Disenfranchised Citizen

Yeah, that would about sum things up.

In a disappointing but effective article by Aljazeera, Gulf Coast residents and scientists discuss their trials with the EPA and the NOAA in which they continually try to get the attention of the two agencies to address their ongoing health questions about the toxicity of the oil and the dispersants many believe continue to be used in the Gulf. Time after time the EPA and NOAA don’t return phone calls or won’t address the issue, even when independent lab tests prove residents are being poisoned.

Some highlights:

“Michelle Nix, from Pensacola, Florida, founded the group Gulf Coast Oil Spill Volunteers. Nix helped organise blood tests for several Gulf coasts residents who were experiencing sicknesses attributed to toxic chemicals released from BP’s well blow-out and the dispersants the company has used to sink the oil. In October, Dr. Wilma Subra, a chemist and Macarthur Fellow, conducted the blood tests for volatile solvents - chemicals present in BP’s crude oil as well as their toxic dispersants – on eight people Nix provided who live and work along the coast. Most of the people tested had these toxic chemicals present in their blood at levels several times higher than the national average. On November 8, EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson headed a meeting of the Gulf Oil Spill Task Force in Pensacola, which activist Michelle Nix attended. “I hand delivered these blood test results to Lisa Jackson,” Nix said, “She told me she would get back in touch with me, as well as that she would get in touch with Dr. Subra.” It is nearly a month later, and Nix has not heard from Lisa Jackson or the EPA. Dr. Subra, who is actively working with the EPA on issues beyond the BP Gulf of Mexico oil disaster, is still waiting to hear from them about the blood test results. “I have not heard back from the EPA about the blood tests,” Subra told Al Jazeera, “I’m working with the EPA on a host of other issues, including superfund issues and hydraulic fracking. So let me be clear that they are not ignoring me on other issues. But with the blood tests, I have not heard from them.”

And…

“In response to their oil disaster last summer that released at least 4.9 million barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico, BP admitted to using at least 1.9 million gallons of widely banned toxic Corexit dispersants (which have been banned in 19 countries) to sink the oil. The dispersants contain chemicals that many scientists and toxicologists have warned are dangerous to humans, marine life, and wildlife. Residents in Mississippi and Louisiana told Al Jazeera that they believe BP continues to use the toxic dispersants, but the EPA will not respond to their appeals for information and help. Jesse Fineran works within the Hancock County Mississippi Emergency Management Agency as an oil spill response worker within the Emergency Operations Center. “They keep spraying [dispersants],” Fineran told Al Jazeera, “We keep seeing this foam coming in just about everyday. His attempts to alert EPA of the ongoing use of dispersants, as well as many other concerns he has about BP’s response to the disaster, have been largely ignored. Fineran, who continues to work within the Emergency Response Center for Mississippi added, “Nothing the EPA has told us has turned out to be true.”

And…

Shirley and Don Tillman from Pass Christian, Mississippi, have been outspoken in their belief that BP’s dispersants have been making people sick. They were in BP’s oil response Vessels of Opportunity program, and several of their family members and friends are sick from what they believe are chemicals in BP’s dispersants. On October 19th they were visited by Special Agent James Kejonen from NOAA, and Special Agent Ben Bryant with US Fish and Wildlife. The agents told the Tillman’s they were collecting information for a government investigation into dispersants and possible problems associated with them. “I gave them a sample we’d taken from Long Beach that I thought had Corexit,” Shirley Tillman told Al Jazeera. “They were very friendly and seemed sincere, but we haven’t heard back from either of them, and they won’t return our phone calls.”

Government agencies, the American citizens’ tax-dollars pay for, ignoring American citizens, the same citizens who are in the Gulf, experiencing the effects of the BP oil spill firsthand. It would seem, in a rational world, these citizens would simply have to take their concerns and questions to the governmental agencies responsible to assist them, to help put their mind at ease or at least give answers to their questions, initiate an investigation…respond in any sort of way, but that’s not the way things work in the Gulf.

One might begin to question why this is?

