DHH, DEQ, LDWF Secretaries Send Letter to BP outlining concerns, requesting BP Release Information on Dispersants

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DHH, DEQ, LDWF Secretaries Send Letter to BP outlining concerns, requesting BP Release Information on Dispersants

BATON ROUGE (May 8, 2010) - Secretary Alan Levine of the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals, Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality Secretary Peggy Hatch, and Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Secretary Robert Barham sent a letter to British Petroleum today outlining their concerns related to potential dispersant impact on Louisiana's wildlife and fisheries, environment and public health. Officials are also requesting BP release information on the effects of the dispersants they are using to combat the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

The full text of the letter is below.

May 7, 2010

Mr. Tony Hayward
Chief Executive Officer
British Petroleum

Dear Mr. Hayward:
The BP-Transocean drilling incident and resulting oil spill has created massive challenges for BP, the federal government and for the State of Louisiana. We all agree with the primary goal of protecting our sensitive coastal areas and the health and safety of our people. We encourage you to continue making these issues the priority.

As heads of Louisiana's agencies that oversee public health, environmental quality and wildlife and fisheries, including the commercial seafood and oyster industry, we have serious concerns about the lack of information related to the use of dispersants in fighting the oil spill at and below the surface of the Gulf of Mexico, and what, if any, impact the dispersants could have on our people, water and air quality, as well as the wildlife, fisheries and vegetation of Louisiana's coastline and wetlands.

It is important we better understand the science behind the use of these chemicals. Our fishing industry will have much work to do to rebuild its brand when the oil spill is finally contained. We must be able to assure the public of the safety and reliability of our seafood product, and must be able to ensure the viability of wildlife and vegetation along our coast. To do so, we must have a better understanding of the potential impact and consequences of the use of these dispersants. Some specific questions include:

• What are the acute short-term health risks for humans and wildlife in proximity of the areas to which dispersants are being applied, with respect to the mode of delivery and concentrations being used?
• What are the potential long-term effects on humans and wildlife in areas where dispersants are applied?
• What is the expected timeframe for the return of wildlife to pre-event levels?
• What is the effect of dispersants on the oil and how is dispersant-treated oil expected to move through Gulf waters, and what is the expected impact on seafood harvest areas to which the dispersant treated oil may have traveled?

We also have longer-term questions and concerns that need to be addressed:

• What is the half-life of the dispersant chemicals in the marine environment?
• What is BP's plan to monitor the impact of dispersants on the environment, people, and wildlife over time?
• What resources will BP make available to restore the wetlands and fisheries that may be harmed by the dispersants?

Three days ago, in a Unified Command Group meeting that included a BP representative, Secretary Barham requested studies to support usage of the dispersants. As of now, the state has not received the requested information. We are again requesting data, analysis and studies of the effects of oil spill dispersants used, and most importantly, a BP commitment that the dispersants being used to fight the oil spill will not cause irreparable, short-term or long-term harm to our wetlands, coast, environment, marine life, wildlife or people. Please submit to us (1) any reports, studies or data either in BP's possession or conducted by BP on the impact of dispersants, and (2) any plans BP has to assist Louisiana in mitigating any negative effects on our environment, health, wildlife and fisheries. The state is committed to ensuring a long-term solution is put in place to provide the public with confidence in the safety of our products. Our state and seafood industry must have a long-term commitment from BP to establish and sustain an initiative to ensure this is the case.
We look forward to your immediate response.

Sincerely,
Alan Levine
Secretary, Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals
Peggy Hatch
Secretary, Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality
Robert Barham
Secretary, Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries

cc: Doug Suttles, COO, BP Global (Robert EOC)
Mike Utsler, Senior VP, BP Alaska Operations (Houma EOC)
Lisa Jackson, Administrator, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Thomas Frieden, M.D., M.P.H., Director, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Margaret Hamburg, M.D., Commissioner, U.S. Food and Drug Administration

http://emergency.louisiana.gov/Releases/05082010-DHH-DEQ-LDWF.html

 

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Re: DHH, DEQ, LDWF Secretaries Send Letter to BP outlining concerns, requesting BP Release Information on Dispersants

Oil spill: BP accused of using Gulf of Mexico as 'toxic testing-ground'

Louisiana officials have accused BP of turning the Gulf of Mexico into a toxic testing-ground after winning permission for experimental chemical methods of fighting the oil slick.



By Jacqui Goddard, Miami
Published: 3:11PM BST 15 May 2010

Oil spill: BP accused of using Gulf of Mexico as "toxic testing-ground" Photo: REUTERS



State officials are angry that federal regulators gave the company permission to try out new chemical techniques to break up and hold back the growing tide of oil.

Despite registering concerns about the potential implications for the environment, marine life and human health, Governor Bobby Jindal's administration was cut out of deliberations over the use of dispersants that break up the oil, as the Environmental Protection Agency granted BP permission to release large quantities underwater.

"We don't have any data or evidence behind the use of these chemicals in the water. We're now basically using one of the richest ecosysystems in the world as a laboratory," complained Alan Levine, the head of Louisiana's Department of Health and Hospitals.

Tony Hayward, BP's chief executive officer, told WAFB Channel 9 news station that the chemical has undergone "lots of testing" and is biodegradable. "We believe it's a very effective way of containing this spill until such time as we can eliminate the leak," he added.

