Gulf Restoration Network

Dispersants: A Big Unknown... BPs Oil Drilling Disaster in the Gulf of Mexico Thursday, 06 May 2010 14:37

Over the past couple of days, I have gotten several questions about dispersants that are being used to combat the ever-growing oil slick in the Gulf:  What do dispersants do?   Are they effective?  Are they toxic?  What happens to the oil? I will be the first to admit that I cannot come close to answering all of these questions, but based on the research I have done here are my impressions:

Photo from Associated Press

However, there is a major trade-off involved. The oil that is “dispersed” from the surface ultimate ends up in the water column, and at the bottom of the oceans – endangering the marine life that resides in these areas. The most commonly used dispersant, Corexit 9500, can be toxic to crustaceans at relatively low levels and there are significant concerns about what effect the combined oil and dispersants will have on bottom-dwelling critters, as well as larval fish.

There is a remarkable lack of study on how dispersants affect the water column, and wildlife but we do know that the oil that is “dispersed” is likely to remain hidden below the Gulf for some time to come. It’s is difficult to say whether or not dispersants should be used and under what circumstances, but it is obvious that we do not know enough about these dispersants. This is why I suggest that independent scientists, university scientists, and agencies, such as NOAA and EPA, begin studying these dispersed oils in the Gulf immediately to ensure that we are not making an ill-fated tradeoff, and so if a big spill happens again, we will be better prepared.

To read my more in-depth analysis, go here .

There has been a bit of coverage regarding dispersants over the past couple of days, I would suggest taking a look at what the Lower Mississippi Riverkeeper, and NRDC have been posting on the issue.  Also check out recent articles in the New York Times and Grist.

Matt is Water Resources Program Director for GRN

Oil Hits Chandeleur Chain: 14 Days After - View from Above BPs Oil Drilling Disaster in the Gulf of Mexico Thursday, 06 May 2010 07:31

As BP's oil drilling disaster continues to pump an estimated 210,000 gallons of their crude into the Gulf of Mexico, nearly 3 million gallons have now fouled the marine ecosystem of the Gulf.

Weather finally permitted another monitoring flight with Southwings, so yesterday morning pilot Tom Hutchings, photog Matthew White and I took off from Biloxi to check on the containment efforts in the marshes, as well as see if any of the barrier islands or coastal wetlands had been hit with BP's oil.

We checked out areas of the Biloxi Marsh, to see if the planned boom deployment had actually happened.  We certainly noted some boom out, but unfortunately, roughly 1/4 of the boom had broken, and it seemed clear that the strategy of closing inlets and bayous to keep interior marsh and ponds clear of oil would fail if the oil entered the area. We didn't see any of the 'vessels of opportunity' deploying or maintaining the booms in the area unfortunately.

Flying on, we went to find the oil.  Unfortunately, compared with our flights from last week, we didn't have to go nearly as far to see the sheen and the slick.  'Slick' is a misnomer, as the interaction of this crude with the wave action of the Gulf creates a reddish brown 'mousse' on the surface.  We spotted the mousse on both the the inside and the outside of the Chandeleur Islands, the barrier islands separating the Gulf from the Lake Pontchartrain Basin and the marsh of lower St. Bernard Parish.  There were no booms in place to protect the Chandeleurs.

Eventually, we spotted an area of the island chain that had been hit, with the reddish mousse clearly apparent on the white sand beach of the island.  Our photographer also spotted an associated fish kill in the vicinity. We weren't the only ones searching for the oil, we caught pilot conversations about Coast Guard cutters on the search to to clean up, as well as a plane carrying Interior Secretary Ken Salazar out observing the event.

Following one of the tendrils of mousse, we headed back towards Ship Island and the Mississippi Barrier Islands.  The oil ended about ten miles south of the islands, a distance that our pilot estimated would be closed within one tide cycle barring significant winds from the north.  I shared this news with our board member, Captain Louis Skrmetta of Ship Island Excursions to see if he could mobilize more

resources to protect this important part of the Gulf Islands National Seashore of the National Park Service.

