Latest Mississippi River Delta News: March 14, 2013
← Older posts Newer posts →Latest Mississippi River Delta News: March 14, 2013
Halliburton rig worker acknowledges missing signs of well blowout as BP trial continues By Richard Thompson, The Times-Picayune (New Orleans). March 13, 2013. “Joseph Keith, a mud logger for Halliburton’s Sperry Sun unit, testified Wednesday in the 11th day of the BP trial that he took a smoke break and missed a “kick” of natural gas an hour before the April 20, 2010 blowout of BP’s Macondo well and the explosion and fire aboard the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig…” (Read …
Latest Mississippi River Delta News: March 13, 2013
Halliburton Official ‘Surprised’ by Unauthorized Tests By Allen Johnson Jr. and Margaret Cronin Fisk, Bloomberg News. March 12, 2013. “A Halliburton Co. (HAL) safety executive testified he didn’t authorize post-explosion tests on the type of cement used on the BP Plc (BP/) well that blew up in the Gulf of Mexico and was surprised when he heard about them a year later…” (Read more) BP trial: Halliburton exec testifies seal on well had ‘low probability of success’ By Mark Heim, …
A tale of two islands
By Derek Brockbank, Director, Mississippi River Delta Restoration Campaign. It was the best of Louisiana; it was the worst of Louisiana. This past week, I had the opportunity to see the remarkable juxtaposition of the depressing, but necessary, ongoing efforts to clean BP oil from the beaches of Grand Isle and the hope for the coast that was generated by joining with hundreds of volunteers on a restoration project on Grand Terre. Grand Isle and Grand Terre are both low-lying …
Latest Mississippi River Delta News: March 12, 2013
River Diversions for Louisiana Restoration to Require Sediments Dredging Today. March 12, 2013. “An independent technical panel reported March 11, 2013, in a newly concluded study, that existing Mississippi River freshwater diversions have not slowed the ongoing loss of Louisiana’s wetlands…” (Read more) The Not-So-Mysterious Loss of Salt Marshes and Ecosystem Services By Paige Brown, Scientific American. March 12, 2013. “Mosquitos by the droves. Polluted coastal waters. Increased storm surge vulnerability. Loss of habitat for crabs, shellfish and vast numbers …
Latest Mississippi River Delta News: March 11, 2013
Second week of BP oil spill trial focuses on gross negligence By Mark Schleifstein, The Times-Picayune (New Orleans). March 8, 2013. “In the second week of the BP oil spill trial in New Orleans, lawyers for the Plaintiffs Steering Committee and the Justice Department continued to plod through a long list of witnesses called to back up their contention that BP committed gross negligence and willful misconduct in actions before, during and after the blowout of its Macondo oil well …
Latest Mississippi River Delta News: March 8, 2013
BP oil spill trial: Blowout preventer on Macondo well had dead battery, miswired solenoid, expert testifies By Mark Schleifstein and Richard Thompson, The Times-Picayune (New Orleans). March 8, 2013. “The blowout preventer used on the BP Macondo well contained a dead battery and a miswired solenoid, a fatal combination that resulted in the complex piece of machinery failing to stop the flow of oil and gas that triggered the explosion and fire on April 20, 2010…” (Read more) BP ‘Played …
Latest Mississippi River Delta News: March 7, 2013
On trial for Gulf oil spill, BP faces the price of profit By Kailani Koenig-Muenster, MSNBC. March 6, 2013. “In New Orleans, the first phase of one of the largest environmental trials in U.S. history is underway. Three years after the devastating Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion, the civil trial will determine the share of liability for companies involved…” (Read more) Cement in BP Macondo well never dried, leading to the blowout, expert witness testifies By Mark Schleifstein, The Times-Picayune …
Latest Mississippi River Delta News: March 6, 2013
BP’s Bob Dudley Dodges Trial Specifics In Speech To Oil Industry Faithful By Christopher Helman, Forbes. March 6, 2013. “BP Chief Executive Bob Dudley, in a speech this morning at the annual CERAweek conference in Houston, downplayed the Deepwater Horizon trial underway in New Orleans. He canceled his post-speech press conference, likely because he didn’t want to be asked about the likelihood of settling with the Department of Justice…” (Read more) BP faces August 2014 trial on shareholders’ Gulf spill …
Latest Mississippi River Delta News: March 5, 2013
Make BP pay to restore Gulf By David Yarnold, CEO, National Audubon Society, for CNN. March 5, 2013. “(CNN) — BP showed up in court last week, finally, nearly three years after the Deepwater Horizon disaster and the hell it unleashed on the Gulf Coast. It’s a huge, high-stakes trial, and BP is taking the beating it’s earned. Here’s what’s at stake for America if there is a judgment: potentially tens of billions of dollars that will be used to …
Latest Mississippi River Delta News: March 4, 2013
In Gulf Oil Spill Trial, Testimony Cites Series Of Missteps By Debbie Elliott, NPR. March 2, 2013. “And in another courtroom this week, a picture emerged of a tragic offshore accident that could have been prevented. It was the first week of testimony in a civil case to assign blame and financial liability for the 2010 explosion of the Deepwater Horizon in the Gulf of Mexico. NPR’s Debbie Elliott was in New Orleans and has this report…” (Read or listen) …
Latest Mississippi River Delta News: February 28, 2013
BP trial a ‘bloodbath’ that company must stop, say legal experts By George Talbot, The Press-Register (Mobile, Ala.). February 27, 2013. “NEW ORLEANS – Legal experts said pressure is growing on BP to settle civil charges brought against the British oil company for its role in the 2010 Gulf oil spill…” (Read more) Real or Man-made? The Mississippi’s “gift” to Louisiana creates controversy By John Snell, WVUE-TV. February 27, 2013. “Plaquemines Parish, La. — The Mississippi River, long held captive …
Latest Mississippi River Delta News: February 26, 2013
Witnesses To Take The Stand In BP Trial By Steve Inskeep and Debbie Elliot, NPR Morning Edition. February 26, 2013. “A federal judge will hear testimony Tuesday in a civil suit over who is to blame and who should be financially liable for the 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico…” (Read more) High Stakes Trial Begins for BP Gulf Oil Spill Associated Pres. February 25, 2013. “With billions of dollars at stake, the trial to figure out how …
Latest Mississippi River Delta News: February 22, 2013
BP’s track record is vital in deciding penalties: Editorial By The Editorial Board, The Times-Picayune. Feb. 21, 2013. “BP’s general counsel said this week that he’s confident that the company will escape the harshest level of civil penalties for the massive 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. It’s not surprising that he would argue against the notion that the oil giant was grossly negligent for the spill, which poured 4.1 million barrels of oil into the Gulf. The …
Latest Mississippi River Delta News: February 21, 2013
BP civil settlement remains elusive as trial nears By Michael Kunzelman, Associated Press. February 20, 2013. “NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The U.S. Justice Department and the five Gulf coast states affected by a massive oil spill nearly three years ago have indicated they would like to settle their environmental and economic claims with BP PLC ahead of a trial scheduled to start next week…” (Read more) La. coastal restoration meetings continue By Amy Wold, The Advocate. February 20, 2013. “NEW …
Latest Mississippi River Delta News: February 20, 2013
BP agreement could cut oil spill fines By Steve Mufson, The Washington Post. February 20, 2013. “BP has won an agreement from the Justice Department that there will be no penalties on the barrels of crude oil the company was able to recapture during the 2010 Gulf of Mexico spill, effectively cutting the company’s potential Clean Water Act fines by as much as $900 million, or even up to $3.5 billion…” (Read more) Coastians share visions of Gulf at meeting …