“Not One Drop Of Oil Spilled”? Not Quite

Analysis: Advocates Repeat False Claim About Environmental Safety Of Offshore Drilling

(CBS)  By CBSNews.com producer David Morgan.

It has been a common talking point among advocates of increasing offshore oil drilling that Hurricanes Katrina and Rita caused no environmental damage when they decimated the oil infrastructure in the Gulf of Mexico in 2005.

This is aimed at assuaging the fears of many who believe opening up additional tracts of offshore areas to oil exploration will pose hazards to the environment and to tourism.

Ever since President Bush and Sen. John McCain announced last month that they would support expanding drilling beyond currently-allowed offshore leases (and Mr. Bush even signed an executive order allowing it), officials and pundits have continually put forth a dramatic talking point in the media about the safety of offshore drilling, even in the midst of a natural disaster.

As former Sen. Trent Lott told MSNBC on Tuesday, "We didn't have one drop of oil spilt when we had the biggest hurricane in, you know, recent history, Hurricane Katrina."

Former Gov. Mike Huckabee, R-Ark., also told Fox News on June 27, "When Katrina, a Cat-5 hurricane, hit the Gulf Coast, not one drop of oil was spilled off of those rigs out in the Gulf of Mexico. So we know that the technology to drill offshore is extraordinarily safe and environmentally friendly. And it's not something that we have to be as worried about as we do a refinery on shore or some other type of issue."

Newspaper columnists and editorial boards also jumped on the "not one drop" bandwagon. The Wall Street Journal published an editorial on June 12 saying, "Hurricanes Katrina and Rita flattened terminals across the Gulf of Mexico but didn't cause a single oil spill."

Meanwhile, on Monday Nancy Pfotenhauer, an energy lobbyist and senior energy adviser to McCain, said on MSNBC, "We withstood Hurricanes Rita and Katrina, and we didn't spill a drop."

And the Washington Post on Monday quoted Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., as saying, "I think people are reassured that not a drop of oil was spilled during Katrina or Rita. Those rigs in the Gulf, there was not a single incident of spillage that anyone reported."

Others have used slightly hedged terms, such as Gov. Bobby Jindal, R-La., who told Fox News on June 26, "That’s one of the great unwritten success stories, after Katrina and Rita, these awful storms - no major spills." And Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne told the Fox Business Channel, "When Katrina and Rita hit the Gulf Coast where we have about 4,000 oil and gas platforms … we had no significant oil spill." (July 15)

Gee, if so many people believe it, it must be true - except it isn’t.

In May 2006, the U.S. Minerals Management Service (MMS) issued a report stating that as a result of both Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the number of pipelines damaged was 457, and the number of offshore platforms destroyed was 113, with a total of 146 oil spills recorded.

A study of environmental impacts written for MMS by Det Norske Veritas and Company and published March 22, 2007 told an even more detailed story.

As a result of both storms, a total volume of 17,652 barrels (or roughly three-quarters of a million gallons) of total petroleum products, of which 13,137 barrels were crude oil and condensate, was spilled from platforms, rigs and pipelines. 4,514 barrels were refined products from platforms and rigs.

There were 542 reports related to offshore pipelines that were damaged or displaced, of which 72 resulted in spills that had a volume of one barrel or more of crude oil or condensate. These pipelines were reported to be dented, kinked, pulled up, twisted or bent, pinhole or valve leaks or other damages.

The 72 pipeline spills were accountable for about 7,300 barrels of crude oil and condensate spilled into the Gulf.

The report noted that response and recovery efforts kept the environmental impacts to a minimum, with no onshore impacts from these specific spill events.

However, MMS also noted that an estimated 8 million gallons (or 191,000 barrels) of oil was spilled from nine onshore facilities in the Louisiana Delta, where large holding tanks were breached by Katrina.

The graphic below shows all 542 pipeline damages reported for both Hurricanes Katrina (299 reports) and Rita (243). Damaged pipelines are in red; undamaged active pipelines are shown in gray. Pipeline breaks accounted for approximately half of the more than 17,000 barrels of oil leaked into the Gulf. (Source: MMS)

(MMS)

[andylance1]

Poor Al Gore. If I was married to Tipper for 38 years, I would probably be crazy, too. Here is latest craziness from Big Al:

%u201CThe idea that we can drill our way out of this is just so absurd,%u201D Big Al said, comparing the push for offshore oil drilling %u2014 which has gained popularity and put environmentalists on the defense %u2014 to dealing with a hangover by having another drink."

[jon2012-2009]

For "not one drop spilled", a quarter of a million gallons sounds like an awful lot of nothing. I don''''t know about the rest of the country, but I for one am really, really tired of being lied to about everything.
Posted by psk123 at 10:15 AM : Jul 21, 2008

It''s sort of puzzling to me, Americans seem to have great complacence toward dishonesty. Republicans, especially, are not even ashamed being caught out in a lie. The one big exception, I guess, is Bill Clinton when the Republicans went after him for his lie about Monica. But in light of all the lying and deception and shading and spin that coming in a torrent from that side of the political divide, I suspect the moral outrage is just hypocrisy. A cover. A lie too.