Is it politics? Is it a cover-up? Is the problem so large nobody can figure out how to address it? Is it legal maneuvering? Is it a government working at the behest of a large corporation due to some alternative, unspoken arrangement? Is it simple disregard? Is it waiting for more conclusive test results? Is it trying to get a handle on the best way to spin an unforseen health crisis? Is it an attempt to make the problem go away by ignoring it, by attrition, by wearing everyone down until they just shut-up?

Maybe some of these, maybe none of these or all of these.

Hard to know for sure…but there is one thing for sure, one thing most certain…on the part of the EPA, the NOAA and British Petroleum:

It is fucking irresponsible.

Have a nice day.

Reconsider what?

Is Feinberg reconsidering the no-sue clause?

Perhaps so, and maybe because of new information such as this:

In the journal, Annals of Internal Medicine, a new study reveals the longer term health effects for cleanup workers exposed to spilled oil when the tanker Prestige sank off the coast of Spain. What it shows is the risks to human health go far beyond the damage of immediate exposure, and often leads to risk factors for later negative health developments.

The effects were measured two years after the spill, and they include:

- Wheezing, chronic cough and other respiratory symptoms.

- Higher levels of chemicals associated with lung damage.

- Higher rates of chromosome changes in white blood cells, changes that in other studies are linked to increased risk of cancer.

There are certainly differences between the Prestige Spill and BP’s catastraphuk: different types of crude oil, water temperatures and in Spain, the oil spilled directly on the surface whereas in the Gulf of Mexico, the oil had to rise through a mile of the Gulf’s waters. That being said, the spill in the Gulf was significantly larger and has the extra added effect of two million gallons of dispersants, chemicals also suspected of causing respiratory symptoms. David Savitz, a co-author of the editorial accompanying the Prestige study comments about the Gulf, “We can’t assume it’s going to be the same here as it was there…but this shows that there is the potential for health effects that go far beyond immediate exposure.”

And that is the concern, both for the health of the 50,000 Gulf Coast cleanup workers and the “no sue” clause in Kenneth Feinberg’s arbitration plans.

The final effects of the oil and Corexit’s toxicity in this particular spill are unknown yet Gulf Coast residents, if the terms of the final payout remain unchanged, will soon have to make a large, uninformed choice.

They can accept the final payout and hope all is well with the health of their family.

They can reject the final payout and take their chances in court.

As the Prestige study shows, the potential health effects may not be known for years to come so it seems both immoral and unfair for people in the Gulf to have to face down the potential for huge medical bills as a result of this Catastraphuk, a turn of events that was not of their making, by a company who promised to make everyone whole again.

And maybe, they may not have to make this choice at all.

It would seem Feinberg is now giving himself some wiggle room, much to the suspected disapproval of British Petroleum. He stated in a recent article: “The question of whether or not a final payment will require a claimant to release one defendant, BP, or all defendants, has not yet been resolved by me.” If Feinberg is indeed reconsidering the rules, this would certainly be a positive development for Gulf Coast residents, not only could BP still potentially be held liable, but so could Transocean Ltd. who owns the Deepwater Horizon rig and Anadarko Petroleum Corp., which owns a 25% stake in the well.

BP spokesman Daren Beaudo said in an e-mailed statement, “BP believes that any settlement should be a full and final settlement.”

For the sake of thousands in the Gulf Coast, hopefully Mr. Beaudo is wrong and Feinberg will change his mind.

To close off financial compensation within a year, while the speed of the payments is appreciated, could leave many residents floundering later, long after the money is gone, long after the country has forgotten and long after BP has finally succeeded in washing its hands clean in all that oiled surf washing ashore in Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi and Florida.

I would also hope that officials in these four states are attempting to sway Feinberg. If the rules remain in their current form, it is these four states that will end up paying the costs should their citizens’ health begin to fail, not British Petroleum, not Anadarko or Transocean.

You know…the companies responsible for unleashing this monster on all involved in the first place.

Read the articles:

Oil-cleanup workers may face lung trouble

Feinberg Says Spill Victims May Be Able to Sue Some Companies

Have a nice day.

It's okay...BP and Thad Allen say that oil is not really there...go watch TV

A funny thing has happened in the Gulf of Mexico these past couple weeks…that oil spill?

It’s over, the oil spill is more or less over, all taken care of so you can switch the channel now.

