Moderators: Elvis, DrVolin, Jeff
Gulf Oil Spill Six Months Later: Riki Ott
Oct 21, 2010 Karen Stephenson
On October 20, 2010, six months after the Deepwater Horizon explosion, Riki Ott speaks to radio host Rose Aguilar about the BP oil spill effects on people.
Radio host and author Rose Aguilar interviewed Riki Ott, PhD, for KALW 91.7 FM in San Francisco on the six month anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon explosion. Ms. Aguilar discovered some disturbing facts from author and marine biologist Riki Ott. Dr. Ott resides in Cordova, Alaska and experienced firsthand the devastating effects of the Exxon Valdez oil disaster. She has spent the last five months traveling between Louisiana and Florida gathering data.
Health Effects of the BP Oil Spill
In the interview with Rose Aguilar, Riki Ott discussed the health crisis that has been caused by the BP oil spill. Ms. Ott says that people are gravely suffering because “these people have oil in their bodies.” She believes that four to five million people in the Gulf were exposed to “either acute or intermediate levels of oil at dangerous levels.”
Dr. Ott, author of Not One Drop, says that she is aware of many people who are down to 4.75% of their lung capacity and as a result, have an enlarged heart. “All these people have oil in their bodies’ upper 95th percentile.” She emphasizes these are not isolated cases, countless people are suffering. Dr. Ott also shared some alarming information that many Gulf residents are experiencing their esophaguses literally dissolving. These are serious health effects and Riki Ott asserts, “We’re not hearing about these stories in the media.”
There is a cry for the medical community in the Gulf area to become trained in environmental medicine. Dr. Ott stated that the physicians in the Gulf region take tradition routes. She says she saw a woman the day before the interview whose two year old son has serious oil contamination. Doctors have only been giving him antibiotics and he is not responding.
Ott also stated that lawyers are now paying to send people to get proper medical care to various cities across the United States.
A Gulf activist, Kindra Arneson, stated in a You Tube video that doctors will not get involved because of possible long term ramifications. There are law suits in the works and these doctors will one day be called as witnesses. Ms. Arneson says this is why doctors in her area don’t want to get involved. She, and others, state that the spraying of dispersants is still going on and she feels that the health effects will be very severe in months to come.
Gulf Oil Spill – Toxic Oysters
On October 20, 2010, WCTV News covered a story about toxic oysters. Pamela Andrews told WCTC that she bought a half bushel of oysters from a seafood market in Tallahassee on October 18. Ms. Andrews says as she ate them she noticed crude oil all over them. She provided some of these oysters to WCTV.
The Huffington Post reports that there are Louisiana shrimp that are toxic. Shrimpers are reporting that shrimp they are catching have a “black substance” in their gills.
Kindra Arneson says that the government is quick to announce that everything is fine and the waters are open for fishing again. “It’s not ok – the seafood is not safe. We have conducted our own tests, and we do not want anyone eating fish caught from this area of the Gulf – not until we know for a fact it is safe otherwise more people will get gravely ill.”
Rose Aguilar asked Riki Ott why the government would allow all this to happen especially after the Exxon Valdez. Dr. Ott quickly replied, “It’s because these giant corporations control our politicians and it’s really no longer about rep or democratics, it’s about oil at all costs.”
Riki Ott states that these issues will only stay alive because of independent news sources, documentary film crews and the people of the Gulf coast. She strongly feels that when mainstream journalists are looking for the one year anniversary stories, serious health issues of possibly millions of people will be in the forefront.
Being very optimistic, Dr. Ott feels that “the lies and cover-up will be exposed” and it will ultimately lead to Obama’s forced exit from office.
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Gulf Oil Spill: Mission Accomplished or Ongoing Crisis?
The corporate media has almost entirely stopped covering the Gulf oil spill.
Many have tried to say that the effects of the spill are not nearly as bad as feared, and that everything is pretty much cleaned up and back to normal.
But today, it is widely being reported that there are currently massive stretches of weathered oil spotted in the Gulf of Mexico .
And websites like Florida Oil Spill Law (FOSL) have tirelessly been reporting on the Gulf oil spill this whole time.