As we flew over Ship and Cat Island, we did see some additional boom deployment, with inlets closed around Cat Island, and large, black booms deployed in a unique aray in front of the leading edge of Ship Island.

As we came in for a landing, it was clear that the vast majority of our barrier islands and coastal marshes areexposed and vulnerable, with insufficient efforts on the water to rectify the problem. No skimming or booming was happening to contain or clean up the vast stretches of mousse we encountered.

Aaron Viles is GRN's campaign director

Donate & Help GRN Protect Wetlands and Wildlife BPs Oil Drilling Disaster in the Gulf of Mexico Wednesday, 05 May 2010 16:07

• Assessing the situation by boat and air;
• Monitoring the movement of the slick as oil reaches shore;
• Providing science-based information about the extent and impact of the disaster, containment, and clean up efforts;
• Pressuring BP to remain fully engaged in clean up efforts; and
• Calling on constituents like you and have to date generated nearly 1,650 messages to federal officials asking for a timely and effective response to the crisis and a commitment to withdraw support for expanded drilling

Oil Slick Nears Ship Island, MS BPs Oil Drilling Disaster in the Gulf of Mexico Wednesday, 05 May 2010 14:28

So much can change in a day.  Yesterday, May 4th, Ship Island Excursions hosted a boat tour of Ship Island, one of the islands in the Gulf Islands National Seashore.  It was a gorgeous day.  Dolphins were playing in the water just as the ship slowed to dock on the northern side of the island near Fort Massachusetts, a national historic site.  Sanderlings, a small shore bird, were foraging for food along the water’s edge of the beach.  Picturesque and quiet, I was struck by how much Mississippi has to lose.

This morning, Southwings pilot Tom Hutchings along with Aaron Viles, GRN surveyed the spill on a flyover and spotted a mass of thick, emulsified oil, called “chocolate mousse” just 11 miles south of Ship Island.  Pilot Hutchings stated that he is concerned that the slick could reach the southern shores of Ship Island in one tidal cycle.  Mississippi has been lucky so far but that luck may be running out if current weather conditions remain.  According to the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources, there are 19 species listed “rare/endangered” on Ship Island.  The island is also where you find the Black Skimmer rookery and the Atlantic Loggerhead Turtle nesting area.

From the visit yesterday, I am not hopeful about what I saw as far as protection for the island.  Though BP has committed to giving the State of Mississippi $25 million to pay for coastal protection mechanisms, it may be a day late and a dollar short. Currently, there is about 300 feet of the traditional orange boom along the western tip of Ship Island.  Yesterday, about 1,000 feet of a new type of larger, black boom was deployed to the southwest end of Ship Island.  (see photo)

Latest Oil Spill Projections BPs Oil Drilling Disaster in the Gulf of Mexico Wednesday, 05 May 2010 10:19

Latest projections for the BP oil drilling disaster's footprint, courtesy of NOAA.

Raleigh Hoke is GRN's Mississippi Organizer

Like oil barons: searching for black gold in silver water BPs Oil Drilling Disaster in the Gulf of Mexico Tuesday, 04 May 2010 23:35

There was an eerie feeling today out along the Louisiana coastline. When will it get here? When will the massive amounts of oil perched just off of our shoreline make its way into our wetlands? How are the birds? Did you see any dead sea-turtles? What about the booms? Were they there? Those are just some of the questions that we have been asked at GRN and we have been desperately trying to answer.  Today was no different and, unfortunately, there are no easy answers.

