2010 BP Gulf Of Mexico Oil Spill Facts & History

(Blogger’s note—This is the second version of the Texas Liberal Gulf of Mexico facts and history post. There are links here to learn about the BP/Transocean disaster, to learn some background on past spills and about oil in general, and to learn about some of the areas impacted by the spill. The posts ends with an extensive collection of links to stories about the disaster I’ve collected since my first spill post began on April 30. If there is a link you feel I should add, please make a suggestion. Thanks for reading Texas Liberal.)

Today’s update—

(I’ll be on the road for a few days, but his post still has many links about the spill and the collection of articles I list is a good history of the events of the disaster.)

7/16/10–The leak is stopped, but there will still be some time before it is known if this will be the final fix.

7/16/10–Here is how the capping of the leak is seen in the U.K.

7/16/10—The test cap is working so far, but the government is not yet convinced. This is as of 6 PM central time.

Links—-

The Houston Chronicle has a web page with all the ongoing coverage of the spill.

Here is oil spill coverage from the great liberal magazine Mother Jones.

Here is the C-Span oil spill page with many video clips and links.

Here is the USA Today page on the spill.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has daily updates on the disaster.

The University of Georgia Department of Marine Sciences has a blog on the spill.

Here is the web home of the coordinated federal response to the Deepwater Horizon disaster.

Texas Progressive Alliance Round Up With Facts About Spindletop Oil Gusher

Below is the weekly Texas Progressive Alliance round-up. The Texas Progressive Alliance is a confederation of the best political bloggers in Texas.

Above is a picture of the “Lucas Gusher” at Spindletop near Beaumont. The picture is from 1901. This was the first oil found in Texas. 

Here is what it says about this discovery in the excellent Handbook of Texas Online.

From the handbook—

“The Spindletop oilfield, discovered on a salt dome formation south of Beaumont in eastern Jefferson County on January 10, 1901, marked the birth of the modern petroleum industry….On January 10 mud began bubbling from the hole. The startled roughnecks fled as six tons of four-inch drilling pipe came shooting up out of the ground. After several minutes of quiet, mud, then gas, then oil spurted out. The Lucas geyser, found at a depth of 1,139 feet, blew a stream of oil over 100 feet high until it was capped nine days later and flowed an estimated 100,000 barrels a day. Lucas and the Hamills finally controlled the geyser on January 19, when a huge pool of oil surrounded it, and throngs of oilmen, speculators, and onlookers had transformed the city of Beaumont.”

Here is some history of the oil industry in Texas from the Texas Almanac.

From the Almanac–

“When oil came gushing into Texas early in the 20th century, the changes were even more profound. Petroleum began to displace agriculture as the principal engine driving the economy of the state, and Texans’ lives were even more drastically affected than they had been by railroads….The impact of oil on Texas and Texans is often analyzed in terms of corporate development, personal and corporate wealth, and the overall economy of the state and politics. Oil also dramatically affected the lives of those who owned the land from which oil was produced, or who were directly involved in oil exploration, extraction and processing. The discoveries of oil fields led to the founding and flourishing of numerous Texas towns, to the establishment of companies that have become multinational conglomerates, and to the amassing of vast personal fortunes.”

Here is the web home of the Spindletop-Gladys City Boomtown Museum.  You can visit this museum near Beaumont and relive the early days of Texas oil. 

The round up—

Off the Kuff takes closer look at that story about Texas turnout in last year’s election.

WCNews at Eye On Williamson adds some context to what’s being said in Texas about unemployment insurance, the stimulus, and Gov. Perry.

This week at McBlogger, Krispy Kreme takes a moment to tell of her personal experiences with folks desperately in need of adequate health care.

John Coby at Bay Area Houston thinks Clear Lake Hospital has a heart of cold.

Invade Canada To Prevent Warming-Induced Immigration Of Our God-Given Wheat To North Of Border

A new report says that because of climate change, North America’s “Breadbasket” of wheat growing areas could move from the United States to Canada by 2050.

At current, the breadbasket extends from Texas up to the Canadian border. 

This potential shift is good reason to invade Canada to protect our “food security.” 

Some scientists suggest another option. They believe climate resistant crops and other modifications can solve the problem of different and often shorter growing seasons caused by climate change.

We know better.

As Americans, we know we must invade Canada and get “our wheat” back. In fact, we may need a preemptive invasion of Canada to stop the threat before it starts.

That’s not all. Melting ice around Greenland may be opening up that area to energy exploration. Do you think we’ll let those walrus-huggers take “our oil?” 

How about a new Monroe Doctrine updated for global warming? We’ll claim rights to all newly-thawed resources in our hemisphere. 

Whatever the effects of climate change, you can be sure we’ll update our “principles” to reflect that most cherished American ideal of getting what we want when we want it.