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Throughout the months-long 2010 BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, scientists expressed surprise at the development and relatively speedy disappearance of giant plumes of subsea oil and gas that jetted from the wellhead and refused to surface. A new study explains how bacteria degraded the plumes so efficiently: A succession of hydrocarbon-noshing species mushroomed because their movable feasts were repeatedly replenished. Only about 15 percent of the BP gusher floated up to form giant surface slicks, a second new study finds. Natural gas constituents and dissolvable chemicals amounting to twice that mass remained near the seafloor, creating the...

The Royal Navy's most formidable warship is being sent to the Gulf for its first mission as tensions rise in the strategically vital region, it can be disclosed. Naval commanders believe the deployment of HMS Daring, a Type 45 destroyer, will send a significant message to the Iranians because of the firepower and world-beating technology carried by the warship.Philip Hammond, the Defence Secretary, has publicly warned Iran that any blockade of the Strait of Hormuz would be "illegal and unsuccessful".

Dr. Ann Maest is a managing scientist at Straus Consulting, and she’s the go to expert on all things groundwater. In the press release announcing her reappointment to the National Academy of Sciences, they mention that she is focused on the environmental effects of mining and petroleum extraction and production, and, more recently, on the effects of climate change on water quality. Maest is in high demand as an expert for those looking to stop oil and mineral exploration. She’s also heavily used by the federal government, even though after new details about her past work are coming to light...

Four times a year, Democrats and the Left cherry-pick oil and natural gas companies’ quarterly earnings and supplementary data in an attempt to justify tax increases on some of America’s largest employers. Yes, Exxon and other American oil and natural gas companies make a lot of money, but they also pay a lot of taxes and employ a lot of people—two facets of these companies that are rarely, if ever, discussed. You are “Big Oil” Today Exxon announced 3rd quarter profits of $10 billion. So when oil natural gas companies make billions, who profits? If you have a retirement fund...

Good news, domestic energy fans! After extraordinary delays, it looks like there will finally be some energy production activity in the Gulf of Mexico once again. This time it’s in the fertile fields to the south and west of Florida, employing some brand spanking new deep-water drilling rigs with all the latest technical features. This is terrific, and I’m sure you’ll all join me in congratulating President Obama for moving forward with this much needed expansion of … What’s that? We’re not the ones doing the drilling? Then who is? “Before the end of the year, a Chinese-made drilling platform...

More than a year after the largest oil spill in history, perhaps the dominant lingering question about the Deepwater Horizon spill is, "What happened to the oil?" Now, in the first published study to explain the role of microbes in breaking down the oil slick on the surface of the Gulf of Mexico, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) researchers have come up with answers that represent both surprisingly good news and a head-scratching mystery. In research scheduled to be published in the Aug. 2 online edition of Environmental Research Letters, the WHOI team studied samples from the surface oil slick...

A new study by IHS Cambridge Energy Research Associates shows the current (slow) pace of permitting for Gulf oil exploration and production continues to cost the country in jobs, government revenues and oil production. “The moratorium last year halted drilling activity, but since the moratorium was lifted last October, oil activity has been slow to restart and this has had a negative impact on jobs growth and U.S. oil production,” IHS CERA managing director of global oil James Burkhard said yesterday on a press call. “There is what we call an activity gap under the new regulatory environment and this...

CHICAGO — BP wants to stop paying most people affected by the massive 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill for potential future damages because the region has recovered, a document released Friday said. The tourism industry is booming, all federal fishing grounds have reopened, and the shrimp catch has been plentiful, BP said. "The current economic data do not suggest that individual and business claimants face a material risk of future loss caused by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill," BP said in a 29-page document filed with the Gulf Coast Claim Facility, which is handling compensation claims. ... The compensation...

VIDEO: Victims of the Obama Drilling MoratoriumPosted May 24th, 2011 at 7:05pm in Energy and Environment In the midst of the worst oil spill in U.S. history, President Obama imposed a moratorium on deepwater oil drilling one year ago this week. What was supposed to be a months-long ban on Gulf of Mexico operations has dragged on for a year in what’s now been dubbed a “permitorium” by critics of the administration. The Department of Interior justified last year’s moratorium as a necessary step to develop new regulations for offshore drillers. But a year later, those closest to the action...

Why would President Obama want high gas prices? It's a matter of ideology for him. He thinks it's good for the environment for gas prices to be high. The higher gas prices are, the less you will drive. Also, higher gas prices make his beloved "alternative fuels" more competitive. That is because these alternative fuels are inherently more expensive, and so can't compete with cheaper gas. Note this is not a prescription for easing the financial burden on working people. High gas prices make it more likely you will buy expensive "alternative fuels." But either way, your wallet will still...

