commonground Covers The Oil Spill

The Word on Dispersants Used in the BP Oil Spill Cleanup (1 Comment)

Tue, 03 Aug 2010 14:20:59 +0000

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After speaking with the Joint Incident Command group this weekend, here’s an overview of what I’ve found out about dispersants used in the Gulf to control, contain and cleanup the BP oil spill...

- Dispersants are chemicals that can be used to break up oil and speed its natural degradation. They are generally less harmful than oil and biodegrade more quickly than untreated oil.

- According to EPA, dispersants have been useful in breaking up the oil offshore and preventing more oil from reaching fragile coasts and wetlands.

- BP has been allowed to use dispersants during this disaster because the spill was more than three miles from the shoreline. For this use, BP has been preauthorized to use approved dispersants. Conversely, BP has had to get daily approval from the Coast Guard and EPA to use dispersants in any surface applications.

*Each of these approvals and requests can be found at http://www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com

- The EPA has been testing for dispersants near the shore and has detected no dispersant compounds. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and EPA scientists are conducting rigorous ongoing monitoring and analysis of the effectiveness and toxicity of the dispersants used.

*As of the date of the EPA’s document, toxicity testing had not shown any significant effects of dispersants on aquatic life.

- Mobile air monitors (see photo) taking samples throughout the region have detected only very small amounts of compounds that may be related to dispersants.

*I came upon one of these monitoring units on the sand dunes at Orange Beach just yesterday. The cleanup crew member I talked to had no idea what the device was or who had placed it on the sand dune.

- While there has been concern that a lot of dispersant has been used because of the scope of the oil spill, the Coast Guard is tasked with approving surface dispersant application when preferred control methods such as skimming or burning are not available due to weather conditions or oil location.

*BP had a daily limit of 15,000 gallons back when the well was leaking oil.

- EPA began its own scientific testing of eight dispersant products and subsequently found that none of the eight dispersants tested, including the product in use in the Gulf, displayed biologically significant endocrine disrupting activity.*While most of the dispersant products alone have roughly the same impact on aquatic life, JD-2000 and Corexit 9500 were generally less toxic to small fish and JD-2000 and SAF-RON GOLD were least toxic to mysid shrimp.

- Additional testing is needed to determine the acute toxicity of multiple concentrations of Louisiana Sweet Crude Oil alone and of combinations of Louisiana Sweet Crude Oil with each of the eight dispersants for two test species.

- The EPA publishes a more detailed form on dispersants at its Website. For more information, visit http://www.epa.gov/bpspill/dispersants.

- From that data referenced in #9, the chemical components of the dispersants COREXIT 9500 and COREXIT 9527 are...(Each is listed with CAS Registry Number and then the Chemical Name)

57-55-61,2-Propanediol
111-76-2 Ethanol, 2-butoxy-*
577-11-7 Butanedioic acid, 2-sulfo-, 1,4-bis(2-ethylhexyl) ester, sodium salt (1:1)
1338-43-8 Sorbitan, mono-(9Z)-9-octadecenoate
9005-65-6 Sorbitan, mono-(9Z)-9-octadecenoate, poly(oxy-1,2-ethanediyl) derivs.
9005-70-3 Sorbitan, tri-(9Z)-9-octadecenoate, poly(oxy-1,2-ethanediyl) derivs
29911-28-2 2-Propanol, 1-(2-butoxy-1-methylethoxy)-
64742-47-8 Distillates (petroleum), hydrotreated light

*Note: This chemical component (Ethanol, 2-butoxy-) is not included in the composition of COREXIT 9500.

Ultimately, I’ve only been able to gather information on the dispersants through forms and communication with the Joint Incident Command.

I’ll have more insight when I interview LuAnn White at Tulane University tomorrow.

Keywords

BP, oil spill, cleanup, environmental consultant, dispersants, EPA, testing, jeff cutler

Part 2 of 2: (Video) Interview with Tulane Environmental Scientist - BP Oil Spill, Remediation,...