To give an example of the ongoing crisis in the Gulf, here's a roundup of some of the top stories from FOSL from the past 3 days:
•Toxicologist now dealing with at least three autopsies in Gulf — “People who’s esophaguses are dissolving”
•Healthy teenager, 16, hospitalized after swimming in Gulf on AUGUST 30 — “Compromised lung” & “enlarged heart”
•Boat captain mentioned on NPR: “Internal bleeding — Very, very sick”
•Toxicologist: 4 to 5 MILLION people on Gulf Coast exposed to dangerous levels of oil — Going to have incredible health effect
•“We’re starving” — “There are no fish in the waters… and any fish we would see, we would not eat”
•Reporter STEPS onto beach, is then forced by private security to be “decontaminated” — “Yes” it’s about dispersants
•Boat captain “bleeding from her vagina” — “I’m bleeding from my anus, too… This thing is killing me”
•Oct. 19: “A seemingly unrelenting tide of oil” surprises pilot with “countless” flights over Gulf in last 6 months
•Report: Homeland Security agents want organizer to “shut up” — Told by BP to “back off”
•Captain: Mullet observed eating “dispersant as it gathered along the tide line”
•Massive SHELF of tar exposed on beach in Pensacola
•Not just the coast to be affected: “It is going to keep going further and further in”
•“Still so much oil and dispersant in the environment” says Gulf Restoration Network executive director
•“ALL” oyster beds are “dead or dying” says top oysterman — “Very pessimistic”
•Local Official: “The oil is not evaporating — it’s not dissipating, it’s sitting there”
•Florida woman: Oil found in batch of oysters while eating
•Scientists: Acceptable levels of toxic PAH in the Gulf raised simply for the BP disaster
•BP admits oil buried “30 inches under ground"
In related news, the government - always eager to immediately get to the bottom of what is really going on and then to fully publicize the results - has sent crucial Gulf samples to be analyzed in a lab . . . in Poland (all of the American labs are apparently busy testing the toxicity of hinky mortgages, mortgage backed securities, CDOs and naked CDSs). And the result will be shipped back by slow boat: NOAA isn't expecting results back until the end of the year.
THE GULF BLUE PLAGUE
IT’S NOT WISE TO FOOL MOTHER NATURE
By Michael Edward
The World Vision Portal
http://worldvisionportal.org/wvpforum/v ... =52&t=1031
It’s not wise to fool Mother Nature. Those who think they can get away with it will abruptly learn that payback can be more than they bargained for. That’s because nature will always retaliate in subtle retorts that shake the very foundations of this earth as well as life itself. Playing the role of Creator is a very dangerous game.
As part of their new logo and corporate image campaign, British Petroleum (BP) wants the public to think of them as their new slogan says, “Beyond Petroleum”. BP is far more than a simple oil company. What is revealed below regarding BP and their ‘beyond petroleum’ activities, both prior to and including their Gulf of Mexico catastrophe, will create a picture for the reader one pixel dot at a time. Once the person who reads everything presented here connects all the dots of the picture, it will be more than obvious that BP has tried to fool Mother Nature… and she’s retaliating with a vengeance that is affecting the entire world. This is a perilous game that has now gotten out of control. What began in the Gulf of Mexico, in February 2010, has now escalated into a man-made biological nightmare of unknown proportions.
SYNTHETIC GENOMICS
On June 13, 2007, BP made a long-term research and development deal and an undisclosed equity investment into a company named Synthetic Genomics Inc. based in Rockville, Maryland. Synthetic Genomics was co-founded by Dr. J. Craig Venter to commercialize genomic-driven technologies. (1) Genomics is the scientific study of the entire DNA sequence of an organism's genome. A genome is all the genetic information in the chromosomes of an organism, including its genes and DNA sequences.
BP/Synthetic Genomics recovered the DNA from subsurface hydrocarbon substrates (biological organisms in crude oil) and applied DNA “sequencing methods” to them. (1) What this means is that they took the DNA from underground crude oil reservoir microbial cells, such as bacteria or viruses, and cultured them in a lab to identify, isolate, and interpret their chemical and genetic properties. Additional “sequencing methods” beyond the initial identity and isolation stages were also carried out.
A central part of the deal between BP and Synthetic Genomics was to create biological transfer processes for crude oil that would lead to improved recovery rates. (1) Their goal was to develop new microbes with lab created genomes that would improve the flow of gas and oil out of a reservoir. For an oil producer like BP, more oil and gas being recovered from a source translates into more profits. This process is known as Microbial Enhanced Oil Recovery (MEOR).
