BP Refuses to Allow Scientists to Test Oil Spill Samples

[The Straight Story]

BP Refuses to Allow Scientists to Test Oil Spill Samples


Scientists in Florida are concerned that large plumes of oil floating beneath the surface in the Gulf of Mexico originated from the Deepwater Horizon spill, and want to test their samples against oil collected by BP. But the oil corporation is refusing to cooperate.

University of South Florida scientist David Hollander said he was “just taken aback” by BP’s unwillingness to assist in a scientific inquiry into the trouble. “It was a little unsettling.”

BP has publicly refused to acknowledge responsibility for the large masses of petroleum floating deep in the gulf which could be headed towards Florida. Company CEO Tony Hayward has gone so far as to insist the oil is “on the surface” of the ocean and that “there aren’t any plumes.”

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, however, is now saying oil has been discovered under the surface, although at “very low concentrations.”

http://www.allgov.com/Top_Stories/ViewNews/BP_Refuses_to_Allow_Scientists_to_Test_Oil_Spill_Samples_100611

[Lerkfish]

1. how would they know the concentrations if they cannot test it?

[Igel]

23. The oil in the plumes they can test.

But they can't link it definitively to the BP spill without a sample from that well.

They should find a way to filter the oil (etc.) from a rather large volume of the plume and then check for Corexit components.

[Stuart G]

2. BP has not cooperated at all..

It is putting out a lot of money now..but later...no. In my opinion..

[LaurenG]

3. I'd like to know when someone (Mr President) is going to inform BP that they don't have the

privilege of telling anyone they can't test samples. No more secrets BP, let it all out, you might as well face it, you've ruined the gulf for years and probably sooner than later you won't be able to hold the facts back anymore.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

4. the ocean is not owned by BP

scientists can go down there and test it. If they are worried then they should get the Navy to protect them from BP. If they need help they should contect their congressmen to step in.

[ellenfl]

5. that's the way i'd go. eom

[Catherina]

22. The navy is too busy spraying the dispersants for BP

http://videos.al.com/al/2010/05/maries_spray_dispersant_on_an.html

A C-130 aircraft sprays dispersant on an oil slick south of the Mississippi coastline. (U.S. Navy photo by Specialist 2nd Class Jonathen E. Davis)

http://tulane.edu/news/newwave/060210_oil.cfm

The US Air Force is helping spray it too:

Air force sprays oil dispersant
Posted by D Weaver on May 10, 2010 at 06:46 PM

U.S. Air Force C-130 Hercules aircraft aerial spray aircraft maintainers from the 910th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron at Youngstown-Warren Air Reserve Station, Ohio, remove the ground load station after refilling a C-130 with oil-dispersing chemicals on the runway of the Stennis International Airport, Miss, on May 9, 2010. Members of the 910th Airlift Wing are in Mississippi to assist with the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The 910th AW specializes in aerial spray and is the Department of Defense’s only large-area fixed-wing aerial spray unit.

http://videos.nola.com/times-picayune/2010/05/air_force_sprays_oil_dispersan.html

[Cresent City Kid]

27. Maybe you can help me

You've answered one of my questions, was the government complicit in the spraying of dispersants or just slow to prevent BP from doing it. A picture is worth a 1000 words, in this case all of them of the four letter variety.

What I would like to know is whether or not dipspersants are being injected into the oil at the well site. I was under the impression that the use of dispersants was stopped. On Keith Olberman last night, Keith asked an oil expert about something he didn't understand about the undersea view of the leak. The answer was that dispersants were being sprayed into the leaking oil. This is the only mention I've heard of this. I'll scour the net for more on this, but if you know, I'd appreciate any infomation you have.

I'm fuming about a lot of things around this debacle, but the dispersants pushed me over the edge. This was done for no other reason than to make it look like less oil was being spewed. The damage to their image was more important to them than the damage to the Gulf, the wildlife in it, and the people around it. Instead of theoretically removable clumps of oil, there are now trillions of microscopic particles of oil, which they claim don't exist.

[yodoobo]

6. how does BP actually stop them??

this slick covers how many hundreds square miles?

Gheesh...Just wade out into the ocean and scoop up a sample.

[KittyWampus]

8. That's what I am wondering. Good question.

[Lerkfish]

13. Coast Guard, I'm assuming

[HughMoran]

16. No, BP is not sharing the data from their samples

see?

[yella_dawg]

21. They have samples of the plume.

They need samples from the well as a baseline for comparison. Until that comparison is made, BP can claim it isn't their oil. There is a leaky well less than fifty miles away that has been puking into the sea since Hurricane Ike in '06. The leak is trivial compared to the big one, but it's a matter of legal liability. They don't want a documented link that could show up in court.

[KittyWampus]

7. I'm just in the long line of people saying WTF? I don't think BP can stop them from collecting sampl

samples and testing them. BP is just no cooperating in releasing info from THEIR samples.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

9. Do the scientists have the necessary equipment to get down under the ocean?

I think they do have diving bells and sampling equipment. What about NOAA has it been down there? I think independent samples are a good idea though to get a rela sense in what is going on.

[KittyWampus]

11. See, THIS is something the Fed Govt can and should do. Collect its own data base of samples.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

15. I read somewhere that NOAA were chased away

Congress should step in here. This can't go on. BP have no rights.

[HughMoran]

19. NOAA is testing the water AND testing seafood for oil

Where do you hear these things?

[Ignis]

24. +1

[HughMoran]

18. Did you watch KO/Rachel earlier this week?

Have you read the articles about those who've been collecting and testing the oil?

[HughMoran]

17. correct.

[highplainsdem]

10. My LBN post about this a couple of days ago. Hollander wants a sample from the wellhead:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x4418928

[Poll_Blind]

12. This should be elevated to a National Security issue and dealt with accordingly. n/t

PB

[G_j]

25. it IS a National Security issue! nt

[Poll_Blind]

28. I agree but has Obama described it as one, signed some sort of executive order or....

..anything like that to that effect?

PB

[Hubert Flottz]

14. Waterboard BP and we won't look back!

[gristy]

20. The mystery is why the scientists need or want to test oil collected by BP

My guess is the reporter doesn't know what he's talking about.

[Ignis]

26. ...