In March, the State Department issued a controversial analysis of the Keystone XL Pipeline that stated the project would have no significant impact on the environment. Needless to say, this raised the hackles of many concerned citizens and environmental groups. The US Environmental Protection Agency also took issue with the assessment, and this week released a document criticizing the State Department’s report. In a letter, the agency remarked that there was not enough evidence to give credence to the State Department’s conclusions concerning safety, emissions, and alternative routes. The formal objections could complicate the approval of the $7 billion project.

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Post tags: Alberta, arkansas, assessment, canada, CO2, environmental protection agency, global warming, gulf of mexico, kalamazoo river, Keystone XL Pipeline, mayflower, Michigan, oil, president obama, spill, state department, tar sands

Life for a manatee is tough. Sure, it may look like a lot of grazing and lazy swimming at first glance, but these docile creatures have to contend with boats, tourist harassment, and habitat destruction. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute recently reported that a toxic algae bloom has killed 241 manatees in St. Petersburg, Florida. The number greatly surpasses the previous record of 151 red tide deaths set in 1996. The most recent bloom began last fall in the Gulf of Mexico in a 70-mile area of the coast stretching from Sarasota to Lee County, and it affected a population of about 5,000 manatees.

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Post tags: algae, florida, florida fish and wildlife research institute, gulf of mexico, homosassa springs wildlife state park, lee county, lowry park zoo, manatee, Orlando, red tide, sarasota county, sea world, st. petersburg, tampa

Recently, the State Department released a report claiming that the Keystone XL pipeline would have no significant impact on the environment. However, the study did not factor in the tremendous impact that tapping the tar sands will have on greenhouse gas emissions. Although the Obama administration has yet to approve the northern section of the route, many Americans remain unaware that the southern portion of the Pipeline is already halfway complete.

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Post tags: Alberta, approve, associated press, canada, david dodson, gulf of mexico, impact report, Keystone XL Pipeline, oklahoma, president obama, state department, tar sands, texas, transcanada

Last we heard from BP, the oil giant had agreed to pay $4.5 billion in penalties for its role in the Deepwater Horizon blowout that spewed oil into the Gulf of Mexico for several months in 2010. But that could be just the beginning for BP, as the company has just been hit with a new $34 billion claim from local and state governments to account for economic losses related to the gusher. BP has already paid out about $58 billion for the environmental disaster, and the latest blow could bring that total above $90 billion.

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Post tags: BP, bp fines, bp sued, british petroleum, deepwater horizon, environmental destruction, environmental disaster, gulf of mexico, oil spill, water pollution

The US Department of Justice announced today that Swiss company Transocean Ltd, the owner of the Deepwater Horizon rig that exploded and sank in 2010, has agreed to pay $1.4 billion for the oil spill that spewed millions of gallons of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico. Under the settlement, the company will plead guilty to violating the Clean Water Act, and it will agree to pay $1 billion in civil penalties and $400 million in criminal fines. The announcement comes just six weeks after BP agreed to pay $4.5 billion in damages for the massive oil spill.

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Post tags: BP, bp oil spill, deepwater horizon, Department of Justice, DoJ, environmental destruction, gulf of mexico, Gulf oil spill, gusher, oil spill, Transocean

In east Texas, there is an awe-inspiring network of treehouses perched eight stories above the ground. It’s not an eco-resort or some dreamer’s getaway – the treetop settlement was built by David Daniel to protest the Keystone XL Pipeline, which is slated to rip through his property. Daniel was concerned over losing the forest he loved, the repercussions a pipe leak would have on his land, and the overall environmental impact of tapping dirty tar sands in Canada. With no money to fight the oil giant TransCanada, he did what was within his means. A former circus performer and rigger, Daniel had experience setting up a high wire – that he would ride across on a motorcycle while lit on fire. The carpenter and daredevil constructed seven houses high in the branches of his old oaks.

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Post tags: activists, Alberta, canada, david daniel, east texas, fossil fuels, gulf of mexico, Keystone XL Pipeline, oil, protest, tar sands, transcanada, Treehouses

On the heels of a massive criminal indictment for BP, it looks like the trouble for the oil giant is far from over. The company is set to head out on the fifth day of a mission under the supervision the US Coast Guard this Thursday to determine whether or not there is still petroleum leaking from the Deepwater Horizon rig. This past September, an new oil sheen was spotted 50 miles off of the coast of Louisiana, and tests confirmed that it was from the infamous Macondo well. A BP underwater vehicle observed that oil was seeping from the containment dome, but declared the leaks fixed after a remote operation in October. However, oil has still been surfacing and has been documented by satellite and aerial photos near the site. It is thought that there still could be an unknown amount of oil remaining in the containment dome and wreckage from the 2010 blast.

