Gulf Shrimper Sets the Record Straight About BP’s Failed Cleanup – from Julie Dermansky
Gulf Shrimper Dean Blanchard of Grand Isle Sets the Record Straight About BP’s Failed Cleanup (via Desmogblog) The second phase of hearings in the legal battle over the BP oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico ended on October 17th. Following two weeks of testimony by the U.S. Department of Justice and BP, U.S. District Court Judge Carl Barbier will determine…
Open Thread: BP Continues to Leak [only water…]
I found this photo on reddit titled “Water bottle leaked and ruined my laptop. Definitely should’ve seen that one coming…” It made me think about the fact that while all the Federal Parks are closed to normal citizens, they’ll continued to be open to drilling. From ThinkProgress: ….because Congress allocates resources to federal agencies through a complex mix of funding sources, public lands and waters would likely remain open to most oil, gas, and mining operations. This is even true for national parks. Drilling is currently happening in 12 national parks, including in Padre Island National Seashore in Texas and…
Coverup at Exxon’s Pegasus Pipeline? – from Farron Cousins
An Orchestrated Cover Up Of Exxon’s Pegasus Pipeline Spill Health Hazards? (via Desmogblog) Nearly six months have passed since ExxonMobil’s Pegasus tar sands pipeline ruptured and released as much as 7,000 barrels of diluted bitumen into Mayflower, Arkansas. And as soon as the company realized that they had a problem, the cover up began…
WE DID IT, ALASKA! Oil Giveaway on the Ballot.
Moments ago, the Alaska Division of Elections announced that they had received enough valid voter signatures to put the question of repealing SB21, the massive giveaway of state money to oil companies, on the primary ballot in August of 2014. After achieving his stated goal of a Republican majority in the State House and Senate (albeit using redistricting lines later found to be unconstitutional), Governor Sean Parnell got the vote he wanted in the 2013 legislative session. The vote in the Senate was made possible by two legislators who are literally employed by ConocoPhillips. Last month, Parnell signed into…
Moment of Clarity from Lee Camp
Good friend, colleague and the funniest person I know – Lee Camp has a new show. And you should be watching it. It’s called Moment of Clarity – and it’s available on youtube – he’s 3 episodes in and he’s already had Greg Palast, Margaret Flowers of the Physicians for a National Healthcare Program and Roseanne Barr of well… Roseanne. [His shows are often NSFW due to swearing] It’s like the Daily Show – except funnier, more swear words and doesn’t mock activists like Stewarts show does. This is a show for people that give a sh*t. The Moment of…
What Exxon Doesn’t Want You To Know About The Arkansas Oil Spill
You might have heard about the Exxon oil spill in Mayflower, Arkansas. The original Mayflower ship explored new territory. And in a way, so is this oil spill because it’s one of the first tar sands oil spills in the US and we’re learning how hard it is to clean up. I love learning new things, don’t you? – Lee Camp Here’s a guest post from comedian/activist Lee Camp. We’ll have an interview from Lee about his new show Moment of Clarity later in the week, but please listen to his informative rant on the Exxon Mayflower Spill. It’s Rated R…
Rep. Olson: Exxon Got a Bad Rap
Last week Exxon went to Juneau. Not just to lobby, but to appear for questioning at a hearing. The company has long kept a low profile in Alaska. Why? Maybe because its front men would rather not run into any of those Alaskans who waited 20 years for their 10 cents on the dollar. And what would legislators want to ask the company that sat on its Point Thompson leases for three decades — until the state finally tried to take them back? Maybe some tough questions about how to incentivize oil production, and what specific projects would come…
UPDATE: Exxon Wins Safety Award. No, Really.
In this weeks “No really, this is not an Onion article,” Exxon Mobil proudly announced that the National Safety Council awarded it the “Green Cross for Safety medal at its annual fundraising dinner in Houston last night. The dinner honored ExxonMobil for its leadership and comprehensive commitment to safety excellence.” While the award winner was decided earlier last year – one might question the safety record of Exxon after the growing Mayflower oil/tarsands spill. But to the National Safety Council I guess that’s not a safety issue. The award was given at a fundraiser for the National Safety Council sponsored by UPS,…
The Conoco Coup
Pick. Click. Giveaway. We’ve all heard the ads, “ConocoPhillips: Alaska’s Oil And Gas Company.” They should change that to “Alaska: An Oil Colony of ConocoPhillips, BP and Exxon.” Fifty-five years ago Alaskans voted for statehood. We were tired of Outside corporations dominating our fisheries at the expense of Alaskans. It looks like we need to wage that fight once again as large Outside companies – this time oil companies – have taken over our government in a nonviolent, post Citizens United coup. Former ConocoPhillips lobbyist Sean Parnell runs our executive branch. He’s the guy who also worked for the law…
Jesus Gets Punked by Exxon
Election day may be over here in Alaska, but now is when the fun begins. The results of a couple close races are hinging on absentee and questioned ballots yet to be examined, and shiny new lawmakers are angling for committee assignments and chairmanships. Pundits, meanwhile, examine and expound upon the results of the Citizens United meets Big Oil meets Jesus campaign machine. Let me be one of them. During this time, it’s good to remember the lessons of the past. The genius of Ronald Reagan was his ability to unite two completely different groups of people—with completely different policy…