govthopesnew
drillingmoratoriumcansurvive.html?c=0.6657310272741187&posted=n.
15 the head of the American Petroleum Institute says “Obama Team Issues New Deepwater Drilling Pause,” Frank James, NPR, July 12, 2010; http://npr/igbyaD.
16 White House senior adviser this week calls the blowout the “greatest environmental catastrophe …” Richard Fausset, “BP Says It’s Closer to Oil Containment,” Los Angeles Times, July 12, 2010; http://lat.ms/gcj9Te.
17 “greatest environmental catastrophe” R. Fausset and Nicole Santa Cruz, “Gulf Oil Spill: Containment Cap May Be in Place by Day’s End,” Los Angeles Times, July 12, 2010; http://latimesblogs.latimes.eom/greenspace/2010/07/gulf-oil-spill-containment-may-come-by-days-end.html.
18 News of leaks and BP wanting to leave the well capped C. Long and Harry R. Weber, “BP, Feds Clash over Reopening Capped Gulf Oil Well,” Associated Press, July 19, 2010; http://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory?id=11190544.
LATE JULY
1 Dolphin with broken ribs and a tar ball S. Dewan, “Sifting a Range of Suspects as Gulf Wildlife Dies,” New York Times, July 15, 2010; http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/15/science/earth/15necropsy.html.
2 Disappearance of birds C. Burdeau, “Reported Number of Bird Deaths Grow on Gulf Coast,” Associated Press, July 23, 2010; http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=11231013.
3 “Just because they kill the well” H. R. Weber and Greg Bluestein, “BP Begins Effort to Permanently Seal Gulf Gusher,” Associated Press, August 4, 2010; http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2010/08/04/
bp_begins_effort_to_permanently_seal_gulf_gusher.
4 “we’ll be left to deal with it alone” G. Bluestein and Tamara Lush, “Crush of Mud Finally Plugs BP’s Well in the Gulf,” Associated Press, August 5, 2010; http://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory?id=11320455.
5 “We’re not going anywhere” L. Neergaard, “ ‘CSI’ for Seafood: Gulf Fish Gets Safety Tests,” Ledger (Lakeland, FL), August 16, 2010; http://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory?id=11407762.
6 “They gave us zero” C. Kirkham, “Seafood Facing a Tainted Image,” Times-Picayune, August 9, 2010; http://nola.live.advance.net/news/t-p/frontpage/index.ssf?/base/news-15/1281334817130300.xml&coll=1.
7 An estimated 45,000 people and 6,000 vessels D. Helvarg, “Obama Signs on for the Sea: A Promising New Commitment to Ocean Protection,” E Magazine, June 2010; http://www.emagazine.com/view/?5262.
8 “This whole area is gonna die,” and suicide calls “Faced with Oil Spill, Gulf Residents Fight Mental Pain,” Agence France-Presse, July 22, 2010; http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2010/07/faced-oil-spill-gulf-residents-fight-mental-pain.
9 Chinese pipeline explosion S. McDonell, “Oil Spews from Exploded China Pipeline,” Australian Broadcasting Corporation, July 19, 2010; http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/07/19/2957868.htm.
10 A federal judge stops companies, and Caroline Cannon quote D. Joling, “Judge Halts Oil, Gas Development on Chukchi Sea,” Associated Press, July 22, 2010; http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38352548/.
11 Daisy Sharp and Steve Oomittuk quoted “Gulf Spill Focuses Fear of Drilling Disaster in Arctic Villages,” Anchorage Daily News, August 31, 2010; http://www.adn.com/2010/08/31/1432664/gulf-spill-focuses-fear-of-drilling.html.
12 Oil sands B. Weber, “Toxic Oil Sands Threat to Fish,” Kamloops Daily News (British Columbia), August 31, 2010.
13 Definitions of proppant and fracking fluids Schlumberger Oilfield Glossary; http://www.glossary.oilfield.slb.com.
14 The New York State Environmental Impact Statement “Draft Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement on the Oil, Gas and Solution Mining Regulatory Program,” New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, October 26, 2009; http://www.dec.ny.gov/energy/58440.html.