MICROBIAL ENHANCED OIL RECOVERY
Microbial Enhanced Oil Recovery (MEOR) is the use of micro-organisms to retrieve additional petroleum production from an oil reservoir. Micro-organisms are introduced into oil wells to produce by-products which help propel oil out of the well. Because these processes help to mobilize the oil and assist oil flow, they allow a greater amount to be recovered from the well. (2)
MEOR is a direct application of biotechnology. It uses biological materials - such as bacteria, microorganisms, and products of their metabolism - to assist the movement of oil out of a well. Other applications include genetic engineering techniques and recombinant DNA technology, which are used to develop new strains of bacteria with improved oil recovery traits. (3)
The micro-organisms can be applied to an entire oil reservoir where they grow between the oil and the well's rock surface to enhance oil recovery in the following ways:
Bio-surfactant Production – Microorganisms produce slippery substances called surfactants as they breakdown oil. Because they are naturally produced by biological microorganisms, they are referred to as bio-surfactants. Bio-surfactants act like slippery detergents, helping the oil move more freely away from rocks and crevices.
Reduction of oil viscosity – Oil is a thick fluid that is quite viscous, meaning that it does not flow easily. Microorganisms help break down the molecular structure of crude oil, making it more fluid and easier to recover.
Production of carbon dioxide gas – As a by-product of metabolism, micro-organisms produce carbon dioxide gas. Over time, this gas accumulates and displaces the oil driving it up and out of the ground. (3)
PATENTS PENDING
The BP/Synthetic Genomics alliance was centered on developing new micro-organisms with lab created genomes (synthetic DNA) to improve the outflow of gas and oil reservoirs. That alliance was publicly announced on June 13, 2007. As to what prior date the actual agreement was made is a corporate privacy matter.
However, less than two weeks before the public announcement, on May 31, 2007, US Patent application number 20070122826 was published claiming exclusive ownership of a set of essential genes and a synthetic "free-living organism that can grow and replicate" that is made using those genes. An international patent application at the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO number WO2007047148, published April 27, 2007) names more than 100 countries where it may seek monopoly patents. (4)
The company that applied for the patents was the J. Craig Venter Institute (JCVI), a non-profit company founded by genetic scientist J. Craig Venter who also founded Synthetic Genomics, BP’s business alliance partner. Both are based in Rockville, Maryland. By no mere coincidence, Synthetic Genomics Inc. sponsors (pays for) fundamental research at JCVI. (1) Since BP has a developmental and research deal as well as an undisclosed amount of equitable stock ownership with Synthetic Genomics, it’s obvious who’s paying for the synthetic genetic research and results at JCVI.
Begin connecting the dots in order to see the picture.
BP WELLS AT MC252 GULF OF MEXICO
Since they were paying for genetic research to increase oil well flow and production, logic dictates that BP needed to apply a newly created micro-organism(s) produced by their alliance with Synthetic Genomics to the oil reservoir located beneath their Mississippi Canyon Block 252 lease in the Gulf of Mexico. According to BP’s submitted U.S. Minerals Management Service (MMS) application, there were to be two exploration (not production) wells drilled and capped designated as Wells A and B. Exploration wells are commonly used to inject or introduce Microbial Enhanced Oil Recovery micro-organisms and their nutrients into an oil reservoir for increased present and future production.
The first exploration well had been partially drilled by Transocean in October, 2009, but their Marianas semi-submersible drilling rig was damaged by hurricane Ida and was removed for repairs in late November, 2009. On February 3, 2010, the Deepwater Horizon semi-submersible rig commenced exploration drilling to complete the unfinished drilling operation of the Marianas rig. On February 13, 2010, BP informed the MMS that they were experiencing uncontrollable bursts of gas and large cracks at the base of the well. That was the reason they filed for and were granted a permit to abandon and cap the well the same day. (6)
Shortly after, Deepwater Horizon commenced drilling the other exploratory well for BP. We all know the result of the second drilling operation that destroyed the Deepwater Horizon rig on April 22, 2010. One fact that can’t be refuted regarding both exploratory wells is the extreme gas pressures coming from the oil reservoir and the resulting cracks on the ocean floor.
As noted above, MEOR micro-organisms can be applied to an oil reservoir where they grow between the oil and the well’s rock surface to enhance oil recovery. As a by-product of metabolism, micro-organisms produce carbon dioxide gas and this gas accumulates and displaces the oil by driving it up and out of the ground. At the same time, micro-organisms can break down the viscosity of the oil so that it’s thinner and can flow easier.
The published commercial goal of the BP/Synthetic Genomics alliance was to create new genetically engineered micro-organisms to increase the flow of oil. A public trademark of that research involves man-made genomes [synthetic DNA] controlling new artificial cellular organisms. Because of the vast estimated reserves of oil at MC252 in the Gulf of Mexico, the temperatures involved, and its extreme low oxygen depth, previous known or lab enhanced micro-organisms would not be effective in creating an increased flow of the oil.
One can only imagine what the results would be of a new MEOR synthetic bacteria that had a computer DNA designed capability to replicate itself rapidly in that extreme environment. The outcome would be unpredictable since it had never been tested in those conditions before… or had it?