Mon, 09 Aug 2010 16:41:04 +0000

Entry by Jeff Cutler

Here is the second half of our discussion with Tulane's director of the Center for Applied Environmental Public Health, LuAnn White.

In part 2 of our interview, LuAnn will answer the questions below. Again, for your ease-of-viewing, I provided the approximate start time for each of the answers so you can find the info you want quickly.

8. A number of media reports have been filmed in Grand Isle and other coastal areas. The Mississippi delta estuary and ecosystem is huge, and it has a lot of backwater and surface area. Is there oil in there? Can it be remediated and/or recovered? Does it need to be? (start)

9. It seems like current media coverage is falling into one of two very different categories, either highly optimistic (“the oil has disappeared”), or very dire (“the Gulf will take decades to recover”). What causes this split in the coverage? What is your outlook? (4:05)

10. What do you think the media was hoping to find when they came down to the Gulf Coast? (8:10)

11. What do you think will be the impact from this event on the region’s long term reliance on the oil and gas industry? (11:05)

12. Is now an exciting time to be a scientist? (14:30)

13. Talk for a moment about seafood safety and the processes used to ensure that toxins, including oil, haven’t affected food from the Gulf. (16:10)

Part 1 of 2: (Video) Interview with Tulane Environmental Scientist - BP Oil Spill, Remediation,... (1 Comment)

Thu, 05 Aug 2010 16:01:36 +0000

Entry by Jeff Cutler

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In a discussion this week with Tulane's director of the Center for Applied Environmental Public Health, LuAnn White, we got answers to questions brought forward by the community about dispersants, natural degradation of oil, and estuary remediation methods.

In part 1 of our interview, LuAnn will answer the following questions. Because the video is about 13 minutes long, I provided the approximate start time for each of the answers so you can find the info you want quickly.

What types of scientists study the types of dynamics and systems at play when trying to track down where the oil has gone? (0:17)
Recent reports are that as much as five million barrels of oil has been spilled into the Gulf of Mexico. Additionally, these reports say that only 800,000 were recovered with the rest being released into the Gulf waters. What can you say about the water column as it relates to where the oil has gone? (1:00)
Explain what will happen to the oil that is now out in the gulf? How long will it be there and how will it break down? (3:20)
Talk about the pools of oil - or the reported pools of oil that are under the surface of the water in the Gulf (6:30)
Were oil dispersants used normally, and if so, for what types of applications? How do dispersants work? Do you think the recent alarm of over application of dispersants are well founded? (9:00)
What Impact would a storm or a hurricane have on the oil that's still in the Gulf of Mexico? (11:40)

Stay tuned for the second installment of LuAnn's interview, which will be posted Monday. She's going to tell us why this spill is different-and not as bad- as the Exxon Valdez, and her experience dealing with the media. She'll even tell us about something completely new: there are professional "sniff testers" who determine whether seafood in the gulf is safe to eat! Hmm...smelling dead fish on a good day is probably still bad...

Note: You can also find the individual video clips of each question in the commonground Streaming Lounge.

Video

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Keywords

BP, oil spill, cleanup, environmental consultant, luann white, tulane, video, jeff cutler

iOilSpill Goes to School, Then Speaks with Another EP

Wed, 04 Aug 2010 12:43:58 +0000

Entry by Jeff Cutler

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Today's calendar is full of great information gathering for you.

• In the morning we go to Tulane University to find out exactly how dispersants affect crude oil and the process oil goes through from the crust of the Earth all the way to your car's engine - on a technical/chemical level

• We'll speak with an EP in Baton Rouge and ask the questions you've posed in the forums and via email. Some topics include what absorbents are being used - burnable or degradable; why collected solids are going to landfills instead of addressing them locally with thermal treatment or bioreactors; and more.

Stay tuned!

