http://lasinkhole.wordpress.com/2012/12/05/police-jury/
Police Jury calls for buyouts – More
1
The Advocate -
BAYOU CORNE — The Assumption Parish Police Jury wants Texas Brine Co. LLC to consider the option of buyouts for residents displaced by a Bayou Corne-area sinkhole.
Evacuated since Aug. 3 from their swampland community because of safety concerns due to the sinkhole’s emergence, some residents have been calling for buyouts of their property, which they say cannot be sold and cannot be lived in.
However, other residents have said that they would rather stay, if they are able to do so safely.
Police Jury President Martin “Marty” Triche said Tuesday parish officials know they cannot make Texas Brine offer buyouts, but have heard Bayou Corne residents ask for the assistance.
“Our goal is to support those residents that wish to leave,” he said. . . .
http://lasinkhole.wordpress.com/2012/12/04/crosstx-defies/
Crosstex Defies State Order
Butane Cavern Handler, Crosstex Stopped Daily Updates Nov. 23rd
The daily updates on moving the butane from next to the sinkhole by Crosstex ceased Nov. 23rd. They had been daily up til then as per state orders*.
* see section 4, page 2 of this order.
CLICK ON IMAGE FOR FULL SIZE
They are just moving the butane to another cavern across the street so-to-speak. Not far away from the ever-expanding, out of control, gassy sinkhole!
http://lasinkhole.wordpress.com/2012/12/03/minden-explosives-removal/
Minden – Lightning, Weather Hamper Explosives Removal
The Advocate – Weather may complicate Doyline explosives removal
DOYLINE (AP) — Weather could complicate the transfer of roughly 6 million pounds of explosives that were haphazardly stored at an industrial site in northwestern Louisiana and led to the evacuation of a small town, a state police spokeswoman said Monday.
If lightning is spotted within five miles of the site, authorities will suspend efforts that began on Saturday to move the artillery propellant, Lt. Julie Lewis said.
Light rain fell at midday in the vicinity of the site near the town of Doyline. No lightning was expected Monday, but thunderstorms were forecast for Tuesday.
Officials estimate that more than half of Doyline’s 800 residents heeded police advice to evacuate in advance of the cleanup at the Explo Systems Inc. site. . . .
. . . so only HALF of them have left???
Idahopicker neatly justifies our Minden obsession . . .
LINK – http://youtu.be/gPieerP4vCg
http://lasinkhole.wordpress.com/2012/12/03/texas-brine-has-an-update/
Texas Brine has an Update
The Dec. 2 update is posted.
They have seen the light on the issue of oil leaking everywhere (perhaps the fine helped) and are going to expand their boom efforts.
http://www.examiner.com/article/could-corexit-have-made-bp-crude-travel-to-sinkhole-disaster-site
Could Corexit have made BP crude travel to sinkhole disaster site?
- TOP NATIONAL NEWS
- DECEMBER 2, 2012
- BY: DEBORAH DUPRE
- Subscribe
A disturbing scientific report released this week implies the possibility that Corexit 9500A used to cover up BP oil after the Gulf of Mexico catastrophe began in April 2010 could make crude oil travel underground for long distances, possibly as far as the historic Bayou Corne sinkhole where crude from an unknown source is being released.
By using the dispersant Corexit 9500A after the Gulf oil catastrophe began in April 2010, BP and the United States military made the crude oil from the Macondo Prospect off the Louisiana coast able to travel further,according to a new study released this week, raising further questions about whether the crude continuing to flow into Louisiana's sinkhole disaster area 140 miles away could be BP's.
After the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded 52 miles off of Louisiana's Gulf of Mexico coast, large volumes of crude oil washed onto and embedded in sandy beaches and sublittoral sands of the Northern Gulf of Mexico. Some of that oil was mechanically or chemically dispersed with Corexit 9500A before it reached shore.
Initially, the dispersed oil covered up the crime. It made the Gulf catastrophe appear to be less significant since less oil came ashore.