After the fog cleared early this morning, we launched from Cypress Grove Marina in Venice, Louisiana. Captain Keith Kennedy, of "Born to Fish Charters", was our guide, and a very good one at that. By 8:30am, I along with the captain, Greenpeace’s Visual Communications Director, Tim Aubry, and videographer Frances James were already at Trappers Canal. We weaved in and around the wetlands here and saw Mexican whistling ducks, alligators, Spider lilies, Native purple Iris, Red wing black birds (Orioles), Egrets, Black Ibises’, marsh hens, and many more birds, plants, and marvelous creatures.

We also met Alan Sesshun, known as “the mayor” of Trappers Canal, population 25 before Katrina. A man of French and Sicilian heritage, Alan has lived in Trapper’s canal for 35 years, doesn’t shop at the grocery store, and only lives off of the land. We stopped so that I could speak to Alan to get his perspective on the state of things in his, well, “neighborhood”. Several things that he said are in line with what GRN has been witnessing out in the Delta. Alan was perplexed at the lack of equipment being deployed to defend the coast. He asked, “How could they have been so unprepared considering how much these oil companies have invested in infrastructure in the area?” He asked, “How come the only people I’m seeing in this area are the press?  Where are the responders? How come they aren’t doing anything over here to protect this marsh?” Alan blasted BP for telling fishermen and shrimpers, now in need of clean-up jobs since they can’t fish or trawl, that they would have to be reimbursed for their fuel and other expenses should they decide to join BP as part of its clean up team. 

By 10am we were already in the main Mississippi River heading to South Pass. We passed three small boats racing south with boom tucked away on board. We passed Pilotown (or what’s left of it since Katrina), where river pilots come to stay overnight, and at 3 Head Split, we saw a huge ongoing dredging project. By 10:15am we were at the beach fronting East Bay where Captain Kennedy stopped the boat and pointed out, to his utter disgust, that there was no protective boom in place. Kennedy explained, “We are positioned 25 miles away from where the BP Horizon exploded and sank and I am shocked that there is no boom in place here along East Bay. These oil companies have done absolutely nothing in this area to prevent coastal erosion, and they aren’t doing anything here now either.”

Around 11:45am in South Pass at Coast Guard Cut, we spotted what appeared to be a light sheen moving in rapidly with the tide. We also found several small craft deploying boom. Two kinds to be exact: standard and absorbent. The standard boom is the bright orange kind while the absorbent is white and is placed directly in front of the standard. It’s designed to absorb oil before it hits the last layer of protection. Based on what we saw, neither of these types of boom will do much to protect those wetlands because of the rough nature of the wave action. So, why then is it that the deployment of boom is not being done in places like, say, Mr. Alan Sesshun’s neighborhood, where the seas are calmer? There are miles and miles of inland marsh that are still left completely exposed. GRN will keep you posted and we hope to answer some of these questions. In a strange twist of irony, we are like oil barons, searching for black gold in silver water.We can only hope that we don't find it covering our real treasures.

Big Oil Bailout Prevention Act BPs Oil Drilling Disaster in the Gulf of Mexico Tuesday, 04 May 2010 14:09

On Sunday, wide swaths of the Gulf were closed to recreational and commercial fishing for at least ten days due to the BP oil drilling disaster. Across the Gulf coast, fishermen, restaurant owners, and those who rely on coastal tourism are already experiencing major economic and emotional challenges. As tough as the initial consequences of this disaster are, the ultimate long-term environmental impacts and economic costs for state and local governments, coastal residents and businesses could be extraordinarily large. Unfortunately, current law only holds BP responsible for $75 million in economic and other damages related to the BP oil drilling disaster.

Today, several US Senators announced a new bill, dubbed the “Big Oil Bailout Prevention Act,” which will raise this economic liability cap to $10 billion. As way of explanation, the bill’s primary author, Senator Robert Menendez of New Jersey said that “oil spills can leave massive holes in the economy” and “if you spill it, you should have to fill it.” It’s hard to argue with that.

Read an article about this proposal, and other Congressional action related to the BP oil drilling disaster here.

Raleigh Hoke is GRN's Mississippi Organizer