|
Tuesday, 27 April 2010 00:00 |
|
First we would like to express our condolences to the
families who
have lost loved ones on the rig and to the injured; our thoughts and
prayers are with you.
We at LEAN and Lower Mississippi
Riverkeeper are bracing ourselves for what appears to be developing into
an ecological
tragedy.
Graphic showing location of oil slick on April 27, 2010
 |
As
of 10:40 a.m. the oil slick was just 21 miles South East of the mouth
of the Mississippi River. Government agencies have been requesting oil
booms to deploy around Delta National Wildlife Refuge (which already
experienced a spill of 18,000 gallons of crude oil earlier this month).
Delta National Wildlife Refuge is in the extreme south-eastern end of
the Mississippi River Delta.
NASA
satellite photo of the oil slick on April 25  | Efforts
to stop the flow using the blowout preventer have not been successful
and oil continues to leak from at least two locations on the well pipe.
What
was originally considered "plan c," the drilling of a relief well,
currently appears to be the main plan to stop the leaking. Transocean's
drilling platform Development Driller III will be used to drill the
relief well. It is hoped that the relief well will be able to bypass the
leaking well and thereby stop the flow from the damaged well.
However,
it could take up to three months to drill the relief well and if some
other method of shutting down the leaking well is not figured out in the
meantime then it has been estimated that 100,000 barrels, or 4,200,000
gallons, of oil could be released into the Gulf before the relief well
is operational.
"If we don't secure this well, this could be one
of the most significant
oil spills in U.S. history," Coast Guard Rear Adm. Mary Landry said.
Skimmer
boats and the spraying of dispersant have been the primary means of
dealing with the spilled oil so far but weather conditions are making
things very difficult for responders. We understand that the responders
will likely begin using control burning of the oil slicks if possible.
If
you encounter oil from this spill or to report oiled or injured
wildlife you can contact the oil spill Unified Command at
1-800-557-1401. You can also contact us at 1-866-msriver.
We will
continue to monitor the situation and will keep everyone updated. We
value the work that all of our partners are doing on this issue and we
will continue to work with our partners throughout the Gulf region.
Support this vital work today!
Yes! I want to help make Louisiana safe
for us and for future generations!
LEAN is a 501(c)3 Non-Profit Organization
Louisiana
Environmental Action Network (LEAN) is a non-profit organization
working to foster communication and cooperation among citizens and
groups to address Louisiana's environmental problems.
|