Keywords

BP, oil spill, cleanup, containment, environmental consultants, Tulane University, property, Dr. LuAnn White, jeff cutler

Inside Incident Command - BP Oil Spill Cleanup Figures

Tue, 03 Aug 2010 16:10:12 +0000

Entry by Jeff Cutler

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Update:

Dispersant is the word everyone's been saying lately so we contacted the EPA and Coast Guard to find out the amounts used and the chemical makeup of the dispersants in the cleanup effort. Incident Command also provided us with enough information for an entirely separate post.

Further, we asked for a video tour of the command center and they said they are not granting media access to film the command center at this time. But they did tell us the following about money and resources used in the cleanup.

• To date, there has been $4 billion spent on the response and cleanup efforts

• The Coast Guard and BP has put 30,075 people into action on the cleanup.

• These personnel are comprised of federal and civilian employees, contractors and volunteers.

Unfortunately, Incident Command was not able to give me a specific breakdown of monies spent on environmental consultants.

Keywords

BP, oil spill, cleanup, containment, environmental consultants, Joint Command, Coast Guard, property, Dr. LuAnn White, jeff cutler

Orange Beach, Tourism and BP Oil Spill Impact and Cleanup Efforts on the Gulf Coast

Mon, 02 Aug 2010 13:31:38 +0000

Entry by Jeff Cutler

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Today, I'm in the car bright and early to go speak with folks in Alabama about the oil spill and the impact it's had on their community. Here's my plan for the day...

• Speak with tourism representatives from Orange Beach about how their region has been affected

• Tour a war-room; the actual staging area for environmental task forces addressing oil containment and cleanup. Hope to get a video on my tour to share.

• Visit with local business owners to see how they might benefit from having environmental consultants assist them in the challenges presented by the oil spill

Keywords

BP, oil spill, cleanup, containment, environmental consultants, Orange Beach, Gulf coast, war room, jeff cutler

cg member Lisa Morrison speaks of Katrina, the BP Disaster and Oil Cleanup Efforts

Mon, 02 Aug 2010 13:32:32 +0000

Entry by Jeff Cutler

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I traveled to Biloxi, Mississippi to speak with Lisa Morrison of Compton Engineering. When we announced this project, Lisa reached out to the commonground team and said she'd be happy to talk with us and show us some projects she has been working on as a result of the spill. She discussed some of the environmental issues facing the area and the mindset of residents and the realities of being in a region that’s been hit hard by Katrina and now is being affected on many levels by the BP oil spill.

Click on the photo to give a listen.

Lisa showed me some of the work her company has been doing. Compton is responsible for various environmental consulting projects in the Gulf region and she showed us one project that keeps oil out of the wetlands....

As you can see from some of the video - especially the beginning - Biloxi Bay is pretty well protected from the open Gulf, so they haven’t been too affected by actual oil coming up on their beaches. What has affected folks in this town is the perception of oil-filled sand and the psychological effect of not knowing when to expect - if ever - more damaging results from the spill.

Thanks, Lisa, for your time and local expertise. As always, I look forward to comments and questions from the community.

Video

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Keywords

oil spill containment, environmental consultants, engineering, biloxi, compton, katrina, BP, seawater

File

Lisa_Morrison7-29_LR Edit.mp3 (6.8MB)

Coming Wednesday - Tulane University Expert on Oil Spill Impact Projections

Mon, 02 Aug 2010 19:47:12 +0000

Entry by Jeff Cutler

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On Wednesday (August 4) I'm meeting Dr. LuAnn White of Tulane University's Center for Applied Environmental Public Health. We're going to discuss how oil that begins in the earth's core makes the journey to the earth's surface.

During this video discussion with Dr. White, I'll also be delving into environmental factors of dispersing the oil, asking about other factors that might mitigate or accelerate impact to the environment, and pretty much anything else I choose.

That's where YOU come in. What do you want me to ask? What do you think Dr. White can share about the spill, about the scope of this disaster and about the general landscape for environmental professionals who might want to have a role in helping examine and rectify this situation?

