Good news: Feds spent $18,000 to monitor negative media coverage of BP oil spill

Here’s some negative coverage – fresh from Drudge:
http://abcnews.go.com/WN/oil-bp-spill-found-bottom-gulf/story?id=11618039

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Studies conducted by the University of Georgia and the University of South Florida caused controversy back in August when they found that almost 80 percent of the oil that leaked from BP’s well is still out in the waters of the Gulf.

Their report stood in stark contrast to that of the federal government, which on Aug. 4 declared that 74 percent of the oil was gone, having broken down or been cleaned up.

“A report out today by our scientists shows that the vast majority of the spilled oil has been dispersed or removed from the water,” President Obama said in August.

The studies by Joye and other scientists found that what the government had reported to the public only meant that the oil still lurked, invisible in the water.

Though initially denying the claim, BP — and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration — acknowledged the existence of the dispersed oil. BP subsequently pledged $500 million for gulf research.

In May, Joye was featured on a newscast as part a team of scientists that discovered giant underwater plumes of oil. Joye and other marine researchers claimed that these plumes present a major threat to underwater creatures.

“The concentrations that are currently out there in various locations are high enough to have a toxic effect on marine life,” said Charles Hopkinson, also of the University of Georgia’s marine sciences program.

NOAA Administrator Jane Lubchenco, the government’s top ocean scientist, has acknowledged concerns over the effects of dissolved oil, but has said that chemical dispersants had largely done their job.

“Nobody should be surprised,” Joye said. “When you apply large scale dispersants, it goes to the bottom — it sediments out. It gets sticky.”

ABC News’ Susan Schwartz contributed to this report.

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I feel like a voice in the wilderness, though I live little more than a dozen miles from the Gulf.

1. The Federal government told me I was full of SH&#
2. Rush Limbaugh, who I usually agree with, told me I was full of SH$#.
3. HotAir poster Kermit, purportedly a Louisiana resident who purportedly knows the offshore-oil industry, (nicely) (and I have no reason to disbelieve his bona fides) told me I was full of SH^%

That freezer-ful of shrimp I put away, despite ridicule, is looking better.

OBAMA LIED; THE GULF DIED

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cane_loader on September 13, 2010 at 9:48 PM

Obama was either asleep at the switch or intentionally ignored the spill as long as possible.

Then he blocked the oil skimmers.

Then he stopped the skimmers to check for life vests.

Then to cover his delay, he let BP spew dispersant like a pissing drunk.

Then the MSM said that 75% of the oil had “vanished.”

Then the MSM and Rush Limbaugh echoed this bullsh&t.

Then Woods Hole said, “not so fast.”

Then more denial from all of the above.

To repeat, I have had a high-level Louisiana executive source from the beginning who discussed the BLOB, and I have talked about how Obama allowed the dispersants to be spewed past the EPA limits to prevent the sight of tarred beaches on the MSM nightly news, and how there is a Gulf-killing carpet of oil out there.

I need to have more confidence in myself in the future, and not just walk away from HotAir, as I did for awhile.

cane_loader on September 13, 2010 at 10:07 PM

By the way, I drove the beaches from Long Beach to Biloxi, Miss., on Friday, 3 times.

Crews everywhere with special trucks sweeping up black sand so that it doesn’t build up. I am glad they are doing this.

My girlfriend picked up tar-cakes they missed.

cane_loader on September 13, 2010 at 10:14 PM

I am being completely serious when I tell you that I tried to turn around on Hwy. 90 for a couple miles in Gulfport, Miss. because we missed the casino (trying to get in to see Smokey Robinson!) and could not even pull over on the narrow beachfront road because every turn-out was filled with sweeping trucks from other states.

cane_loader on September 13, 2010 at 10:17 PM

Comment eaten?

I’ll try again – to remember what I posted:

I treid to turn around for a couple miles near Biloxi and could not because every turnout was completely blocked with clean-up trucks with out-of-state plates – people with yellow vests and plastic bags, cleaning the beach.

They didn’t look especially busy -but there is a definite black line at the tide line. And the sea is murky and heavy and dead-looking.

My girlfriend picked up hard tar chips at the Gulfport-Biloxi line.

cane_loader on September 13, 2010 at 10:26 PM

Smokey Robinson still completely kills it at age 70, by the way :-) He played in Biloxi Saturday night!

cane_loader on September 13, 2010 at 10:30 PM

If they want suck-up comments from blogs, they might start with LGF! :-)

cane_loader on September 13, 2010 at 10:50 PM