Tuesday, June 01, 2010

JOHN W. SPRING'S PERSPECTIVE ON THE BP OIL SPILL TONIGHT ON MY PERSPECTIVE INTERNET RADIO

My California friend, John W. Spring, has extensive experience in the petroleum drilling business and he offered to share his knowledge tonight with us on MY PERSPECTIVE internet  radio.  Here is a preview of what you can expect to learn from him.  He sent it to me via email this afternoon, and I promptly invited him to discuss it ON THE AIR tonight, one hour from the time of this posting.  If you miss it, Joe McNeill sometimes rebroadcasts it on the weekend or it is downloadable from the www.themicroeffect.com site.


BROADER RAMIFICATIONS OF THE OIL SPILL DISASTER?

by John W. Spring


"Before becoming an economic geographer, I served in the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve. My basic and advanced training took place at Cape May, New Jersey on the Atlantic Seaboard, which included actual experience at sea aboard a large cutter. But one statement that I will never forget was made by an old salt chief with hash marks covering nearly his entire sleeve. The chief said, "Accidents do not happen. They are caused by carelessness!" Later as a geography graduate student, I did extensive coastal research, which included reading almost all papers written about marine and wetland areas throughout the entire United States, before writing my M.A. thesis titled The Sunset-Bolsa Chica Area at California State University, Fullerton. I learned then, in terms of coastal ecosystems required for biota, natural habitat and fisheries, that the wetlands, salt marshes and mangrove swaps along the claw-like Mississippi Delta in Louisiana were by far the the most valuable coastal area for America because these are the nurseries for a significant portion of all marine life in the entire Gulf of Mexico.
Later as a college geography instructor, besides teaching courses in world regional geography and economic geography, sometimes I taught geophysics and oceanography. My students would also share information with me in my oceanography classes and labs about off-shore drilling and its improved state-of-the-arts technology that included a series of back-up systems which would significantly reduce the possibility of oil spills--at least those caused by severe leaks from oil tankers. But accidents are caused by neglect or carelessness as well as by highly aggressive pressure and stress placed upon oil rig crews by their corporate officers. So, in all probability, it was this unrealistic economic pressure placed upon all personnel aboard this particular British Petroleum offshore rig, that led to this ongoing disaster. However, there is probably more information about this particular oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico that needs to come to the surface before we will understand the real cause behind this tragedy.
At a distance of nearly 50 nautical miles offshore from the southern coast of Louisiana, British Petroleum, which is also known as BP, drilled one of the deepest wells ever attempted in the Gulf of Mexico. At such great depths, the oil pressure would be far greater than what would have been encountered in wells drilled much closer to shore at shallower depths. However, the alleged unfair labor polices of British Petroleum strongly suggest that crew members were forced to neglect safe operation systems and, instead, work hastily to soon generate a profit for BP's corporate executives and shareholders.
But as we are about to discover, there is far more behind British Petroleum, which now owns and controls Atlantic Richfield Corporation or ARCO, in far darker and deeper areas. For instance, the main reason why Operation Desert Storm was carried out in the Middle East was to protect the interest of British Petroleum in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. Yes, that is why U.S. troops were deployed in the Persian Gulf. By the way, recently in Iraq, most British oil interests have been sold to the Chinese. So, now, in Iraq, our American personnel are fighting also for the oil interests of the Chinese. In Afghanistan, American troops were deployed more than eight years ago mainly for the interests of British Petroleum and Chevron in the Caspian-Aral Basin for a pipeline route through Herat province in the western part of that war-torn nation. The war in Afghanistan is now America's longest war. Remember, we invaded Afghanistan before entering Iraq.
British Petroleum and Chevron have already completed a pipeline from the Caspian-Aral Basin to China Proper in the PRC. The Peoples Republic of China is now receiving petroleum and natural gas for its military and industrial complexes. Do you understand the significance of this entire diabolical operation?
Meanwhile, shrimp boats are not going out into the Gulf of Mexico. Public beaches in Louisiana are now empty of tourists. The economy of New Orleans is devastating. Why do we continue to allow foreign multinational corporations or MNCs to destroy our economy and run our military and foreign policy? Only because good people like you, who are not informed, continue to do nothing. So my question to you is very simple. Will you forward this message to others?
If you need to reach me by mail, which is the best way, please write to: John W. Spring, P.O. Box 18946, Anaheim, CA 92817, USA. Thank you for spreading the truth.
With kindest regards and a deep prayer that America will soon wake up to the real truth.
John W. Spring

To hear more from John W. Spring, join us tonight on the radio and STAY TUNED to all these fast breaking events.

Constance

51 comments:

Susanna said...

EU PLANS GREEN TAXES TO CUT DEBT

The European Union could seize control of green taxes across the continent in order to make low-carbon energy cheaper.

