The Daily Glob

For BP, Post Spill Advertising Comes at an Unknown Cost

"The coverage of BP's Deepwater Horizon spill is teaching the typically secretive oil industry something about life in the limelight. Now, the company has to account for every cent it spends.

On August 16, the Congressional Committee on Energy and Commerce sent a letter to BP demanding that the company report how much money it had spent on advertising since the spill on April 20. Florida Representative Kathy Castor prompted the letter -- she's been lobbying hard for BP to pay the difference for any spill-related decline in Florida tourism. Monday was the deadline for BP (BP) to come back with the numbers. So far, the committee hasn't heard from the oil giant.

The British newspaper Telegraph reported that BP has spent at least $1 million per week on advertising, although there's no official number yet and sources Fortune spoke with didn't know where the figure could've come from. It's been over 18 weeks since the accident. If that estimate is right, members of Congress will certainly make the point that the $18 million could have been better spent on recovery in the gulf."

Shelley DuBois reports for Fortune.

Banks Grow Wary of Environmental Risks

"Blasting off mountaintops to reach coal in Appalachia or churning out millions of tons of carbon dioxide to extract oil from sand in Alberta are among environmentalists’ biggest industrial irritants. But they are also legal and lucrative.

After years of legal entanglements arising from environmental messes and increased scrutiny of banks that finance the dirtiest industries, several large commercial lenders are taking a stand on industry practices that they regard as risky to their reputations and bottom lines."

Tom Zeller reports for the New York Times.

Degraded Oil In Mississippi Sound Tests Positive for Dispersants, says Lawyer

Lumpy, degraded oil collected in the Mississippi Sound has tested positive for several of the main ingredients in the Corexit dispersant used in connection with the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, according to scientists working for a New Orleans-based lawyer. 

Drilling Agency Imposes Conflict-of-Interest Rules

"Scandalized by federal regulators who had sex with oil company executives and negotiated with them for jobs, the agency that oversees offshore drilling is imposing a first-ever ethics policy that bars inspectors from dealing with a company that employs a family member or personal friend.

Michael Bromwich, head of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, said the new policy should help restore credibility to his beleaguered agency, which was widely criticized under its former name — the Minerals Management Service — for being too close with oil and gas companies.

President Barack Obama and Interior Secretary Ken Salazar have pledged to end the agency's "cozy relationship" with industry and slow the revolving door between government and the energy industry."

Matthew Daly reports for Associated Press.

See also:

 "Rule Aims to Keep Drilling Inspectors, Industry at Arms Length," Tom Fowler reports for Chron.com

Gov. Bobby Jindal Hoped for More From President Barack Obama on Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill

"Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal said Monday that President Barack Obama missed an opportunity during his Sunday speech at Xavier University to be more clear in his support of three key state efforts: a quick end to the moratorium on drilling in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico, a commitment to use a significant share of any restoration dollars and fines to restore Louisiana's eroding coast, and a commitment by BP to pay for a long-term, comprehensive program of testing Gulf seafood.

Floridians Report Mixed Emotions About Oil Spill

"BP capped the oil spill six weeks ago, but Florida residents have lingering concerns about the quality of beaches.

The majority of Floridians surveyed in an AAA Consumer Pulse survey, or 92 percent, said they were concerned about the long-term quality of Gulf of Mexico waters for swimming. About 89 percent had concern about the future attractiveness of beach sand.

Half the respondents said they planned to visit a Florida beach over Labor Day weekend, but only 6 percent plan to visit a Panhandle beach."

The Tampa Bay Business Journal reports.

BP Said to Fault Own Engineers for Misinterpreting Well Data

"BP managers aboard the Transocean Ltd.-owned rig misinterpreted a test of the Macondo well’s stability on April 20, deciding the test confirmed the well was in good shape, said the person, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the report’s findings haven’t been publicly released.

That positive interpretation of the test data cleared the way for rig workers to begin replacing drilling fluid in the well, which is heavier than oil and natural gas, with seawater.

At Least 197 Coastal Alabama Residents Have Been Treated for Oil-related Health Issues

MOBILE, Ala. -- The number of residents reporting oil-related health effects from the Gulf of Mexico oil spill continues to rise in coastal Alabama. 

Optimistic Talk on Gulf Spill, But Oil Remains A Problem

"Back in late July, after a summer of struggle, the underwater oil spill caused by the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Rig was finally capped. And then, something wonderful and miraculous happened! The media started remarking that all of the millions of gallons of oil that poured into the Gulf of Mexico just disappeared! Raptured up into Oil Heaven, even!

Is Research Into Oil Spill Impact Skewed?

"Since the gulf oil spill first began gushing on April 20, Linda Hooper-Bui’s research group has repeatedly run up against the authorities. In May, a Fish and Wildlife Service officer confiscated insect samples that one of Hooper-Bui’s students had been collecting on a publicly accessible beach in southern Alabama. On research trips in Louisiana, her students have been stopped by sheriff’s deputies—one time after driving 150 miles—simply for attempting to study the ecological impact of oil and dispersants. Time and again, they were told that they couldn’t access their normal research sites unless they were working for BP or the government.