On BP finally released some of the first video of the massive oil leak gushing into the Gulf of Mexico – a full 30 second clip of it! Since this tragic accident first occurred, we have been concerned with BP’s efforts to keep important information from the public and downplay the significance of this event. The data that BP and its contractors collect concerning the oil drilling disaster should be available to the government, independent experts, and the public. Cherry-picking 30 seconds of video from the hours of footage which probably exist is yet another example of BP’s pattern of secrecy and constant efforts at positive spin over the course of this catastrophe.Nonetheless, the release of this short video has led several prominent, independent experts to again question the official estimates of the rate at which oil is gushing into the Gulf. An article published in the New York Times today pointed out several problems with the method that was used to calculate the current official estimate, and interviewed several experts about the rate. The full article is worth a read, but here is one particularly striking passage:Mr. [Alun] Lewis [a British oil-spill consultant] cited a video of the gushing oil pipe that was released on Wednesday. He noted that the government’s estimate would equate to a flow rate of about 146 gallons a minute. (A garden hose flows at about 10 gallons per minute.)”Just anybody looking at that video would probably come to the conclusion that there’s more,” Mr. Lewis said. Check out the video below: Raleigh Hoke is GRN’s Mississippi Organizer