By Rowena Mason, City Reporter, Energy

01 Jun 2010

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance
/newsbysector/energy/7794957/EU
-plans-green-taxes-to-cut-debt.htm

Anonymous said...

http://thehill.com/blogs/hillicon-valley/technology/100833-groups-want-fcc-to-police-hate-speech
http://tinyurl.com/24c88vn

Groups want FCC to police hate speech on talk radio, cable news networks

Dorothy

Susanna said...

I just listened to the person who called from Massachusetts asking about an e-mail describing the dispersant being used by BP.

Since I am also from Massachusetts, I would like to know more about this myself.

Here is what I have found.

BP's Dispersant Could Cause Toxic Rain All Over East Coast

posted by: Beth Buczynski

http://www.care
2.com/causes/environment/blog/bps
-dispersants-could-cause-toxic-rain/
________________________________

This is from Press TV and it mentions a report by Russia's Ministry of Natural Resurces.

Oil spill threatens 'total destruction'

Fri, 28 May 2010

The British Petroleum oil spill is threatening the entire eastern half of the North American continent with "total destruction," reports say.

An ominous report by Russia's Ministry of Natural Resources warned of the impending disaster resulting from the British Petroleum (BP) oil and gas leak in the Gulf of Mexico, calling it the worst environmental catastrophe in all of human history, the European Union Times reported.

Russian scientists believe BP is pumping millions of gallons of Corexit 9500, a chemical dispersal agent, under the Gulf of Mexico waters to hide the full extent of the leak, now estimated to be over 2.9 million gallons a day.

Experts say Corexit 9500 is a solvent four times more toxic than oil.

The agent, scientists believe, has a 2.61ppm toxicity level, and when mixed with the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico, its molecules will be able to “phase transition.”

This transition involves the change of the liquid into a gaseous state, which can be absorbed by clouds. The gas will then be released as “toxic rain” leading to “unimaginable environmental catastrophe” destroying all life forms from the “bottom of the evolutionary chart to the top,” the report said.


http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx
?id=128113
__________________________________

This is from the European Union Times:

Toxic Oil Spill Rains Warned Could Destroy North America

Posted by Europe on May 24, 2010

http://www.eutimes.net/2010/
05/toxic-oil-spill-rains-warned
-could-destroy-north-america
/

Susanna said...

US EPA BANS COREXIT FOR THE OIL SPILL - WHAT IS COREXIT?

http://chemistry.about.com/b
/2010/05/26/us-epa-bans-corexit
-for-the-oil-spill-what-is
-corexit.htm
____________________________

COREXIT

Corexit is a product line of solvents produced by Nalco Holding Company. Nalco has ties to BP and Goldman Sachs. In consequence, Corexit is being used in the Deepwater Oil debacle, although less effective and more toxic in place of better alternatives...read more....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corexit

Susanna said...

Oil dispersant Corexit known to be toxic 20 years ago (videos)





http://www.examiner.com/x-4002
-Green-Living-Examiner~y2010m5d21
-Oil-dispersant-Corexit-known-to
-be-toxic-20-years-ago-videos

Susanna said...

....And now we have an ominous report by Russia's Ministry of Natural Resources who warned of the impending disaster resulting from the British Petroleum (BP) oil and gas leak in the Gulf of Mexico, calling it the worst environmental catastrophe in all of human history, the European Union Times reported.


Russian scientists believe BP is pumping millions of gallons of Corexit 9500, a chemical dispersal agent, under the Gulf of Mexico waters to hide the full extent of the leak, now estimated to be over 2.9 million gallons a day.

Note that Corexit 9500,disapproved by the EPA, causes the oil to sink and coalesce beneath the ocean surface and out of sight of radar, observers and, of course, the press...
...read more...

http://www.opednews.com/articles/
Gulf-Has-The-Scent-Of-A-Ma-by
-Allen-L-Roland-100601-517.html?show=votes

JD said...

WOW!!! I spend a couple days away from my computer and it looks like everything is breaking loose. I still have some catching up to do, thanks to Susanna, Dorothy, Leanna, OMOTS, Constance, the anon posters and all others for getting it all put up here.

For those interested Herescope has a very important article up about the marriage of the Emergent Church and New Apostolic Reformation, revolving around what is being called the Jesus Manifesto.

Dawn said...

Constance and others-

I am wondering if anyone is watching this Westburo case. This is the group that is picketing funerals. Let me say that I TOTAL DISAGREE WITH WHAT WESTBURO IS DOING.

My question is this, if the Supreme Court rules that what they are doing does not come under free speech, does that change the definition of free speech? And if that definition is changed what will be the effect street preachers, those presenting the Gospel, etc?

Also what would the precedent for this type of ruling?

