Jon Stewart Exasperated By BP Oil-Plume Denials

http://www.tvsquad.com/2010/06/11/jon-stewart-exasperated-by-bp-oil-plume-denials-video/

On 'The Daily Show' (weeknights, 11PM ET on COM), Jon Stewart addressed the latest (enormous) problem stemming from the BP oil spill, and the fact that it's an obstacle BP denies.

While the government has found a large plume of oil thousands of feet below the surface (said Diane Sawyer), a BP official said, "We haven't found any large concentrations of oil under the sea. It may be how you define a plume here."

"What!?" sputtered Stewart. "It's six miles long! It's not even a plume anymore, it's like an oily ... six mile thing!" he exclaimed.

Video at link


and in related news:

BP Refuses to Allow Scientists to Test Oil Spill Samples
http://www.allgov.com/Top_Stories/ViewNews/BP_Refuses_to_Allow_Scientists_to_Test_Oil_Spill_Samples_100611

Scientists in Florida are concerned that large plumes of oil floating beneath the surface in the Gulf of Mexico originated from the Deepwater Horizon spill, and want to test their samples against oil collected by BP. But the oil corporation is refusing to cooperate.

University of South Florida scientist David Hollander said he was “just taken aback” by BP’s unwillingness to assist in a scientific inquiry into the trouble. “It was a little unsettling.”

BP has publicly refused to acknowledge responsibility for the large masses of petroleum floating deep in the gulf which could be headed towards Florida. Company CEO Tony Hayward has gone so far as to insist the oil is “on the surface” of the ocean and that “there aren’t any plumes.”

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, however, is now saying oil has been discovered under the surface, although at “very low concentrations.”

In addition to not cooperating with scientists, BP has refused to grant media requests to fly over the gulf to capture images of oil slicks—refusals that also have been backed by federal agencies involved in the response effort.

BP does not have the right to stop people flying over either. Perhaps we should ask Congress what it going on?

how BP can control flights over the affected areas. I thought you'd got loads of small airfields. How do they control the airspace ?

http://www.nola.com/news/gulf-oil-spill/index.ssf/2010/05/limits_on_access_to_oiled_wate.html

When a photographer from The Times-Picayune earlier this week tried to hire a plane to fly over Grand Isle, the charter plane company was told that the flight could not descend below 3,000 feet.


Southern Seaplane owner Rhonda Panepinto said her husband called the BP Command Center on Tuesday for permission to fly photographer Ted Jackson over Grand Isle, so that he could take pictures of the impact of the spreading oil from the Deepwater Horizon well. But the plane company was told by a BP contractor that media flights weren't allowed in the restricted air space established by the Federal Aviation Administration.

"They told him absolutely no media or press on any planes. The press flights are limited to Saturdays only and only in Coast Guard helicopters," Panepinto said.

Southern Seaplane officials have complained about this restriction, as well as broader controls on their ability to fly other people into the "temporary flight restriction" area in the Gulf, to the FAA. The restricted area is large, including huge swaths of the coastline miles away from the Deepwater Horizon site. The 3,000-feet restriction means that photographers hiring private planes would have to fly so high they are unlikely to get clear photos of the ground.

In a statement, the FAA maintains that BP employees or contractors are not calling the shots on who gets to fly into the restricted air space, saying those decisions are made by the FAA and Coast Guard. But agency spokespeople acknowledge that media access is limited, saying they are only allowing flights into the restricted area that are directly related to the disaster response.

While news organizations won't be allowed to hire planes or helicopters, the FAA plans to arrange pool flights through the Coast Guard, said Laura Brown, the FAA's deputy assistant administrator for public affairs.

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The government is colluding with BP on restricting media and scientific access.

but if they're going to 'restrict' that airspace, they should certainly have more pool flights and grant access to qualified scientists with expertise to help them. :(

I wonder how Rachel got to some of those islands she featured in her shows last week. Interesting.

with a military escort, with orders to shoot any BP lackeys who attempt to interfere. I think that would be an excellent idea. It's way, way, WAY past time to let BP know they're not running things any more.

(Not that it's a bad idea!)

"It depends on what your definition of 'is' is" defense.

Nothing to see, here. :eyes:

Feckless bastards!!

to me how a private business can BAN ANYONE from the Gulf? They have threatened to shot people if they don't leave the ocean. They are keeping state governments out of the ocean. Last time I looked this is WELL within the US waters how can a FOREIGN businesses keep the US out of it own territory????!!!!!

If BP insists on keeping the US and State governments out of US waters then BP officials should be rounded up and jailed to make sure they do not flee US jurisdiction and duck their responsibilities. Congress did something similar when the Titanic sank. The White LIne (I think was the owner of the ship - I can't remember for sure) management that survived and landed in New York were taken into custody before they could head back to the UK for just this reason.

This is OUR country and OUR resources they are taking (and, yeah, given the state of MMS, I'm SURE BP is current on all its lease fees) they don't get to tell us where we can and can't go, what we can and can't inspect........

Why are they getting away with this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

BP could not do what they are doing without the government allowing it to do so.