More Than 5,000 Square Miles Of Gulf Waters Reopened

By Miles Wolf Tamboli - Talk Radio News Service

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association announced Tuesday that 5,144 square miles of ocean in the Gulf of Mexico are now safe for fishing, according to the NOAA with collaboration from the FDA and Gulf states. 

The NOAA and US Coast Guard report that they have seen no significant oil in the area since July 3rd, and have deemed the zone safe from any future exposures to oil.  According to an NOAA press release Tuesday, “fish caught in the area and tested by NOAA experts have shown no signs of contamination.”

“Consumer safety is NOAA’s primary concern, which is why we developed rigorous safety standards in conjunction with the FDA and the Gulf states to ensure that seafood is safe in the reopened area,” said Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and NOAA Administrator Jane Lubchenco; “we are confident that Gulf fish from this area is safe to eat and pleased that recreational and commercial fisherman can fish these waters again.” 

The organization reiterated consumer safety as its highest priority, but emphasized that the decision was influenced by the importance of fishing to the livelihoods of many living on the Gulf Coast. 

52,395 square miles are still off limits to commercial and recreational fishing, constituting nearly a quarter of the Gulf’s federal waters - and area roughly the size of the state of Louisiana.

Cause For West Virginia Mine Disaster Eludes Safety Officials

The cause of the Upper Big Branch Mine disaster that killed 29 workers this April continues to elude mine safety officials.

“The bottom line here is that we’re still pulling quite a bit of evidence and information from the mine … to the point that no conclusion can be reached at this time,” Joe Main, as Assistant Secretary of Labor for Mine Safety and Health, said during a conference call with reporters Wednesday.

The investigation into the West Virginia disaster has faced numerous setbacks. Deadly gasses prevented entrance into the mine for two months, and it is being reported that high methane levels led to an evacuation of the mine Tuesday evening.

Massey Energy, the company that owns the Upper Big Branch Mine, has suggested that an unforeseen spike in methane levels could be responsible for the disaster. Main said Wednesday that the company’s theory is being examined.

“It has been part of the investigative process,” Main said. “Coming to that conclusion at this stage I think is totally premature.”

World Health Organization Says N1H1 Pandemic Over

Even if the World Health Organization’s global “swine flu” pandemic alert was lifted today, the international community was “lucky” the N1H1 virus did not mutate into a a more lethal form , says WHO Director-General Dr Margaret Chan.

“This does not mean that the H1N1 virus has gone away”  Dr. Chan told a press conference Tuesday.  “We expect the H1N1 virus to take on the behaviour of a seasonal influenza virus and continue to circulate for some years to come.”

“Continued vigilance is extremely important, and WHO has issued advice on recommended surveillance, vaccination, and clinical management during the post-pandemic period.” said Dr. Chan, adding that vaccination continues to be the most cost effective way to protect H1N1 high risk groups.

 In the past several months governments started scaling back their public health response to the  H1N1 crisis, but WHO officials felt they needed more evidence that there were no out of season outbreaks or changes in the intensity of infection rates before dropping the alert.

Controversy surrounding the organization’s decision to upgrade the H1N1 situation to a pandemic in the summer of 2009 surfaced after a Council of Europe investigation into alleged ties between certain WHO Emergency Committee members and pharmaceutical companies. Chan says the names of its emergency committee members will be released shortly but was unclear if the WHO would continue to disclose the identity of committee members in the future.

Although she agrees there needs to be changes in the guidelines for future pandemic responses, Dr.Chan remains confident elevating the H1N1 status to a pandemic was the right thing to do. “We followed exactly the epidemiological and biological criteria as agreed by the experts of the world. And his was a true pandemic.”

The WHO has been able to confirm that at least 18 500 people died from H1N1 virus but this remains a conservative preliminary estimate and the organization will need to a few more years to determine the full extent of the crisis.

“Pandemics, like the viruses that cause them, are unpredictable.  There will be many questions, and we will have clear answers for only some. “

Obama Urges House To Support Jobs Bill

President Barack Obama urged House members Tuesday to support a $26 billion piece of legislation aimed at preventing thousands of teachers and government employees from losing their jobs.

“We can’t stand by while pink slips are given to the men and women that educate our children and keep our communities safe,” Obama said from the White House Rose Garden. 

Flanked by Education Secretary Arne Duncan and two teachers, the President stressed that the bill is deficit neutral, and that the costs would be offset by closing tax loopholes for industries that outsource jobs.

Obama also addressed Republican criticism, primarily the complaint that the bill panders to unions and liberal interests groups.

“I heard the Republican leader in the House say the other day that this is a special interests bill,” Obama said. “I suppose if America’s children and the safety of our communities are your special interests, then it is a special interest bill.”

The House is expected to vote on the bill by 2:30 pm Tuesday. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) suspended the lower-chamber’s August recess to take up the legislation.

Relief Well Drilling Suspended Due To Weather

By Miles Wolf Tamboli - Talk Radio News Service

As heavy storms brew in the Gulf of Mexico, National Incident Commander Admiral Thad Allen reports that drilling will halt on the relief well that may finally put an end to the months-long BP-Deepwater Horizon oil spill until the weather system has passed.

The Development Driller III, which has drilled to within about thirty feet of the crippled Macondo well, will disengage from the well itself but will remain onsite through the storm. Allen told reporters that the joint command had expected to complete the relief well on Thursday or Friday of this week - “this could potentially delay the final portion of the relief well for two to three days.”

The response team does not expect the storms to reach hurricane status, but are executing safety measures “as a precaution.”

In the meantime, the team, “will continue our aggressive search for oil that’s onshore in the marshes, to make sure we’re being responsive to the oil that does appear.”

“As we near the completion of the relief well, we’ll kind of assess where we’re at because we are moving into a new phase, where we’ll be focusing on locating any oil that remains out there - surface or subsurface - focusing on cleanup, and starting with the long-term recovery issues, and making sure that BP maintains their commitment,” said Allen.