Marko said...

Regarding Russia's proclamation that the BP crisis is "the worst environmental catastrophe in all of human history":

They have been planning/waiting for a long time, in my opinion, to have a "justifiable reason" to attack the US. The attack will most likely be by proxy, but if the evidence points back to them somehow, the rest of the world has at this point been "brainwashed" into thinking "thanks for taking them out, Mother Russia!" instead of looking at Russia with disdain.

Russia has been issuing anti-Western propaganda now for decades, and especially since Putin's rise to power.

The whole world hates us, and very few will now come to our aid, if we are attacked.

Anonymous said...

Susanna, Thanks so much for those links and your research. People think this oil spill won't affect them if they are not near the gulf.Wrong. The waters are all inter-connected. This is going to get in the food chain, too. This poison is horrifying. Kids in Louisiana are getting sick. Constance, thanks for covering this,too, though I missed the show. Please stay on it!
(Keep wondering if this was sabotage and not an accident, but no one is saying that...)

Young Grasshopper

penfold said...

"Meanwhile, shrimp boats are not going out into the Gulf of Mexico. Public beaches in Louisiana are now empty of tourists. The economy of New Orleans is devastating. Why do we continue to allow foreign multinational corporations or MNCs to destroy our economy and run our military and foreign policy? Only because good people like you, who are not informed, continue to do nothing. So my question to you is very simple. Will you forward this message to others?"

What kind of nonsense is that? I understand all the concern over the oil disaster but one thing that bugs the crap out of me is the sentiment going on behind the environmental ramifications and, more particularly, the anti-corporate hysteria. We should all be concerned about the environmental effects of the oil spill but this prevalent attitude that big companies aren't concerned about this sort of thing is another non-existent leftie boogeyman.

At a minimum, this has been and will be a very costly fiasco for BP simply because of all the oil they've lost. And let's not forget the unspeakable nasty PR they'll spend years trying to recover from. From self-interest alone, BP has every reason to care.

And this is not to speak of their legal exposure.

Does BP *want* to lose so much of their product? Does BP *want* to have pay millions in legal fees? Does BP *want* to deal with all the bad publicity?

Big Government, on the other hand, is huge, unwieldly and not easy to prosecute in cases of negligence (of which there is a lot due to their lack of incentive to care or compete).

Frankly, I'll take my chances with companies like BP, over which there is a tremendous amount of oversight rather than government.

Anonymous said...

Some fishermen, hired by BP to clean up the Gulf oil spill, say the fouled waters are making them sick; they have experienced nausea, severe headaches, dizziness, and difficulty breathing. BP doesn’t see how they could be getting sick.
Gary Burris, a fisherman in coastal Louisiana, has become severely ill from inhaling the fumes. He said he was having difficulties breathing and was "coughing up stuff." He said he woke up Sunday night feeling drugged and disoriented. Burris said, "It was like sniffing gasoline or something. My ears are still popping right now and I'm still coughing up stuff.I feel real weak with tingling."

When Burris went to the doctor he was told his lungs looked like a 3-pack-a-day smoker. Burris says he has never smoked.

The fishermen have been working long hours around fouled waters with oil and dispersant. Louisiana lawmakers called on the federal government to open mobile clinics to treat them.

Cleanup workers attended a training class where they were told not to pick up oil-related waste.

But they have not been provided with protective equipment and wore leather boots and regular clothes.

The warning for oil cleanup workers, coming from the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality and Department of Health and Hospitals, is they "should avoid skin contact, and oral cavity or nasal passage exposure to oil spill products [by] using appropriate clothing, respiratory protection, gloves and boots."

It is believed that not all fishermen are reporting illnesses because they are just glad to have a job. Some of them are unemployed shrimpers and oystermen.

"It’s an unwritten rule, you don't bite the hand that feeds you," said George Barisich, president of the United Commercial Fishermen's Assn. in St. Bernard Parish, who said many fishermen have told him about feeling ill.

http://www.examiner.com/x-43367-
International-Headlines-Examiner~y
2010m5d26-Gulf-of-Mexico-Fishermen-
sick-breathing-problems-cleaning-
up-gulf-oil-spill-Deja-vu-Video

Anonymous said...

