Casey DeMoss Roberts

New York, NY A year after the BP Gulf oil disaster and under pressure from environmental groups, the EPA finally released a list of the chemical components in oil dispersants. The federal agency also disclosed health and safety information about the chemical components that were previously withheld from the public as “confidential business information.” The …

Government Releases Partial List of Chemicals Found in Oil Spill Dispersants Read More »

Guest Blog from Nancy Paraskevopoulos, 1 Mississippi Campaign Organizer, www.1mississippi.net.The Mississippi River runs through the heart of our nation. It’s a source for jobs, wildlife, recreation and cultural icons. But pollution from agriculture, development and industry is wrecking our Big River. This pollution threatens our drinking water, quality of life and our economies. This pollution …

Mississippi River makes list of Most Endangered Rivers Read More »

Data based on tracking erosion after every storm over a period of years shows that farms in Iowa are losing precious topsoil up to 12 times faster than government estimates, a disturbing discovery detailed in a new report by the Environmental Working Group. The report, titled Losing Ground, is based on research by scientists at …

The Corn Belt Losing Ground Read More »

From Steve Kolian at EcoRigs . . .A team of three scientific divers found high levels of ethyl benzene and xylene in their blood after completing 15-20, -dives of approximately 30 minutes, while wearing full wet suits. The diving was done over the summer and early fall of 2010 in the Gulf of Mexico Main …

Gulf Divers Experiencing Health Problems, Blood Contaminated With Petroleum Hydrocarbons Read More »

Gulfport, MS- The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi ruled that Hancock County Development, LLC violated the federal Clean Water Act when it began construction of a large residential and commercial development in approximately 700 acres of wetlands near Bay St. Louis. The company violated the law by discharging storm water from …

Federal Environmental Laws Violated Read More »

Dr. Liz Kujawinski, chemist at the well respected Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, found a component of dispersant still hanging around in the Gulf, seven months after spraying stopped. During the disaster response, EPA and NOAA made claims that dispersants degrade very quickly. Dr. Paul Anastas, Assistant Administrator for the Office of Research and Development EPA …

Bacteria Don’t Like Dispersants Read More »

Bioaccumulate is just a big word that scientists use to mean “stores up”. Some chemicals flush out of our bodies very easily while others stick around for a long time. These chemicals with staying power are said to bio-accumulate. We are not alone; the same thing is true for fish and shellfish that we like …

Bad News For Gulf Seafood: Bioaccumulating Chemicals Found Read More »

PEER stands for Performance Evaluation and Expenditure Review, this is a group authorized by the State of Mississippi to audit state agencies. The Harrison County Utility Authority (HCUA) recently came under fire when state legislators raised concerns about how the Community Development Block Grant funds received from the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban …

PEER Slams Utility Authority in Mississippi Read More »

The jury is still out on whether using dispersants on the surface and at the well head was the best idea. That being said, the recent Oil Spill Commission Report is highly critical of the government’s failure to anticipate and plan an adequate response for a spill of the magnitude that we experienced.The Commission is …

The Future of Dispersants Read More »

“Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to sufferThe slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,And by opposing end them?” – Shakespeare There is a substantial dilemma unfolding on the coast: should we eat Gulf seafood to support our fishermen and ignore nagging concerns about its safety or avoid …

To Eat or Not To Eat? Read More »