The Daily Glob

"Shell Presses for Drilling in Arctic"

"HOUSTON — Eager to win approval for its stalled plan to drill for oil in the Alaskan Arctic, Royal Dutch Shell is beginning a public lobbying campaign, including national advertising, on Monday. As part of the effort, the giant oil company is promising to make unprecedented preparations to prevent the kind of disaster that polluted the Gulf of Mexico earlier this year.

"Alaska Seeks To Overturn Delay In Arctic Drilling"

"The state of Alaska on Thursday filed a petition in federal court to overturn the Obama administration's moratorium on drilling in federal waters of the Arctic, even though Interior Department officials insist that no such formal moratorium exists.

"Louisianans Affected by Gulf Oil Spill Seek Lessons in Alaska From Exxon Valdez"

"IN CORDOVA, ALASKA He'd just met her, but Evan Beedle wanted Rosina Philippe to know how his life changed after the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill, how pieces of his identity slipped away, one label at a time. Husband. Father. Fisherman.

"Billionaire Koch Brothers Back Suspension Of California Climate Law"

"SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Oil billionaires David and Charles Koch have jumped on board an effort to suspend California's global warming law by making a million-dollar contribution this week. A subsidiary of Wichita, Kan.-based Koch Industries, the nation's second-largest private company with oil refineries and pipelines, made a $1 million contribution Thursday to the campaign for Proposition 23. They join two Texas-based companies, Valero Energy Corp. and Tesoro Corp." Margot Roosevelt reports for the Huffington Post September 4, 2010.

"A Deeper Look at Mariner Energy, Owner of Oil Rig That Caught on Fire"

"The recent fire at a Mariner Energy (ME) oil production platform off Louisiana sent shock waves through Gulf Coast residents and others still dealing with the aftermath of April's deadly explosion and massive oil spill at BP's Deepwater Horizon drilling rig in the region. There were sighs of relief as well when the news came that the crew on the Mariner platform was safe and no oil spill was reported. But it has also brought unexpected, and perhaps unwelcome, focus on Houston, Texas-based Mariner Energy." Bruce Kennedy reports for AOL's Daily Finance September 4, 2010.

Gulf Oil Platform Explodes of La. Coast

 

"GRAND ISLE, La. -- An offshore petroleum platform exploded and was burning Thursday in the Gulf of Mexico about 80 miles off the Louisiana coast, west of the site where BP's undersea well spilled after a rig explosion.

The Coast Guard says no one was killed in the blast, which was reported by a commercial helicopter flying over the area Thursday morning. All 13 people aboard the rig have been accounted for, with one injury. The extent of the injury was not known.

Coast Guard Cmdr. Cheri Ben-Iesau said some of those from the rig were spotted in emergency flotation devices."

By the Associated Press.

SEE ALSO:

"Rescue Boat Captain: Platform Crew Jumped in Water" (AP)

"Coast Guard Now Says No Immediate Signs of Oil Spill From Explosion" (AP)

"Owner of Oil Platform That Exploded Thursday Has Been Cited for 10 Accidents in the Gulf in Past 4 Years" (AP)

"Latest Offshore Oil Fire Touches off New Moratorium Battle, Even Though Drilling Wasn't Involved This Time" (Times-Picayune)

"10 Oil Platform Workers Being Treated at Houma Hospital" (Times-Picayune)

See Photos of Mariner Rig Fire and Rescue (Times-Picayune)

"Oil Sheen Spreading From Gulf Platform Explosion" (AP - 2:15 pm EDT)

"Oil Sheen Seen Near Damaged Platform in Gulf of Mexico" Campbell Robertson and Jack Healy report for the New York Times.

"Coast Guard: Platform Explodes in Gulf; 13 Workers Rescued -- This Just In," reported for CNN News Blogs by Mallory Simon.

"One Day Before Its Gulf Oil Rig Exploded, Mariner Energy Said Obama ‘Is Trying To Break Us’ With Moratorium" (Think Progress)

"Gulf Platform Owner Says No Oil Leaking From Burning Rig and No Injuries Have Been Reported" (New Orleans Times-Picayune)

"Production Rig in Gulf of Mexico Explodes; Coast Guard Rescuing Workers" (New Orleans Times-Picayune)

"Coast Guard Responding To Rig Fire Gulf of Mexico; People Reported in Water" (Times-Picayune)

"Update [12:04 pm CDT]: Crew Accounted For, No one Killed as Gulf Oil Platform Explodes" (AP)

Jindal Says Sheen Reported (CNN -- 2:03 pm EDT)

Oil Sheen Seen Near Damaged Platform in Gulf of Mexico

"Outrage at UN Decision To Exonerate Shell for Oil Pollution in Niger Delta"

"A three-year investigation by the United Nations will almost entirely exonerate Royal Dutch Shell for 40 years of oil  pollution in the Niger delta, causing outrage among communities who have long campaigned to force the multinational to clean up its spills and pay compensation.

"Could Gulf-Like Disaster Scar the Heartland?"

"For three decades, Mike and Sue Sibson expected the normal ups and downs that come with working a South Dakota farm and raising two kids. But when circumstances forced the Sibsons to let an oil pipeline bisect their property in 2009, it darkened their view of the American dream.

'I don't feel as free as I used to be," says Mike Sibson. "I don't trust anybody anymore.'"

Thom Patterson reports for CNN August 19, 2010.

"Texas City Residents Unaware of Release At BP Refinery"

"For 40 days, flares burned 500,000 pounds of toxic chemicals over BP's Texas City refinery. Yet residents didn't know until weeks later that the flare released 17,000 pounds of cancer-causing benzene.

Toxics Released by Canada's Oil Sands Operations Growing Rapidly

"Canada’s oil sands  mining operations produce vast and fast-growing quantities of deadly substances, including mercury, heavy metals and arsenic, new data released by Environment Canada shows." Nathan VanderKlippe reports for the Toronto Globe and Mail August 9, 2010.