This is the list of the groups pushing the "hate speech" issue.

http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/ecfs/document/view?id=7020450549
BENTON FOUNDATION, CENTER FOR MEDIA JUSTICE, CENTER FOR RURAL STRATEGIES, CENTER ON LATINO AND LATINA RIGHTS AND EQUALITY OF THE CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK SCHOOL OF LAW, COMMON CAUSE,
ESPERANZA PEACE AND JUSTICE CENTER, FREE PRESS, HISPANIC / LATINO, ANTI-DEFAMATION COALITION SF, INDUSTRY EARS, JOINT CENTER FOR POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC STUDIES, LA ASAMBLEA DE DERECHOS CIVILES, LEAGUE OF RURAL VOTERS, LEAGUE OF UNITED LATIN AMERICAN CITIZENS (“LULAC”), MAIN STREET PROJECT, MEDIA ACTION GRASSROOTS NETWORK (“MAG-NET”), MEDIA ALLIANCE, MEDIA JUSTICE LEAGUE, MEDIA LITERACY PROJECT, MEDIA MOBILIZING PROJECT, MOUNTAIN AREA INFORMATION NETWORK, NATIONAL ALLIANCE FOR MEDIA ARTS AND CULTURE, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF LATINO INDEPENDENT PRODUCERS (“NALIP”), NOSOTROS, OFFICE OF COMMUNICATION, UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST, INC., PEOPLES PRODUCTION HOUSE, PRAXIS PROJECT, PROMETHEUS RADIO PROJECT, RAINBOW PUSH COALITION, RECLAIM THE MEDIA, TRANSMISSION PROJECT, UNITED STATES HISPANIC LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE
May 7, 2010
Jessica J. González, Esq.
National Hispanic Media Coalition

It's interesting how the AOC can get groups to act on their behalf.

Dorothy

Anonymous said...

Rather than generalizations, why not pick a group and look into it and then report on what you find here. You can do it anonymously.

Dorothy

Anonymous said...

Does anyone know anything about this news source? This sounds totally believable...

http://www.ohiofreepress.com/general/2010/orders-blackout-north-korean-torpedoing-gulf-mexico-oil-rig/

Young grasshopper

JD said...

Constance, Dorothy, Susanna,

I have sent you all a email with some pieces pulling together a very large picture in which we see Solana, microcredit, AoC, and the recent incident in Gaza. I believe it shows that this system is emerging and recent events may help to facilitate such.

Anonymous said...

A grim report circulating in the Kremlin today written by Russia’s Northern Fleet is reporting that the United States has ordered a complete media blackout over North Korea’s torpedoing of the giant Deepwater Horizon oil platform owned by the World’s largest offshore drilling contractor Transocean that was built and financed by South Korea’s Hyundai Heavy Industries Co. Ltd., that has caused great loss of life, untold billions in economic damage to the South Korean economy, and an environmental catastrophe to the United States.
Most important to understand about this latest attack by North Korea against its South Korean enemy is that under the existing “laws of war” it was a permissible action as they remain in a state of war against each other due to South Korea’s refusal to sign the 1953 Armistice ending the Korean War.
To the attack itself, these reports continue, the North Korean “cargo vessel” Dai Hong Dan believed to be staffed by 17th Sniper Corps “suicide” troops left Cuba’s Empresa Terminales Mambisas de La Habana (Port of Havana) on April 18th whereupon it “severely deviated” from its intended course for Venezuela’s Puerto Cabello bringing it to within 209 kilometers (130 miles) of the Deepwater Horizon oil platform which was located 80 kilometers (50 miles) off the coast of the US State of Louisiana where it launched an SSC Sang-o Class Mini Submarine (Yugo class) estimated to have an operational range of 321 kilometers (200 miles).
On the night of April 20th the North Korean Mini Submarine manned by these “suicidal” 17th Sniper Corps soldiers attacked the Deepwater Horizon with what are believed to be 2 incendiary torpedoes causing a massive explosion and resulting in 11 workers on this giant oil rig being killed outright. Barely 48 hours later, on April 22nd , this North Korean Mini Submarine committed its final atrocity by exploding itself directly beneath the Deepwater Horizon causing this $1 Billion oil rig to sink beneath the seas and marking 2010’s celebration of Earth Day with one of the largest environmental catastrophes our World has ever seen.

Anonymous said...

