tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91120358497777482722024-03-05T19:34:27.974-08:00DECEPTION IN THE GULF OF MEXICOA survivor's log of murder, destruction, collusion, lies and propaganda on the parts of BP and all levels of governmentKaren Mayer Hopkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17390802512709065872noreply@blogger.comBlogger145125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112035849777748272.post-73175333912282432342012-08-13T19:41:00.001-07:002012-08-13T19:41:58.060-07:00Anglers, guides: Trout problem result of oil spillhttp://www.shreveporttimes.com/article/20120813/SPORTS06/120813016/Anglers-guides-Trout-problem-result-oil-spill?odyssey=nav|headKaren Mayer Hopkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17390802512709065872noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112035849777748272.post-5238740789691036792012-04-10T08:45:00.003-07:002012-04-10T08:46:51.884-07:00Four Eco-Documentaries That Will Fuel Your FireIn the film Dirty Energy, filmmaker Bryan D. Hopkins tells the untold story of the disastrous effects that the Deepwater Horizon explosion and oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico had, and is still having, on the economy and people of America's Gulf Coast. If you want a true accounting of what is still going on after the biggest accidental oil spill in world history see Dirty Energy.Karen Mayer Hopkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17390802512709065872noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112035849777748272.post-18075031663812886522012-02-23T04:52:00.000-08:002012-02-23T04:52:55.868-08:00BP Spill Victims Still Feel Economic Impact as Trial Nears<b>THE VICTIMS OF BP'S CRIMES WILL FOREVER FEEL THE ECONOMIC, SOCIETAL AND HEALTH IMPACTS OF THEIR CRIMES. I KNOW. I'M ONE OF THEM.</b>
<b>“With businesses that were harmed by the spill, the people who are just out money, they can be made whole,” said Lance Lubel, Trahan’s lawyer. “With the injury and death cases, money may be all there is to make it right, but it is a poor substitute because those people will never be put back together again.”</b>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn1EA7aPXvTw9w7E05AHzB3OejJSyda2iV_wTJtpvv2fB5unFnjAkMMl5RwnmB6vC2ms0sD-ky8u-i0R2ZmuvgNRFndlioQh-WC2kvFnE1bUBBXGKf6gcdXDj5EfbJ5Cl6ZTYpMqGQyeFj/s1600/bpskull.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="267" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn1EA7aPXvTw9w7E05AHzB3OejJSyda2iV_wTJtpvv2fB5unFnjAkMMl5RwnmB6vC2ms0sD-ky8u-i0R2ZmuvgNRFndlioQh-WC2kvFnE1bUBBXGKf6gcdXDj5EfbJ5Cl6ZTYpMqGQyeFj/s400/bpskull.jpeg" /></a></div>Karen Mayer Hopkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17390802512709065872noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112035849777748272.post-45674264225114950572012-02-23T04:48:00.000-08:002012-02-23T04:48:44.786-08:00SICK RESIDENTS CONTINUE TO BLAME BP<b>Many people living near the site of the BP oil spill have reported a long list of similar health problems.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b>WHO ELSE ARE WE SUPPOSED TO HOLD ACCOUNTABLE? THIS WAS AND CONTINUES TO BE AN ACT OF TERRORISM ON THE PARTS OF BP, ET AL AND AMERIKA'S GOVERNMENT!</b>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg35XwUobbK6ncnIZtNS3VrPSFUg28WkHDmcR5hfsn1qhw3bBT5giJ8qxBtA2I8RVQ27Lr7a4tI-4PXKUzs_0qwxA0orTswxiCzwTwAYpDx0DHWHERJTEWnjSvfaEyXFTQobUefJnauw85t/s1600/ALJAZEERA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="265" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg35XwUobbK6ncnIZtNS3VrPSFUg28WkHDmcR5hfsn1qhw3bBT5giJ8qxBtA2I8RVQ27Lr7a4tI-4PXKUzs_0qwxA0orTswxiCzwTwAYpDx0DHWHERJTEWnjSvfaEyXFTQobUefJnauw85t/s400/ALJAZEERA.jpg" /></a></div>
