Riverkeeper "Mississippi oil spill response inadequate" as details emerge

[DogPoundPup]

Source: The Institute for Southern Studies

The Lower Mississippi Riverkeeper and Atchafalaya Basinkeeper patrolled the air yesterday to check on the section of the Mississippi River affected by Wednesday's oil spill. What they found was "not encouraging," they report:

In response to the ongoing disaster, the groups are calling for systemic changes, including:

* a review of the safety practices for the shipping of dangerous cargo in Louisiana;

* labeling of barges so first responders can tell from a distance what materials they're dealing with;

* a requirement that petroleum products and other hazardous materials be transported in double-hulled containers;

* an additional vessel to accompany hazardous cargo, as with oversized loads on highways; and

* better communication during an incident so local officials can take steps to protect drinking water supplies and evacuate residents if necessary.

The full report with more photos is online here.

Meanwhile, the New Orleans Times-Picayune reports, the company that owned the tugboat implicated in this week's accident was involved in another collision on the Mississippi River near New Orleans just 11 days earlier.

Read more: http://southernstudies.org/facingsouth/2008/07/riverkeeper-calls-mississippi-oil-spill.asp

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Oil continues to leak from the wreckage of the barge and there were extensive oil slicks on the river from the wreckage to the extent of our patrol (near Carlisle).



A pilot we spoke to said that it was like this all the way to the Gulf of Mexico. It appears that oil has been continuously leaking from the barge in substantial quantities since the wreck occurred. Disturbingly, there appears to be little effort to contain and collect the leaking oil. While many areas on the river have been boomed off to prevent the oil from getting into things like intakes, diversions and other waterways, there seems to be little real attempt to collect the spilling oil. It appears that the oil is simply being allowed to escape into the Gulf of Mexico.

[MichiganVote]

1. We don't take care of our country anymore. Sorry, we're only taking on Iraq and Afghan.

[Arctic Dave]

2. Everybody chant now.

Drill! Off! Shore!
Drill! Off! Shore!
Drill! Off! Shore!
Oh wait, maybe that isn't such a good idea.

[Sgent]

3. offfshore drilling

is transported via pipelines -- where as imported is transported via boats.

[Arctic Dave]

6. Yes, I know. I work in the oilfield.

As you are also aware, pipes tend to leak far more then ships.

[boomerbust]

4. Fox news repoted this morning

That clean up was almost complete and river traffic was back to normal. Go figure!

[uppityperson]

5. k&r and more articles...

http://www.nola.com/news/index.ssf/2008/07/towing_firm_involved_in_oil_sp.html
Towing firm involved in oil spill had another boat sink days earlier
by Meghan Gordon, The Times-Picayune
Saturday July 26, 2008, 7:36 AM

Eleven days before the Mel Oliver tugboat and its cargo collided with an ocean tanker and touched off a devastating oil spill, the Harvey towing firm saw another of its tugs sink in a Mississippi River wreck.

The Ruby E, a 56-foot tugboat, sank July 12 after colliding with the Martin Challenger near Westwego, about four miles upriver from the site of Wednesday's accident that has wreaked massive economic and environmental damage to southeast Louisiana.

DRD Towing of Harvey operated both the Mel Oliver and the Ruby E, the Coast Guard confirmed Friday. But unlike this week's wreck, the Ruby E crew was properly licensed and not transporting any cargo at the time, said Coast Guard spokesman Mike O'Berry.

None of the Mel Oliver crewmembers had the proper licenses to operate on the river. The crewman piloting the vessel should have had a master's license but had only an apprentice mate's license, according to the Coast Guard....(more)

http://www.nola.com/news/index.ssf/2008/07/coast_guard_allows_50_ships_in.html
Coast Guard allows 50 ships in spill zone
by Chris Kirkham, The Times-Picayune
Saturday July 26, 2008, 4:39 PM

As clean-up crews on Saturday reached the 10 percent-mark in the massive effort to mop up more than 400,000 gallons of spilled fuel oil from the Mississippi River, the Coast Guard expanded traffic to allow 50 ships to travel inside the 100-mile spill zone.

Officials with American Commercial Lines, which is leading the cleanup effort, reported at a 3 p.m. news conference in Belle Chase that they have collected about 48,000 gallons of oil.

Meanwhile, wildlife conservation officials said they have received reports of 67 oiled birds and numerous oiled mammals, though crews have captured only a single dove.

"It's a very difficult process to react quickly and find the critter," said Tom MacKenzie of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. ...(more)


Picture of an oiled egret (link to picture) :

\

[Kathleen Lucas]

7. One War

To borrow a quote, "Well, at least the war on the environment is going well."

[trof]

8. Far reaching consequences

Report from a friend doing unrelated work in the area:

Local seafood industry dead.
Paddle wheel river boats docked. Employees laid off.
Cruise ships diverting to Mobile. Passengers bussed back and forth to NOLA.
Dozens of cargo ships anchored in the gulf off of NOLA. Can't unload. Costing hundreds of thousands of dollars a day.
Strong odor of oil over the while area.
Tourism down.
Towns that draw water from the river facing shortages.

It's a mess.

[Karenina]

9. . .