Connect the dots to see more of the picture.
SAY HELLO TO SYNTHIA
In 2003, JCVI successfully synthesized a small virus that infects bacteria. By 2008, the JCVI team was able to synthesize a small bacterial genome. On May 6, 2010, JCVI revealed they had already created a self-replicating bacterial cell controlled by a chemically synthesized genome they named “synthetic Mycoplasma mycoides JCVI-syn1.0”. (7) This completely synthetic cell with its computer designed genome has absolutely no natural DNA. (1) The etc group from Canada named it Synthia and it contains added watermark chains to identify the genome as artificial. It also has antibiotic resistance indicators. (7) One can only speculate why this artificial bacterium has an inherent programmed capability to resist antibiotics.
This new life form has the ability to replicate itself and organically function in any cell into which it has been introduced. Its DNA is artificial and it’s this synthetic DNA that takes control of the cell and is credited with being the building block of life. This is the first self-replicating synthetic bacterial cell thanks to its computer generated DNA. All of the funding for this came from Synthetic Genomics Inc (1), the company BP has a sizable equity position and alliance with. BP is definitely way beyond petroleum just as their new slogan publicizes.
Why watermark this artificial genome? Doing so makes it identifiable as the unique and patented (privately owned) asset it is. What happens if a human becomes infected with a life-threatening variant bacterial species of Synthia? If you use Penicillin to fight the infection, it won’t do any good. Antibiotic resistance is part of its DNA sequence, so any use of antibiotics would be a waste of time.
What would happen if mankind is contaminated by this self-reproducing artificial life form by contact or by breathing it? Would we become subjective to the DNA of the synthetic cells flowing throughout our bodies? Would the Synthia cells combine with other bacterium within us to create a new deadly bacterium? Since the micro-organism is created and gets its programming from computers, would we become subject to artificial electro-magnetic frequencies recognized by these genomes? There are a lot of questions that need to yet be answered. What matters most is this: Will we find out those answers in time?
Keep connecting the dots. The picture is starting to take shape now.
HOW DO WE GET RID OF ALL THIS OIL?
The oil is there deep in the Gulf of Mexico. It’s not going anywhere soon. It has a continual supply. There are no plumes of oil. There are deep lakes of it.
In a True News radio interview with Rick Wells on June 28, 2010, the late oil industry expert, Matt Simmons, stated “BP claimed to have the only technology to deal with this” when asked why the U.S. government wasn’t taking over the Gulf oil crisis. (8) Considering their three year alliance with Synthetic Genomics and the genetic creations they’ve made, it’s very possible that the U.S. federal corporation in DC was convinced that BP’s breakthrough genomic technologies were the better gambling odds. There had never been so large an amount of crude oil to deal with before.
For decades, scientists have eagerly pursued genetic modifications that would enhance natural microbial abilities to eat up oil spills on both land and sea. Even with DNA recombinants and bacterial gene splicing, there has been little positive success with improving on nature’s natural oil eaters. Although his announcement silently slipped past the ears of news reporters from around the world, JCVI and Synthetic Genome founder Craig Venter foretold of - and spoke openly of - just such an application on May 15, 2010 during the public announcement of what the press is now calling Synthia. He was referring to a Synthia based synthetic bacterial cell that would consume hydrocarbons more efficiently than any known natural micro-organism.
It’s worthy to note that one of the first patents on a genetically engineered organism was a hydrocarbon-eating microbe in 1980. Called the "oil eater," the microorganism was actually a naturally occurring bacterium that had been given four rings of DNA that were also naturally occurring. This gave the bacterium the ability to degrade four components of crude oil. (10)
Scientifically, there have always been problems with trying to take command of natural micro-organisms. They are too unpredictable in diverse environmental conditions. While they do their job well in certain conditions, they can become dormant in other ecological surroundings. Marine chemist Chris Reddy of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution said that microbes are a lot like teenagers because they’re hard to control. (5) In contrast, artificial microbial life forms like Synthia are completely controlled by their computer created DNA programming.
Microbial ecologist Kenneth Lee says that only microbes can remove the oil from the ocean and that bio-degradation is what removes most of the oil from the environment. History proves his statements are correct, but the time involved can span many decades and beyond. We don’t have that much time to deal with the oil in the Gulf.
Scientific American says “The last and only defense against the ongoing Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is tiny-billions of hydrocarbon-chewing microbes. In fact, the primary motive for using the more than 830,000 gallons of chemical dispersants on the oil slick both above and below the surface of the sea is to break the oil into smaller droplets that bacteria can more easily consume”. (5)
If there was only a super-high-efficient-micro-organism available that could do the job much faster and more efficiently (wink, wink).
