The news keeps getting worse with Gulf Oil Leak
The news just keeps getting worse when it comes to the oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico just off the coast of Louisiana. The massive coverage of oil on the surface just keeps growing and growing. Efforts to shut off the leak have produced no results thus far and word is the oil patch could reach the Louisiana coastline as early as tomorrow. The flow of oil from the leaking well is estimated to be at 5,000 barrells per day well above the original thought of 1,000 per day.
On Wednesday crews began an experiment with burning off parts of the oil slick in an effort to to prevent it from washing ashore and harming the fragile wildlife and plant life that dot the coast. The controlled, test burn was successful late Wednesday afternoon. British Petroleum was to set more fires after the test, but as night fell, there were no more burns. The burns were not expected to be done at night.
Greg Pollock, head of the oil spill division of the Texas General Land Office stated "When you can get oil ignited, it is an absolutely effective way of getting rid of a huge percentage of the oil," he said. "I can't overstate how important it is to get the oil off the surface of the water."
When the flames go out, Pollock said, the material that is left resembles a hardened ball of tar that can be removed from the water with nets or skimmers. "I would say there is little threat to the environment because it won't coat an animal, and because all the volatiles have been consumed if it gets on a shore it can be simply picked up,"
Could we finally have an answer for the deaths of so many of our important bees? Colony Collapse Disorder has puzzled researchers for years as bee colonies died off across the United States.
The US Department of Agriculture has pledged $50 million to a program designed to restore seven troubled river basins from stretching from Florida to Texas.
The Exxon Mobil pipeline that runs under the waterway near Billings failed July 1 and the resulting oil spill has hurt local wildflife.
Brazil has set up a crisis center to combat increased deforestation in the Amazon rainforest, the nation's environmental minister said Wednesday
One year on, oil from the largest spill in US history clogs wetlands, pollutes the ocean and endangers wildlife.