Researchers Alissa Zuijdgeest and Markus Huettel showed with a set of laboratory-column experiments that adding the chemical dispersant Corexit 9500A increases mobility of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in saturated permeable sediments by up to 100-fold.
PAHs, also known as poly-aromatic hydrocarbons or polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons, are potent atmospheric toxins.
Distribution and concentrations of PAHs, measured in the solid phase and effluent water of the columns using GC/MS, revealed that the PAHs mobility depended on their hydrophobicity (lack of affinity with water or inability to dissolve in water) and was species specific also in the presence of dispersant.
"Flushing columns with seawater after percolation of the oiled water resulted in enhanced movement by remobilization of retained PAHs," the researchers stated.
"In other words, repeated flushing by waves washing up a contaminated beach may pump PAHs deep into the sediment when dispersant is present," reported Julia Whitty for Mother Jones.
An in-situ benthic chamber experiment, one that simulates deep sea conditions, demonstrated that aromatic hydrocarbons are "transported into permeable sublittoral sediment, emphasizing the relevance of our laboratory column experiments in natural settings," the researchers said.
"The oil concentrations used in our experiments are at the lower end of those reported for coastal waters after the Deepwater Horizon accident, and the Gulf of Mexico beaches were flooded with consecutive surges of oil," stated Zuijdgeest and Huettel.
"We conclude that the addition of dispersants permits crude oil components to penetrate faster and deeper into permeable saturated sands, where anaerobic conditions may slow degradation of these compounds, thus extending the persistence of potentially harmful PAHs in the marine environment.
"I am an oyster harvester in Apalachicola bay Florida," commented "Skyinpie" on Mother Jones."For some reason the oys[t[er are not reproducing. No spat at all. I have oystered for 26yr. Most years I harvest about 1200lb. a day, but this year my harvest is about 120lb. a day. A 90% drop, and thair are no small oyster to put back.
"I will not be able to make a living from a harvest like that," he says.
"Also the fish are not reproducing nor are the blue crabs. The mullet have no eggs this year. Apalachicola bay is in very bad shape. The bay has look wors[e] every year from the BP spill. I think the dispersants have a roll to play in the death of Apalachicola Bay.
The authors of the new study report finding fertility issues and higher mortality in Gulf sea life:
- Increased mortality in planktonic copepods exposed to dispersants with stronger effects on small-sized species.
- In early life stages of Atlantic herring, dispersed oil dramatically impaired fertilization success.
- Grey mullet exposed to chemically dispersed oil showed both a higher bioconcentration of PAHs and a higher mortality than fish exposed to either the water-soluble fraction of oil or the mechanically dispersed oil.
"BP should not only have to pay for the spill but also for pouring deadly dispersants in to the gulf," Skyinpie wrote. "The same thing is going from Ceader Key, Florida to La. No spat fall, no oysters. If thair are no baby oyster, than we will harvest our self out of bis[iness] and their will be nothing to clean the bay water. Evey thing will die. This is so sad.
"Apalachicola Bay was one of the last untouched bay in Florida. Most fish in the gulf spend some time in Apalachicola Bay. I guess their days are numbered. In 26yr. of oystering, I have never seen it this bad."
Louisiana sinkhole implications?
Authors of the new study warn that dispersants used in nearshore oil spills might penetrate deeply enough into saturated sands and might entail potential threats to groundwater supplies.
"Dispersants would also make it possible for oil to spread wider, for example inland, posing an even more serious threat to aquifers," stated neuroscientist Dr. Paul Brown on Sunday. "I bet more people will start showing Gulf Syndrome further inland."
Brown recently demonstrated at a Bayou Corne resident briefing about the historic Louisiana sinkhole disaster that there is a community health monitoring failure, including for reproductive health issues.
Does the new study have implications for inland conditions occurring now, such as the giant sinkhole s140 miles away from the Macondo well that is still spewing oil? Crude oil from an unknown source is also being released into the sinkhole area.
"Further experiments should be done to explore the possibility that Corexit will make crude contaminants travel faster and further inland," Brown said.
