Home » Posts tagged 'oil spill' (Page 2)
Tag Archives: oil spill
Mexico’s Pemex Plagued By Deadly Offshore Explosions and Major Pipeline Spills
Mexico’s Pemex Plagued By Deadly Offshore Explosions and Major Pipeline Spills
It’s been a disastrous year for Pemex, the state-owned Mexican oil company at the center of the nation’s landmark energy reforms.
In just over a month, Petroleos Mexicanos (Pemex) starred in three tragic incidents, two fatal.
First was a deadly explosion aboard a Pemex offshore oil processing platform, which killed at least four, injured 16, and—despite the company’s comments to the contrary—looks to have spilled a miles-long plume of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. A mere 15 days later, a spill from a Pemex pipeline in the state of Tabasco fouled three rivers and temporarily left half a million people without access to drinking water. Fast forward three weeks, and another accident on an offshore rig killed two workers.
These incidents, argues Gustavo Ampugnani, lead energy and climate campaigner for Greenpeace Mexico, foreshadow worsening oil- and gas-related disasters as the country’s massive energy reforms open Mexico’s vast fossil fuel reserves up to international companies that are even less regulated and scrutinized than State-owned Pemex.
Explosion in the Gulf
On April 1st, an explosion rocked the company’s Abkatun-A Permanente platform, engulfing the rig in flames. The massive fireball and subsequent blaze sent hundreds of Pemex contractors into the sea. Nearly two months later, we know that four workers were killed, at least 16 were injured, and three are still missing, now presumed dead. Survivors described a terrifying scene, as crew members “jumped into the sea out of desperation and panic.”
Roger Arias Sanchez, an employee of Pemex contractor Cotemar, told the Associated Press that, “there was nothing you could do but run.”
With the 5-year anniversary of the massive Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf just behind us, Pemex and the Mexican government quickly clamped down communications about the disaster in the oil-rich Campeche Sound shallow water offshore region, offering optimistic, blue sky commentary about the severity of the incident, and the extent of any potential
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
California State of Emergency: Up To 105,000 Gallons of Oil Spill in Santa Barbara from Plains All American Pipeline
California State of Emergency: Up To 105,000 Gallons of Oil Spill in Santa Barbara from Plains All American Pipeline
Up to 105,000 gallons of oil obtained via offshore drilling have spilled from a pipeline owned by Plains All American at Refugio State Beach in Santa Barbara County in California. At least 21,000 gallons have poured into the Pacific Ocean and the spill’s impacts stretch nine miles, according to the Associated Press.
As a result, California Governor Jerry Brown has declared a state of emergency in Santa Barbara County, which he said in a press statement “cuts red tape and helps the state quickly mobilize all available resources.”
“The 11-mile Plains American Coastal Pipeline connects Exxon’s Las Flores Canyon facility – which provides basic processing for crude produced from California’s Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) – to Plain’s larger Line 63 pipeline system,” the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) explained in a blog post. “[T]his incident demonstrates the real risks associated with industry plans to inundate California’s coastal waters, pipelines, rail lines and refineries with tar sands crudes.”
The spill, reminding some of the much-bigger 1969 Santa Barbara offshore oil spill, comes just several months after the Environmental Defense Center filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) for secretly permitting offshore hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”) in the deepwater areas off the coast of California. Both ExxonMobiland the American Petroleum Institute issued motions to intervene as co-defendants in that case, which the judge granted.
Photo Credit: Greenpeace USA
“This spill shows, yet again, that safe and responsible oil and gas drilling are myths,” Marissa Knodel, climate campaigner for Friends of the Earth, said in press release. “Despite these terrible impacts, the Obama administration wants to open up new areas for drilling, which presents a dangerous and unjust risk to the homes and livelihoods of coastal communities,
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
NY Governor Probes Nuclear Plant ‘Incident’ As Oil Spills Into Hudson River
NY Governor Probes Nuclear Plant ‘Incident’ As Oil Spills Into Hudson River
Having explained to the general public that there was nothing to be concerned about, when an exploding transformer shut down at least one unit of the Indian River nuclear power plant, noting “no danger to public safety,” it appears the situation is not as ‘contained’ as officials hoped. As Sputnik News reports, thousands of gallons of oil that leaked into the Hudson River after the explosion has formed a gigantic oil sheen on the waterway. NY Governor Andrew Cuomo has demanded a probe into the incident, adding that Entergy and contractors will clean up the spill.
- *CUOMO: PROBE ON WEEKEND INCIDENT AT INDIAN POINT PLANT ONGOING
- *CUOMO SAYS OIL DISCHARGE RESULT OF FIRE IN A TRANSFORMER
- *CUOMO: N.Y. WORKING WITH U.S. COAST GUARD TO MONITOR SITUATION
- *CUOMO: NY, U.S. EVALUATING ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGE TO HUDSON RIVER
The oil made its way into the river following an explosion, fire, and leak that occurred Saturday at the Indian Point nuclear facility in Buchanan, about 40 miles north of Midtown Manhattan.According to the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), oil leaked into the facility’s discharge drains during the fire, then into the river.