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Post tags: BP, California, coast guard, deepwater horizon, gulf of mexico, leak, louisiana, Macondo, Massachusetts, oil slick, rep ed markey, rep henry waxman, spill

In the wake of the most recent $4.5 billion settlement and criminal charges, BP has now been suspended from all new government contracts within the United States. Citing a “lack of business integrity,” the Environmental Protection Agency handed down the decision this Wednesday. While the decision doesn’t impact current holdings by the company, BP will not be permitted to bid on new contracts until it can adequately prove that it has changed its practices to align with federal standards.

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Post tags: BP, congress, deepwater horizon, environmental protection agency, epa, federal court, gulf of mexico, justice department, oil drilling, suspension, united states

A blaze erupted Friday morning on the Black Elk Oil Rig about 20 miles off of Grand Isle, Louisiana in the Gulf of Mexico leaving one worker dead, one missing and four seriously burned. But unlike the BP Macondo Well disaster in 2010, the Black Elk facility was not a drilling rig nor was it operating in deep water, diminishing the chances of grave environmental repercussions. According to Black Elk Energy, there has been no oil leak due to the fire.

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Post tags: black elk energy, bureau of safety and environmental enforcement, fire on black elk oil rig, grand isle shipyard, gulf of mexico, john hoffman, marine safety unit, mark pregeant, no oil leak at Black Elk oil rig fire, philippino oil rig workers, welding torch cause of fire, wilberto ilagan

Two years after the horrific Deepwater Horizon explosion and massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, the verdict is in for oil giant BP. The company has agreed to pay $4.5 billion in penalties and it pled guilty for felony counts of misconduct. A full $1.256 billion of the total fine will be levied towards criminal punishment – one of the largest monetary disciplines in U.S history.

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Post tags: alabama, alaska, BP, clean water act, congress, deepwater horizon, exxon valdez, florida, gulf of mexico, halliburton, London, louisiana, Macondo, macquarie, Mississippi, national academy of sciences, national fish and wildlife foundation, oil spill, Reuters, texas, transocean ltd, us justice department, us securities and exchange commission

A few days ago, we reported how the Wave Glider—a self-propelled, solar and wave-powered robot designed by Liquid Robotics—had been deployed to track great white sharks in the Pacific Ocean. Now word has reached us that when Hurricane Isaac struck off the Gulf of Mexico, the Wave Glider was actually being tested by US scientists. As such, they took the opportunity to use the multi-purpose robot to gather storm data at sea level.

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Post tags: "solar energy", barbara block, block laboratory, great white sharks, gulf of mexico, hurricane issac, liquid robotics, marine robot, robot, solar power robot, stanford university, wave energy, wave glider, wave power robot

Just over two years ago, an explosion at the Deepwater Horizon oil rig operated by BP killed 11 crew members and sparked the worst oil spill in US history. The accident released almost 5 million barrels of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico and caused irreparable damage to marine and wildlife habitats, but no criminal charges had been filed — until now. NPR reports that the first criminal charges in connection with the spill have been filed against former BP engineer Kurt Mix, who has been arrested for obstruction of justice for deleting text messages after the spill.

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Post tags: BP, bp oil spill, criminal charges, deepwater horizon, environmental destruction, fossil fuels, gulf of mexico, Gulf oil spill, Kurt Mix, offshore oil drilling, oil gusher

Two years ago today, the catastrophic blowout at BP’s Deepwater Horizon oil platform began to spill what would ultimately amount to 5 million gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico, and now fisherman are concerned that the spill’s repercussions are showing up in seafood as genetic deformities and chemical damage. Fisherman in the area report a continued, consistent variety of abnormalities, including shrimp with no eyes (or eye-sockets), crabs missing one or both claws and underdeveloped fish (with lesions in some instances). As fishermen and scientists react with growing concern about the trend, BP and the FDA continue to insist that Gulf seafood is safe for human consumption.

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Post tags: british petroleum, deepwater horizon, Environmental Diisaster, Eyeless Shrimp, Fish lesion, fish tumor, Food and Drug Administration, gulf of mexico, gulf restoration network, oil leak, oil pollution, seafood abnormalities, Seafood contamination, seafood poison

In 2008, two years before the Deepwater Horizon disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, another BP offshore oil rig suffered a blowout in the Caspian Sea. According to a new report on EcoWatch.org which was released today, the company had concealed the details of the earlier accident from the energy industry and the U.S. government. The investigation reveals a trail of cost-cutting measures and shoddy construction methods similar to what unfolded in the Gulf during 2010.