</b>Karen Mayer Hopkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17390802512709065872noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112035849777748272.post-64450539167745003492012-02-13T03:59:00.000-08:002012-02-13T03:59:10.738-08:00BP Wins Bid to Bar Prior Bad Acts From Gulf Oil Spill Trial<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRw2mFmX4UZEpvLJZ-kkgtMOartGMm8JyMJLIHrjHxidE_hV0PyafPJISnehg7BHiB-RR9UBZv0o6ZmvRemtoLNLnckYg0brp_BO7r9ybG5umrT6XoLJC5ZMB9oz2bAk2BLE-CI2n2_yQY/s1600/lisablack.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRw2mFmX4UZEpvLJZ-kkgtMOartGMm8JyMJLIHrjHxidE_hV0PyafPJISnehg7BHiB-RR9UBZv0o6ZmvRemtoLNLnckYg0brp_BO7r9ybG5umrT6XoLJC5ZMB9oz2bAk2BLE-CI2n2_yQY/s400/lisablack.jpg" /></a></div>Karen Mayer Hopkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17390802512709065872noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112035849777748272.post-66514793861167355982012-02-13T03:41:00.000-08:002012-02-13T03:53:54.301-08:00Transocean Asks Judge to Force BP Manager to Testify in TrialAs the time of reckoning draws near, we watch. Hopeful. We await, positive that we will see Cannibalism raise it's ugly head in the form of infighting, finger pointing and backstabbing between the corporations. They seem to be at war according to the corporate media, who grab at the propaganda dollars of these mammoths. In reality, my world, there is no Cannibalism among corporations. Cannibalism requires flesh. The Capitalism of Corporate Personage requires only currency or a marketable commodity. The mammoths are working as one via their teams of intrepid insect-like attorneys during what is destined to be the largest charade since Lady Justice took up residency in America. Just as surely as they have worked together in the past to ignore the warnings, conceal and deny the crimes, they will walk away from the courtroom victorious; perhaps a few pounds lighter from the shedding of cash due to numerous meetings held behind closed doors along the Gulf Coast states, while claiming, "the pursuit of justice", but victorious nonetheless. And the small people will bow their heads in defeat, as they have done for centuries and are destined to do forever...........the glimmer of hope for justice dead in their hearts, their pockets empty for all of eternity.
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Karen Mayer HopkinsKaren Mayer Hopkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17390802512709065872noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112035849777748272.post-30073815422789009382012-02-12T09:00:00.000-08:002012-02-12T09:00:14.370-08:00SKY TRUTH OIL SPILL REPORTSAnd so it continues......the Gulf of Mexico, AMERIKA'S TOILET BOWL.Karen Mayer Hopkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17390802512709065872noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112035849777748272.post-57802812657770545512012-02-11T05:42:00.000-08:002012-02-11T05:42:56.951-08:00Federal Attorneys Urge Openness at Gulf Oil-Spill TrialKaren Mayer Hopkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17390802512709065872noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112035849777748272.post-57538267422798790762012-02-10T16:33:00.000-08:002012-02-10T16:33:30.248-08:00BP's Deception in the Gulf : Part 1- The farcical 3 leaks on the broken riser storyKaren Mayer Hopkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17390802512709065872noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112035849777748272.post-25396575077897624712012-02-10T16:26:00.000-08:002012-02-10T16:26:01.989-08:00Can Plaintiffs in BP Suits Get a Fair Hearing?Karen Mayer Hopkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17390802512709065872noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112035849777748272.post-76574396324456662412012-02-09T21:02:00.000-08:002012-02-09T21:02:38.688-08:00THE BIGGEST 5 OIL COMPANIES MADE $135 BILLIN IN PROFITS LAST YEARWHY? YOU ASK WHY? I'LL TELL YOU WHY!
IT IS BECAUSE THEY OWN OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS FROM THE WHITE HOUSE ALLLLLLLL THE WAY DOOOWWWWN TO THE ALDERMEN OF ITTY BITTY TOWNS.
THAT'S WHY!
AND WE, THE AMERICAN PEOPLE ALLOWED IT.
