Presidential commission seeks 'to give voice to the region'

By David Hammer, The Times-Picayune

July 10, 2010, 3:00PM

First public hearing is Monday in New Orleans Full story »

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State officials report oil sightings on Louisiana coast

By The Associated Press

July 10, 2010, 2:00PM

State officials reported the following sightings of oil Saturday in coastal Louisiana coast. This is not a comprehensive list of areas affected by the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. Cameron Parish Iberia Parish Jefferson Parish Lafourche Parish Orleans Parish Plaquemines Parish St. Tammany Parish Terrebonne Parish Vermilion Parish  Full story »

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Terrebonne Parish asks BP to pay to plug leaking levee

By The Associated Press

July 10, 2010, 1:50PM

Fix would not be permanent, but would keep oil out of interior wetlands Full story »

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BP has removed Gulf of Mexico oil spill containment cap

By Rebecca Mowbray, The Times-Picayune

July 10, 2010, 1:40PM

Flow of oil into Gulf of Mexico increases temporarily Full story »

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Katrina levee critic van Heerden downplays Gulf oil spill damage in BP video

By Mark Schleifstein, The Times-Picayune

July 10, 2010, 11:00AM

Oil's 'penetration is minimal,' former LSU professor says Full story »

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Turtle release in Texas could put hatchlings in Gulf oil spill's path

By Chris Kirkham, The Times-Picayune

July 10, 2010, 9:00AM

Kemp's Ridley nests can't be moved Full story »

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NOAA Gulf of Mexico oil spill trajectory forecasts for Saturday through Monday

By Times-Picayune Staff

July 10, 2010, 7:02AM

NEARSHORE TRAJECTORY FORECAST MAPS NOAA now releases trajectory forecast maps once a day predicting the extent and concentration near the shore of the Gulf spill oil expected for the next 24, 48 and 72 hours. These are Friday's maps. 24-hour forecast for 12:00 p.m. Saturday, July 10. 48-hour forecast for 12:00 p.m. Sunday, July 11. 72-hour forecast for 12:00... Full story »

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Second-hand accounts of BP oil spill can't substitute for seeing it yourself: An editorial

By Editorial page staff, The Times-Picayune

July 10, 2010, 6:01AM

Second-hand accounts, no matter how vivid, can't substitute for seeing things for yourself. That is especially true with a disaster as massive as the BP oil spill, which is why visits by members of Congress to the Gulf Coast are so crucial right now. So far, nine chairmen from the 19 committees and subcommittees looking into the spill have... Full story »

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Appeals court ruling on the deepwater drilling moratorium is a hollow victory: An editorial

By Editorial page staff, The Times-Picayune

July 10, 2010, 6:00AM

The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals refused Thursday to restore the government's moratorium on deepwater drilling, marking the second legal defeat for this ill-considered and economically devastating action by the Obama administration. But if that's a legal victory for Louisiana companies hurt by the moratorium, it's a hollow one. The three- judge panel said Thursday that Interior Secretary... Full story »

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Crews to lay new type of boom around Rigolets marsh

By Jeff Adelson, The Times-Picayune

July 09, 2010, 10:10PM

Oil is creeping in as water levels fall Full story »

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Discovery of second pipe in Deepwater Horizon riser stirs debate among experts

By David Hammer, The Times-Picayune

July 09, 2010, 9:40PM

It may have interfered with operation of blowout preventer Full story »

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Installation of new cap on Gulf of Mexico well begins Saturday

By Jaquetta White, The Times-Picayune

July 09, 2010, 9:25PM

Engineers hope process will provide information to help with relief well bottom kill Full story »

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Toughest Gulf oil spill cleanup jobs go to minorities, NAACP says

By The Associated Press

July 09, 2010, 9:10PM

Letter to BP requests meeting Full story »

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Lake Pontchartrain fish kill reported

By The Associated Press

July 09, 2010, 7:10PM

Testing to determine cause is under way Full story »

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IRS phone number set up for Gulf oil spill victims

By The Associated Press

July 09, 2010, 6:15PM

Taxpayers affected by the Gulf of Mexico oil spill can call a special IRS phone number for questions about BP payments or if they have problems filing taxes. The Internal Revenue Service announced Friday that Gulf oil spill victims can call 866-562-5227 on weekdays between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. local time. Last month, the IRS said payments for... Full story »

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Monitoring health of residents affected by Gulf oil spill is urged by experts

By The Times-Picayune

June 23, 2010, 7:52PM

By Aimee Miles, staff writer Experts who convened in New Orleans on Wednesday for a second round of exploring the potential health effects of the Gulf Coast oil spill reiterated the need for a coordinated approach to monitoring and researching affected populations, but conceded the task is easier said than done. Charged with advising decision-makers and the general public... Full story »