Since the Bayou Corne sinkhole developed on August 3, crude oil has been flowing into the nearby 1-mile by 3-mile Napoleonville Salt Dome, that is now collapsing, and into the sinkhole.
"The crude in the Bayou Corne sinkhole area should be tested to see if it matches BP crude in the Macondo Prospect," Brown said. "It could also just be tested for Corexit."
and.....
http://www.examiner.com/article/sinkhole-residents-demand-gov-bobby-jindal-meeting
Monday, on the four-month Louisiana sinkhole anniversary, bubbling bayou residents are asking why Gov. Bobby Jindal has never visited them during the state of emergency and mandatory evacuation he declared due to the massive sinkhole disaster. Although Assumption Parish Police Jury passed a resolution Wednesday requesting oil and gas service company Texas Brine Company to buy out property owners wanting to permanently relocate and compensate stayers, the parish has not issued that request to the company to date.
Property values have dropped to an all-time low, as has regard for Gov. Bobby Jindal, locals told Deborah Dupré at the Examiner and Kris Cuzansa at NBC Monday.
Four month Louisiana sinkhole anniversary, Gov. Jindal slammed for declaring State of Emergency and Mandatory Evacuation but never visiting citizens there
Sinkhole area residents want the state to step up and they want stronger action from officials. They want Gov. Bobby Jindal, housed only fifty miles away in Baton Rouge, to go to Bayou Corne where he declared a mandatory evacuation and a state of emergency soon after the sinkhole developed on Aug. 3.
"I have sent a formal meeting request to Governor Jindal," Pierre Part resident Alicia Heilig told the Examiner in a Facebook message Monday.
Heilig manages the Bayou Corne Sinkhole Facebook page and from her home, has smelled the foul chemical odors at times. She told the Examiner that she was posting onto the Facebook page what she sent to the governor "so everyone can see."
"I believe its time that the governor hear our concerns in person," Heilig wrote. "He has not been here once to see this disaster for himself or show the people he is elected to represent that he is 'here' for us."
"We would like to see our governor," Bayou Corne property owner John Achee said. "Where has he been since all this has started? I mean this has been going on for six months. People have been evacuated for four months. We haven't seen the governor. We haven't heard from him. It's like a circus without a ring leader literally."
Hundreds of people signed a petition initiated by Heilig asking Jindal to expand the mandatory evacuation zone near the sinkhole. Heilig sent the petition to Jindal last month, only to receive from his office the following response:
Dear Miss Heilig,Thank you for contacting the Governor’s office regarding emergency preparedness. Rest assured that your concerns are of great importance to the Governor.As you may know, this matter falls under the jurisdiction of the Governors Office of Homeland Security & Homeland Preparedness. I have forwarded your information to them for further review, and you should be receiving a response from them in the near future.
Should you wish to contact the office directly, you may do so at:Governors Office of Homeland Security
& Emergency Preparedness
7667 Independence Blvd.
Baton Rouge, LA 70806
(225) 925-7500Please continue to keep our office informed of your views on matters of importance. Please do not hesitate to contact our office in the future on matters of concern to you. If you have any further questions please contact Christine Wagley (225) 342-7015.Sincerely,/s/ Christina GranthamChristina Grantham
Director of Constituent Services
Governor Bobby Jindal"Since receiving that reply, Heilig has informed Jindal's office of her views. She says she is disturbed at the lack of attention this seems to be getting from the governor."Every email I have sent his office has been 'forwarded to the appropriate agency,'" Heilig wrote. "I want SOMEONE out here to hear SOMETHING from Mr. Jindal himself."Like other sinkhole locals, Heilig wants to see Jindal at a community meeting where sometimes, hundreds of energy refugees crowd into St. Joseph's Church in Pierre Part to hear the latest devastating news about the disaster and why they cannot go home."I am formally requesting that Mr. Jindal arrange a meeting with the people being affected by this situation, or that he attend the next community meeting.""How can a governor declare a state of emergency in his own state, and then be absent from anything having to do with said emergency?" Heilig asks. "Does he not realize how this is affecting the people out here? Does he not care, or is he just too busy cutting ribbons for bridge projects?"