15 The final EPA Pavillion report “Pavillion Area Groundwater Investigation, Pavillion, Fremont County, Wyoming,” United States Environmental Protection Agency: Contract No. EP-W-05-050, TDD No. 0901-01, see p. 37, August 30, 2010; http://www.epa.gov/region8/superfund/wy/pavillion/Pavillion
_GWInvestigationFSP.pdf.
16 “It’s doubtful we will ever use it” J. Mouawad, “4 Oil Firms Commit $1 Billion for Gulf Rapid-Response Plan,” New York Times, July 21, 2010; http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/22/business/energy-environment/22response.html.
17 Sixteen months before completion of containment equipment H. R. Weber, “Oil Industry Has Yet to Adopt Lessons of BP Spill,” Associated Press, October 4, 2010; http://www.timesherald.com/articles/2010/10/05/news/
doc4caab57b10006826476498.txt.
18 Gaylord Nelson, Santa Barbara, Earth Day, Lois Capps, and the Associated Press poll on Americans and the environment F. J. Frommer, “Gulf Spill Lacks Societal Punch of Santa Barbara,” Associated Press, July 29, 2010; http://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory?id=11275571.
19 Seafood sniffers Y. Q. Mui and David A. Fahrenthold, “Gulf Seafood Must Pass the Smell Test; Government Trains Inspectors to Sniff Out Contaminated Catch,” Washington Post, July 13, 2010; http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-25347383.html.
20 “Take small bunny sniffs,” and “If you think about your ability to detect,” and sniff-related quotes K. Lohr, “Gulf Fish Cordoned Off for Seafood Sniffers’ Inspection,” NPR’s Weekend Edition, July 18, 2010; http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128600385.
21 PAHs in seafood and oysters at the top of the concern list “Gulf Seafood Undergoes Intense Testing,” Associated Press, August 16, 2010; http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/08/16/gulf-seafood-undergoes-in_n_682935.html.
22 Federal regulators say they’re sure, and Dawn Nunez quoted J. Dearen and Greg Bluestein, “Gulf Seafood Declared Safe; Fishermen Not So Sure,” Associated Press, August 2, 2010; http://www.rdmag.com/News/FeedsAP/2010/08/energy-gulf-seafood-declared-safe-fishermen-not-so-sure.
23 The 3,500-plus samples were safe D. A. Fahrenthold and Juliet Eilperin, “Unallayed by Tests, Fishermen Greet Start of Gulf Shrimp Harvest with Suspicion,” Washington Post, August 17, 2010; http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/08/16/AR2010081605471.html.
24 “It tastes like fish,” and “These are decent American people” C. Robertson, “In Gulf, Good News Is Taken with Grain of Salt,” New York Times, August 4, 2010; http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/05/us/05gulf.html.
25 “I wouldn’t feed that to my children” D. A. Fahrenthold and Juliet Eilperin, “Unallayed by Tests, Fishermen Greet Start of Gulf Shrimp Harvest with Suspicion,” Washington Post, August 17, 2010; http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/08/16/AR2010081605471.html.
26 “Will there even be a market” B. Boxall et al., “BP Jams Gulf Well with Drilling Mud,” Los Angeles Times, August 5, 2010; http://articles.latimes.com/2010/aug/05/nation/la-na-oil-spill-20100805.
27 “People are scared of it right now” S. Dewan, “Questions Linger as Shrimp Season Opens in Gulf,” New York Times, August 17, 2010; http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/17/us/17gulf.html.
28 Barge crashes into inactive well R. Adams, “Barge Hits Abandoned Oil Well off Louisiana Coast,” Wall Street Journal, July 27, 2010; http://online.wsj.com/
article/SB10001424052748703977004575393672718018794.html.