Grim report (Continued)
To the reason for North Korea attacking the Deepwater Horizon, these reports say, was to present US President Obama with an “impossible dilemma” prior to the opening of the United Nations Review Conference of the Parties to the Treat on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) set to begin May 3rd in New York.
This “impossible dilemma” facing Obama is indeed real as the decision he is faced with is either to allow the continuation of this massive oil leak catastrophe to continue for months, or immediately stop it by the only known and proven means possible, the detonation of a thermonuclear device.
Russian Navy atomic experts in these reports state that should Obama choose the “nuclear option” the most viable weapon at his disposal is the United States B83 (Mk-83) strategic thermonuclear bomb having a variable yield (Low Kiloton Range to 1,200 Kilotons) which with its 12 foot length and 18 inch diameter, and weighing just over 2,400 pounds, is readily able to be deployed and detonated by a remote controlled mini-sub.
Should Obama choose the “nuclear option” it appears that he would be supported by the International Court of Justice who on July 8, 1996 issued an advisory opinion on the use of nuclear weapons stating that they could not conclude definitively on these weapons use in “extreme circumstances” or “self defense”.
On the other hand, if Obama chooses the “nuclear option” it would leave the UN’s nuclear conference in shambles with every Nation in the World having oil rigs off their coasts demanding an equal right to atomic weapons to protect their environment from catastrophes too, including Iran.
To whatever decision Obama makes it remains a fact that with each passing hour this environmental catastrophe grows worse. And even though Obama has ordered military SWAT teams to protect other oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico from any further attack, and further ordered that all drilling in the Gulf of Mexico be immediately stopped, this massive oil spill has already reached the shores of America and with high waves and more bad weather forecast the likelihood of it being stopped from destroying thousands of miles of US coastland and wildlife appears unstoppable.
And not just to the environmental catastrophe that is unfolding the only devastation to be wrecked upon the United States and South Korea by this North Korean attack as the economic liabilities associated with this disaster are estimated by these Russian reports to be between $500 Billion to $1.5 Trillion, and which only a declaration of this disaster being an “act of war” would free some the World’s largest corporations from bankruptcy.
Important to note too in all of these events was that this was the second attack by North Korea on its South Korean enemy, and US ally, in a month as we had reported on in our March 28th report titled “Obama Orders ‘Immediate Stand-down’ After Deadly North Korean Attack” and which to date neither the Americans or South Korea have retaliated for and giving one senior North Korean party leader the courage to openly state that the North Korean military took “gratifying revenge” on South Korea.
And for those believing that things couldn’t get worse, they couldn’t be more mistaken as new reports coming from Japanese military sources are stating that North Korea is preparing for new launches of its 1,300 kilometer (807 miles) intermediate range ballistic “Rodong” missile which Russian Space Forces experts state is able to “deploy and detonate” an atomic electromagnetic pulse (EMP) device, and which if detonated high in the atmosphere could effectively destroy the American economy for years, if not decades, to come.
Here is the link: http://www.eutimes.net/2010/05/us-orders-blackout-over-north-korean-torpedoing-of-gulf-of-mexico-oil-rig/

Anonymous said...

John Springs commentary on the US protecting other nations oil interests is insightful. The US, because of the type of hegemony it has acquired must act to protect the resources needed by its allies; the US is needed because of its distributive power, once that is gone and it can no longer protect the systems of wealth its allies need it will be replaced.

James1:12

Constance Cumbey said...

Hi Susanna,

Was that very intelligent Massachusetts voice I heard last night on the radio by any chance yours?

Constance

Constance Cumbey said...

If there is one thing John W. Spring is NOT, it is "LEFTWINGER."

He made some valid points applicable to SOME people. I don't agree with John on everything, never did and probably never will, but I would never question his intellect nor his motivation.

Constance

Constance Cumbey said...

Young Grasshopper,

Glad to see you back! I have to express scepticism of the EU Times and some of the various "Free Press" papers (excluding the Toronto one) as they appear to be of the same genre as Willis Carto's THE SPOTLIGHT a known anti-Semitic rag. After judgments were obtained against it, it appeared to take on various alternative names and colorations but always the same "hate the Jews" underlying themes.

Constance

Constance

Constance Cumbey said...

Young Grasshopper:

Reading the EU Union Times and the affiliated papers, I am reminded of the quote Dorothy Margraf extracted fom her research:

PROVISION MUST BE MADE FOR DISSIDENTS.

A slick game of "watch the fundamentalist run" blended in with some truth and a whole lot of disinformation which simultaneously could serve to get us convicted, at least in the public eye, of "hate speech."

Constance

Anonymous said...

Constance,

Thanks for the heads up. Since Susanna left the EU Times link (see post 9:05 PM) I assumed it was legit, since Susanna is one of your esteemed researchers.

I guess I am suddenly remembering why I found this site a little more than confusing for a dumb blonde like me.

YG

Anonymous said...

Has pastor Lindsey Williams commented at all on this oil spill disaster? After all he claims to be some sort of 'expert' on such matters.

P.

Susanna said...

Hi Constance,

No, it was not I with whom you were speaking last night.

Susanna said...

Hi Young Grasshopper,

Thank you for your kind words.

You are not alone in wondering if this could have been sabotage.

IMHO, one big issue that warrants further investigation is BP's connection to Nalco Holding Company who is the producer of Corexit and whether or not there is a conflict of interest involving BP's decision to use the reportedly less effective and more toxic Corexit instead of better alternatives.

Nalco’s Chief Lobbies Congress on Gulf Oil Dispersant (Update1)

May 27, 2010

By Jim Snyder

May 27 (Bloomberg) --

Nalco Holding Co.’s chief met with members of Congress yesterday to convince them that its chemical dispersant should continue to be used on BP Plc’s oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico as the U.S. weighs restrictions.