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Post tags: Azerbaijan, baku, BP, bp oil spill, cover up, deepwater horizon, deepwater horizon disaster, deepwater horizon oil spill, ecowatch.org, environmental impact of offshore oil drilling, gulf of mexico, Gulf oil spill, moratorium on offshore drilling, offshore oil drilling, offshore oil production, offshore oil rig, offshore oil rig risks, offshore oil risks, offshore oil well, oil rig, oil spill, risk of oil spill, risks, robert f. kennedy jr. gulf of mexico

The Deepwater Horizon explosion and oil spill are now confirmed to be responsible for deep sea coral deaths in the Gulf of New Mexico. Scientists say that almost two years after the BP Macondo well oil spill, coral communities as far as 4,000 feet beneath the sea’s surface show that oil from the blowout site bear the well’s chemical “fingerprints.” What had once been full of vibrant colors, researchers say, is now an area sullied with brown, dull and dying coral.

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Post tags: BP, coral, coral damage, deepwater horizon, gulf of mexico, Gulf oil spill, gulf spill, macondo well, national academy of sciences, oil spill, oil spill disaster

The Oil Industry isn’t the only culprit in the slow destruction of the Gulf of Mexico — environmental groups claim that an area the size of Massachusetts is now a “dead zone due to Mississippi River pollution. A dead zone is an area with such low levels of oxygen that the waters are unable to support marine life – and a number of environmental groups, including the Gulf Restoration Network and the Natural Resources Defense Council are suing the Environmental Protection Agency for its failure to implement more stringent water quality standard and stronger regulations for wastewater treatment.

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Post tags: agriculture pollution, dead zone, environmental protection agency, epa lawsuit, farm waste, gulf of mexico, gulf restoration network, marine life, Mississippi River, mississippi river basin, natural resource defense council, wastewater run off, water pollution

After the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico two years ago — which was the worst oil spill in the country’s history — President Barack Obama placed a moratorium on all new offshore drilling ventures to provide time to research safer drilling practices. That moratorium was lifted about a year ago, and now drilling is back in business and going strong. Some say that the amount of oil rigs in operation will soon surpass the number of rigs drilling before the accident. At the forefront of the new boom is our old friend British Petroleum, the company that is currently settling out of court with victims of the Deepwater Horizon disaster. BP currently has five oil rigs open and drilling in the Gulf, and it expect to have three more fired up and ready to go by the end of the year.

Read the rest of Drilling in the Gulf of Mexico on the Rise as Oil Prices Continue to Climb

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Post tags: bp oil spill, deepwater horizon oil spill, environmental impact of offshore oil drilling, gulf of mexico, Gulf oil spill, moratorium on offshore drilling, offshore oil drilling, offshore oil production, offshore oil rig, offshore oil rig risks, offshore oil risks, offshore oil well, oil rig, risk of oil spill, risks

According to a study released today by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the massive plume from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico had an additional airborne component – about 8% of the oil from the spill evaporated and formed a cloud of pollution 18.5 miles wide – the size of a large urban area. The amount of airborne organic particles resulting from the evaporated oil was ten times more than what resulted from all surface burning of oil in the wake of the disaster.

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Post tags: air pollution, deep water drilling consequences, deep water drilling for oil, deep water oil spill, deepwater horizon, deepwater horizon air pollution, deepwater horizon oil spill, deepwater horizon pollution, gulf of mexico, natural gas, oil extraction, oil spill

It is coming to fists again over the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. This time, however, it isn’t the people of the gulf against big oil, it is the oil companies against each other. BP is accusing Halliburton of knowingly destroying the results from a test on cement slurry at the site and seemingly losing computer modeling of the cement at the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Both are considered pieces of evidence that could prove Halliburton installed faulty cement at the site of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, causing the well to rupture and spill 4.9 million barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico.

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Post tags: BP, bp oil spill, dangers of drilling for oil, deep water drilling for gas, deep water drilling for oil, deepwater horizon, faulty cement, gulf of mexico, gulf of mexico oil spill, Gulf oil spill, halliburton, halliburton faulty cement, halliburton oil well, oil drilling safety, oil slick, oil spill

Almost exactly six years after Hurricane Katrina slammed New Orleans, producing one of the worst natural disasters in American history, the Gulf Coast is set to get battered by another major storm. By all accounts, Tropical Storm Lee isn’t expected to cause the level of destruction that Katrina left behind, but it might test the rebuilt levees on the Mississippi. About 6,000 New Orleans residents were evacuated in advance of the storm’s landfall, and Louisiana and Mississippi have declared states of emergency. So far, about 35,000 homes in Louisiana were reported to be without power.

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Post tags: gulf coast, gulf of mexico, Hurricane Katrina, louisiana, Mississippi River, natural disasters, New Orleans, offshore drilling, Tropical Storm Lee