Some oil spill events from Thursday, July 1, 2010

Some oil spill events from Thursday, July 1, 2010

A summary of events Thursday, July 1, Day 72 of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill that began with the April 20 explosion and fire on the drilling rig Deepwater Horizon, owned by Transocean Ltd. and leased by BP PLC, which is in charge of cleanup and containment. The blast killed 11 workers. Since then, oil has been pouring into the Gulf from a blown-out undersea well.

NEW RECORD

BP’s massive oil spill is the largest ever in the Gulf of Mexico based on the highest of the federal government’s estimates, an ominous record that underscores the oil giant’s dire need to halt the gusher. The oil that’s spewed for two and a half months from a blown-out well a mile under the sea hit the 140.6 million gallon mark, eclipsing the record-setting, 140-million-gallon Ixtoc I spill off Mexico’s coast from 1979 to 1980. Even by the lower end of the government’s estimates, at least 71.7 million gallons have spilled.

SEA TURTLES

A federal lawsuit filed by several wildlife protection groups claims BP’s practice of burning off spilled oil in the Gulf of Mexico likely is killing endangered sea turtles. The lawsuit filed by the Animal Welfare Institute and other groups asks U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier to restrict BP’s “controlled burns” of oil. BP spokesman Mark Proegler says the company has tried to avoid accidentally burning turtles, using crews in boats to look for turtles before oil is burned.

WHALE SHARKS

A scientist says he’s spotted three whale sharks swimming through heavy oil a few miles from BP’s spewing well in the Gulf of Mexico. The huge fish feed by vacuuming the sea surface. Eric Hoffmayer of the University of Southern Mississippi Gulf Coast Research Lab says the fish may take in huge mouthfuls of oil that could prove deadly. Hoffmayer, who’s studied their migratory habits in the Gulf, says the question now is how many are dying in the oil. He says the sighting confirms fears that the animals don’t know to stay away from the oil.

WEATHER

Alex made landfall as a hurricane and was weakening as it barreled across Mexico, but the storm was still churning up rough seas hundreds of miles away. The waves kept oil-skimming vessels ashore yet another day from Louisiana to Florida, and U.S. Coast Guard officials said the weather may not cooperate until the weekend. With skimmers off the water and crude-corralling booms rendered ineffective, more oil was being pushed onto beaches. But the wind was also helping to break up patches of oil, making them easier for microbes to digest.

CLAIMS

The administrator of the $20 billion escrow fund established to pay BP claims says he’s changing the system so businesses can get emergency, lump-sum payments. Kenneth Feinberg said Thursday that the payments will be expedited and won’t have a predetermined limit. Alabama Gov. Bob Riley lobbied hard for the change. Riley says many businesses that had received $5,000 emergency payments on a month-to-month basis were frustrated by having to ask for additional payments every few weeks.

LIABILITY

The House passed the first major bill related to the Gulf of Mexico oil rig explosion, voting to allow families of those killed and injured workers to be compensated far more generously than current law allows. While families of the 11 killed and the 17 injured would benefit under the legislation, the bill also would apply to all companies operating on the high seas. Thursday’s vote sends the bill to the Senate.