The Gulf Coast states as well as the U.S. government were both hoping for a trial for summer 2012, but Judge Carl Barbier decided Thursday that the trial will begin on January 14, 2013.

The delay is unsettling for those who have been seeking help with restoration, cleanup, and settlements for the damage caused by the spill. The spill, which killed 11 workers in April 2010, resulted in the largest U.S. offshore oil spill in history. According to experts, the
postponement may have several different outcomes. Edward Sherman, a professor at Tulane University Law School, suggested, “This may spur the government to settle…The Obama administration may want to show its stuff before the November elections.”

Although 311 witnesses have been asked to testify and nearly 100 million pages of documents have been produced, some doubt the trial will take place at all. Carl Tobias, a law professor at University of Richmond, remarked: “The farther we move past the actual event, it may complicate matters for all sides. Memories fade and evidence could grow stale.”

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Craig Rosebraugh, a U.S. filmmaker and political activist, has produced a feature-length documentary that demands to be seen. Greedy Lying Bastards is still awaiting a firm release date – sometime in 2012 is the current promise – but, if the trailer and impressive roster of interviewees are anything to go by, it’s likely to cause quite a stir.

Filmed over the past two years and across nine countries, Greedy Lying Bastards claims to be a “searing indictment of the influence, deceit and corruption that defines the fossil fuel industry.”

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Allegedly, Mix deleted hundreds of text messages to his supervisor that described the oil that was leaking from the well. The messages in question stated that the operation to plug the well, “Top Kill,” was failing. However, when Mix became aware that his phone texts and calls might be summoned by BP’s attorneys, he reportedly deleted them.

During the spill, BP was frequently giving the government incorrect information regarding the the amount of discharge. BP claimed that there were 1,000 to 5,000 barrels of oil flowing per day; however, the government estimate taken from the wellhead concluded there was more than 10 times that amount. Besides giving false estimates, BP also told government representatives prior to the spill that they were prepared to handle an oil spill at the Deepwater Horizon location. Obviously, they were mistaken.

Officials from BP assured the public as well as the U.S. government that the best estimate for oil spilled per day was around 5,000 barrels per day, but in August 2011 one of the consultants working at BP’s U.S. headquarters indicated that they were aware the flow rate was much larger than that. The consultant, who wished to remain anonymous, stated “Our calculations suggested to us that it was much higher than the number that was being talked about…The top kill operation had a very, very low likelihood of working based on the volumes we were seeing from the well.” The public was told that “Top Kill” had a 60–70% chance of working.

The charges against Mix are only the first of many to come, in addition to the $7.8 billion settlement BP recently finalized with the hundreds of thousands of businesses and families affected by the disaster.

Experts estimate that nearly 4,000 gallons of a mix of crude oil and freeze protection liquids have leaked thus far. Eight technicians are there removing snow by hand from one of the piping areas while crews try to remove materials, ice, gravel, and snow that have been compromised. The spill was triggered during a well warm-up procedure, and could not have come at a worse time for the oil giant.

The same week, reports were released negatively connecting the 2010 spill to troubled marine life in the Gulf. Although the evidence is not entirely conclusive, experts suspect that the fish they’re finding in the area with open sores and dark streaks are likely a result of the presence of petroleum in the water. Not only are fish apparent victims to the spill, but dolphins, coral, seaweed beds, and countless other plants and animals are showing strange symptoms that greatly point to contamination. Some shrimp were deformed and even eyeless, while the sick fish have ulcers, parasites, and open wounds. BP has declared the Gulf seafood “as safe as it was before the accident.” The fishermen, however, have a different story. “Every time we talked about bad fish, everybody kind of went nuts on us. Just like, ‘You’re hearsaying,’ you know? And we’re saying, ‘Well, they’re there,’” said Wayne Werner, commercial fisherman in the area. “They’re still there. Now that the water is getting warm again, we’re starting to see more and more again.”