29 “University scientists have spotted” G. Pender, “Oil Found in Gulf Crabs Raises New Food Chain Fears,” Biloxi Sun Herald, July 1, 2010; http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2010/07/01/96909/oil-found-in-gulf-crabs-raising.html.
30 BP quarterly loss of $16.9 billion, and 3,800 miles of boom A. Gully, “100 Days in, Gulf Spill Leaves Ugly Questions Unanswered,” Agence France-Presse, July 28, 2010; http://www.google.com/hostednews/
afp/article/ALeqM5invct2tdMai2ExWeQaGJwFmdt9Xg.
DOG DAYS
1 Origins of oil W. J. Broad, “
Tracing Oil Reserves to Their Tiny Origins,” New York Times, August 3, 2010; http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/03/science/03oil.html.
2 History of early oil uses and extraction Joanna Burger, Oil Spills, New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 1997.
3 Potential in algae “Slimy Scum May Hold the Key to Freedom from Oil,” Editorial: Canberra Times, August 4 2010; http://www.canberratimes.com.au/news/opinion/editorial/general/slimy-scum-may-hold-the-key-to-freedom-from-oil/1903354.aspx.
4 Benefits of algae as fuel R. H. Wijffels and M. J. Barbosa, “An Outlook on Microalgal Biofuels,” Science 329, no. 5993 (2010): 796–99.
5 “I think it is fairly safe to say” S. Borenstein, “Looking for the Oil? NOAA Says It’s Mostly Gone,” Associated Press, August 5, 2010; http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory?id=11328193.
6 Jim Cowan quoted B. Boxall et al., “BP Jams Gulf Well with Drilling Mud,” Los Angeles Times, August 5, 2010; http://articles.latimes.com/2010/aug/05/nation/la-na-oil-spill-20100805.
7 Georgia Sea Grant’s alternative report A. Miles, “Scientists Wary of U.S. Report That Says Only 26 Percent of Spilled Gulf Oil Left,” Times-Picayune, August 17, 2010; http://www.nola.com/news/gulf-oil-spill/index.ssf/2010/08/scientists_wary_of_us_report_t.html.
8 Ronald J. Kendall quoted, and Lubchenco’s “I think the view” B. Boxall et al., “BP Jams Gulf Well with Drilling Mud,” Los Angeles Times, August 5, 2010; http://articles.latimes.com/2010/aug/05/nation/la-na-oil-spill-20100805.
9 “The truth is in the middle” D. Fahrenthold and Leslie Tamura, “Majority of Spilled Oil in Gulf of Mexico Unaccounted for in Government Data,” Washington Post, July 29, 2010; http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/07/28/AR2010072806135.html.
10 “Roughly one-third of the oil” A. Miles, “Scientists Wary of U.S. Report That Says Only 26 Percent of Spilled Gulf Oil Left,” Times-Picayune, August 17, 2010; http://www.nola.com/news/gulf-oil-spill/index.ssf/2010/08/scientists_wary_of_us_report_t.html.
11 Only about 26 percent of the oil is still in the water or onshore, and Carol Browner quote J. Gillis, “U.S. Finds Most Oil from Spill Poses Little Additional Risk,” New York Times, August 4, 2010; http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/04/science/earth/04oil.html.
12 “Only about one-quarter of the oil,” and Lubchenco’s “Dilute and out of sight” S. Connor, “How Did Five Million Barrels of Oil Simply Disappear?” Independent, August 6, 2010; http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/how-did-five-million-barrels-of-oil-simply-disappear-2044817.html.
13 Bill Lehr statement S. Goldenberg, “US Scientist Retracts Assurances over State of BP Spill,” Guardian, August 20, 2010; http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/aug/19/bp-oil-spill-scientist-retracts-assurances.
14 Quotes from McDonald, Condrey, and Ault B. Marshall, “Don’t Kid Yourself, Oil Isn’t Gone,” Times-Picayune, August 8, 2010; http://www.nola.com/sports/t-p/index.ssf?/base/sports-47/1281336612181230.xml&coll=1.