But Robert Barham, the state's Secretary of the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, stated that it has not been used at such depths before - BP's leak stems from a pipe one mile below the surface - and that its potential impact and consequences are unknown. This includes how it travels through the water over time.

/.../

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/...g-Gulf-of-Mexico-as-toxic-testing-ground.html

 

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Re: DHH, DEQ, LDWF Secretaries Send Letter to BP outlining concerns, requesting BP Release Information on Dispersants

PRESS RELEASE

Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Secretary Requests Data from BP on Long-Term Effects of Sub-Sea Dispersant

BATON ROUGE (May 18, 2010) - Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Secretary Robert Barham today requested data from BP about the use of sub-sea dispersants to combat the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and their long term effects on Louisiana's coast.
The full text of the letter is below:

May 18, 2010

Dr. David I. Rainey
Vice President, Gulf of Mexico Exploration
BP America, Inc.
Post Office Box 3092
Houston, TX 77253-3092

Dear Dr. Rainey:
The use of sub-sea dispersants to combat the effects of the Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill on our coast is an action that I am not able to give my support to. While I understand the importance of mitigating the effects of this oil on our fragile wetlands to date, little or no substantive data has been provided to the state of Louisiana concerning the efficacy and risks associated with deep injection of dispersants.
While we do appreciate the enormity of this situation and acknowledge the need to minimize the impacts of this oil on our coast, we will require additional information on these chemicals and the effects they may leave on our coast.
In a meeting with NOAA and EPA officials May 13, 2010, our scientists were not satisfied with the information presented. Offers were made to share data and expertise and in that spirit please see attached document requesting detailed information. At this time, this encompasses our request for additional data, but it may be necessary to request additional information.
We look forward to your prompt response.
Sincerely,

Robert J. Barham
Secretary
Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries

Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries - Data Request
1. Re Failure of R/V Brooks McCall Sampling Program. Obviously the prediction clearly stated in the EPA Monitoring Summary that deep sampling and equipment would be a problem came true. EPA and NOAA assessments of success varied widely. NOAA acknowledged few (if any) useful samples, gear failure, vessel problems, etc. EPA thought that the cruise was successful and that data now in a LSU lab would prove the efficacy of the application. NOAA countered that the ongoing hydrocarbon analyses were not the type of data to provide such evidence.

Provide:

1.1. A copy of any cruise sampling plan for past and planned detailing objectives, device, and analyses.
1.2. For past cruises include an assessment of task success and failure.
1.3. Any analytical data obtained along with interpretation.
2. Re Verbal Claim that the surface slick shrunk during deep dispersant application then doubled in size following shutdown. Conclusions on un-replicated studies are dubious at best and should not be used as a justification for approval.

Provide:

2.1. Provide time-series data giving amount and rate of injection at depth and
2.2. time-series data of quantitative effect on slick size at the surface.
2.3. Expected lag-time estimates between bottom activity and surface manifestation.
2.4. All confounding activities and conditions at the surface during the trial that might have altered the slick appearance.
3. Towards a better understanding of the system. Although often characterized as an offshore system somehow apart from coastal Louisiana, The Mississippi Delta spans the shelf and is poised right at the edge of the deep system. The deep-shallow dichotomy simply does not apply here. Therefore, we need to quickly move to a position of better understanding.

Provide:

3.1. Local topography - gridded high resolution bathymetry of MC 252 and adjacent lease blocks. Acceptable formats include ARC and Fledermaus.
3.2. Regional topography - gridded medium resolution bathymetry for the northern Gulf of Mexico continental shelf and slope of a higher spatial resolution than the NOAA Coastal Ocean Model.
3.3. Regional Current Fields - Assuming that NOAA is using a surface-to-bottom current model based on the Acoustic Doppler Current Profilers on rigs off the Louisiana coast, the daily output of such models will be provided along with interpretation.
4. Towards a More Effective Scientific Approach - While deep-sea research is difficult, it is now commonplace around the world. The industry capabilities pioneered in and off Louisiana are truly revolutionary. Therefore the ill-equipped, ineffective and ill-prepared monitor program undertaken by EPA and NOAA reflect very poorly on those agencies. Louisiana would like to be provided of the following assurances.

4.1. NOAA will direct its best vessel and equipment assets to this effort.
4.2. NOAA will increase the priority given to US EEZ deepwater especially those areas like coastal Louisiana that are critical to the energy needs of the country.
4.3. EPA will familiarize the agency with the nature of and concerns about the deep ocean especially when coastal-deep linkages are highly likely to exist.
4.4. BP and the offshore industry will provide vessel and equipment assistance to sampling and monitoring. Highest industry standards will be applie! d for station holding capability and on bottom navigation.
5. Oceaneering's standard operating procedure is to record video directly to disk at such a low resolution that 4 hours fit on a single DVD. The quality is poor.

To that end we request:

5.1. Continuous video will be recorded
5.2. Video recorded to disk should have no more compression than 1 hour per disk.
5.3. Ideally, video should be stored on a suitable external drive with a 1 terabyte capacity at full Digital Video resolution or High Definition Digital TV.
5.4. Video must be made available to the state of Louisiana. 6. LDWF must be provided with the chemical profiles for (1) dispersed oil, (2) un-dispersed oil and (3) all BP-applied dispersants to date.

6.1. The rationale for the selection of these molecular markers must be provided.

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http://emergency.louisiana.gov/Releases/05182010-BP-LDWF.html​