Just a few more dots to connect and you’ll see the whole picture.
THE DISPERSANT FACTOR
It’s been puzzling to understand why BP has chosen to continually spray dispersants such as Corexit from airplanes and boats day and night since early May 2010. The spraying hasn’t just been over the Gulf, but along the coastlines as well. While it’s claimed that Corexit disperses oil by breaking it into smaller pieces, can this be the only reason for all this spraying?
In recent tests of rainwater originating from the Gulf of Mexico, natural mineral elements such as copper and iron were found along with nickel, aluminum, and manganese. (9) That’s very unusual for rain clouds originating from a saline ocean. The only logical explanation is that such elements were introduced to the Gulf water where they were drawn up by the rain clouds. The only way that could have happened is from aerial and surface spraying and/or below surface injection.
Are these ingredients of Corexit? Not according to Nalco, the manufacturer. Then these natural earth elements must be added to what is being sprayed along with Corexit, but why? What benefit is there to add elements like copper or iron to seawater? After all, these are natural elements and nutrients you would add to soil to make plants grow, so why add them to sea water?
Bacteria thrive in rich nutrient environments. Natural minerals are necessary building blocks for nutrients that bacteria thrive on. Think of it as hydro-fertilizing the Gulf to make it a better nutritional medium for hungry oil-eating bacterium. The so-called “dispersants” are not only breaking down the crude oil into smaller pieces, they’re adding needed enhancement minerals so that the bacterium can multiply more rapidly and eat up the oil faster. Such bacteria are called Bioremediators.
The dots are forming a big picture. You’re almost there.
SYNTHIA HAS A COUSIN
The only ingredient missing is a new and previously unknown genus of hydrocarbon-eating bacteria that can survive the cold water depths - where the lakes of oil and tar now sit - so it could degrade it faster than any known natural bacteria.
In a paper published in the journal Science, Terry Hazen and his colleagues at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory discovered in late May through early June 2010 that a previously unknown species of cold-water hydrocarbon-eating bacteria have been feasting on the underwater oil plumes degrading them at accelerated rates. (11)
We can now understand why, on May 15, BP/Synthetic Genome’s CEO Craig Venter hinted of a new hydrocarbon-eating synthetic genome. Prior to that date, JCVI had already applied for numerous additional patents (we were able to find seven) regarding synthetic bio-remediation, such as bacteria synthetic genomes which provide unique DNA information required for “replication of a free-living organism”. In layman’s terms, this means the BP and Synthetic Genome scientists had already created self-replicating bacteria “wherein the assembled DNA molecule is a [synthetic] genome” back in 2007. (13)
Just a few more connecting dots and the picture will be complete.
HURRICANES AND GENOMIC VACCINES
As I stated on WVP Radio during our premiere broadcast in August, there won’t be any hurricanes entering into the Gulf of Mexico this year. (14) There haven’t been and there won’t be. Otherwise, both the hurricanes and the jet stream will send the synthetic bacteria all around the world.
They have to isolate their biologically created nightmare until they can either find a way to control it or create a synthetic genome microbial vaccine to neutralize its effects. Could that have been their plan all along?
On October 7, 2010, Synthetic Genomics Inc. [the BP equity investment company] and JCVI announced the formation of a new company, Synthetic Genomics Vaccines Inc. (SGVI). The privately held company will focus on developing next generation vaccines using JCVI's genomic sequencing and synthetic genomic expertise, coupled with the intellectual property and business acumen of Synthetic Genomics Inc., to significantly advance and enhance vaccine development. (15)
How amazing that the BP/Synthetic Genomics alliance now has its own vaccine company for patented immunizations. But at what cost to humanity? It’s very profitable to not only create synthetic bacteria but to also offer a vaccine in case there are any problems. When you create the bacteria and control its DNA, you also know how to shut it down. Surely, BP is far Beyond Petroleum.
“We are excited to apply our advanced synthetic genomics technologies to revolutionize vaccine production" said Fernanda Gandara, President of SGVI. (15) Yes Fernanda, I’m sure you and BP are very excited.