THAT'S WHY!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1qaMj57CIB3XtEeBVoM2Te3rETahsWGAx6pIQ8e4rbJBNdtqm1HLBjOKRyQDMsIoL27kN7apgu7Azw1FkO2d5knsFooYnuPkL-VLAU9xEcvkaA75OgjSCEtcDsir5toLm1ET1Eo4Mvj0l/s1600/THEBIGGEST.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="222" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1qaMj57CIB3XtEeBVoM2Te3rETahsWGAx6pIQ8e4rbJBNdtqm1HLBjOKRyQDMsIoL27kN7apgu7Azw1FkO2d5knsFooYnuPkL-VLAU9xEcvkaA75OgjSCEtcDsir5toLm1ET1Eo4Mvj0l/s400/THEBIGGEST.jpg" /></a></div>Karen Mayer Hopkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17390802512709065872noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112035849777748272.post-3787101176667080232012-02-09T20:58:00.001-08:002012-02-09T20:58:52.454-08:00Proving Corexit Poisoning-Civil Engineer Marco Kaltofen-Gulf Oil SpillKaren Mayer Hopkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17390802512709065872noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112035849777748272.post-29875004480934833382012-02-09T20:57:00.001-08:002012-02-09T20:57:37.621-08:00BP Made $3 Million An Hour In 2011, While Spill Victims Continued To SufferKaren Mayer Hopkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17390802512709065872noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112035849777748272.post-77958803588719591042012-02-09T20:56:00.001-08:002012-02-09T20:56:15.997-08:00BP OIL COMMERCIALS COVER UP ENVIRONMENTAL STRESSKaren Mayer Hopkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17390802512709065872noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112035849777748272.post-25311378848335460992012-02-09T20:54:00.001-08:002012-02-09T20:54:39.218-08:00BP OIL SPILL TRIAL: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOWKaren Mayer Hopkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17390802512709065872noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112035849777748272.post-52060109357452309382011-12-29T21:52:00.000-08:002011-12-29T21:52:06.861-08:00List of the Oil Industries Non profit "Enviornmental Groups"These are groups that Lobby with the sole purpose of unlocking barriers to increasing the resiliency of the industry.
Electric utilities, Gas and Oil sector.
* Americas Wetlands
* Enviornmental Defense Fund
* Women of the Storm
* Nature Conservancy
Mr Robert Milling of New Orleans La is connected to all these Groups.
* Gov. of the Atlanta Federal Reserve
* Grandson of the Oil Industry Law firm Benson & Woodward
* Chairman of Gov. Jindals Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority
* Former President of Whitney Bank
* Wife Anne Milling Co founder of Women of the Storm
(KIMBERLY MCCUISTON)Karen Mayer Hopkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17390802512709065872noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112035849777748272.post-37107487192934905602011-12-29T21:49:00.000-08:002011-12-29T21:49:21.522-08:00GIANT TIGER PRAWNS, OH MY!THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR YEARS. As someone who has spent seven years in the seafood industry, I KNOW THIS. However, this story HAS BEEN RESURRECTED since the BP CRIMES. The story was pretty much dormant for a while, but it's better for... BP and the Govt. to make people believe that this VICIOUS PREDATOR has/will destroy the wild white and brown shrimp population in the Gulf. YOU CAN NOT SUE A TIGER PRAWN for destroying your health and your way of life!Karen Mayer Hopkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17390802512709065872noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112035849777748272.post-76786271405621595622011-12-29T21:46:00.000-08:002011-12-29T21:46:03.868-08:00ANOTHER "MEDIA" OUTLET BOUGHT AND PAID FORWHO THINKS, AS I DO, THAT BP BOUGHT OUT SEAFOOD.COM AS WELL? SICKENING!
by Karen Mayer Hopkins on Thursday, December 29, 2011 at 9:52pm
Posted: Thursday, December 29, 2011
Gulf tourism unexpectedly rebounds in 2011 as 'seafood-loving tourists' return
SEAFOOD.COM NEWS [Fox News] by Phil Keating - December 29, 2011
Along the beaches of the Gulf Coast, 2011 ends with a surprise that no one expected this soon: a post-oil spill rebound in tourism, and record-setting at that.
