Coast Guard Captain slams industry “self-certification” of BOP: “Manufactured by industry, installed by industry, with no government witnessing oversight of the installation or the construction.” And the rig flew the Marshall Island flag to further escape U.S. oversight

A senior House Democrat said that the blowout preventer that failed to stop an oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico had a dead battery in its control pod, leaks in its hydraulic system, a “useless” test version of one of the devices that was supposed to close the flow of oil and a cutting tool that wasn’t strong enough to shear through joints that made up 10 percent of the drill pipe.

That’s the lede of the WashPost coverage on the devastating opening statement by Rep. Bart Stupak (D-MI) in a hearing of the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

It simply becomes more and more astounding that BP ever  called this blowout disaster ‘inconceivable,’ ‘unprecedented,’ and unforeseeable.  It was quite literally an accident waiting to happen.  A 30-second video of the undersea volcano finally released by BP is above.

You can read comments by the Coast Guard on how the rig minimizes regulatory oversight in the WP piece and also at Nola.com, which reports:

Read more

Plus a video of my Countdown interview

Barring a really, really big breaking story, I am (re)scheduled to appear on the Diane Rehm show Thursday 10 am (click here to listen live).

The topic is “What the worst U.S. environmental disaster in decades could mean for new offshore drilling projects and prospects for a climate bill.”  Details here.  One of the other guests is Mark Schleifstein, the environment reporter for the Times-Picayune and co-author of “Path of Destruction: The Devastation of New Orleans and the Coming Age of Superstorms.”

Here’s the video of my interview with Keith Olbermann last night:

Read more

Rep. Charlie Melancon (D-LA), whose district comprises the entire Louisiana coastline, today admitted that critics of the offshore drilling industry might have a point. Melancon was elected in 2004 with $34,800 in oil money, and has racked up a total of $242,700, including $7,500 from BP and $7,000 from Halliburton in his brief stint in Congress. Melancon has returned the favor, praising big oil as “a clean industry, a good industry,” voting for drilling in Alaska‘s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and supporting the “Drill Baby Drill” campaign to end the moratorium on offshore drilling on other parts of America’s coastline. At today’s House hearing investigating the BP-Halliburton oil disaster that threatens to turn his entire district into a toxic wasteland, Melancon thanked his colleagues for not saying “I told you so”:

I have been a pro-oil-and-gas person here, and I want to thank my colleagues on both sides of the aisle that have refrained from saying “I told you so,” because I have been a defender of offshore drilling.

Watch it:

Melancon went on to say that while he “can’t with a good heart encourage the continuation of deepwater” drilling until changes are made, he thinks the record for shallow offshore drilling is “very good.” Ironically, his fellow Lousiana Democrat Sen. Mary Landrieu made sure to point out that the epic Ixtoc I blowout in 1979 and last year’s catastrophic Montara oil blowout in Australia took place in shallow water in yesterday’s hearings.

As ThinkProgress has documented, the BP oil spill off of Louisiana’s coast threatens more than 400 species, with the potential “devastation beyond human comprehension.” Already, brown pelicans, sea turtles, and various types of fish have turned up dead. Now, the National Marine Fisheries Service is reporting that six dolphin carcasses have also been found in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama since May 2. The AP reports that officials are reporting the deaths as “oil spill-related even though other factors may be to blame.” Watch a video taken by NRDC staff of dolphins swimming in water with oil dispersants:

Read more

Physics Today slams “blatantly political move”; State Senator labels it “ludicrous and frivolous.”

Cuccinelli’s actions against Mann hark back to an era when tobacco companies smeared researchers as part of a sophisticated public relations strategy to raise doubts over the science showing that tobacco caused cancer, and delayed the introduction of smoking curbs for decades. Researchers found themselves bogged down in responding to subpoenas and legal challenges, which deterred others from the field. Climate-change deniers have adopted similar strategies with alacrity and, unfortunately, considerable success.

The prestigious science journal Nature has a must-read editorial today, “Science subpoenaed” (subs. req’d), which I excerpt below:

Read more

Vets, military experts applaud climate bill: “Action on climate, energy increases American security”

President Obama has released a statement on the Kerry-Lieberman American Power Act.  So have a number of veterans and retired military experts.

Let’s start with the Commander-in-Chief:

Read more

He expects Lindsey Graham will support the bill. Senate Majority Whip Durbin says immigration bill ‘unlikely’ this year.