HUMAN EFFECTS
The ETC Group is an international civil society organization based in Ottawa, Canada. They recently stated in a press release that
"Synthetic biology is a high-risk profit-driven field, building organisms out of parts that are still poorly understood. We know that lab-created life-forms can escape, become biological weapons, and that their use threatens existing natural biodiversity. Most worrying of all, Craig Venter is handing this powerful technology to the world’s most irresponsible and environmentally damaging industry by partnering with the likes of BP and Exxon to hasten the commercialization of synthetic life-forms."(12)
Now we have scientific confirmation of “a previously unknown species of cold-water hydrocarbon-eating bacteria” gobbling up oil in the Gulf. (11)
Nothing is known about how this new synthetic bio-remediation bacterium in the Gulf reacts with mankind. This is virgin and uncharted territory. We already know how sea mammals such as whales and porpoises have reacted. Those who haven’t escaped the affected areas of the Gulf have died… along with all other marine life and coastal vegetation. While human health effects from crude oil exposure are well known, the effects of dispersants containing oil-eating artificial bacteria are not known. It’s never been done before, let alone at the immense scale of operations now taking place.
There’s a reason the so-called “dispersants” are guarded by weapon-yielding soldiers and local armed law enforcement in warehouses and deployment yards along the Gulf coast. If a sample were to be analyzed by knowledgeable people, the biological and chemical anomalies it contains would be made public, right down to the unique DNA signature. BP keeps allowing their sorcerer’s brew to be called Corexit in order to hide the fact that it’s not just the name brand product any longer.
The physical symptoms of the BP Flu, BP Crud, Blue Flu, or whatever name you choose to call it, are as unique as the synthetic bacteria being used in the Gulf. Since mankind is carbon based, how do these synthetically created hydrogen and carbon hungry bacteria react to human flesh? Internal bleeding as well as ulcerating skin lesions are the physical signs of their computer created DNA signature.
BP and their paid minions have released a synthetic biological plague in the Gulf of Mexico and it’s out of control. The entire world is a victim of their greed and foolishness. By playing the role of creator, they have begun a very dangerous game with infinite repercussions for life as we know it.
Those who have permitted and agreed to this cover-up are just as responsible as BP. Those of us living on the Gulf coast must demand from every politician and government agency, from the national to the local level, an explanation as to why they allowed this to happen and why they are allowing it to continue. They are all responsible for lying to us and for covering up the truth.
Have you connected all the dots?
Do you see the complete picture now?
Since the micro-organism is created and gets its programming from computers, would we become subject to artificial electro-magnetic frequencies recognized by these genomes?
Firms Knew of Cement Flaws Before Spill, Panel Says
By JOHN M. BRODER
Published: October 28, 2010
WASHINGTON — Halliburton knew weeks before the fatal explosion of the Macondo well in the Gulf of Mexico that the cement mixture they planned to use to seal the bottom of the well was unstable but still went ahead with the job, the presidential commission investigating the accident said on Thursday.
In the first official finding of responsibility for the blowout, which killed 11 workers and led to the largest offshore oil spill in American history, the commission staff determined that Halliburton had conducted three laboratory tests that indicated that the cement mixture did not meet industry standards.
The result of at least one of those tests was given on March 8 to BP, which failed to act upon it, the panel’s lead investigator, Fred H. Bartlit Jr., said in a letter delivered to the commissioners on Thursday.
Another Halliburton cement test, carried out about a week before the blowout of the well on April 20, also found the mixture to be unstable, yet those findings were never sent to BP, Mr. Bartlit found.
Although Mr. Bartlit does not specifically identify the cement failure as the sole or even primary cause of the blowout, he makes clear in his letter that if the cement had done its job and kept the highly pressured oil and gas out of the well bore, there would not have been an accident.
“We have known for some time that the cement used to secure the production casing and isolate the hydrocarbon zone at the bottom of the Macondo well must have failed in some manner,” he said in his letter to the seven members of the presidential commission. “The cement should have prevented hydrocarbons from entering the well.”
The failure of the cement set off a complex and ultimately deadly cascade of events as oil and gas exploded upward from the 18,000-foot-deep well. The blowout preventer, which sits on the ocean floor atop the well and is supposed to contain a well bore blowout, also failed.
In an internal investigation, BP identified the faulty cement job as one of the main factors contributing to the accident and blamed Halliburton, the cementing contractor on the Macondo well, as the responsible party. Halliburton has said in public testimony that it tested and used a proper cement formula on the well and that BP’s flawed well design and poor operations caused the disaster.
Jesse Gagliano, a Halliburton technical adviser, told federal investigators in Houston in August that the company was confident in the cement job. He said Halliburton initially recommended that BP use a well design with more devices called “centralizers.” But even after BP chose to use six centralizers instead of the recommended 21, Halliburton believed the cement would work properly, Mr. Gagliano said.
“All indication at the surface was that everything went fine,” he said. “We plan for success.”