The year of 2010, of course, goes down as the horrible, lost period thanks to BP’s Deepwater Horizon disaster, the largest oil spill in this nation’s history. This year wraps up with not only better tourism numbers than before the oil spill, but better than any year on record. Florida’s oil-impacted beaches in the Panhandle saw tourism shoot up 61 percent over 2010. Alabama rose 51 percent, while Mississippi gained 7 percent.
Louisiana doesn’t have exact numbers yet, but tourism officials in Baton Rouge say they are at numbers that the state did not expect to see until the end of 2012. And tourism promoters and business owners set all-time records -- not just over 2010’s horrible summer -- after they seriously wondered last year whether all they had ever invested in would be lost and shut down.
"At that point in time, we didn't think it was gonna come back, that's why all of us are shocked that it has come back like it has,” Billy Martin said. “Yes, on a scale we never could have imagined."
Martin’s Pensacola Beach restaurant was appropriately named last year. After the oil spill, the staff at Flounder’s had to work hard to convince tourists that the Gulf shrimp, yellowtail and mahi mahi was—as scientific tests repeatedly concluded—safe to eat. This year they have had no arguments -- just seafood-loving tourists spending dollars.
“It was the most spectacular thing we've ever seen that you've had that kind of down year and then to have the best year ever with people coming from all over the southeast to visit Pensacola beach,” says Buck Lee, Santa Rosa Island Authority Director.
And west of Pensacola, past the Floribama bar, which straddles the state border, sits Orange Beach and Gulf Shores, Ala.
There, according to tourism director Herb Malone, 2011 also was not only substantially better than 2010, but better than it’s best year ever.
And somewhat ironically, 2010’s big culprit turns out to be the one getting a lot of the credit for 2011’s rebound.
After the Macondo Well blowout killed 11 workers, injured 17 and plumed nearly 5 million barrels of goopy, brown oil into the Gulf, BP dedicated $20 billion to cleaning up the beaches, removing all traces of the spill. The oil giant also spent about $200 million for the states to promote tourism and extra funds for national TV commercials touting the rebound.
For tourism-dependent business owners like Martin, this holiday week provides many reasons for things to toast to on New Year's Eve. His decades of investment in four restaurants did not flush down the drain, but instead, are bustling and positioned for an even better year in 2012.
Michael Ramsingh
Seafood.com News 1-732-240-5330
Email comments to michaelramsingh@seafood.comKaren Mayer Hopkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17390802512709065872noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112035849777748272.post-63689502227735383732011-07-04T17:07:00.001-07:002011-07-04T17:07:36.273-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNj7ILyA1Q7-B1ZFY5ieD266U08ObzmKakoqwY7NMZ7W07yqi7oXuJe4Jy-tAdLYg4iGoDoGw_opYHZAPstih9BhONAoehTpMTEr7bDvi2rwfgZRBxGi6H9O0Mm2KVn_KlFZpwHVpKpn0T/s1600/MINDBODYSPIRIT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="400" width="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNj7ILyA1Q7-B1ZFY5ieD266U08ObzmKakoqwY7NMZ7W07yqi7oXuJe4Jy-tAdLYg4iGoDoGw_opYHZAPstih9BhONAoehTpMTEr7bDvi2rwfgZRBxGi6H9O0Mm2KVn_KlFZpwHVpKpn0T/s400/MINDBODYSPIRIT.jpg" /></a></div>Karen Mayer Hopkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17390802512709065872noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112035849777748272.post-8144600120879531652011-07-04T16:48:00.000-07:002011-07-04T16:48:31.504-07:00VACATIONERS RETURN TO GRAND ISLEI'm assuming we now know where our destiny lies until or unless we remove from office those who either lie and cheat for pleasure, or those who must because they simply know no other way to prosper.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRlE8fOKl8khh1oU75CkgffsUZcFnPE9nvz_ONlEoh4Oqt4oJ8vVXFSdxeLoLmiV-f5gXv762BvxKszHn6zgB82jFmHhybMGe4avw5gsowFIT_V-gd1eCEkzF7GTD2M8z3TDXmyWxFi-8H/s1600/crook.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="247" width="204" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRlE8fOKl8khh1oU75CkgffsUZcFnPE9nvz_ONlEoh4Oqt4oJ8vVXFSdxeLoLmiV-f5gXv762BvxKszHn6zgB82jFmHhybMGe4avw5gsowFIT_V-gd1eCEkzF7GTD2M8z3TDXmyWxFi-8H/s320/crook.jpg" /></a></div>Karen Mayer Hopkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17390802512709065872noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112035849777748272.post-37707094335967466292011-06-10T20:19:00.001-07:002011-06-10T20:19:31.482-07:00THERE YOU HAVE IT, FOLKS! THE REASON THE FEDS WANT THE FISHERMEN OUT OF THE WATER!Posted: Friday, June 10, 2011 New federal aquaculture policy paves way for Gulf of Mexico fish farms
SEAFOOD.COM NEWS [Times-Picayune] By Benjamin Alexander-Bloch - June 10, 2011 -
© 2010 New Orleans Net LLC.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's national aquaculture policy released Thursday paves the way for the Gulf of Mexico to be the first region in the country to develop open-ocean aquaculture in federal waters, potentially reaping another 64 million pounds of seafood from the ocean.
