Joseph J. Romm's Blog, page 1152

Three lesson of BP oil disaster for climate change: worst-case scenarios happen, you can't believe oil companies, prevention is a lot cheaper than 'cure' - BP's expected oil disaster fine: $17.6 billion.

Scientists confirm the Deepwater Horizon explosion, which released 5m barrels of oil, was the worst accidental spill ever as preparations are finalised to seal the ruptured well

… At its peak, the BP well was spewing 62,000 barrels a day, according to the federal team, which is higher than the original worst-case scenario of 60,000….

In June [Anadarko:] chairman and chief executive, Jim Hackett, said BP's actions probably amounted to "gross negligence or wilful misconduct".

Climate Denial Crock of the Week: Heatwave Edition

Our favorite climate de-crocker, Peter Sinclair has two — count 'em! — new videos for this endless summer, taking on Inhofe, Christy, and the global cooling myth:

And Part 2:

Related Posts:

It's the hottest year on record, seemingly the hottest week of all time in satellite record and we may be at record low Arctic sea ice volume.
Masters: "2010 is now tied with 2007 as the year with the most national extreme heat records–fifteen"

The darker side of Lexus' "darker side of green" - Did Hollywood eco-celebrities and Toyota get played?

I agree with Juan Cole that "Any broadcast that pits a climate change skeptic against a serious climate scientist is automatically a win for the skeptic, since a false position is being given equal time and legitimacy."  This caveat extends to any climate realist debating any disinformer skilled in the Gish Gallop — see "Debate the controversy!"

Adam Siegel reports that "Under the title, The Darker Side of Green, Lexus has chosen to host a series of 'debates' on climate change as part of its...

Oil company, law enforcement block media access to public sites hit by Michigan oil spill.

As Yogi Berra said, it's déjà vu all over again.  BP worked hard to keep journalists away from their disaster (see " The pictures BP doesn't want you to see").

Now, in the wake of its own oil spill, Enbridge is apparently learning from the best, which is to say the worst, TP reports:

Since Enbridge Inc.'s disastrous pipeline leak gushed 1 million gallons of oil into Michigan's Kalamazoo River last week, reports suggest that Enbridge officials and law enforcement are blocking the media from...

Science war room needed for catastrophes like BP

CAP's Brad Johnson, writing for Science Progress, makes the case for the need for a systematic approach to science following major ecological disasters such as the BP oil disaster in this cross-post.

The explosion of BP's Deepwater Horizon exploratory rig on April 20, and the ensuing deep-sea gusher of oil and methane into the Gulf of Mexico is now one of the greatest environmental tragedies in the history of the United States. Much of the devastation is evident, from the 11 men killed...

Masters: "2010 is now tied with 2007 as the year with the most national extreme heat records–fifteen" - As nation, Russia, and world swelter under record heat, NY Times' Tom Zeller publishes dreadful he-said/she-said, quote-mining piece

We now know that "After the hottest decade on record, it's the hottest year on record, seemingly the hottest week of all time in satellite record and we may be at record low Arctic sea ice volume."  In this country, we saw new daily high temperature records beat new cold records by nearly 5 to 1 in June.

Uber-meteorologist Jeff Masters reports today:

The year 2010 is now tied with 2007 as the year with the most national extreme heat records–fifteen.

Naturally, the New York Times is out with w...

Energy and Global Warming News for August 2nd: MA lawmakers agree on wind energy permits; 10 reasons utilities want to use public networks for smart grid

Mass. lawmakers agree on wind energy permits bill

Massachusetts lawmakers have reached a compromise on a bill designed to streamline the permitting process for new wind energy facilities.

Legislative leaders announced late Thursday that a conference panel had forged an agreement on legislation supporters say will help the state meet its renewable energy goals by making it easier for wind projects to secure state permits.

The compromise bill calls on communities with significant wind areas to...

Big Oil profits targeted to kill Spill Bill

Our guest bloggers are CAP's Daniel J. Weiss and Rebecca Lefton.

The big five oil companies – BP, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, ExxonMobil, and Shell – reported their second quarter profits during the week of July 26th.   To the surprise of almost no one, these companies made a huge combined profit of $21.7 billion this quarter.[1:] This is 50 percent more profit compared to the second quarter of 2009. Their total profit in the first half of 2010 is $50 billion – almost double compared to 2009.

Big o...

Jerry Brown says state's job-creating climate law is key difference between him, Meg Whitman

Calling the issue the defining difference between himself and Republican Meg Whitman in the governor's race, Democrat Jerry Brown gave an impassioned defense Thursday of California's landmark global warming law.

In a wide-ranging interview with the Mercury News editorial board, the attorney general called Assembly Bill 32 — now under attack by conservatives and some business interests as a job killer — "a path forward" for the Golden State. Brown said the new law would create hundreds...

Washington Post on "The truth about global warming" - Does this mean they'll stop printing the lies about global warming?

IN A DEPRESSING case of irony by juxtaposition, the death of climate change legislation in the Senate has been followed by the appearance of two government reports in the past week that underscore the overwhelming scientific case for global warming — and go out of the way to repudiate skeptics.

So opens "The truth about global warming," an editorial in today's Washington Post.  Apparently lost on the editors is the other equally depressing case of irony by juxtaposition:

WashPost goes...