The Deepwater Horizon drilling rig was operated by a third company, Transocean.
Cathy Mann, a Halliburton spokesperson, said the company was reviewing the panel’s findings and would provide comment later Thursday.
Halliburton, a major oil field services company and one of the nation’s largest defense contractors, was once led by former Vice President Dick Cheney. Mr. Bartlit’s law firm, Bartlit Beck Herman Palenchar & Scott, has done legal work for Halliburton in the past but has not represented the company since 2005, the firm said.
After the commission report was released at 1:30 p.m. Eastern time, Halliburton’s stock price began dropping sharply, and was down more than 10 percent in mid-afternoon trading. BP shares rose slightly.
The commission obtained from Halliburton samples of the same cement recipe used on the failed well, including the same proportion of nitrogen used as a leavening agent and a number of chemicals used to stabilize the mixture. The cement slurry was sent to a laboratory owned by Chevron for independent testing.
The mixture failed nine separate stability tests designed to reproduce conditions at the BP well and did not pass any, according to Chevron’s test results, which were returned to the commission this week.
“Although laboratory foam stability tests cannot replicate field conditions perfectly,” Mr. Bartlit’s letter said, “these data strongly suggest that the foam cement used at Macondo was unstable. This may have contributed to the blowout.”
One and a half gallons of the actual mixture used on the doomed BP well survived the accident and are being held as evidence in ongoing criminal and civil investigations.
Shortly before technicians began pumping cement slurry down the well on April 19, Halliburton conducted one last test of the cement slurry. The company changed some of the conditions of the test, and appeared satisfied with the result, although those findings were not communicated to BP until after the well explosion, the commission found.
The commission concluded: “Halliburton may not have had — and BP did not have — the results of that test before the evening of April 19, meaning that the cement job may have been pumped without any lab results indicating that the foam cement slurry would be stable.”
Further, the panel found, “Halliburton and BP both had results in March showing that a very similar foam slurry design to the one actually pumped at the Macondo well would be unstable, but neither acted upon that data.”
The commission, appointed by President Obama in late May, is led by Bob Graham, the former governor and senator, and William K. Reilly, a former administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.
Mr. Bartlit, who conducted a much-praised investigation of the 1988 Piper Alpha blowout in Britain’s North Sea, which killed 167 workers, said that even if the cement failed on the BP well, it was not the whole story of the accident. Many human and mechanical failures combined to create the disaster, he said, and backup systems were skipped or ignored.
“Because it may be anticipated that a particular cement job may be faulty, the oil industry has developed tests, such as the negative pressure test and cement evaluation logs, to identify cementing failures,” he wrote. “It has also developed methods to remedy deficient cement jobs. BP and/or Transocean personnel misinterpreted or chose not to conduct such tests at the Macondo well.”
NeonLX wrote:Well, I sure hope Halliburton gets a stern talking to.
I'd even suggest a vigorous finger-shaking in this case.
Reappearance of Huge Plumes of Oil is Making It Hard to Pretend that the Problem Has Disappeared
There is a flood of information coming out on the Gulf oil spill.
Why?
The reappearance of huge plumes of oil is making it hard to pretend that it has all gone away.
Here's a roundup of some of the Gulf oil headlines from just the last 4 days:
More Independent Scientists Report “Vast Volumes of Oil Present on Seafloor”; Independent Research AGAIN Directly Contradicts NOAA/Coast Guard Findings
EXCLUSIVE PHOTOS: Confirmed Fish Kill on Grand Isle; “Overpowering Stench of Death and Decay” Coming From BP “Death Mounds”
Coast Guard Claims That Miles-Long Expanse of Oil on Gulf Surface Is Algae; Boat Captain: “I’ve never seen algae that looked orange, that was sticky, smelled like oil and that stuck to the boat and had to be cleaned off with solvent”
“They are dying” says registered nurse working in Florida — I’m seeing “people who have been chemically poisoned”
Valdez Toxicologist: “People are dropping dead now” — “I don’t think we’ll have to wait years to see the effects like we did in Alaska”
State officials admit: “Worried about FISHERY COLLAPSES, based on the collapse of the herring fishery” after the Exxon Valdez
"I’m scared of what I’m finding” says chemist — Corexit combines with oil to generate new compounds, many with “double bonds”
Fishermen Report Louisiana Bays Filled With Oil
NEW TEST RESULTS: 8 out of 8 Blood Samples from BP Cleanup Workers Test Positive For Toxic Chemicals Found in BP Oil