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Alleged ethical lapses in Lake Charles MMS office targeted

By Bruce Alpert, Times-Picayune

June 23, 2010, 7:33PM

New investigation unit being formed within Minerals Management Service Full story »

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Louisiana officials urge feds to let dredging continue on berm to fight Gulf oil spill

By Chris Kirkham, The Times-Picayune

June 23, 2010, 7:12PM

'Get out of the way,' Jindal implores Interior Department Full story »

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BP 'Blogs from the Gulf' find silvery sheen in dark cloud of oil

By Paul Rioux, The Times-Picayune

June 23, 2010, 6:30PM

Responders win praise for dedication, and tar balls are hard to find Full story »

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Oil spill video: Times-Picayune reporter update

By Andrew Boyd, The Times-Picayune

June 23, 2010, 6:02PM

Business reporter Jaquetta White explains the cap accident today with the BP oil spill and how much oil is now escaping.  Full story »

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Attorney General Buddy Caldwell's office to receive another $5 million of BP grant, Jindal says

By Bill Barrow, The Times-Picayune

June 23, 2010, 5:40PM

Gov. Bobby Jindal said today that Attorney General Buddy Caldwell's office is getting another $5 million from a $25 million BP grant to the state for its Gulf oil spill response, bringing the attorney general's share to $10 million as he leads of team of public and private lawyers representing Louisiana's interest in the disaster. The governor's announcement comes days after... Full story »

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Alabama charter boat captain commits suicide over Gulf oil spill, newspaper reports

By The Times-Picayune

June 23, 2010, 4:55PM

An Alabama boat captain, despondent over the Gulf oil spill, has killed himself, The Los Angeles Times has reported. William Allen Kruse, 55, a charter boat captain recently hired by BP as a vessel of opportunity out of Gulf Shores, Ala., died Wednesday morning before 7:30 a.m. of a gunshot to the head, likely self-inflicted, authorities said, the newspaper's website... Full story »

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State urges federal government to allow sand berm dredging to proceed in Gulf oil spill fight

By Chris Kirkham, The Times-Picayune

June 23, 2010, 4:47PM

A day after being told by the federal government that the state had to halt its construction of an oil protection berm at the northern reaches of the Chandeleur Islands, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal and other coastal leaders urged the Obama administration to let work continue as contractors shift their dredging to an alternative site over the next week. Jindal said the... Full story »

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Outdoorsmen in anguish as oil closes in on waterfowl habitat: A guest column by Noel F. Pilie'

By Contributing Op-Ed columnist

June 23, 2010, 4:42PM

Waterfowl along our coast are in mortal danger as the BP rig disaster continues to gush crude oil. The press has concentrated mainly on Louisiana's state bird, the brown pelican, and rightfully so. This magnificent bird, brought back from near-extinction in Louisiana, numbers about 12,000 to 13,000 breeding pairs plus clutches of two eggs and fledglings. However, more devastation... Full story »

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62 pelicans rehabbed from Gulf oil spill are released in Texas

By The Associated Press

June 23, 2010, 4:30PM

Wildlife refuge is already home to many brown pelicans Full story »

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What others are writing about the Gulf oil spill: From 'the Big Uneasy' to D.C. fundraisers

By The Times-Picayune

June 23, 2010, 4:14PM

New Orleans turns into the Big Uneasy after oil spill, says the Toronto Star. The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that the city won't be paying  for its mayor's trip to Louisiana to view the oil spill and cleanup efforts. Reuters is reporting that the United States will issue a more flexible oil drilling moratorium. The Huffingpost Post carries a story that... Full story »

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Thick pools of oil wash up along north Florida coast

By The Associated Press

June 23, 2010, 3:17PM

Pensacola Beach 'not a pristine, white beach anymore' Full story »

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Subpoena for BP documents is approved by House committee

By The Associated Press

June 23, 2010, 3:11PM

The House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday subpoenaed BP claims documents in the Gulf oil spill, after its chairman said the company has not complied with requests to provide information on its payments. The committee's voice vote showed bipartisan agreement for Chairman John Conyers' efforts to release claims information to the public. The committee also voted, 16-11, to approve a... Full story »

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BP refineries account for most violations, study reports

By The Associated Press

May 17, 2010, 12:17PM

A Washington-based research group says two BP refineries in the U.S. account for 97 percent of "egregious willful" violations given by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. The study by the Center for Public Integrity says the violations were found in the last three years in BP's Texas City refinery and another plant in Toledo, Ohio. In 2005, 15... Full story »

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Janet Napolitano to testify about Obama administration's response to Gulf of Mexico oil spill

