Deepwater Horizon rig’
NSU Receives $1.6 Million Grant to Train Oil Industry Workers for Spill Response
Wednesday, September 8th, 2010
One of the many lessons that have come out from the Deepwater Horizon spill is that you can never be too prepared for a sudden, catastrophic environmental disaster. The magnitude of the spill caught many in the oil industry unawares. Nova Southeastern University is aiming to change that.
The University recently received a federal grant of $1.6 million to train oil industry workers and others in oil spill response efforts. The National Institute of Health's Institute of Environmental Health Safety gave the five-year grant to the NSU Center for Bioterrorism and All Hazards Preparedness. The funds will be...
Confusion Marked Last Day of Deepwater Horizon
Friday, August 27th, 2010
The Wall Street Journal has a gripping account of the last day on the doomed Deepwater Horizon. The WSJ has taken Coast Guard hearings and witness accounts to present its version of what went wrong on the 20th of April.
There was much disagreement and confusion during the last hours of the rig. The confusion began with an e-mail sent by a BP engineer on the morning of April 20th. In the e-mail was a major change to a safety pressure test conducted to determine the well’s safety. According to the change, BP wanted to remove an extraordinarily large...
How Much Do We Really Know about the BP Spill Fund?
Friday, August 27th, 2010
Anybody who's been following the tragedy in the Gulf of Mexico, knows that BP has such aside a $20 billion fund to pay all liability claims arising from the disaster. However, there are key facts about the fund that, I believe, few people know about.
Money from the fund will be used to reimburse claims arising from state and local response efforts, as well as environmental damage. There may be very little money left over to pay claims to victims of the explosion.
Contrary to what Ken Feinberg, the administrator of the fund told Public Citizen, the fund is capped at...
Yet More BP-Transocean Finger Pointing at Houston Hearings
Tuesday, August 24th, 2010
The US Coast Guard and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement are conducting another round of hearings into the BP Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion, in Houston this week. The hearings are scheduled to be spread out across five days. The first couple of days into the hearings have already had BP and Transocean coming out all guns blazing at each other.
Much of the hearing was dominated by BP executives blaming Transocean for the explosion. The head of marine authority at BP testified that Transocean had found dozens of maintenance issues in an audit...
People Who Settle with BP Cannot File an Oil Spill Lawsuit Later
Friday, August 20th, 2010
BP claimants, who are waiting for settlements from the $20 billion fund established by the company to take care of claims, have another frustrating choice to make. If they decide to accept a settlement from the company, they have no way of knowing for sure if the settlement will cover all the damages, including those they might incur in the future. If they decide to decline the settlement and file a lawsuit, litigation could go on for years. It's like being stuck between a rock and a hard place, and it's advisable to consult with a Read More »
Transocean Accuses BP of Withholding Documents That Could Point to Cause of Deepwater Horizon Explosion
Thursday, August 19th, 2010
The finger pointing between BP and Transocean over the causes for the Deepwater Horizon explosion continues. Today, Transocean accused BP of withholding critical documents that could point to the cause of the Deepwater Horizon explosion in April.
According to the WSJ, Transocean has sent a letter to BPs attorneys, saying that the oil company has key information that can help identify the cause of the explosion. However, BP has failed to hand over the information to Transocean. This puts Transocean in a difficult position as it has no answers to provide the families of the 11 workers who...
BP to Provide $52 Million in Funding Towards Mental Health Outreach Programs in Gulf Coast States
Wednesday, August 18th, 2010
Last week, a study confirmed the depth of mental health and stress among residents of the Gulf Coast. Approximately 2/3rd of parents in the study admitted that their children were showing symptoms of mental stress since the oil spill. The children were having trouble sleeping, had severe skin rashes from the stress, and suffered from respiratory problems.
The magnitude of the mental health crisis that is still simmering below the surface in the Gulf Coast states, has been the white elephant in the room that BP has refused to address thus far. The company has chosen to remain...
Federal Government Will Introduce Tougher Environmental Reviews for Deepwater Oil Drilling
Tuesday, August 17th, 2010
The federal administration said this week that it will require environmental reviews for all new deep water oil drilling. This is in response to the belief that decades of lack of oversight contributed indirectly to the Gulf of Mexico spill.
The administration is acting in response to the BP oil spill that has led to about 206 million gallons of oil being dumped into the Gulf of Mexico. One of the facts that have come out since the spill is that BP’s drilling permits were exempt from environmental review. The Interior Department has now announced that it will...
WaPo Focuses on Stresses of Oil Rig Work
Tuesday, August 10th, 2010
Stressful work conditions, inadequate training, and a work culture that is more dollar-centric than focused on safety - all these and other factors lead to hundreds of oil rig worker injuries every year. The Washington Post has a special report on the kind of work environment that contributes to these injuries.
Oil rig work pays very well, and as a result, the drilling industry is never short of potential job applicants. Many of these workers show up on drilling rigs with very little training and ill prepared to handle the stresses of working on the high seas. Out...
NYT: Transocean Had History of Safety Problems at Other Rigs Too
Thursday, August 5th, 2010
After a lot of focus on BPs safety history, the media is now swinging back to scrutiny of Transocean's safety culture. The New York Times is reporting that before the Deepwater Horizon exploded in the Gulf of Mexico, Transocean had been concerned enough about the safety of its rigs to commission a review of the safety culture at the company.
Transocean commissioned the review in response to a series of accidents and near misses. Risk management company Lloyd's Register was roped in to conduct the review. The company's Houston headquarters were included in the review. Also included were...