Within a year, businesses could begin applying for permits to establish red snapper, grouper and other finfish-farms in Gulf federal waters, which in Louisiana extend from three to 200 miles offshore.
In 2009, the Gulf of Mexico Fisheries Management Council, a regional advisory body that sets fishing regulations in the Gulf for NOAA's Fisheries Service, established its Gulf fish-farming plan. But the plan has sat, officially in place but unusable, awaiting formal NOAA regulations.
The Gulf council's plan calls for 10-year offshore fish-farm permits with a total cap on farmed fish production at 64 million pounds. The council initially expected about five to 20 such operations to emerge within the first 10 years, but with start-up costs estimated in the $5 million to $10 million range, the level of interest largely is unknown.
The plan prohibits shrimp farming, and only allows the raising of native Gulf species.
Michael Rubino, the manager of NOAA's aquaculture program, said the Gulf council plan will go through a typical, multi-tiered review process that will culminate in a public comment period. He said that process likely would take about a year to complete and largely would only focus on implementation, with the nuts and bolts of the plan remaining untouched.
The federal government has promoted aquaculture over the past few years as a way to address the growing amount of imported seafood needed to keep pace with demand in the United States.
Approximately 84 percent of the seafood consumed in the United States is imported, with about half of that from aquaculture farms in other countries, according to U.S Department of Commerce.
In 2009, the same year the Gulf council plan was drafted, aquaculture crossed the threshold of providing more than half of all seafood consumed worldwide, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization.
That means more than half of the fish and shellfish consumed globally is now raised by humans and no longer caught in the wild. In 1970, farmed fish only accounted for about 6 percent of global seafood supply.
So far in U.S. federal waters, the aquaculture industry largely is limited to a few experimental and research facilities. Other countries have developed the industry on a wider scale, some using industrial-scale nets and submersible cages to raise and harvest fish for commercial sale.
Opponents have cited wide-ranging concerns about damage to the Gulf's environment, as well as the effect the industry could have on traditional fishing communities that have relied on catching and selling wild fish. But supporters say the industry could provide an alternative domestic supply to imported, farm-raised seafood.
Domestic aquaculture provides only about 5 percent of the seafood consumed in the U.S, according to Larry Robinson, NOAA's assistant secretary of commerce for conservation and management. And about 80 percent of domestic marine aquaculture consists of shellfish, mainly oysters, clams and mussels, Rubino said.
Also as a part of NOAA's marine aquaculture policy, it has developed general guidelines to provide technical support and competitive grants for farming close to the shore and technologies on land, such as ponds or recirculating tanks to raise fish.
The NOAA policy also places a premium on increasing commercial production of shellfish, restoring shellfish populations and habitats, and improving water quality.
And Eric Schwaab, the head of NOAA's Fisheries Service, said on Thursday that the Gulf council plan and the effort to increase shellfish farming and restoration are the two initiatives 'that will grow immediately' out of the implementation of NOAA's new aquaculture policy.
'The Gulf is recovering from hurricanes and an oil spill and fresh water diversions down the Mississippi River, so rebuilding the Gulf will be a priority over the next several years,' Rubino said.
