drilling moratorium lifted - but...
Gulf Coast update.
Yesterday the Administration announced it was lifting the moratorium on deep water drilling in the Gulf. This was not due to happen for another 6 weeks or so.
Two weeks ago local news reported a group of scientists wrote they are finding dead zones in the gulf around several deep water drilling platforms. This is unusual as the platforms have routinely been rich sources of seafood for fishing. So far, they haven't identified the reason for the dead zones.
On many platforms they found crustaceans and coral growing naturally on the platform base pipes are dying at the deeper levels. One photo showed a clear line where above that line in the water the coral and sealife were doing fine and below the line the water had no fish and the coral had died. This is a new development according to these people and not a good one.
Except for setting up more new agencies, what has changed in the drilling regulations? The only info I've found is waivers will not be automatically granted. If there's anything else that's changed, it hasn't been released that I can find.
The concern, we were told here, is for the 12,000 jobs lost when the moratorium was put in place.
Strangely the news of lifting the moratorium was receiving mixed reactions here on the coast. Lot of skepticism about the timing was expressed in local newscasts and worries as to whether inspections have been conducted or any protections put in place to prevent another leak.
Meanwhile, Feinberg is coming under criticism. Many have received checks from the BP funds while others can't get through to learn the status of their claims. Feinberg is on the news complaining about fraudulent claims (which he should have expected) but feeling here is he tells people what they want to hear in his frequent speeches.
A local business owner documented a loss of $200k in business at his seafood restaurant over the summer. His claim was submitted months ago. He tried for days to get a person on the "call" line with no luck. He finally used the option for "spanish" instead of English and got through right away. His manager speaks spanish and was told his claim was fully documented but given no info as to when he could expect a payment.
Feinberg claims that full documentation is missing from many claims (not surprising as the forms are a pain to fill out and quite a few pieces of documentation are required).
Very interesting to me is Feinberg's statement that any claims he considers fraudulent are being turned over to the US justice department for investigation and prosecution. That flies in the face of the claim that the BP fund would be administered without government oversight.
It's turning into a story that never ends - after one quick flurry of payments when Feinberg finally got going, the payment process is no faster than what BP was doing.
kay
Yesterday the Administration announced it was lifting the moratorium on deep water drilling in the Gulf. This was not due to happen for another 6 weeks or so.
Two weeks ago local news reported a group of scientists wrote they are finding dead zones in the gulf around several deep water drilling platforms. This is unusual as the platforms have routinely been rich sources of seafood for fishing. So far, they haven't identified the reason for the dead zones.
On many platforms they found crustaceans and coral growing naturally on the platform base pipes are dying at the deeper levels. One photo showed a clear line where above that line in the water the coral and sealife were doing fine and below the line the water had no fish and the coral had died. This is a new development according to these people and not a good one.
Except for setting up more new agencies, what has changed in the drilling regulations? The only info I've found is waivers will not be automatically granted. If there's anything else that's changed, it hasn't been released that I can find.
The concern, we were told here, is for the 12,000 jobs lost when the moratorium was put in place.
Strangely the news of lifting the moratorium was receiving mixed reactions here on the coast. Lot of skepticism about the timing was expressed in local newscasts and worries as to whether inspections have been conducted or any protections put in place to prevent another leak.
Meanwhile, Feinberg is coming under criticism. Many have received checks from the BP funds while others can't get through to learn the status of their claims. Feinberg is on the news complaining about fraudulent claims (which he should have expected) but feeling here is he tells people what they want to hear in his frequent speeches.
A local business owner documented a loss of $200k in business at his seafood restaurant over the summer. His claim was submitted months ago. He tried for days to get a person on the "call" line with no luck. He finally used the option for "spanish" instead of English and got through right away. His manager speaks spanish and was told his claim was fully documented but given no info as to when he could expect a payment.
Feinberg claims that full documentation is missing from many claims (not surprising as the forms are a pain to fill out and quite a few pieces of documentation are required).
Very interesting to me is Feinberg's statement that any claims he considers fraudulent are being turned over to the US justice department for investigation and prosecution. That flies in the face of the claim that the BP fund would be administered without government oversight.
It's turning into a story that never ends - after one quick flurry of payments when Feinberg finally got going, the payment process is no faster than what BP was doing.
kay
Sal
When the Roads and Paths end, learn to guide yourself through the wilderness
Beyond the Path