EPA May Not Force BP to Change Dispersants

[Robbien]

Source: ABC News

A day after the Environmental Protection Agency gave BP 72 hours to find a "less toxic" dispersant to help control the massive gulf oil leak, the federal agency told ABC News today it may allow BP to keep using the same chemicals.



Read more: http://abcnews.go.com/WN/epa-bp-dispersants/story?id=10711367

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The rest of the ABC News article is a rehash of old facts and gives no reason why the EPA made that statement to ABC News.

In related news there is this very interesting article:

Less Toxic Oil Dispersant Ordered Weeks Ago, Sitting On Shore Unused

http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7018766935#ixzz0obSdYwhQ

Ayinde O. Chase - AHN News Editor

Houston, TX, United States (AHN) - The oil dispersant the EPA ordered BP to stop using is said to have killed 25 percent of marine life at its dispersal sites and below the surface. Yet, reports have surfaced that a far less toxic dispersant BP ordered has been sitting on shore for weeks.

Prior to the EPA's announcement Thursday, BP had already dumped in excess of 700,000 gallons of the dispersant Corexit into the sea. The company continued to defend its use of Corexit after questions were raised about a corporate connection between BP and Nalco, the maker of the product.

On Thursday, reports surfaced that a safer substance ordered by BP in May was sitting in Houston, unused and nowhere near the accident site. An estimated 100,000 gallons of the substance was seen at an industrial park outside the city.

John Sheffield, president of Alabaster Corp. that makes the substance, called Sea Brat 4, said his company could be making 50,000 to 100,000 gallons of the dispersant a day.

. . .

Environmentalists and lawmakers are also asking why the substance was approved and in use when countries around the globe have banned it.

A BP spokesman has responded that the company had to use what was readily available and stockpiled.

[DURHAM D]

1. good god

[BrklynLiberal]

2. So if the oil don't get you, the disperants will

SO..it seems that many members of the board of BP are also on the board of the company that makes this toxic crap, Nalco.

Isn't that a weird coincidence?

Also many of the former employees of BP and NALCO are now in the EPA and MMS departments of the govt. It just gets weirder and weirder....doesn't it?

:silly:

[RKP5637]

5. Yep, this is USA, Inc. The hell with the people, living things, they are an

inconvenience to the bottom line profits and cozy profitable relationships.

[RKP5637]

3. Yeah, follow the money trail... I bet some cohort is making a sizable profit, the

hell with living things, toxins and the like, only the profit and cronies count. EPA probably also got reminded of where significant political contributions come from.

[skeptical cynic]

4. Hint: $$$

Corexit 9500 is potentially a hazardous waste that could cost millions to dispose if it isn't used for its intended purpose. Knowing that this event will likely lead to increased scrutiny of oil spill operations and more stringent requirements for spill response, BP could have reasonably concluded that the use of Corexit will be banned in US waters as it has been banned elsewhere, leaving expensive disposal as hazardous waste the only option.

Solution: Use it quickly before it's banned, and use the ocean to dispose of the stuff.

[RKP5637]

6. +1, n/t

[Yeahyeah]

7. Yeah,Obama says Britainia rules the waves,he doesn't want to rock the boat.

Don't blame him, he's a, you know ,a conservative guy.

[skyounkin]

8. God forbid

A government agency does its job!!

[Teka]

9. Shameful

Do we have a Progressive in office or not?

[RKP5637]

11. I wonder... n/t

[HCE SuiGeneris]

10. JFC

I can't take much more of the abject failure of our government's oversight agencies. What the hell are we paying their salaries for?

[Autumn]

14. Why the hell are we paying their salaries ? Cushy job if you

can get it. Plus you get set up for life and a lot of contacts so the money just rolls in till the day you die, and sometimes after. Can you say SUCKERS?

[katandmoon]

12. SHOCKER!

[krabigirl]

13. wow....

[cornermouse]

15. Sold out.

Again.

[Moosepoop]

17. Somewhat misleading headline.

From the article:

The EPA on Thursday gave BP 24 hours to find a better dispersant and 72 hours to begin using it.

The EPA said testing had determined that the use of the dispersant Corexit had killed up to 25 percent of all organisms living at 500 feet below the surface in areas where the dispersant was used. A top BP executive defended the use of Corexit on "Good Morning America" today.

Though Suttles said BP will continue to search for a better alternative, he said "right now we cannot identify another product that is available that's better than Corexit."

EPA spokeswoman Adora Andy told ABC News today, "It's not that Corexit is banned. It's not that they have to stop using it because they're using it right now. But it's just that they need to switch over."

If the 72-hour window passes without a suitable alternative found, the EPA will demand BP prove it investigated a number of alternatives and explain why they were not chosen, according to Thursday's statement. Beyond that, the EPA would not comment on consequences of a missed deadline.

EPA made its demand for a "less toxic" dispersant Thursday after criticism grew over the effects of Corexit.

We know that BP is lying about the non-availability of a better dispersant than Corexit. The question is what will happen if BP lets the 72-hour deadline pass AND BP then fails to PROVE that they searched to no avail for a better alternative. The EPA wouldn't comment to the press on what the consequences to BP would be. But it's not like they've stated a change of mind on the subject. The demand to find a better choice and switch to it within 72 hours still stands. That fact is reiterated on page 3 of the article.

[cornermouse]

18. Suttles said a lot of things this morning.

Most of them untrue.

[subsuelo]

16. How would it "force" BP to do anything?

BP does what it wants. What's the EPA going to do, threaten to criticize them again?

BP is running the show here, folks. Our government is powerless.