The fisherman will be back at work soon, the oil isn’t in the marshes, it’s not on the beaches and it certainly isn’t flowing out of the Macondo Well. The wildlife, all good, didn’t you see that they relocated the sea turtle eggs and they’re now hatching on a different coast? And British Petroleum put up 20 billion dollars that will take care of everybody. No one has to suffer, not really…not anymore. Yeah, we’ll still have the occasional tar ball for a little while, but just send out your kids with toy shovels and a bucket so they can scoop it up and carry it over to a very tanned lifeguard in his chair; he’ll contact BP right away.

Tragedy yes, terrible…agreed.

It took a very long time to solve this problem, BP knows, they understand, but the important thing is its solved. Didn’t you hear? Skimmers are being sent home…no oil to clean up anymore, not really, at least not any that Thad Allen can find because the dispersants have gotten rid of it all. Those closed fisheries? They’ve started to reopen, no matter if they are still toxic and the EPA and FDA haven’t been trustworthy on the effects of the spill…these are mere details. With few minor exceptions, all is going according to the plan. They’re even removing boom now, it was doing more damage than good, don’t ya know…British Petroleum and the Coast Guard would like to thank you for your patience, America. Though we’re certainly not out of the woods, the clearing is in view and that view is a beautiful sunset over a body of water that in very short order, will be crystal clear again. In fact, it’ll be even better than before…

Well, that’s a version anyway.

Unfortunately, it is quickly becoming the official version for too many mainstream media outlets.

Oh yeah, and it’s bullshit.

From Riki Ott’s outstanding article in the HuffingtonPost:

Regarding the hard to find oil:

Bay Jimmy on the northeast side of Barataria Bay was full of oil. So was Bay Baptiste, Lake Grande Ecaille, and Billet Bay. Sitting next to me was Mike Roberts, a shrimper with Louisiana Bayoukeepers, who has grown up in this area. His voice crackled over the headset as I strained to hold the window. “I’ve fished in all these waters – everywhere you can see. It’s all oiled. This is the worst I’ve seen. This is a heart-break…”

Regarding the safety of chemical dispersants:

The dispersants used in BP’s draconian experiment contain solvents such as petroleum distillates and 2-butoxyethanol. Solvents dissolve oil, grease, and rubber. Spill responders have told me that the hard rubber impellors in their engines and the soft rubber bushings on their outboard motor pumps are falling apart and need frequent replacement…plastic corks used to float the absorbent booms during skimming operations dissolve after a week of use…medical doctor Ted Schettler and others warn that solvents can rapidly enter the human body: They evaporate in air and are easily inhaled, they penetrate skin easily, and they cross the placenta into fetuses. For example, 2-butoxyethanol is a human health hazard substance: It is a fetal toxin and it breaks down blood cells, causing blood and kidney disorders.

Regarding the downplaying of the dangers by BP, the Coast Guard, OSHA, NIOSH, the FDA and the EPA:

BP insists that solvents “disappear” after only a day or two. Retired toxicologist and forensic chemist John Laseter disagrees. Laseter told me that solvents “solubilize” or become soluble in oil and remain a threat for up to two months. He said the oil-solvent mixture sticks on biological tissue – gills of fish, the organic film coating sand grains and raindrops – and can wreak havoc. He told me that the dispersants are “almost certainly” making the oil penetrate more deeply into the skin and could very well be causing the rashes in the Gulf. The Mobile television station WKRG took samples of water and sand from Orange Beach, Gulf Shores, Katrina Key, and Dauphin Island. The test was nothing fancy. The on-air reporter simply dipped a jar into the ocean and another into some surf water filling a sand pit dug by a small child. In the samples, oil was not visible in the water or the sand, but the chemist who analyzed them reported astonishingly high levels of oil ranging from 16 to 221 parts per million (ppm). Except for the Dauphin Island sample — that one literally exploded in the lab before testing could be completed. The chemist thought maybe the exploding sample contained methane or 2-butoxyethanol.

Yet Mr. Dudley, soon to be CEO of British Petroleum believes it is time to scale back cleanup operations…

Hey Thad Allen, meet the new boss…same as the old boss!

Really, read the article,

Oilgate!     BP and all the President’s Men (except one) Seek to Contain Truth of Leak in the Gulf (Photos and Video)

Have a nice day.