However, “there is no doubt that oil was discharged into the Hudson River,” New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said at Indian Point on Sunday. “We have booms in the water now around the discharged pipe to collect any oil that may be in the river.”
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
Analysis: What Bill C-22 Means For Oil Spill Cleanup in Canada
Analysis: What Bill C-22 Means For Oil Spill Cleanup in Canada
After BP’s Deepwater Horizon well blowout in April 2010, responders dumped approximately 1.84 million gallons of chemical dispersants into the Gulf of Mexico in an effort to stop the oil slick from fouling fragile coastal environments. The use of such a massive quantity of dispersants, coupled with serious gaps in knowledge about the possible environment impacts of dispersant use, prompted a public outcry and led the United States Environmental Protection Agency to publicly rebuke the company and order them to use fewer (and less toxic) dispersants.
By contrast, in Canada, it has traditionally been unclear whether the use of STAs to clean up marine oil spills is even legal. Because of the toxic ingredients of some STAs, their use could violate several federal laws (such as the Fisheries Act, the Species at Risk Act, the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999, the Migratory Birds Convention Act, and the Arctic Waters Pollution Prevention Act, among others) without special permission that could be sought on a case-by-case basis.
A chemical dispersant is a kind of “spill-treating agent” (or “STA”) that is designed to break up an oil slick and dilute the oil by mixing it into the water. A chemical dispersant isn’t truly a clean-up tool — it doesn’t take any spilled oil out of the environment, and by the time a dispersant is applied, it’s already too late to save most life forms in the vicinity of the spill.
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
3,500 litres of oil leak into River Usk in Wales
Environment officials investigate after dead fish spotted on the surface, and oily sheen seen on top of the water
Environment officials are investigating after 3,500 litres of oil leaked in to a river in Wales.
Natural Resources Wales said the source of the spill happened in the Cwm Beth tributary near Crickhowell, Powys, but has since worked its way downstream to the main River Usk.
As well as dead fish spotted on the surface, it has left an oily sheen on top of the water and a strong odour.
Rhys Hughes, from NRW, said: “Our team have put booms in place in the Cwm Beth to soak up as much of the pollution as possible.
“Our fisheries specialists are also currently conducting a full assessment of the river to help us determine the impact on the wildlife in the river.”
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
Oil from 2010 BP spill found at the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico
Oil from 2010 BP spill found at the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico
A new study suggests that up to 38 million liters of crude oil from the 2010 BP oil spill is resting on the seafloor of the Gulf of Mexico, posing a threat to the local ecosystem.
The findings have shed light on where ‘missing’ oil from the spill ended up — a quandary that puzzled U.S. government and BP officials during massive cleanup efforts in April, 2010.
Of the nearly 5 million barrels of oil spilled into the ocean, around 2 million remained unaccounted for, years after the disaster.
Florida researchers took 62 sediment samples from a 24,000 square kilometre space around the site of the BP oil spill and discovered that about 8,400 square km are covered with oil from spill.
“This is going to affect the Gulf for years to come,” Jeff Chanton, the study’s lead researcher and a professor of chemical oceanography at Florida State University, said in a statement.
“Fish will likely ingest contaminants because worms ingest the sediment, and fish eat the worms. It’s a conduit for contamination into the food web.”
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
Yellowstone River Oil Spill Threatens Drinking Water in Montana
Yellowstone River Oil Spill Threatens Drinking Water in Montana
Bottled water is being provided to residents of Glendive, Montana, after oil from True Companies’Poplar pipeline system leaked into the Yellowstone River.
Dawson County has received complaints of odor in drinking water from people who use the municipal water system, according to a posting on the Montana government site. A water sample from the system showed elevated levels of volatile organic compounds, predominantly benzene, Bill Salvin, an outside spokesman for True Companies, whose Bridger Pipeline LLC operates the Poplar system, said in an e-mail.
As much as 1,200 barrels of oil leaked from the pipeline Jan. 17 and much went into the river, according to Dave Parker, a spokesman for Montana Governor Steve Bullock. The governor’s office declared an emergency in Dawson and Richland counties along the river and as many as 50 workers from the company and federal, state and local agencies are investigating the leak.
The 12-inch crude line carries as much as 42,000 barrels a day from near the Canadian border to Baker, Montana, according to Salvin, the outside spokesman, who works for Signal Bridge Communications, Inc. The section of the pipeline that is shut after the leak needs regulator approval to be restarted and the line mainly carries oil from the Bakken formation in North Dakota and Montana, according to Salvin.
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
U.S. Seeks BP Fine of Up to $18 Billion for Gulf Oil Spill Disaster – Bloomberg
U.S. Seeks BP Fine of Up to $18 Billion for Gulf Oil Spill Disaster – Bloomberg.