By The Associated Press

May 17, 2010, 9:46AM

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano is expected to defend the government's response to the Gulf of Mexico oil spill in the Obama administration's first congressional testimony on the incident. Napolitano and Coast Guard Rear Admiral Neffenger will testify about the response to the spill Monday afternoon before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs committee. BP America Chairman and... Full story »

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Worry that Gulf of Mexico oil spreading into major current

By The Associated Press

May 17, 2010, 8:36AM

BP said Monday it was siphoning more than one-fifth of the oil that has been spewing into the Gulf for almost a month, as worries escalated that the ooze may reach a major ocean current that could carry it through the Florida Keys and up the East Coast. BP PLC chief operating officer Doug Suttles said Monday on NBC's... Full story »

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View the NOAA Gulf of Mexico oil spill trajectory forecasts for Monday through Wednesday

By Times-Picayune Staff

May 17, 2010, 6:55AM

Every day NOAA releases maps forecasting the extent and concentration of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill expected for the next 24, 48 and 72 hours. Sunday's 24-hour forecast for 6:00 p.m. Monday, May 17. Sunday's 48-hour forecast for 6:00 p.m. Tuesday, May 18. Sunday's 72-hour forecast for 6:00 p.m. Wednesday, May 19. The Field Guide to NOAA's Oil... Full story »

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BP says mile-long tube sucking over one-fifth of gushing oil

By The Associated Press

May 17, 2010, 6:49AM

BP chief operating officer Doug Suttles says a mile-long tube has been collecting more than one-fifth of the oil that's spewing into the Gulf of Mexico from a blown-out well. Speaking Monday on NBC's "Today" show, Suttles said the tube has been siphoning more than 1,000 barrels a day, or 42,000 gallons. BP has estimated about 5,000 barrels a... Full story »

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In wake of Gulf oil spill, drilling critics warn of spill in Arctic Ocean

By The Associated Press

May 16, 2010, 11:25PM

Inupiat Eskimo whale hunter George Kingik follows news accounts of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. He cringes when he imagines crude fouling his backyard, Alaska's Chukchi Sea. "They're not ready for the Arctic," Kingik said from his home in Point Hope, 700 miles northwest of Anchorage. "It's completely different up here." Shell Oil two years ago spent... Full story »

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May 17, 18 forecast: Size and density of Gulf of Mexico oil spill

By Ryan Smith, The Times-Picayune

May 16, 2010, 9:05PM

The size and shape of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico changes by the day, depending on weather conditions as well as conditions in the Gulf itself. This graphic shows the forecast for Monday, May 17, and Tuesday, May 18. The shapes of the oil slick are created from information by pilots during flyovers, as well as trajectories... Full story »

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Mile-long tube finally draining oil from busted pipeline in Gulf of Mexico

By Richard Rainey, The Times-Picayune

May 16, 2010, 7:54PM

It's only a first step, BP official says Full story »

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• • Concert to benefit fishing industry affected by oil spill updated 11 hours, 9 minutes ago
  • More than a dozen acts will perform in Louisiana on Sunday to benefit the fishing industry threatened by oil gushing into the Gulf of Mexico. The event starts at noon at the Mardi Gras World River City in New Orleans. Organizers say the concert, which...
    http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2010/05/16/concert-to-benefit-fishing-industry-affected-by-oil-spill/
• • BP says tube successfully inserted back into Gulf leak updated 12 hours, 25 minutes ago
  • Oil company BP says it has resumed pumping oil to a ship on the surface after a weekend setback that halted efforts to siphon off the crude spewing from a damaged well at the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico.
    http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/05/16/gulf.oil.spill/index.html
• 

  
  • New tactics to stem oil spill updated 19 hours, 15 minutes ago
  • BP and other groups are trying a new method to stop the oil spill in the Gulf. CNN's Pat St. Claire reports
    http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2010/05/16/stclaire.new.oil.tactic.cnn
• 

  
  • BP executive says dispersants are working updated 1 day ago
  • Chief Operating Officer Doug Suttles gives an update on BP's efforts to contain the massive gulf oil spill.
    http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2010/05/15/sot.bp.exec.spill.update.cnn
• • What are oil dispersants? updated 1 day ago
  • The U.S. Coast Guard and Environmental Protection Agency on Saturday authorized BP to use chemical dispersants underwater to help break up the oil leaking into the Gulf of Mexico.
    http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/05/15/oil.spill.dispersants/index.html
• • What are oil dispersants? updated 1 day ago
  • The U.S. Coast Guard and Environmental Protection Agency on Saturday authorized BP to use chemical dispersants underwater to help break up the oil leaking into the Gulf of Mexico.
    http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/studentnews/05/15/oil.spill.dispersants/index.html
• • First try at inserting siphon tube in ruptured oil pipe fails, BP says updated 1 day ago
  • A mechanical problem prevented BP from inserting a tube into a ruptured pipe that would help siphon off oil leaking into the Gulf of Mexico, BP official Doug Suttles said Saturday.
    http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/05/15/gulf.oil.spill/index.html
• 