15 “We’re going to have to think about what to do” “BP Says It Might Drill Again in Gulf Reservoir,” Associated Press, August 6, 2010; http://www.usatoday.com/communities/greenhouse/post/2010/08/bp-oil-spill-gulf-1/1.
16 “People died out there,” and BP hedging about relief wells H. R. Weber, “To Seal or Sell? BP Has Options on Remaining Oil,” Associated Press, August 6, 2010; http://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory?id=11328201.
17 “I am the national incident commander” H. R. Weber and Greg Bluestein. “BP Begins Effort to Permanently Seal Gulf Gusher,” Associated Press, August 4, 2010; http://www.boston.com/news/science/articles/
2010/08/04/bp_begins_effort_to_permanently_seal_gulf_gusher/.
18 BP hedging about relief wells and Allen’s response J. Dearen and Greg Bluestein, “Crude Still Coats Marshes and Wetlands Along Gulf,” Associated Press, August 6, 2010; http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/aug/06/crude-still-coats-marshes-and-wetlands-along-gulf/. See also “BP Says It Might Drill Again in Gulf Reservoir,” Associated Press, August 6, 2010; http://www.usatoday.com/communities/greenhouse/post/2010/08/bp-oil-spill-gulf-1/1.
19 Transocean asks for a liability limit of $27 million “Partner Says BP Hiding Oil Spill Documents,” Agence France-Presse, August 19, 2010; http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/
ALeqM5hE2vTYfDJqNnNj8r3reXXT6fZ7wg.
20 Gulf is well populated with bacteria T. C. Hazen et al. “Deep-Sea Oil Plume Enriches Indigenous Oil-Degrading Bacteria,” Science 330, no. 6001, August 24, 2010: 204–8.
21 Ronald Atlas and Roger Sassen quoted W. J. Broad, “Oil Spill Cleanup Workers Include Many Very, Very Small Ones,” New York Times, August 4, 2010; http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/05/science/earth/05microbe.html.
22 Floating oil mats largely gone, and Lubchenco quotes J. Gillis and Campbell Robertson, “On the Surface, Oil Spill in Gulf Is Vanishing Fast,” New York Times, July 27, 2010; http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/28/us/28spill.html.
23 Fraud alert D. Usborne, “BP Believes 10% of Oil Spill Claims Are Fraudulent,” Independent, August 12, 2010; http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/bp-believes-10-per-cent-of-oil-spill-claims-are-fraudulent-2050309.html.
24 Bob Shipp and Mark Davis quoted T. Smith, “By Hiring Gulf Scientists, BP May Be Buying Silence,” National Public Radio, July 31, 2010; http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128892441&sc=17&f=1001.
LATE AUGUST
1 BP wondering if bottom kill is necessary T. Breen and Harry R. Weber, “Gulf Leaders Wary over Wavering on Final Plug,” Associated Press, August 12, 2010; http://www.indianexpress.com/news/gulf-leaders-wary-over-wavering-on-final-plu/659395/.
2 “A bottom kill finishes this well,” and “a hard sell” T. Breen, “Decision Expected on Plug for BP’s Broken Oil Well,” Associated Press, August 13, 2010; http://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory?id=11390638.
3 No oil-caused dead zones developed J. Raloff, “No ‘Dead Zone’ from BP Oil,” Science News, September 7, 2010; http://www.sciencenews.org/view/
generic/id/63103/title/No_dead_zone_from_BP_oil.
4 Sargassum recovering M. Hirsch, “Fewer Turtles Being Found Soaked in Oil, Researchers Say,” Times-Picayune, August 11, 2010; http://www.nola.com/news/gulf-oil-spill/index.ssf/2010/08/fewer_turtles_being_found_soak.html. See also L. Kaufman and Shaila Dewan, “Luck and Ecology Seem to Soften Impact of Gulf Oil Spill,” International Herald Tribune, September 14, 2010; http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-184098210.html.