UPDATE:  You can find the bill, summaries, and 1-pagers here.

… our planet can’t wait for the perfect bill. We need to get a really good bill now, one that reduces carbon pollution and puts us on a path to a clean energy future. And if we do this, I know we can get a tough international agreement to deal with this global problem. Those are the two things I remind myself of every day when it comes to this bill.  Those are the two things I remind myself of every day when it comes to this bill.

You’ve got to keep your eye on the prize. Bottom-line — we’re at a crossroads. On one path is clean energy, a more stable climate, and a more prosperous economy with America back in control of our own energy generating good clean energy jobs. On the other is the status quo which is unsustainable. Keep that in mind when you look at this bill and engage in the debate

Sen. John Kerry reaches out to environmentalists with a long post on Grist, “Introducing the American Power Act: On strategy and substance.”

He clears up a number of environmental myths about the bill that you may have heard, so I’ll excerpt the piece below.   First, though, The Hill quotes Kerry saying on MSNBC this morning, “Lindsey Graham will issue a statement today.  He stands by the work product of this bill. He supports this effort.”

Read more

An Examination of Benefits to Americans in the Clean Energy Bill

The Kerry-Lieberman American Power Act jump-starts efforts to adopt comprehensive clean energy and climate polices that would cut oil use, increase security, reduce pollution, and create jobs.  Daniel J. Weiss, CAP’s Director of Climate Strategy, details the benefits the bill would provide to everyday Americans in this repost.

Read more

Last night, Climate Progress examined the key provisions of the American Power Act, the comprehensive climate and clean energy legislation being introduced today by Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) and Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT).  This Wonk Room repost by Brad Johnson compares key elements of Obama’s campaign promises from 2007 and 2008, the Waxman-Markey American Clean Energy and Security Act as passed by the House of Representatives, and the elements of the Kerry-Lieberman draft legislation, as based on leaked summaries.

Read more

This prototype solar panel is covered with optical fibers. Photons bounce around inside the fibers before being absorbed, and this doubles the panel's efficiency compared to regular organic cells.

“Light Pipes” Boost Organic Solar Efficiency

Researchers in North Carolina have developed a way to more than double the performance of organic solar cells by adding a layer of upright optical fibers that act as sunlight traps.

David Carroll, a professor of physics at Wake Forest University, led the development of a prototype solar cell incorporating the fibers. He is the chief scientist at a spinoff company called FiberCell that is developing a reel-to-reel manufacturing process to produce the cells. “We’re on the cusp of having working demonstrators that would convince someone to go into production with this,” said Carroll.

Read more

Last week, Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) defended the inclusion of expanded offshore drilling in the climate bill he will unveil tomorrow, brushing off the deadly Gulf disaster by saying that “accidents happen“:

Read more

Last night, the Wonk Room published a summary of the provisions of the American Power Act, the comprehensive climate and clean energy legislation being introduced today by Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) and Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT). This post delves deeper into the legislation’s specific provisions. The following table compares key elements of Obama’s campaign promises from 2007 and 2008, the Waxman-Markey American Clean Energy and Security Act as passed by the House of Representatives, and the elements of the Kerry-Lieberman draft legislation, as based on leaked summaries.

The Kerry-Lieberman legislation has a 15-year transition period that supports state-level renewable and energy efficiency initiatives (which will create millions of jobs), invests in smart transportation, and rebuilds American manufacturing, much like Waxman-Markey, but with new support for nuclear energy and natural gas that reflects the interests of large blocs of senators.

Important scientific elements in Kerry-Lieberman are the rapid mitigation of super-greenhouse gases and black carbon, as well as natural resource adaptation programs. By the end of 2025 the legislation has shifted to resemble the refund-based auctioned-allowance system promoted by President Obama and advocates of cap-and-dividend.

The primary missing information from the summaries is the disposition of the allowances — how they will be distributed to polluters and how rapidly the auctioned pool grows. Details of the scientific review provisions were also not included.

Download the short summary as a readable PDF.

Download the section-by-section summary as a readable PDF.

Download the short summary of the American Power Act as a readable PDF.

Download the section-by-section summary as a readable PDF.

The Heritage Foundation opposes energy efficiency.  And they recently lost their grip on reality, calling science “magic.”   So it’s no surprise that they are trying to  mislead the public about how a renewable electricity standard (RES) would impact electric bills.  CAPAF’s Richard Caperton has the debunking.

Read more