What's Next in Dealing With the BP Oil Spill in the Gulf

By George Chan

With the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon oil well on April 20, 2010, the BP oil spill became the worst ecological disaster in the history of the United States. Oil started gushing out in unprecedented amounts and continued doing so, unchecked, for weeks. An estimated 40,000 barrels a day were leaking into the sea, from an uncontrollable well lying nearly 5,000 feet below the water's surface.
Finally, by June 4, a temporary cap was fitted which slowed down the gushing oil and also made it possible to funnel off some of the leaking petroleum into awaiting ships. BP was still trying to figure out a permanent fix and went to bid on a cap that could be fitted to stop the flow completely. The plan was to drill a new, relief well and then 'kill' the first well by filling it with mud and concrete.
With the first cap in place BP announced it was collecting nearly 16,000 barrels of oil per day. The BP oil spill was still spewing most of its product into the sea, but at a somewhat slower rate. It's not until July 15 that a new cap is placed and seems to be successful in stemming the flow. Now, with the oil temporarily shut off, BP says it will take the opportunity to test the well's integrity. In the meantime, the relief well is drilled about five feet away from the original.
President Obama tapped Admiral Thad Allen, who is the top man in the U.S. Coast Guard and was only weeks away from retirement when the BP oil spill occurred, to head up the relief efforts. Allen had been instrumental in handling the problems caused by Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and was credited with turning around the Bush administrations woeful response to that disaster.
Seemingly apolitical and displaying what has been called 'non-corporate competence', Allen is known for telling it like it is in unvarnished fashion. While BP news conferences tended toward optimism without justification, Allen's almost daily news briefs have been much more factual and accurate. When the second cap was placed Allen voiced his concern for a "detected seep" coming from the sea floor near the well. If methane gas was still escaping, there was a good chance oil was still being released also.
Now that Tropical Storm Bonnie has come and gone, they're back to work trying to permanently plug the well and clean up the BP oil spill. The damage has been done and it's not over yet.

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An Effective Oil Spill Clean Up Procedure

By Travis Zdrazil

Oil spills are dangerous to the health of people and to the environment. The hazards include fumes, ignitions, asphyxiation, burns, water contamination, soil contamination and fire. In case of an oil spill make sure you know what to do.

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What Can We Learn From the BP Oil Spill?

By Walter Jacobson

Although it's not clear to me what the cause or causes are of the catastrophic BP oil spill, there have been several explanations for it which would suggest that it wasn't simply an accident, but rather an event that might have been avoided.
One article I read suggested that some sort of oil leak cut-off system could have been put into place but wasn't because it would have required time and money, two commodities the oil executives were not interested in expending.
Another article suggested that more research was necessary in regard to oil drilling at the depths involved, but this, too, would have cost more time and money, with decreased profits in the process.
Neither of these scenarios may be true. Nonetheless, the overall impression I've gotten from the articles I've read is that BP was more interested in profits than safety, and that this "accident" was more a function of corporate convenience, corporate greed, corporate irresponsibility, and corporate shortsightedness more than anything else.
If this is true, then there is a clear take-home message for all of us: Whether we are developing a career or a product, it behooves us, before putting the career and product out there, to pay close attention and make wise choices.
We don't cut corners. We do our homework. We do the research. We explore all options. We do our due diligence to make sure that what we are doing will benefit and not harm. We spend the time and money necessary to do it safely and to do it right, so that we've put our best foot forward and we don't end up with a catastrophe or crisis that is damaging to ourselves or to others.
It is wise to do these things even if it pushes back our launch dates and reduces our profit margin, because we may discover flaws and inconsistencies which we may be able to correct and adjust for, saving ourselves a lot of money and aggravation in the future which could cripple our goals and profits in the long run.
WHAT ABOUT OUR PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS?
The same advice applies: We need to take our time. We need to pay attention. We need to do the research. We need to look before we leap.
The divorce rate is so high and many relationships are so unsatisfying because we don't do these things. When we meet someone "special" for the first time, there is an infatuation, there is chemistry, there is exhilaration, there are hormones jumping every which way. We feel energized and vitalized, overwhelmed with joy, excitement and sexuality.
When we look into the eyes and face of someone who is as excited about us as we are about them, it makes us feel excited about ourselves. We see our idealized self in the smiling face looking back at us, and all of this contributes to our jumping into bed and jumping into relationships prematurely.
So caught up in the immediate gratification of the moment, we don't consider the long-term consequences. We don't take the time to do our due diligence. We don't take the time to discover the real fabric of the person we have become intimately involved with.
Oftentimes, we see the red flags and warning signs that suggest to us that maybe we shouldn't go down that road, but because we are so enamored, so exhilarated, so charged up with infatuation, chemistry and lust, and having, perhaps, been lonely for a very long time prior to meeting this person, we look the other way, our common sense and intuition go out the window and we sweep the red flags under the rug.
Eventually, sooner or later, the chickens come home to roost. When the chemistry settles down and the infatuation goes away, we are left with a lot of unanswered questions.
Who are these people? What do they really stand for? Do they really care about us? Do they care more about themselves? Are they loyal and trustworthy companions?
All the questions that should have been asked at the beginning are asked after we have committed a great deal of time, money and energy to the relationship.
THE SOLUTION IS DELAYED GRATIFICATION
Taking the time to see what's actually going on before making a commitment is the critical component. We tend not to do this because we are afraid to confront those red flags, to challenge our newly-found partners to explain themselves, to define their ideologies, to detail their backgrounds and previous relationships, for fear that they may get defensive or angry, that they may go away, or that they may tell us something that will be so obvious we will not be able to ignore it and it will force us to go away.
Bottom line: it's best we have the courage to ask these questions before getting involved in a relationship, even if it means our loneliness will linger longer, because it will serve us well in the long run and provide us with the opportunity of finding someone who is worthy of our love and capable of providing us with a stable relationship based on mutual respect and consideration which will sustain us until our end of days.