Hi Gang, I wonder if any FReepers have a deck of Gulf War playing cards. I'm most interested in cards which were actually handed out to US soldiers in Iraq. Do any of you guys have the printing, or computer expertise to print new decks of cards? If possible, I'd really like to talk to you about best images, numbers and cost. Agape, BrokenHealer

An Interior Department report to be released Tuesday says more than two-thirds of offshore oil and gas leases in the Gulf of Mexico are sitting idle. According to the report, obtained by The Associated Press, those inactive swaths of the Gulf could potentially hold more than 11 billion barrels of oil and 50 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. The report also shows that 45 percent of all onshore oil and gas leases are inactive.

An Interior Department report to be released Tuesday says more than two-thirds of offshore oil and gas leases in the Gulf of Mexico are sitting idle. According to the report, obtained by The Associated Press, those inactive swaths of the Gulf could potentially hold more than 11 billion barrels of oil and 50 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. The report also shows that 45 percent of all onshore oil and gas leases are inactive.

PASCAGOULA, Miss. — Documents provided by the administrator of BP's claims fund for Gulf oil spill victims show the oil giant agreed to increase his law firm's monthly compensation from $850,000 to $1.25 million. The documents furnished Friday to The Associated Press include a letter from former U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey to claims czar Kenneth Feinberg. Mukasey stated his belief that the extra money was warranted because Feinberg's duties had grown. Mukasey was asked by Feinberg to weigh in on how reasonable his compensation was. The pay hike, detailed in a Tuesday letter from Mukasey to

As more permits are approved, fight over offshore oil drilling heats upBy Andrew Restuccia - 03/27/11 06:30 AM ET The rhetoric about domestic oil drilling reached a fever pitch in Washington this week with the Obama administration touting the approval of more Gulf deepwater drilling permits and Republicans countering that the pace of permitting is still too slow. The stakes are high for both sides of the issue, as pressure to address high oil and gas prices mounts amid continued unrest in the Middle East and North Africa. This week was packed with Obama administration announcements about drilling permit approvals....

Let's see if I have this straight: America shouldn't drill for oil and gas in the Gulf of Mexico because our evil oil corporations surely will cause another accident like the BP spill and pollute all the oceans of the world; but it's no problema apparently for the obviously technologically superior Brazil to drill in the open Atlantic and sell their production to us? At least that is what I gleaned from the encouraging words delivered by our president to Brazilian leaders in a speech to local businessmen in Brasilia last week. Discussing the partnering of our two national economies,...

MANAMA (Reuters) – The United States said Bahrain was on the "wrong track" in trying to crush Shi'ite protests in the Sunni-ruled island, rare criticism that highlighted concern the crackdown could ignite a wider regional conflict. Bahraini forces used tanks and helicopters on Wednesday to clear a protest camp set up by youths from the Shi'ite Muslim majority which complains of discrimination by the Sunni royal family. Three police and three protesters were killed. The unrest has brought an influx of troops to Bahrain from fellow Sunni-ruled neighbors Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates, who fear the...

US clears more deepwater oil drilling in GulfUS allows BHP Billiton to resume deepwater drilling in Gulf of Mexico; 2nd permit in 2 weeks On Saturday March 12, 2011, 1:09 pm EST NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- The U.S. government is allowing deepwater drilling to resume on another Gulf of Mexico well as the region recovers from BP's devastating oil spill. BHP Billiton PLC said Saturday that the permit will allow it to get back to work in its Shenzi field, located about 120 miles off Louisiana's coast. The well, about 4,300 feet below the surface, began production in March 2009,...

The Obama administration delivered a warning late Friday to a federal judge who’s demanding Interior Department action on deepwater drilling permit applications: Be careful what you wish for. The Interior Department challenged a Louisiana judge’s orders that require decisions on several industry applications later this month, warning that the court's mandate could force Interior to “deny the applications outright” and divert resources from review of other permit requests. Interior appealed the orders late Friday and asked for a stay. In their filing, Justice Department lawyers say that Judge Martin Feldman’s orders could thwart the “efficient development of oil and gas...

White House calls push for strategic oil reserve release ‘premature’By Ben Geman - 03/04/11 04:49 PM ET White House press secretary Jay Carney on Friday declined to say if a specific oil price would prompt a release from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. The White House is under pressure from several Democrats to release oil from the 727-million barrel reserve as energy prices rise alongside turmoil in North Africa and the Middle East. Asked at what point the Obama administration would mull a release from the reserve, Carney replied: “We don't have a number to tell you that drives those decisions....