J. Erik Fyrwald, chief executive officer of the Naperville, Illinois-based company, sought to reassure lawmakers that the chemical, Corexit, is “safe and effective” after the Environmental Protection Agency demanded that BP curb its use to break up the spill, company spokesman Charlie Pajor said.

“The decision to use it or any dispersant is made by the responders to a spill,” Pajor said in an e-mailed statement. “We are simply complying with their requests.”

The EPA ordered BP to scale back the amount of Corexit used while the agency conducts independent tests and seeks a “better choice” of dispersant, Administrator Lisa Jackson told reporters on May 24. She said the chemical was being used at a “world record” rate and its effects on aquatic life were unknown.

“We are still deeply concerned about the things we don’t know,” said Jackson.

Nalco was already becoming more active in Washington when the Gulf spill occurred. It recently opened an office and hired Ramola Musante, a former EPA official, as its lobbyist.

The company sold $40 million of Corexit for the Gulf cleanup through last week, Pajor said. Nalco, which provides water-treatment chemicals, reported $3.75 billion in revenue last year and net income of $60.5 million...
read more...

http://www.businessweek.com/news
/2010-05-27/nalco-s-chief-lobbies
-congress-on-gulf-oil-dispersant
-update1-.html


cont....

Susanna said...

cont...

This is from the LA Times

Gulf oil spill: BP grilled over choice of dispersant

May 19, 2010

Rep. John Hall (D-N.Y.) used some of his time in the House Transportation and Infrastructure hearing Wednesday to grill the head of BP America, Lamar McKay, over the company's choice of an oil dispersant that is rated as more toxic and less effective than several others.

Hall noted that the company that makes the dispersant, Nalco Holding, has a former BP executive on its board. He was referring to Rodney F. Chase, a veteran of the British oil giant, who sits on the board of Nalco. Stock prices of Nalco rose on news that it was providing large quantities of the dispersant to be used in the spill.

Here's some of the back-and-forth:

Hall: Mr. McKay, I was curious about the choice of dispersant, Corexit 9500,which is being manufactured by a company called Nalco Holding Co. in which a former 11-year board member of BP sits on the Nalco board. Do you know approximately how much money BP has paid so far to Nalco for this dispersant?

McKay: I'm sorry, I don't.

Hall: Could you get the -- communicate that information, please.

McKay: We can get that.

Hall: Why do you think Corexit would have been chosen over, as Mr. Nadler [Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.)] said, a less toxic and more effective product like Dispersit, for instance, which you would think would be a better choice, and did BP talk to -- did your company talk to the manufacturers of the other dispersants to find out if they were available?

McKay: I've not been personally involved in the choices around the dispersants and what's happened in terms of talking to companies and understanding the availability, the effectiveness or the choices they have made. We can get you some information on that. I've just not been involved in that.


cont....

Susanna said...

cont...

Hall: My understanding is that the company that manufactures dispersant just for one out of the list of 13 approved dispersants says they could quickly produce 60,000 gallons per day which is more than is currently being used by BP for this spill as I understand it. So that would be a good conversation to have.

After Exxon Valdez, the dispersants were found to concentrate in the organs of certain fish and other marine life, and I assume they would do the same thing in the organs of human beings who consume those fish. As a condition for the subsurface application of Corexit, EPA directed BP to implement a monitoring plan on the plume including measuring the toxic effects of the mixture of dispersed oil and Corexit. What are the results of this monitoring? Are those results posted somewhere and available to the public?


McKay: The monitoring is ongoing. I believe it's being worked through Unified Command. I don't know how much of that has been posted or is public. But we can certainly get back to you on when it's expected to be and what -- as the results are tabulated. But there's constant monitoring going on under the direction of Unified Command and with the relevant government agencies.

Hall: Thank you. I'd appreciate a written response to that.

There was a similar exchange between McKay and Rep. Nadler:

Nadler: Corexit is 2.61 in toxicity, which means it's highly toxic. It has an effectiveness of 54.7 in the south Louisiana crude-oil spill.

[Dispersit] is 7.9 toxicity, which means it's a lot less toxic, but it has an effectiveness rate of 100%. Mare Clean 200, its toxicity rate is 42, which is much, much better. Its effectiveness rate is 84, compared to Corexit at 54.

Now, you remember you're under oath. Who decided -- and don't tell me the National Incident Command. They authorized the use, as I understand, of any dispersant on this list. Who decided which dispersant to use -- BP?

McKay: I don't know the --

Nadler: You don't know.

McKay: I don't know the individual who decided --

Nadler: I didn't ask the individual. Was it the BP who decided or was it the government who decided, or the National Incident Command?

