Environment & Energy

RiverLover

(7,830 posts) Sat Nov 1, 2014, 07:03 AM Nov 2014

The EPA is allowing oil, fracking chemicals to be dumped into Gulf of Mexico

Concerns loom over offshore fracking's extent, oversight

"A year after California imposed new regulations requiring oil and gas companies to notify state regulators and the public whenever they perform hydraulic fracturing, environmental groups and policy experts are suddenly and belatedly learning about offshore fracking in the Gulf and expressing frustration with a lack of information from regulators.

"People don't know this is happening," said Jonathan Henderson of the environmental advocacy group Gulf Restoration Network. "Nobody I talk to has any idea, much less the process that's used to get at those reserves."

..."Environmental Protection Agency water discharge permits allow operators to dump a certain amount of oil and chemicals overboard into the Gulf along with their processed water. But those permits and lists of the chemicals used for individual frac jobs are only available publicly for land-based operations, not the offshore ones.

Both the EPA and an industry-backed website called FracFocus offer searchable online databases of permits for fracking on shore, but not for the Gulf of Mexico. A year after California imposed new regulations requiring oil and gas companies to notify state regulators and the public whenever they perform hydraulic fracturing, environmental groups and policy experts are suddenly and belatedly learning about offshore fracking in the Gulf and expressing frustration with a lack of information from regulators."

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/10/31/offshore-fracking-environmental-concerns/18233029/

21 replies

= new reply since forum marked as read

Highlight:

The EPA is allowing oil, fracking chemicals to be dumped into Gulf of Mexico (Original Post) RiverLover Nov 2014 OP

And we still have no idea why we killed off 40% of marine life in past 50 years.... TRoN33 Nov 2014 #1

I'M TOTALLY SURPRISED THAT THERE IS ANY LIFE LEFT IN THE GULF...SHAMEFUL AND STUPID drynberg Nov 2014 #2

They are doing their job and i'm sure they are well paid both justhanginon Nov 2014 #6

The gulf is toast SmittynMo Nov 2014 #7

kick, kick, kick..... daleanime Nov 2014 #3

WTF? Omaha Steve Nov 2014 #4

This is insane! Happening under a democratic administration too dorkzilla Nov 2014 #5

Yep, the Oil Industry is controlling both sides~Obama opened up Gulf for Fracking RiverLover Nov 2014 #10

there's a democratic administration? Doctor_J Nov 2014 #17

K & R They_Live Nov 2014 #8

Perfect analogy!! RiverLover Nov 2014 #9

getting pretty late to blame this on Cheney Doctor_J Nov 2014 #18

Yes, I know. They_Live Nov 2014 #19

approving of oil dumping in the Gulf is in fact the sign of a Real True Dem! MisterP Nov 2014 #11

??? RiverLover Nov 2014 #12

my post was sarcasm, but some really do believe that sentiment MisterP Nov 2014 #13

Oh good, I was very confused. :-) I'm usually better at catching sarcasm!! RiverLover Nov 2014 #14

the :sarcasm: tag is needed *every time* on DU MisterP Nov 2014 #15

should be a corollary to Poe's law Doctor_J Nov 2014 #20

"August 4, 1961, was heralded by a swallow, caused winter to change to spring, a star to MisterP Nov 2014 #21

What a fuckin' right-wingy thing for a Democratic Administration to do. indepat Nov 2014 #16

TRoN33

(769 posts)

1. And we still have no idea why we killed off 40% of marine life in past 50 years....

Reply to RiverLover (Original post)

Sat Nov 1, 2014, 07:57 AM

Nov 2014

drynberg

(1,648 posts)

2. I'M TOTALLY SURPRISED THAT THERE IS ANY LIFE LEFT IN THE GULF...SHAMEFUL AND STUPID

Reply to RiverLover (Original post)

Sat Nov 1, 2014, 08:05 AM

Nov 2014

Hey EPA, do your friggin' job!!

justhanginon

(3,290 posts)

6. They are doing their job and i'm sure they are well paid both

Reply to drynberg (Reply #2)

Sat Nov 1, 2014, 10:05 AM

Nov 2014

over and under the table. We just mistakenly thought they worked for the American people and not the oil corporations. I am sad (mad) at what we are leaving our children and their children.

SmittynMo

(3,544 posts)

7. The gulf is toast

Reply to drynberg (Reply #2)

Sat Nov 1, 2014, 10:06 AM

Nov 2014

A ring of oil on the bottom of the Gulf the size of Rhode Island? The Keys have never looked so splotchy since the BP accident. I have pictures before and after. The beautiful blue waters down there are gone forever. I never go swimming in the Gulf anymore either. And its just not as beautiful as it use to be. Fuck BP!! And now this. WTF are we doing?

daleanime

(17,796 posts)

3. kick, kick, kick.....

Reply to RiverLover (Original post)

Sat Nov 1, 2014, 08:39 AM

Nov 2014

Omaha Steve

(99,665 posts)

4. WTF?

Reply to RiverLover (Original post)

Sat Nov 1, 2014, 08:58 AM

Nov 2014

K&R!!!

dorkzilla

(5,141 posts)

5. This is insane! Happening under a democratic administration too

Reply to RiverLover (Original post)

Sat Nov 1, 2014, 10:02 AM

Nov 2014

WTF happens to this world if the GOP freaks get a hold of the EPA???

What they're doing to the wildlife should be treated as wholesale murder.

RiverLover

(7,830 posts)

10. Yep, the Oil Industry is controlling both sides~Obama opened up Gulf for Fracking

Reply to dorkzilla (Reply #5)

Sat Nov 1, 2014, 11:53 AM

Nov 2014

And all off-shore fracking~

http://www.desmogblog.com/2014/08/28/obama-gulf-of-mexico-offshore-fracking

http://www.salon.com/2014/08/29/just_what_the_gulf_of_mexico_needs_deepwater_fracking_slated_to_expand/

Its truly & deeply heartbreaking how the Oil Industry is controlling our country, and others around the world.

This is why THE most important thing any of us can do is work like crazy to get $$$ OUT OF POLITICS. They distract us with the right vs left.

I have my progressive ideology, and I am not represented. Big $$$ is why.

Doctor_J

(36,392 posts)

17. there's a democratic administration?

Reply to dorkzilla (Reply #5)

Sat Nov 1, 2014, 11:36 PM

Nov 2014

Since when?

They_Live

(3,236 posts)

8. K & R

Reply to RiverLover (Original post)

Sat Nov 1, 2014, 10:29 AM

Nov 2014

I don't know if this practice is another toxic hangover from Dick Cheney's secret Energy task-force meetings, but it needs to be stopped immediately if not sooner. Just because there is not a law against taking a shit in your food pantry doesn't make okay to do it.

RiverLover

(7,830 posts)

9. Perfect analogy!!

Reply to They_Live (Reply #8)

Sat Nov 1, 2014, 11:44 AM

Nov 2014

"Just because there is not a law against taking a shit in your food pantry doesn't make okay to do it."

~Nailed it.

Doctor_J

(36,392 posts)

18. getting pretty late to blame this on Cheney

Reply to They_Live (Reply #8)

Sat Nov 1, 2014, 11:38 PM

Nov 2014

They_Live

(3,236 posts)

19. Yes, I know.

Reply to Doctor_J (Reply #18)

Sun Nov 2, 2014, 10:05 AM

Nov 2014

But I'm pretty sure that is the origin of this loophole. Unfortunate that the current administration didn't reverse many of the policies laid out by Cheney/Bush. Unfortunate and telling.