Detected on March 25, the leak is releasing around 7 million cubic feet of
natural gas per day and costing Total around $2.5 million each day as
well.

If the company decides to drill relief wells, it’ll cost another $200
million. Although the financial damages are extreme, the oil giant is more
concerned with the BP comparisons tainting their reputation. As an attempt
to distance themselves as far as possible from the spill, Total
representatives emphasized that natural gas is being leaked instead of
crude oil, posing a smaller environmental risk. However, environmental group
Greenpeace noted after traveling to the site that the gas is methane,
which is “20 times more dangerous for the climate than CO2 (carbon dioxide).”

Still, Total is planning to stop the leak but must wait until a series of
tests are completed. The company will likely use one of two methods: the
“top kill” or drilled relief wells. The first solution involves plugging
the well with mud, and if that proves unsuccessful Total will drill the relief
wells, which may take up to six months to complete.

Total may not be concerned with the financial losses, but the lack of time
to successfully stop the leak is alarming. The gas leak is 150 miles off
the coast of Scotland in the North Sea, in an area most certainly not ideal
for an accident of this magnitude. Iain Reid, an analyst at Jeffries & Co,
noted the field ³…has the highest pressure, the highest temperature. They are
dealing with something very difficult.²

Join the Awareness Festival! Greedy Lying Bastards was selected for screening at the Awareness Festival. A preview of GLB will be screened at the Regent Showcase Theatre (614 N. La Brea Ave), Friday, May 4th at 7 PM. Additionally, director Craig Rosebraugh will be speaking on the Filmmakers Making a Difference panel about activism and building compassionate communities on Sunday afternoon, May 6th at 5:30 PM, also at the Regent Showcase Theatre.

Click into the website to register.

The Mission of the Awareness Film Festival is bringing awareness and opening eyes to some of our world’s pressing issues: Ecological, Political, Health/Well Being and Scientific Progress. This festival showcases both Documentary and Narrative Features, as well as Short Films.

The Awareness festival was formed by Heal One World, a non-profit charity. This Festival is also a fundraiser for Heal One World, a non-profit charity organization. Any net profits from this event will go completely to charity.

Despite backlash from Republicans as well as industry representatives, the limit is the first of its kind on heat-trapping pollution from power plants. Those plants that have been recently built and run on natural gas should have no problem with the limit, but it will likely pose an obstacle for coal-fired plants.

In order to effectively limit the emissions from coal-fired plants, new carbon-capture equipment would need to be installed. This technology is not yet commercially available, making it difficult to adhere to such rules. Many outdated coal-fired plants have already been shutting down around the country, but for those companies who still want to build coal plants in the future, the E.P.A. said new plants are eligible to operate so long as their average annual emissions over a period of 30 years meets the new standard.

The proposed rule took nearly two years to be finalized, but according to the E.P.A., will play an essential role in cleaning up the future. “The standard will check the previously uncontrolled amount (of carbon pollution) that power plants … release into our atmosphere,” Lisa Jackson, head of the Environmental Protection Agency, said Tuesday, but “it also creates a path forward for future facilities to use technology that burns coal, while releasing less carbon pollution.”

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The Paris-based O.E.C.D. released its environment outlook to 2050, much of it containing daunting numbers and figures that all imply if appropriate actions are not taken now, it will be nearly impossible to combat the threat.

Highlights from the report:
• Due to the world’s dependence on fossil fuels, carbon dioxide emissions are projected to grow by 70% and will contribute in raising the global average temperature.
• Demand for water could rise by 55%
• Premature deaths caused by exposure to pollution may double to 3.6 million a year
• The number of plant and animal species may decline by 10%

The report also included suggestions for addressing the matters at hand, including setting a global carbon price. By setting a price, “market-based mechanisms such as emissions trading programs or carbon taxes will encourage investment in low-carbon technologies” the report said. Introducing such programs and taxes may take long to move swiftly on an international level, therefore pursuing these initiatives nationally may be the most successful approach.