“When you see a guy like Governor Bobby Jindal out there and he’s talking about trying to pick up the oil from the Deepwater Horizon, but the first thing he wants to do is keep drilling,” award-winning investigative journalist Greg Palast says in the movie, The Big Fix. “Where is he getting his money?”"By 2010, Gov. Jindal had taken $645,935 from oil and gas companies." (Dupré, Vampire of Macondo)“Environmental groups in particular always say, ‘the oil industry has raped Louisiana,’” says professor of environmental studies at Louisiana State University Dr. Paul Templet in The Big Fix.“And my response has always been, they haven’t really raped us. They came to us with money in their hands and we said, ‘take us.’“The political establishment here has been prostitutes to the oil industry, and not high priced call girls in many cases - cheap hookers,” Templet says.Property values near worthless"If they paid me my property value right now they wouldn't have to pay me much," Henry Welch, Bayou Corne Resident, said. "I don't have any property value here, since their stuff started up."Officials have not sent the request to Texas Brine to buy out residents.Texas Brine spokesman says the company is not ready to talk buyouts at this point and that it is time to focus on fixing problems in Bayou Corne.An expert on the officials science team had said that if the cavern was fractured, it was irreparable. The cavern is now known to be fractured.Every day that residents wait to learn the fate of their homes, their property values drop. Welch and dozens of other Bayou Corne residents have spent four months in camper trailers, waiting to return home. Now he and others are ready to move on."This is getting old. People have had enough," Welch said. "I want to be bought out. I don't want to live here any more."
Other residents already battling cancer worry that the new chemicals in air and water are increasing their vulnerability. They also want to leave, they told Dupré.The proposed plan is a small step to help homeowners wanting to leave, according to Welch. He worries Texas Brine won't agree and months or years could pass before there is any relief."They made millions and billions of dollars, and now they can't come up and step up to the plate and help the communities," Welsh said. "I don't think too much of them.""Texas Brine has gotten off the hook since this whole thing started," Bayou Corne Achee said. "It's been a slap on the wrist for Texas Brine. No one has really enforced them to do anything. They've basically done what they wanted to do."This weekend, the Louisiana Office of Conservation fined Texas Brine $100 thousand for failing to meet state orders to protect the area. The company failed to meet several deadlines.Texas Brine told NBC33 they are working with the Office of Conservation to complete those required directives specified in a Nov. 12th order and that before the notice of fines, it was moving as fast as it could to meet deadlines.The company ran into issues obtaining homeowner permission and land owner permission to install the gas monitors and vent wells, according to a spokesperson.Residents near the sinkhole say the company is moving too slowly and jeopardizing their human right to health, safety and security."Why (can't Texas Brine move quicker) if we got so much gas that we to have a monitor in our home with us not even living here. And they want to put monitors in our yards in and in our homes. I think that's dangerous," said Welch.Suspend company permits, call in the fedsResidents believe that fines will not help. They want state officials to cancel Texas Brine's permits and to kick Texas Brine out of the state."The only way you are going to see action is if the state steps up and suspends all permits in the state of Louisiana, not just here not just on this dome, the entire state," Achee believes. "Get rid of them."
There are seven companies operating out of the Napoleonville Salt Dome. Authorities have yet to confirm the source of the crude oil seeping into the dome. They are holding Texas Brine responsible for the entire disaster due to its collapsed cavern in the dome.Some residents are so frustrated, they want the feds to come in if the state cannot do the job."Our president, I'm not too far from calling him and trying to set up a date with him and see if he can come help us," Welch said."People are tired of this. We have absolutely had enough. This is not the way it should be," Achee said. "We have a company out of Houston, Texas making a mockery out of the state of Louisiana. It's a shame."The next public Bayou Corne resident briefing is scheduled for Dec. 18 at 7:00 P.M. at St. Joseph the Worker Catholic Church in Pierre Part.Gov. Jindal's invitation to attend the Dec. 18 meeting has not been answered at the time of this writing.