Ken Coons
Seafood.com
1-781-861-1441
kencoons@seafood.comKaren Mayer Hopkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17390802512709065872noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112035849777748272.post-43788719887779372052011-06-10T20:18:00.001-07:002011-06-10T20:18:35.557-07:00AND HERE WE HAVE ANOTHER INCIDENT OF CADMIUM BEING SPEWED INTO THE GULF. COVER THE TRACKS OF BP!DEP investigating 45M gallon toxic water spill into Gulf of Mexico that could poison fish
SEAFOOD.COM NEWS [Sarasota Herald-Tribune] by Halle Stockton - June 10, 2011
© 2011 Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All Rights Reserved.
Water from old phosphate plant is high in metals and other perils
The water gushing from a former phosphate plant into the Gulf of Mexico in North Manatee County contains high levels of two toxic metals and nutrients that could harm a precious Southwest Florida fishery.
About 45 million gallons of contaminated water have already flowed from the former Piney Point phosphate plant through pipes that lead into nearby Bishop Harbor, a Gulf bay that is a sensitive habitat for fish and wildlife.
The contamination could trigger algal blooms damaging to seagrass and the marine life habitats they host, and could eventually lead to a fish kill in Bishop Harbor, experts said.
Some sea life, including blue crabs and shrimp, could also absorb cadmium, which was found in the water at a level more than nine times above the state safety standard, according to lab results released late Tuesday by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.
Cadmium is found in rocks mined to produce phosphate fertilizers and does not corrode quickly. "It will be a toxic introduction to the harbor for many years to come," said Glen Compton, chairman of the environmental group Manasota-88, which is monitoring the leak.
Levels of radioactive radium were detected at levels just below the state limits, and the presence of nitrogen and phosphorus in the water flowing from the industrial site was also high.
The decision to drain water from the holding pond at the former phosphate plant was made by the DEP on May 29, more than two weeks after a leak was detected.
The plant began decades ago as a facility to process phosphate and now holds giant ponds that sit in earthen mounds, known as phosphogypsum stacks. The ponds can store water and solids that are blocked from leaching out by a protective liner.
But that liner was torn last month as slurry from a dredging project at Port Manatee was being pumped into the reservoirs.
The water escaped the liner and put pressure on the sidewalls of the stacks. DEP officials say the release of water relieved the pressure and prevented a "catastrophic" collapse in which the entire mound and its contents could have washed away and flowed onto the ground and into the Gulf.
Earlier, the DEP conducted preliminary tests on the water and said it was consistent with the sea water in Manatee Harbor.
The agency expedited tests to check for the presence of nearly 40 chemicals in the water, but still did not know what was present until 10 days after the drainage began. Test results this week showed the presence of cadmium, radium, phosphorus and nitrogen.
A daily average of 3.8 million gallons of the saltwater has been drained from the plant into the bay and harbor.
HRK Holdings, the plant's owner, has been working to find and repair any ruptures in the liner so the port dredging can resume. Company CEO Jordan Levy did not return calls for comment.
Area environmentalists were alarmed by the cadmium and radium, but were more concerned with the potential consequences of excess nutrients.
DEP results showed total nitrogen levels in the saltwater were 9 mg/L and total phosphorus levels were 16 mg/L. Holly Greening, executive director of the Tampa Bay Estuary Program, said average nitrogen and phosphorus levels over the past 15 years have been 0.5 mg/L and 0.2 mg/L, respectively.
Greening said Bishop Harbor, west of U.S. 41 north of Rubonia, will inevitably see algal blooms that will shade seagrass and prevent its growth, and deprive other sea life of oxygen as it decomposes.
"Seagrass is really a cornerstone of health for Tampa Bay," she said. "We had seen a recovery from reducing nutrient dumps. Because of the human health risks, this was a necessary step to take, but we'll be possibly looking at the ramifications, especially in Bishop Harbor, for a while."
Heavy rainfall in 2003 nearly caused the Piney Point reservoirs, holding 1.2 billion gallons of acidic fertilizer process water, to collapse. That water was pumped into Bishop Harbor to protect the stacks.
