BP’s Oil Still Keeps Surfacing

By John Vlahakis

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is a federal agency focused on the condition of the oceans and the atmosphere. It also has become the latest federal agency to stretch the truth regarding the amount of oil that is now allegedly gone from the BP Gulf oil spill. NOAA tells us that they are sticking by their previous position stating that the oil has dispersed and is no longer an issue in the Gulf. BP has responded by cutting back on their clean up crews and reducing the number of people employed in the clean up process. NOAA is opening more fishing areas in the Gulf, but locals seem to be holding back on entering the waters to start fishing again. University research teams from Florida, Louisiana, and Mississippi are pointing out that the surface oil may be gone, but large plumes of oil remain well below the surface of Gulf waters, and are impacting marine life in lower waters. Large areas of the Gulf, particularly those nearest the spill site continue to be dead zones. BP has cut back on beach clean up crews because they can point to beaches that on the surface look pristine. The ugly truth is that by just digging a little bit into the beaches one comes across oil. The reality here is that BP will not sift the sands to clean up any oil that is below the surface. NOAA seems to be part of this new tactic to help BP shy away from its commitments. All BP has to do is point to NOAA’s statements and say “WE agree with NOAA, there is no longer any oil to contend with. It looks like NOAA and BP have now become best of friends. With friends like this, the Gulf and its people will have to fend for itself for a very long time.