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March 25, 2014; 12:20 PM – The 168,000-gallon fuel oil spill that happened Saturday near Galveston, Texas caused the Coast Guard to temporarily close the Houston Ship Channel.  That's a very busy, narrow waterway connecting the Port of Houston with the Gulf of Mexico and overseas ports.  In addition to the environmental consequences of this heavy oil spill, including the threat to shorebirds at the peak of their spring migration, this closure has caused a big-time backup of shipping traffic.…

Text reposted from SkyTruth, images from Gulf Restoration Network Savvy SkyTruth Alerts users may have noticed that we haven't published any new oil or hazmat spill reports from the Coast Guard-operated National Response Center (NRC) since February 20.  If you go directly to the NRC website, you see a "down for maintenance" message.  Polluters and concerned citizens can still submit reports to the NRC by phone, at 1-800-424-8802.  But without the website, we can't search for…

By Bob Marshall, Staff Writer at The Lens - Original post at thelensnola.org Jonathan Henderson was shouting to be heard over the engine noise in the small plane as it circled above an oil rig just off the Louisiana coast. A ribbon of colored water extended from the rig for about 100 yards, and Henderson had asked the pilot for a closer look. “Right there, that’s sheen,” Henderson yelled. “In fact, rainbow sheen tells…

By Jonathan Henderson at Gulf Restoration Network - Reposted from HealthyGulf.org As I wrap up things before heading off for a much needed holiday vacation, I wanted to be sure to share with you some photos of GRN’s most recent Gulf monitoring trips. As you look at the photos, please be sure to read the included descriptions for important details. After you have finished reading this blog and viewing the photos, if like…

EDITOR'S NOTE: Be sure see the report on the first flight from GMC member Lower Mississippi Riverkeeper - /gmc/oil-and-gas-leaks-in-the-gulf-business-as-usual/ Earlier this week, GRN participated in three Gulf Monitoring Consortium coastal flyovers as part of our ongoing efforts to raise awareness and document ongoing oil and gas industry pollution and destruction of Louisiana’s wetlands and coastal environment. Gulf Monitoring Consortium (GMC) is a rapid response alliance that collects, analyzes and publishes images and other information from space,…

The Gulf Monitoring Consortium (GMC) welcomes the Public Laboratory for Open Technology and Science (Public Lab) as the newest partner in a collaborative effort to detect and respond to oil and petrochemical pollution in and around the Gulf of Mexico. Public Lab has been working with various Consortium members since its founding during the BP Oil Disaster. Public Lab pioneered balloon and kite mapping techniques, which have been used to map oiled marshes of…

In response to the Gulf Monitoring Consortium (GMC) report "Lessons from Hurricane Isaac: Gulf Coast Coal and Petrochemical Facilities Still Not Storm Ready," an industry trade group issued a response challenging some of the report's premises. On August 9, Energize LA, a public relations site operated by the Louisiana Mid-Continent Oil and Gas Association (LMOGA) posted a blog entry calling the report "Weird Science." Their critique focused on three main areas, which they…

On August 6, five environmental organizations comprising the Gulf Monitoring Consortium announced their findings from a review of pollution reported from petrochemical and fossil fuel processing facilities during and immediately after Hurricane Isaac. Based self-reporting by "responsible parties" to state and federal authorities, GMC members found operators blamed the storm for at least the following pollution from their facilities: 341 ,044 gallons of oil, chemicals, and untreated waste-water 192.3 tons of gases and other…

SkyTruth - July 26, 2013: Yesterday, the runaway gas well at the Hercules 265 jackup drill rig in the Gulf "bridged over" - essentially choked itself with sand, rock and other debris - shutting off the flow of natural gas, extinguishing the fire that had been burning since Tuesday night. Here is a post-fire photo of the rig.  The small production platform it had been working at is a total loss.  The jackup itself has sustained…