NOAA Opens Another 4,000 Square Miles In Gulf

by Miles Wolf Tamboli - the Talk Radio News Service

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reopened over 4,000 square miles of Gulf waters in western Louisiana to recreational and commercial fishing, Friday, according to a press release issued by the Deepwater Horizon Response Joint Command.

No oil has been reported in the area since July 18, excluding a light sheen on July 29, and trajectory models show that no contamination is expected to enter the area.

The NOAA sampled fish and shrimp in the region from July 26 to July 29 and have declared all samples, “well below the levels of concern.” The NOAA will continue to monitor the area for oil, and will conduct fish sampling to and testing to assure that the seafood is safe.

“We have confidence that seafood harvested from this area is free from harmful oil residues and can be enjoyed by consumers around the nation,” said Margaret Hamburg, M.D., Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration.

Over 48,000 square miles of the Gulf remain closed as the administration works to determine the ecological and health effects of the BP-Deepwater Horizon oil spill and the highly criticized heavy use of chemical dispersants following the spill. 

Majority Of Oil Lingering In The Gulf

A panel of officials from the Food and Drug Adminstration (FDA), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) revealed to Rep. Edward Markey (R-Mass.), the lone member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee in attendance, some rather “unsavory” numbers regarding the status of the Gulf Coast.

After the release of the oil budget report, Markey told the panel that Americans are reacting to the Gulf Coast situation with a “false sense of confidence.”

“Over confidence breeds complacency and complacency is what got us into this situation in the first place,” Merkey said.

Dr. Bill Lehr, Senior Scientist at NOAA, estimated that nearly 4.1 million barrels of oil spewed into the Gulf of Mexico, omitting the nearly 800,000 barrels that were captured by containment efforts, but admits a majority of the oil is still present in the environment.

“Probably about three-fourths would still be [in the environment],” Lehr said.

The NOAA scientist pointed out discrepencies in his estimate saying that the only oil “officially” removed from the Gulf waters was that that was burned and skimmed. Oil contained using dispersants and that washed up on the Gulf shores as tar balls remain “in” the environment and Lehr said do not contribute to the percentages of oil removed from the water.

Lehr said that just over 10% of the 4.1 million barrels that spilled into the Gulf have been “removed” from the envorinment, leaving nearly 90% subject to dispersants, beach clean-up crews and natural dispersion.

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.

EPA Says Dispersants Are Not Affecting Gulf Coast Environment

Robert Hune-Kalter - Talk Radio News Service

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lisa Jackson told the Senate Appropriations Committee Thursday that the high amount of dispersants being used in the Gulf of Mexico has not produced any negative side effects, yet. 

Committee members grow wary of dumping high amounts of oil dispersants into the Gulf and showed particular concern about the short and long-term effects these dispersants will have on the environment.

“As of yesterday, BP had used 1.8 million gallons of oil dispersants in the Gulf,” said Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.). “In Exxon Valdez we used 250 thousand barrels.  By comparison, Deepwater, the biggest oil spill in history, now uses 35-60 thousand barrels a day.”

Jackson assured the committee that the EPA has not seen any significant environmental impacts from the dispersants so far. Due to unknown scientific factors regarding these dispersants, the EPA has directed BP to greatly reduce the number of barrels of dispersants being dumped into the Gulf. The number of gallons being dumped has been reduced nearly 70% since May 26.

Dispersants have not been used within 30 miles of the coast and are prohibited from being used off shore because of the time it takes the dispersants to break up oil.

“Yesterday, the state of Louisiana reopened some state waters to fishing after tests showed no presence of oil or dispersants,” said Jackson.

Oil continues to spew from the well unabated after BP failed to cap it earlier this week.