The nitrogen levels in the water being released are similar to the water released then, said DEP spokeswoman Dee Ann Miller.
Robin Lewis, a Tampa ecologist and seagrass expert, said the DEP is ignoring biological impacts.
"The DEP refused to recognize the problem back then when seagrass was damaged and fish habitats were lost," he said. "Here they go again, implying everything is fine, but that's absolutely incorrect."
Miller said the DEP plans to continue water quality testing and will begin monitoring Bishop Harbor.
"The focus at the present time is to stop the source of the leak so the discharge can be stopped as soon as possible," she said.
Compton is more concerned about whether the cadmium came from the phosphogypsum stacks or the dredged waste from the port project, which will deepen the port and open it to more ships from the expanded Panama Canal.
Miller said the source is unclear. The DEP will investigate the source of the cadmium if it stays present in water samples, she wrote in an email.
Cadmium can accumulate in aquatic organisms and agricultural crops and is a human carcinogen, according to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. It is used in batteries, pigments, metal coatings and plastics.
Lewis said he did not think there would be high enough levels of the metal to cause long-term harm.
Port Manatee officials decided to store the dredge waste in the stacks because it was cheaper and anticipated to be more environmentally friendly than other options.
Michael Ramsingh
Seafood.com News 1-732-240-5330
Email comments to michaelramsingh@seafood.comKaren Mayer Hopkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17390802512709065872noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112035849777748272.post-88118567140436570612011-05-26T08:33:00.000-07:002011-05-26T08:33:14.446-07:00MORE BULLSHIT LIES ABOUT OUR COMMERCIAL SHRIMPERSI HAD TO POST MY COMMENTS HERE AND ON FACEBOOK BECAUSE APPARENTLY THEY WERE TOO OFFENSIVE FOR THE "SCREENERS" AT THE WASHINGTON POST, SO THEREFORE WERE NEVER ALLOWED.
WHEN ALL ELSE FAILS, BLAME IT ON THE COMMERCIAL SHRIMPERS. BP'S OIL AND POISONOUS DISPERSANT HAD ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO DO WITH THE DEATHS OF THE SEA TURTLES. NOPE! NOT A THING! EVEN WHEN THERE WERE NO SHRIMPERS IN THE GULF DUE TO THE OIL IN THE WATERS! THOSE SHRIMPERS WERE THERE, WITH THEIR STEALTH BOATS AND KILLED THOSE DAMNED TURTLES! THEY EVEN KILLED ALL THE PELICANS AND DOUSED THEM IN OIL! YES THEY DID!Karen Mayer Hopkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17390802512709065872noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112035849777748272.post-66313362785312495622011-05-26T07:25:00.000-07:002011-05-26T07:25:09.851-07:00Health | Scientists look for lingering damage from BP oil spill | Seattle Times Newspaper<a href="http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/health/2015150152_webspill.html">Health | Scientists look for lingering damage from BP oil spill | Seattle Times Newspaper</a>Karen Mayer Hopkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17390802512709065872noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112035849777748272.post-83092826231171492562011-05-25T07:54:00.000-07:002011-05-25T07:54:24.711-07:00UCF Scientist: Dolphins Impacted by BP Oil Spill | UCF Today<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo0nKl6_szgx4rw4-0G0s48_HFWserrigJD7ZRr3kBq96qxxBVYVzOTHFkwNWqcQhH5KcnblPPwcNwIVMeSfmnDXEIj-IGrPikt7zdPRQ8k-K3Znmwk_40lBlTxCtVcPz1SkBfXvJtsmlN/s1600/UCF.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="234" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo0nKl6_szgx4rw4-0G0s48_HFWserrigJD7ZRr3kBq96qxxBVYVzOTHFkwNWqcQhH5KcnblPPwcNwIVMeSfmnDXEIj-IGrPikt7zdPRQ8k-K3Znmwk_40lBlTxCtVcPz1SkBfXvJtsmlN/s320/UCF.jpg" /></a></div>
The BP oil spill and the dispersants used to clean it up may be contributing to the unusually high number of dolphins dying in the Gulf of Mexico, according to a University of Central Florida scientist.Karen Mayer Hopkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17390802512709065872noreply@blogger.com0