"The U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee said on Thursday it has scheduled a hearing for July 29 to look into circumstances surrounding last year's release of a Libyan prisoner linked to the 1988 bombing of an airliner over Lockerbie, Scotland.No way, BP would put profits ahead of justice and the "small people." No fuckin' way.
The committee said it will ask officials of BP Plc to testify, following reports that the British-based oil giant may have lobbied British officials to release the prisoner so that it could reach a deal with Libya on an offshore oil project."
"Now begins a waiting period during which engineers will monitor pressure gauges and watch for signs of leaks elsewhere in the well. The biggest risk: Pressure from the oil gushing out of the ground could fracture the well and make the leak even worse.posted by ericb at 2:56 PM on July 15, 2010 [1 favorite]
... The cap is designed to stop oil from flowing into the sea, either by bottling it up inside the well, or capturing it and piping it to ships on the surface. Retired Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen, the Obama administration's point man on the disaster, said it is not yet clear which way the cap will be used. The answer could depend on the pressure readings over the next two days.
Even if it works, the cap is not a permanent fix, and not the end of the crisis by any means. BP is drilling two relief wells so it can pump mud and cement into the leaking well in hopes of plugging it permanently by mid-August. After that, the Gulf Coast faces a monumental cleanup and restoration that could take years.
... Steve Shepard, Gulf Coast chairman of the Mississippi Chapter of the Sierra Club, said he was still skeptical about the news. 'I think it's a little premature to say it's definitely over. They've gotten our hopes up so many times before that in my mind I don't think it's going to be over until Christmas.'"
And yet. Why isn't Obama out there, clamoring for an environmental agenda? Where is Rahm Emanuel with his whole opportunity in disaster paradigm? Is there a political reason/s?What is it with people who keep thinking Rahm Emanuel shares their views on whatever issues? I mean, the guy wasn't even a universal heathcare supporter before he got his new Job. And Obama announced support for offshore drilling (all up and down the east coast) before the BP disaster struck. Maybe Rahm is busting balls and maybe he's getting what he wants.
and the Prez is poised - as early as Monday - to sign the most comprehensive Wall Street Reform since the Great Depression. But, you know, Obama is a socialist-fascist-corporatist-BP-capitalist shill.eh, most observers think that the Financial Regulation bill is pretty much a sham compared to what people were talking about before it passed. It really does nothing to either break up the banks or reduce the systematic risk they pose. The consumer protection stuff is good (if mind boggling that it didn't exist prior)
Considering most bikes consist of materials made out of oil, I suggest everyone start walking to work...barefoot.Uh, I don't think aluminium and steel come from oil. Rubber maybe, plastics make up only a small percentage of a bike (and could be replaced easily with natural ruber if you were really paranoid). The amount of oil you need to dril to make the plastic that goes into a bike is minute compared to how much you need to run a car. The goal isn't "zero oil" it's simply to vastly reduce the oil that's burned.
"Pressure readings from the cap atop BP's busted well are less than ideal, but the crude will remain locked in while engineers look for a possible leak."posted by ericb at 4:33 PM on July 16, 2010
It’s not unusual for bubbles of gas to seep from the seabed, Darryl Bourgoyne, director of the petroleum engineering laboratory at Louisiana State University, said.-- BusinessWeek
“It could be a leak, it could be biogenic gas, gas created by bacteria,” he said. “It could lead to opening the well if they’re very, very cautious.”
BP announced overnight that the pressure, which was 6,778 pounds per square inch Sunday morning, had risen to 6,792 psi by 3 a.m. EDT Monday.posted by saulgoodman at 10:44 AM on July 19, 2010
Allen's statement was his third in 24 hours that indicated tension between government officials and BP over the containment cap test. On Sunday, just a few hours after Dudley had told reporters BP would like to keep the containment cap sealed indefinitely, Allen issued a pointed statement saying that there was no agreement to do that. He followed that with the letter to Dudley in which Allen demanded that BP inform him within four hours if any new leak is discovered and provide a written explanation of its intentions for the containment cap.
Computers used to monitor and control drilling operations intermittently froze, to the point that the problem became known as "the blue screen of death," Williams said. Despite attempted repairs, the issue remained unresolved at the time of the blowout, Williams said.I don't want to leap to any conclusions here . . .
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posted by zenwerewolf at 2:03 PM on July 15, 2010