The government wants BP Plc (BP/) to pay $16 billion to $18 billion in water-pollution fines for the worst offshore oil spill in U.S. history while seeking more than $1 billion from the co-owner of the blown-out well that caused the 2010 Gulf of Mexico disaster.
The federal government said BP deserves the maximum fine, which BP said would be the biggest Clean Water Act penalty ever and called it a “gross outlier” compared to other cases.
U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier in New Orleans ruled in September that London-based BP acted with gross negligence in drilling the well, a finding that quadruples the per-barrel penalty. As of Oct. 28, the company had set aside $3.51 billion for the penalties, saying that’s a reliable estimate of its liability if it wins an appeal of the judge’s ruling.
Barbier will conduct a non-jury trial next month to set pollution fines for BP and its well partner,Anadarko Petroleum Corp. (APC), after weighing multiple factors including the spill’s size and the level of responsibility each company bears for the disaster.
“APC’s culpability is minimal compared to that of BPXP,” the government said in today’s filing, referring to Anadarko and BP’s exploration unit.
Major Oil Threatens India and Bangladesh Sunderbans
Major Oil Threatens India and Bangladesh Sunderbans.
Nearly 350 tonne of oil spilled into the Sela river of the Sunderbans on Tuesday after an oil tanker collided with an empty cargo vessel in the Bangaldesh side of the mangrove forests. The spill may cross over to the Indian side of the Sunderbans, and cause serious damage to the ecosystem which is home to Royal Bengal Tigers, Olive Ridley turtles, Ganges Dolphins and other species.
Sunderbans is a World Heritage site and world’s largest mangrove forest. It is also the only mangrove ecosystem where tigers exist. Being the season of migration, many migratory birds from distant places like Siberia have come to these mangroves for wintering. Environment activists warn of a massive ecological disaster resulting from the spill, particularly in Mechua and Baghamara in the southernmost parts of the Sunderban delta where individual rivers meet the sea.
Spreading Distaster
Latest report informs that the oil spill has spread over an estimated 80 square Kilometer area in the Bangladesh side of the Sunderbans. The site, near Mongla port, is about 100km from the Kolkata port and given the crisscrossing way the tributaries and streams are distributed here, it can easily spread to a wider area including part of the forest in India and jeopardizing the lives of a large number of species. The Sunderban forest is a contiguous and fragile ecosystem spread over 26,000 square Kilometer in both countries.
The biggest risk is damage to the ecologically sensitive coral reef area in St. Martin’s island and also health risks to the river dolphins. The accident took place in one of the three dolphin sanctuaries in the area, which is a no-go zone for vessels.
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
‘Millions of liters’ of oil spilled in Israel, flooding nature reserve (PHOTOS) — RT News
‘Millions of liters’ of oil spilled in Israel, flooding nature reserve (PHOTOS) — RT News.
A pipeline breach near the Israel-Jordan border has flooded a nature reserve in what authorities call one of Israel’s worst environmental disasters, causing large amounts of potentially poisonous gas to be released near Aqaba, raising health concerns.
The Eilat-Ashkelon crude oil pipeline near the Evrona reserve in the south of Israel accidentally ruptured Wednesday night spewing a river of oil across the desert. Israeli environment officials predict that the clean-up effort could take years.
“The full scope of the incident is still not clear to us, but it is certainly a matter of millions of liters of crude oil, which is dangerous both to animals and to the nature reserve itself,” Environment Ministry representative Guy Samet was quoted as saying in Globes, as Israeli financial news daily.
Samet has said that an estimated 4.3 mile-oil stream is flowing through the reserve, which is home to a large gazelle population and the world’s northernmost doum palms, a rare type of branching palm tree.
“This is one of the State of Israel’s gravest pollution events,” Samet told Israel Radio on Thursday.
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
Alberta Pipeline Spills 60,000 Litres Of Crude Into Muskeg, Says Energy Regulator
Alberta Pipeline Spills 60,000 Litres Of Crude Into Muskeg, Says Energy Regulator.
RED EARTH CREEK, Alta. – The Alberta Energy Regulator says close to 60,000 litres of crude oil have spilled into muskeg in the province’s north.
An incident report by the regulator states that a mechanical failure was reported Thursday at a Canadian Natural Resources Limited (TSX:CNQ) pipeline approximately 27 kilometres north of Red Earth Creek.
The report says there are no reports of impact to wildlife and that a cleanup has begun.
Red Earth Creek is over 350 kilometres northwest of Edmonton.
Carrie Rosa, a spokeswoman for the regulator, says officials have been delayed reaching the scene due to poor weather in the last few days.
No one from Canadian Natural Resources could be reached on Saturday for comment.
In April, a pipeline owned by the company spilled 70,000 litres of oil and processed water in the region.
The Alberta Energy Regulator said at the time that the spill northwest of Slave Lake was not near any people, water or wildlife.