Walter E Jacobson, MD Psychiatrist, Speaker & Author http://walterjacobsonmd.wordpress.com Spiritual Solutions & Cognitive Tools for Well-Being & Material Success Check out my blog at the above website for practical ways to achieve happiness and success. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Walter_Jacobson

How to File a BP Oil Spill Claim?

By Solomon Tomy
The Deepwater horizon oil spill (also referred as BP oil spill) in the Gulf of Mexico is a massive continuing oil spill. It is regarded as the largest offshore spill in U.S. history. Many businesses in that area were affected by this disaster.
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When Oil and Water Don't Mix - Why Oil Absorbents Should Be Part of Your Spill Response Plan

By Robert MacLaren

Oil spills can be very dangerous, especially if they happen on water where they have the potential to spread more quickly and cause irreversible damage to the environment. If you are working with oils on a daily basis it is important to have the correct spill kits and absorbents to be able to deal with any potential spillages. Your spill response plan should incorporate different types of oil absorbents to contain and absorb dangerous oils spills whether on land or water.
Oil Spills on land & water.
Oil spillage kits and absorbents soak up and retain oils and oil-based liquids without absorbing a drop of water. If you have a spill on water, the oil will not mix with the water, it will simply float on the surface. Whilst damage to the environment is unavoidable, using oil only absorbents on the water surface means that the oil spill can be contained and removed much quicker and easier to minimise the overall environmental impact. The spill can be effectively contained and removed with oil-only absorbents such as socks, booms, mats and pillows which will absorb the oil but not any water and prevent the spill from becoming a disaster.
If you are working with oils in an outdoor oil storage area, you should also use oil-only absorbents if any spills occur due to the potential for wet and rainy weather conditions whilst working outdoors.
Containing spills that come from oil
To prevent an oil spill from causing damage to the environment and becoming a slip and fall hazard to employees the first step is containment. Socks and Booms that only absorb oil can be used to do this effectively as they are flexible and mouldable enough to surround any type of spill and absorb as well as contain oil spills. Multiple socks and booms can be overlapped or linked together to encircle larger oil spills using sturdy clips and connecting rings which feature on some socks and booms on the market. Oil-only socks and booms are easily identifiable in a spill response situation as they are typically white in colour to make absorbed oil easier to see, although some booms are also available in dark grey to hide the absorbed oil and blend in with the surroundings. Containing and absorbing oil spills becomes quick and easy when absorbent socks and booms are part of your spill response plan.
Cleaning up
Once an oil spill has been contained it then needs to be cleaned up. This stage in your spill response plan should also include oil-only absorbents because although absorbent socks and booms absorb as well as contain other absorbents may be needed to clean up any excess oil. Absorbent mats and pillows that are water repellent are designed for this type of outdoor spill application. Both mats and pillows float on water so they are easy to retrieve when the oil has been completely absorbed and are white in colour which makes it easier for you to monitor saturation. Mats and pillows that repel water should be used in conjunction with each other to achieve complete clean up of oil spills so that damage to the environment, stock and employees is prevented.

More information on oil spill kits can be found at New Pig's website or by calling their UK operation on 0800 919 900.
In 1985, New Pig invented the Original PIG® Absorbent Sock, the first contained absorbent product on the market. Today, New Pig offers more than 2,600 leak and spill equipment solutions into industrial, institutional and government facilities in more than 70 countries. Visit their website at http://www.newpig.co.uk.