Deepwater Horizon – Day 14 Recap

Here’s a recap of the some of the major events from yesterday regarding the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger withdraws support for offshore drilling. (SF Gate)

Schwarzenegger said, “All of you have seen, when you turn on the television, the devastation in the Gulf, and I’m sure that they also were assured that it was safe to drill. I see on TV the birds drenched in oil, the fisherman out of work, the massive oil spill and oil slick destroying our precious ecosystem. That will not happen here in California, and this is why I am withdrawing my support for the T-Ridge project.”

Florida Gov. Charlie Crist declares state of emergency as oil spill heads toward Florida’s Gulf Coast (Miami Herald)

Crist said, “It’s simply unbelievable, the magnitude of this. It’s not a spill, it’s a continuous ooze”

Florida Sen. Bill Nelson asks federal government to investigate whether oil companies held undue influence over regulators. (pdf)

Nelson wrote, “I ask that you determine in your investigation the extent to which the oil and natural gas industry exercised influence in the agency’s rulemaking process.”

Fox & Friends featue conspiracy theories that the oil rig explosion was intentional. (Climate Progress)

Seafood fears  increase as fisheries shut down (NY Times)

While there are small hopes that the worst could be averted as a massive oil spill spreads toward the shellfish beds and fishing ports of the eastern Gulf Coast, most seem to have been met with equal reason for despair.

What BP is doing stop the oil flow. (The Guardian)

In the long term, the threat will only be removed by giving the pressurised oil in the tapped reservoir another escape route. BP has plans to drill another two wells, probably into the reservoir itself, to divert the oil from the leak. Experts say this could take months.