  
  • Can go to moon, but can't stop oil spill updated 1 day ago
  • Experts discuss the problems BP has encountered in trying to stop oil from gushing into the Gulf of Mexico.
    http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/bestoftv/2010/05/15/lkl.oil.spill.cnn

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AP – Oil and oil sheen are seen in the waters of Chandeleur Sound, La., Wednesday, May 5, 2010. (AP Photo/Eric …

• Slideshow:Gulf Coast Oil Spill
• Play Video Video:Brian Ross Investigates: Cleaning Up the Oil Spill ABC News
• Play Video Video:First Person: Like 'unchaining King Kong' AP

NEW ORLEANS – The oil you can't see could be as bad as the oil you can.

While people anxiously wait for the slick in the Gulf of Mexico to wash up along the coast, globules of oil are already falling to the bottom of the sea, where they threaten virtually every link in the ocean food chain, from plankton to fish that are on dinner tables everywhere.

"The threat to the deep-sea habitat is already a done deal — it is happening now," said Paul Montagna, a marine scientist at the Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi.

Hail-size gobs of oil the consistency of tar or asphalt will roll around the bottom, while other bits will get trapped hundreds of feet below the surface and move with the current, said Robert S. Carney, a Louisiana State University oceanographer.

Oil has been gushing into the Gulf of Mexico at a rate of at least 200,000 gallons a day since an offshore drilling rig exploded last month and killed 11 people. On Wednesday, workers loaded a 100-ton, concrete-and-steel box the size of a four-story building onto a boat and hope to lower it to the bottom of the sea by week's end to capture some of the oil. Crews also set fires at the worst spots on the surface Wednesday to burn off oil.

Scientists say bacteria, plankton and other tiny, bottom-feeding creatures will consume oil, and will then be eaten by small fish, crabs and shrimp. They, in turn, will be eaten by bigger fish, such as red snapper, and marine mammals like dolphins.

The petroleum substances that concentrate in the sea creatures could kill them or render them unsafe for eating, scientists say.

"If the oil settles on the bottom, it will kill the smaller organisms like the copepods and small worms," Montagna said. "When we lose the forage, then you have an impact on the larger fish."

Making matters worse for the deep sea is the leaking well's location: It is near the continental shelf of the Gulf where a string of coral reefs flourishes. Coral is a living creature that excretes a hard calcium carbonate exoskeleton, and oil globs can kill it.

The reefs are colorful underwater metropolises of biodiversity, attracting sea sponges, crabs, fish, algae and octopus.

"In my mind, they are at least as sensitive to contamination to oil as coastal habitat," said James Cowan, an oceanographer at Louisiana State University. "They are in deeper water, so they are kind of out of sight, out of mind."

There are other important habitats in shallower waters, such as an ancient oyster shell reef off the Mississippi and Alabama coasts. It is a vital nursery ground for red snapper and habitat for sponges, soft corals and starfish.

Scientists are watching carefully to see whether the slick will hitch a ride to the East Coast by way of a powerful eddy known as the "loop current," which could send the spill around Florida and into the Atlantic Ocean. If that happens, the oil could foul beaches and kill marine life on the East Coast.

"Once it's in the loop current, that's the worst case," said Steve DiMarco, an oceanographer with Texas A&M University-College Station. "Then that oil could wind up along the Keys and transported out to the Atlantic."

Engineers are racing to stem the flow of oil before the disaster escalates, mainly by getting ready to place a giant structure on top of the spill to funnel the crude into a tanker. BP is also exploring a technique in which crews would reconfigure the well that would allow them to plug the leak, but that effort is a couple weeks off.

The cause of the rig explosion is still not known, but investigators from multiple federal agencies are looking into the matter. The rig owner, Transocean, said in a filing with regulators Wednesday that it has received a request from the Justice Department to preserve information about the blast.

The Gulf ecosystem is already stressed by fertilizer and other farm runoff from the Mississippi River and the loss of wetlands to erosion and development. About 2,100 square miles of wetlands have disappeared since the 1930s in the southern Louisiana.

Every summer, algae caused by fertilizer runoff sucks up the oxygen in a large patch of the Gulf, creating a "dead zone" from which all sorts of sea creatures must escape. This year, they will be swimming into waters fouled by the oil spill.

"We're always wondering when we may reach the point where straw breaks the camel's back," Montagna said. "At some point you have to wonder if we will see catastrophic losses."

___

Associated Press Writer Ray Henry contributed to this report from Robert, La. Weber contributed from Port Fourchon, La.