Feds Are Allowing BP to Leave Oil on Gulf Beaches
Chemist: Women more at risk — “Bleeding from their vagina and anus. Small kids are bleeding from their ears. This stuff is busting red blood cells”
Submerged oil surfaces: Fishermen say 10 MILE patch of brown foam “5 INCHES THICK with red swirls of oil”
“They are literally shrimping in oil” says eyewitness — “It’s criminal” that officials keep waters open
Catfish in lagoon “suffering burns across their heads and bodies” (VIDEO)
Researchers discover oil plume drifting 300 miles from Macondo well (VIDEO)
“May spark a whole new debate”: Scientist “astonished” that he found so much crude — Questions whether NOAA “dramatically understated” amount of oil in Gulf (VIDEO)
“It’s Raining Bacteria”: Rain can spread flesh-eating microbes via “bio-aerosols” — “Also led to skin allergies and rashes”
British Parliament report says Corexit 9500A “among the MOST CYTOTOXIC” dispersants studied — “Major concerns by lead scientists”
Federal Government Intimidates More Independent Researchers
46% of BP Oil Spill wildlife cleanup workers reported RASHES, itchy skin, or red skin — 35% with headaches
COREXIT appears to STILL be inside blue crab larvae says Tulane researchers in Gulf
Engineer confirms: “Toxic Corexit 9500A in MS Sound” after well capped
Senior NRDC Scientist: Still NO testing for heavy metals OR dispersant (VIDEO)
Researchers find “VAST VOLUMES” of oil on seafloor — Includes “Thick Raw Crude”
Scientists find “long plumes” of oxygen-depleted water “emanating” from BP’s Macondo well site
Fishermen sprayed while sleeping in group of 20 boats tied together – Now under doctors’ care (VIDEO)
Oil Spill Commission Co-Chair Startled By Federal Rig Inspectors’ Lack of Formal Training and Lack of Knowledge of Underwater Drilling Operations
"We have dolphins that are hemorrhaging. People who work near it are hemorrhaging internally." -- BP dispersants are causing sickness (this is published by Al Jazeera, but is written by award-winning American reporter Dahr Jamail and quotes American scientists)
Chemist: Chemicals from dispersed oil “coming down as rain”
Oil + Corexit could linger for 300 YEARS says state official
And Frontline and ProPublica released a new documentary called The Spill which says:
BP has a terrible track record of safety
Workers had "an exception degree of fear" and worried about dying at BP's texas oil refinery, and BP's own plant manager pleaded for safety measures to be implemented. Headquarters said no.
BP's giant Alaska facility was only designed to last until 1987, and then was supposed to be torn down. But instead, according to one of BP's Alaska workers: "They're going to run everything to failure".
BP's philosophy is: "How many lives can we afford to lose before we have to deal with this?"
BP stopped doing a basic oil pipeline safety measure, which caused a huge spill in Alaska
BP used too few inspectors, and used unqualified inspectors
The giant Thunderhorse platform fell over because a key part was installed backwards
Internal documents show BP engineers trying to find ways to cut costs and cut corners, so BP bypassed numerous normal safety measures.
When Tony Hayward took over as CEO, he said he was going to increase safety ... at the same time he insisted on substantial new cost cutting measures.
Because BP is not being reined in or restricted, and still has a cost-cutting culture, giant, future accidents will occur.
But as Greg Palast notes, The Spill is a whitewash sponsored by Chevron, rehashing information which Palast and others reported on years ago, and falsely implying that other oil companies have stellar safety records.
battleshipkropotkin wrote:http://phoenixrisingfromthegulf.wordpress.com/2010/11/01/what-is-going-on-at-west-sirius/
In a press statement released on 19 Sept 2010, BP confirmed that “the well kill operations on the MC252 well in the Gulf of Mexico are now complete with both the casing and annulus of the well sealed by cement”.
...
After that press statement, one would have thought the activities at the Macondo site would have started to wind down and the expensive drilling rigs demobilized from site as soon as possible.
...
Contrary to BP’s press statements, the site activities did not die down. The number of vessels working in the area seems to have increased in recent times. Now forty-seven (47) days after the rogue well was supposedly “bottom killed permanently at 18000ft bml on 15 Sept 2010”, a new drilling rig (West Sirius) arrived at the Macondo site. Figure 130-1 shows the location of West Sirius at the Macondo Site. Figure 130-2 gives the location details of West Sirius which had been at location since 27 Oct 2010. If the West Sirius was meant to replace either one of the two earlier rigs, why are DD2 and DD3 still on site?
"I think with regards to BP, a lot of the uncertainty is out of the way, and it is slowly but surely getting back to business," Manoj Ladwa, senior trader at ETX Capital, said.
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