On August 4, the U.S. government declared the Gulf oil crisis all but over. First, BP's oil gusher has apparently been capped. Then, a report by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) claimed that 74% of the over 200 million gallons of oil spewed into the Gulf has been captured, burned, dispersed, evaporated, or "dissolved," and only 26% is left. President Barack Obama declared, "the long battle to stop the leak and contain the oil is finally close to coming to an end." White House spokesperson Robert Gibbs claimed, "I think it's fairly safe to say that because of the environmental effects of Mother Nature, the warm waters of the Gulf and the federal response, that many of the doomsday scenarios that were talked about and repeated a lot have not and will not come to fruition." A New York Times headline read, "U.S. Finds Most Oil From Spill Poses Little Additional Risk." (NOAA summary; Full report)
As filmmaker Spike Lee put it, the idea that this crisis is over and the Gulf is safe is "a lie"!
Why doubt the government's report and spin?
* Because even if NOAA's figures were correct, 26% of 206 million gallons means over 50 million gallons are still in the Gulf - over five times the amount of the Exxon Valdez spill.
* Because according to their own figures, another 24% is oil dispersed in the water. This means some 100 million gallons of oil are still in the water! Scientist Samantha Joye, who first reported the underwater plumes of oil, has said that "the fact that this oil is 'invisible' makes it no less of a danger to the Gulf's fragile ecosystems. Quite the contrary, the danger is real and … is much more difficult to quantify, track, and assess."
* Because NOAA's claim that this dispersed oil is not a threat is not true. Scientific evidence shows chemically dispersed oil is actually more toxic than oil alone. And the toxic components of "naturally dispersed oil" are still present, just mixed into the water. A Scientist Consensus Statement on dispersants states that Corexit dispersants mixed with oil "pose grave health risks to marine life and human health, and threaten critical niches in the Gulf food web that may never recover." Dispersants allow the toxic compounds of oil to pass more easily into the cells and tissues of organisms.
* Because NOAA's own scientists have cast doubt on the methods used to conduct the study. "[S]cientists who worked on the report said many of the numbers on the White House's pie chart had significant margins of error. The estimate of how much oil evaporated was calculated using a formula designed for spills near the surface, not 5,000 feet underwater....Bill Lehr, a NOAA scientist and an author of the report, said the analysis did not include an actual calculation or measurement of what's happening [speaking to NOAA's claim that dispersed oil is "rapidly degrading"] in the gulf. 'We haven't attempted yet to calculate that rate,' he said, and instead relied on assumptions based on past spills in the gulf." (Washington Post, Aug. 5)
* Because Gulf food webs face real danger. Thousands of animals have been found dead-likely only a portion of those that died -- and oil has been found in crab larvae which other species eat.
* Because independent scientists are casting doubt: "The situation is "being portrayed as 'the oil is out of the environment; it's gone,' " said Michael J. Blum, a professor at Tulane University in New Orleans. But, he said, all that's certain is that 'the form of the oil has shifted. Dispersed oil is still oil. It's just in a different form.'" (Wash Post, 8/5)
* Because the report is spin. "'There's a lot of . . . smoke and mirrors in this report,' said Ian MacDonald, a professor of biological oceanography at Florida State University. 'It seems very reassuring, but the data aren't there to actually bear out the assurances that were made.'" (Wash Post 8/5)
* Because oil is still turning up off Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida. On August 1 Louisiana authorities reported dozens of instances of oil as sheen, tar balls, and thick goo spread across five parishes (counties) in the Mississippi Delta region. Oil recently turned up on beaches in Ocean Springs, Mississippi. (Photos on Facebook)
* Because fishers in Louisiana, Alabama, and Mississippi find oil nearly everyday - on or beneath the surface -- and are very concerned that fishing is being re-opened without adequate testing to make sure the seafood caught is really safe. (For example, BP townhall meeting in Grand Isle, Louisiana)
* Because oil is oozing from sandy beaches and sandy bottoms just off shore (See Elizabeth Cook report and links below and this)
* Because mass fish kills are being reported in Mississippi and Louisiana. (Massive fish kill off of Cat Island Louisiana, Aug 3, about 1.5 min. into this film)
* Because despite official assurances that dispersant use was halted July 15, reports continue to come in that dispersants are still being used, including in Barataria Bay.
* Because Gulf food webs face real danger. Thousands of animals have been found dead-likely only a portion of those that died.
* Because the 1989 Exxon Valdez spill in Alaska, which poured 16 times less oil into the water than the Gulf spill, caused severe long-term damage to the ecosystems, much of which showed up years later.
* Because many are getting sick. Susan Shaw, a toxicologist with the Marine Environmental Research Institute, told CNN that shrimpers exposed to dispersed oil have reported heart palpitations, muscle spasms, and rectal bleeding. In a survey of 1,200 Gulf residents living near the coastline by a public health group from Columbia University, more than one-third said their children had problems with rashes and breathing, or are more nervous, fearful, or sad since the catastrophe.
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