5 “The Gulf is incredible” “Nearly 80 Percent of Gulf Spill Oil Still in Water: Experts,” Agence France-Presse, August 18, 2010; http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/nearly-80-percent-of-gulf-spill-oil-still-in-water-experts-2055910.html.
6 Oil and dispersant droplets in the larval crabs M. Thomas, “Oil-in-Seafood Reports; Do They Hold Water?” Orlando Sentinel, August 12, 2010.
7 “The spill isn’t as bad,” and “The perception is” C. Robertson, “In Gulf, Good News Is Taken with Grain of Salt,” New York Times, August 4, 2010; http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/05/us/05gulf.html.
8 Green shoots appearing, and Associated Press calculates 3.4 square miles C. Burdeau and Jeffrey Collins, “Signs of Regrowth Seen in Oiled Louisiana Marshland,” Associated Press, August 12, 2010; http://www.boston.com/news/science/articles/2010/08/12/
signs_of_regrowth_seen_in_oiled_louisiana_marshland/.
9 “We were anchored” B. Marshall, “Don’t Kid Yourself, Oil Isn’t Gone,” Times-Picayune, August 8, 2010; http://www.nola.com/sports/t-p/index.ssf?/base/sports-47/1281336612181230.xml&coll=1.
10 Very roughly 1,800 square miles K. Wells, “Collapsing Marsh Dwarfs BP Oil Blowout as Ecological Disaster,” BloombergBusinessweek, August 18, 2010; http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-08-18/collapsing-marsh-dwarfs-bp-oil-blowout-as-ecological-disaster.html. See also S. Borenstein and Cain Burdeau, “Scientists Think Gulf Can Recover,” Associated Press, August 6, 2010; http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory?id=11337200.
11 Marsh losses J
. W. Day Jr. et al., “Restoration of the Mississippi Delta: Lessons from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita,” Science 315, no. 5819, March 23, 2007: 1679–84. See also L. D. Britsch and Joseph B. Dunbar, “Land Loss Rates: Louisiana Coastal Plain,” Journal of Coastal Research 9, no. 2, Spring 1993: 324–38; http://www.jstor.org/stable/4298092.
12 Felicia Coleman quoted C. Robertson, “Gulf of Mexico Has Long Been Dumping Site,” New York Times, July 30, 2010; http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A04E4D8133AF933A05754C0A9669D8B63.
13 Mississippi marsh loss C. Burdeau and Jeffrey Collins, “Signs of Regrowth Seen in Oiled Louisiana Marshland,” Associated Press, August 12, 2010; http://www.boston.com/news/science/articles/2010/08/12/
signs_of_regrowth_seen_in_oiled_louisiana_marshland/.
14 Navy secretary Ray Mabus H. R. Weber and Dina Cappiello, “Obama Endorses Using Fines for Gulf Rehabilitation,” Associated Press, September 29, 2010; http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100929/ap_on_bi_ge/
us_gulf_oil_spill_restoration.
15 Louisiana shrimpers go back to work D. A. Fahrenthold and Juliet Eilperin, “Unallayed by Tests, Fishermen Greet Start of Gulf Shrimp Harvest with Suspicion,” Washington Post, August 17, 2010; http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/08/16/AR2010081605471.html.
16 BP’s money for mental health “Plumes of Gulf Oil Spreading East on Sea Floor,” AC360 blog, August 17, 2010; http://ac360.blogs.cnn.com/2010/08/17/plumes-of-gulf-oil-spreading-east-on-sea-floor.
17 Margaret Carruth, a Louisiana husband and wife, and “throwing desks, kicking chairs” J. Reeves, “Oil Gusher Is Dead, but Not Residents’ Anguish,” Associated Press, September 27, 2010; http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100927/
ap_on_re_us/us_gulf_oil_spill_mental_health.
18 Allen wanting to avoid timelines H. R. Weber, “Feds: No Timeline for Completing Gulf Relief Well,” Associated Press, August 18, 2010; http://www.physorg.com/news201364019.html.