Leave your questions here or on the message boards and I'll collect them all and bring them with me. iOilSpill is a great success because of your participation. And I'm here to ask the questions you want answered.

Just let me know what those questions are. Thanks!

Keywords

BP, oil spill, cleanup, dispersant, containment, environmental consultants, Tulane University, property, Dr. LuAnn White, jeff cutler

Television Paying Attention to #ioilspill and commonground environmental Community (2 Comments)

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 13:27:07 +0000

Entry by Jeff Cutler

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I got a call from one of the CBS stations back home asking me what I was doing these days and I told them I was spending time in the Gulf covering the oil spill. They asked if I'd answer some questions and share some of my experiences with their readers and of course I said yes...who doesn't want to work with one of the largest news organizations in the world?

Here's the first conversation I had with them about the spill. We'll keep chatting with them about developments down here in the Gulf and beyond. If you're in the Boston-metro area and have some insight into the BP situation, I'm sure they'd like to hear from you. They're always looking for local ties to national stories.

My daily schedule coming up soon! It's gonna be a wild Wednesday.

Keywords

boston, wbz-tv, oil spill, new orleans, katrina, disaster, environment, perspective, jeff cutler

Audio: Our exclusive interview with Billy Nungesser who has strong opinions about the BP Oil Spill (5 Comments)

Thu, 29 Jul 2010 12:59:31 +0000

Entry by Jeff Cutler

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Billy Nungesser is Parish President of the Plaquemines Parish in Belle Chase, LA. He is vocal. He has taken a strong stance for the people in his parish and in his state. He doesn't like being jerked around - and that's what he thinks is going on.

Click on the image to hear the interview with Billy.

He believes oil is going to continue rolling up on the coastline of his state for ages and wants responsible parties to acknowledge there's a problem and not hide from him or his constituents.

Today we got a few minutes with the man who has been shouting at BP and the US Government since the first day of the spill. Give a listen and let us know what you think.

In the next day, I'll be processing some video taken at the same event where we chatted with Nungesser. It gives you a little perspective of the number of press folks who are still chasing down stories here in the Gulf. Contrary to what you might not be seeing on your local news, this is still the biggest story down here. Bars have CNN going all the time and it is on people's minds.

Also coming up on the blog are audio interviews and lots more photos (I took about 100 today). Just running out of time in the day to share it all with you. And to that point, I hope you're enjoying this resource and style of coverage. While it might seem at first to be overwhelming because we're sharing so much content, it's really something you can do at your own pace. The commonground blog isn't going anywhere and my responsibility is to answer your questions and share info long after I return back to the chilly Northeast (it's 97 degrees down here, what have you got?!)

So have fun, ask questions, and share what we're sharing. Thanks for reading and listening and watching!

Jeff

Keywords

Belle Chasse, billy nungesser, oil spill, new orleans, environment, perspective, jeff cutler, consultants

File

Billy_Nungesser7-28.mp3 (6.2MB)

commonground Covers The Oil Spill

The Word on Dispersants Used in the BP Oil Spill Cleanup (1 Comment)

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Part 2 of 2: (Video) Interview with Tulane Environmental Scientist - BP Oil Spill, Remediation,...

Part 1 of 2: (Video) Interview with Tulane Environmental Scientist - BP Oil Spill, Remediation,... (1 Comment)

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iOilSpill Goes to School, Then Speaks with Another EP

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Inside Incident Command - BP Oil Spill Cleanup Figures

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Orange Beach, Tourism and BP Oil Spill Impact and Cleanup Efforts on the Gulf Coast

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cg member Lisa Morrison speaks of Katrina, the BP Disaster and Oil Cleanup Efforts

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Coming Wednesday - Tulane University Expert on Oil Spill Impact Projections

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Television Paying Attention to #ioilspill and commonground environmental Community (2 Comments)

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Audio: Our exclusive interview with Billy Nungesser who has strong opinions about the BP Oil Spill (5 Comments)

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