McKay: I don't know. I don't --

Nadler: You don't know. Could you find out for us, please?

McKay: Yes.


http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/
greenspace/2010/05/gulf-oil-spill
-bp-grilled-over-choice-of
-dispersant.html

Susanna said...

P.S.
Young Grasshopper,

Here is another interesting little tidbit that is being reported in various publications. Goldman Sachs, with amazingly good timing, reportedly sold $250 million of BP stock ( 44%of Goldman's total BP investment ) three weeks BEFORE the spill!!!

Some are also saying that this may be an indication that Goldman Sachs knew that the BP drilling project was in trouble.

http://www.dailykos.com/story
/2010/6/2/104756/9217
Go figure.

See also:

http://rawstory.com/rs/2010/
0602/month-oil-spill-goldman-sachs
-sold-250-million-bp-stock/

and...

http://www.dailypaul.com/node/136466

JD said...

Hopper,

Good to see you back and commenting again. I hope all is still well. On your 6:21 comment, I believe you are a little too harsh on your self criticism (even though I assume sarcasm was intended)I have always found many of the respectfull disagreements here constructive, as it is often through such that we vett the most information. I have nothing but respect for Susanna and the work she puts in.

That being said, in this case I happen to agree with Constance, EUTimes has a history of printing articles from Sacsha F (can't remember how to spell the last name) who has a deep history of reporting fallacies and antisemitism. Not to mention that EU Times site is often littered with viruses. This is no knock at Susanna, or her use of a article from them. It was relevant, and she saw fit to include it, not to mention that she may be unaware of the sites history. This has been my experience with the site and why I would warn others about it's use, as I once thought it was a legit source myself.

Susanna said...

JD,

You are right. I was merely citing the Press TV and EU Times sites among others in order to show where the "apocalyptic" Russian story was coming from that the lady from Massachusetts was referring to on Constance's radio program....not because I am a promoter of the EU Times.

I am unaware of the site's history and have never referred to it before this Corexit story came up.

Susanna said...

P.S.

JD,

There may be more to the Russian involvement than what meets the eye.

Susanna said...

JD,

One of those apocalyptic Russian stories about the grim consequences of the use of the dispersant called Corexit originated with Sorcha Faal.

Is this the one whose name you forgot how to spell?

I did some digging and found that it has been reported in various articles that "Sorcha Faal" is the pseudonym of a fraudster named David Booth.

Have you ever heard of him?

Anonymous said...

Susanna,

Thanks for the additional information. It looks as though the story about Goldman Saks shorting BP is just a joke though. Hard to tell, though, it seems there's some truth mixed in with the fiction.

YG

Anonymous said...

A little history is a good thing. Remember the LA Times story about Obama and Rashid Kalidi at a party? Here's a link to who may have attended that party in Chicago.

http://gabriellecusumano.blogtownhall.com/?tag=Schlussel
(Extensive article with names, addresses and leads is after Schlussel's Ali Abunimah article)

Dorothy

JD said...

Hopper,

This was in fact the name I was looking for. I had not seen that Faal was a pseudonym for Booth, or have I heard of him. My knowledge stems from a few articles posted via EUTimes and Russia Today that had been proven to be fraudulent, including some that supported some very anti-semitic material and groups. In looking at Booth's material, one can see he is the author of "Dirty, Filthy, Christians”: Treatise On The Most Dangerous Death Cult In Human History. In looking at the writings under both names we see that as Booth, there is a advocation for demolishing the Judeo/Christian faiths. As Faal we see promotion of New Age mystery religion concepts such as,

"The True Knowledge of The Three Minds: When The Three Become One By: Sorcha Faal “With knowledge obtained from the most ancient of texts, including the Gospel of Mary Magdalene, join Sorcha Faal on one of the most incredible and important journeys into the truest knowledge of human beings"

Couple this with the known fraudulent stories that have been written under these names and I think one can see what side of the fence this person is playing from.

http://tinyurl.com/54rda

http://tinyurl.com/y7hjos

There is plenty of info out there on Faal/Booth, and with a brief understanding of where this person is coming from, I would not trust a single source printing these materials. Just an fyi, one of my sources above is Booth's site, I used it to show the material straight from the horse's mouth.

Anonymous said...

It is believed that not all fishermen are reporting illnesses because they are just glad to have a job. Some of them are unemployed shrimpers and oystermen.

People in the Third World (and from the Third World, in places such as Dubai) have been working under these kinds of conditions for generations.

Now this horror has come to the shores of the U.S.

Anonymous said...

JD,

Thanks so much for the info on Fal/Booth. I just wish I had known that information about the bogus EU Times site before I went posting the stupid "Toxic Rain could destroy North America" story on facebook and twitter. As you can see, I AM a dumb blonde, and I'm very embarrassed.

Hopper (not the toilet)

JD said...

Hopper,

Nothing to be embarrassed about, the site is well put together and looks very reputable. As I said before, at one point I thought they were reputable. You're posting it to facebook simply means you will need to make a correction, doing so shows you are only human and capable of mistakes. It also shows integrity, that you would be willing to make such an admission, and as such lends to your credibility.

After a phone conversation with Dorothy on the subject of Faal/Booth, it has been brought to my attention that Booth has a relationship with Adventures Unlimited and Adventures Unlimited Press. What you may find interesting, is that both Acharya S (The Christ Conspiracy) and Peter Joseph (Zeitgeist) also have relationships with this publishing company. I am going to do some more digging and put some of this into a post later, as I have a few more hunches I want to look into first.

Anonymous said...

The "retired" Dr. Solana was the keynote speaker at the EU-NATO Seminar, 6/2/10, in Spain, at which six (6) NATO officials were panelists:

http://tinyurl.com/33zt7ry

or

http://www.eu2010.es/export/sites/presidencia/comun/descargas/Defensa/jun2_ue_otan_prog_en.pdf

Anonymous said...

The "retired" Dr. Solana was the keynote speaker at the EU-NATO Seminar, 6/2/10, in Spain, at which six (6) NATO officials were panelists:

http://tinyurl.com/33zt7ry

or

http://www.eu2010.es/export/sites/presidencia/comun/descargas/Defensa/jun2_ue_otan_prog_en.pdf

Susanna said...

YG,

You are right. It would indeed appear that there is some truth mixed in with the fiction......on all counts.

JD was spot on in saying that a lot of these sites are well put together and have every appearance of being entirely respectable.

Having said that, I would point out that
with regard to the use of Corexit, while it may not wind up causing toxic rain all over the East Coast as some of those questionable articles about the Russians are reporting, the truth of the matter is that at the end of the day, the EPA simply DOES NOT KNOW what the environmental consequences might be from the use of Corexit in the amounts currently needed to clean up this oil spill.

Anonymous said...

"Comets" Found Orbiting Monster Black Hole

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/
news/2010/05/100528-science-space-
black-holes-comets-eclipse-swarm/

Anonymous said...

How to live a cashless life without starving...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environme
nt/blog/2010/jun/02/mark-boyle-
moneyless-man-food-for-free

Anonymous said...

U.S. says no to nuking oil spill - Soviets tried it with land-based gas wells...

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/
37484693/ns/us_news-
the_new_york_times/

Anonymous said...

A crew is installing a 7-ton, 26-foot tall concrete sculpture at the Denver International Airport, south of the Jeppesen Terminal. This statue, with a jackal-head, represents Anubis, the Egyptian god of death and the after life, and will preview the Denver Art Museum's King Tut exhibit (which runs from June 29, 2010 through January 9, 2011).

http://www.redicecreations.com/arti
cle.php?id=11178

Anonymous said...

Interesting blog about the oil spill as it relates to end times prophecy:

http://heavenawaits.wordpress.com/toxic-effects-of-crude-oil-spills/

Anonymous said...

I personally do not believe Mr. Spring approaches this subject with objectivity. One is to consider ALL available alternatives.

Most people would include "carelessness" as being an accidental causes. but even if Mr. Spring want to classify carelessness as non-accidental, he does appear to only be considering carelessness, at this time anyway, as the non-accidental cause of the oil rig "spil".

Aside from the fact that the term "spill" is misleading and incorrect, and that it is rather more a gusher or volcano, I find it disappointing that no one in among the alternative media commentators is considering the alternative that the oil rig gusher was deliberately set off and not an accident and not carelessness at all.

We will never be able to get all the facts and there will never be an independent hearing. So far, it looks like the gusher has consistently been handled incompetently.

A phrase of Dr. Stan Monteith comes to mind.

They could not be doing such a superlatively poor job of containing this oil right "spill" unintentionally.

Mr. Obama is already using this event to curtail off shore oil rig drilling, and that is consistent with he and his administrations to move forward the United Nations Agenda21 / Sustainable Development world domination plan.

This BP event looks very much like a "controlled demolition" to me, and the rhetoric that we are being fed from government and BP officials is the same general kind of rhetoric we got over all these years since 9-11- 2001.

Here is a picture of the heliport / helipad that sustained a mysterious hole in it on this BP rig.

http://www.governamerica.com/dailydialectic.php?subaction=showfull&id=1272962914

Remember, there were very strange holes in World Trade Center Bldg 6 as well as other WTC area buildings on 9-11 as well as in the roadbed of Liberty Street nearby.

Directed energy weapons, including laser and masers, and other weaponry is one of the first things that comes to mind.

My name is Jeannon Kral
archiek1@prodigy.net

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