For me, it''s like three strikes and you''re out. I have stopped listening to Bush and his surrogates in the media a while back. Don''t think McCain can change the culture here. Or he wouldn''t running as a Republican.

[perceptions5]

The Democrats are why we don''t have "domestic" energy sources.

They have been paid for decades to block such development by one of their "big donors and special interest groups", Environmentalists.

The Enviro''s have contributed 10''s of millions of dollars to the Dems campaigns...................and in return the Dems block the ability of US companies to drill for more oil.

............build new oil refineries

..............build any new nuclear power plants (France has built 60 new ones since we were ALLOWED to build our last one in the 1970''s)

The Democrats should be throw out of office for looking after their Big Donor instead of the American people.........!

[psk123-2009]

For "not one drop spilled", a quarter of a million gallons sounds like an awful lot of nothing. I don''t know about the rest of the country, but I for one am really, really tired of being lied to about everything.

We have all heard the kitchen chair being pushed across the floor to the counter. We have all heard the cookie jar lid being taken off. It is time we all noticed that the owner of the hand in the cookie jar already has cookie crumbs all over his face and that once full jar is *** near empty.

"Don''t worry about it baby, there is no boogie-man under the bed." Well ladies and gents, boys and girls, it is long past the time to start to worry. The boogie-man really is there and has grown quite large. It was predicted in the 1970s that oil would be in short supply by this time. Time to take our heads out of the sand and realize that the proverbial "good times" are over and we really have to get moving forward finding (and using) energy alternatives to fossil fuels.

[rktsci3127]

According to July 20 AP News, Obama and his congressional pals have the answer to oil shortage and high gas prices..."lawmakers quietly are talking about raising fuel taxes by a dime from the current 18.4 cents a gallon on gasoline and 24.3 cents on diesel fuel."

[smurfcrusher]

Providence-J, keep your Biblical bestiality stories out of this.

If you want to talk about animals, make it dinosaurs. OIL is this discussion.

Bible class is the fifth door on the right.

[smurfcrusher]

"a total volume of 17,652 barrels (or roughly three-quarters of a million gallons) of total petroleum products, of which 13,137 barrels were crude oil and condensate, was spilled from platforms, rigs and pipelines. 4,514 barrels were refined products from platforms and rigs."


You''re too rough on the Republicans.

"...roughly three-quarters of a million gallons" was spilled.

Three quarter million gallons isn''t "one drop".

Republican logic...

[antoniof123]

Let me see lie to me once fox news (Obama is a muslim no he is a christain) I can forgive lie to me twice fox news (Obama went to a muslim school no he did not see cnn they inteviewed the school), I am having trouble with your credibility faux news. Lie to me three times (not a drop of oil spilled as long as you don''t count almost a million barrels) you know what faux news you are not a news station and those that use you for a source are morons just like your fake news station.

Enough is enough vote against neo cons.

[jaykay3141]

/* My SUV is not the problem. */
Unless you need the capacity to do your job or to otherwise haul a lot of things, it IS part of the problem. Most of these monsters seem to be driven by sparrow-sized women who claim that they "feel safer", even though many SUV''s rate poorly because of their high centers of gravity, poor visibility, and truck-body construction. So they waste oceans of gas going back and forth to the store, protecting bags of groceries with 3 tons of metal, sucking up gas that won''t be available for anyone or anything else. How come the rest of the world can manage without these dinosaurs?

U.S. = 5% of world''s population, 25% of world''s energy use.

SUV = Suburban Useless Vehicle

[jon2012-2009]

Electricity is generated by fossil fuels along with your computer and just about everything that surrounds you. The way I see it for you to make a real difference is to change the way you think about being a consumer of oil. My SUV is not the problem...
Posted by wading1222 at 04:18 PM : Jul 20, 2008

Electricity is generated by other means besides burning fossil fuels. One good upside to the skyrocketing price of gas and the threat of global warming is that the transition to economies fueled by renewables will accelerate. If the cost of driving your SUV is not a problem for you, it already is for many.

[wading1222]

ubrew, just shut your computer down and walk away. You are killing people in Iraq by blogging. Electricity is generated by fossil fuels along with your computer and just about everything that surrounds you. The way I see it for you to make a real difference is to change the way you think about being a consumer of oil. My SUV is not the problem, the problem is the gel in your hair, buttons on your shirt, lights on the freeway, batteries in your watch, food on your table, air conditioning, hot water.................shall I go on.

[ubrew12]

wading1222 said: "Can someone clean up the spilled oil and deliver it to the refinery. I need some gas for my SUV. "

I know where you can get oil for your SUV. Its at the end of a road in Iraq. Watch out for the potholes, however, some of them are large enough to swallow your car. And keep your windows closed (smell of burnt flesh).

[steeepe]

"Fossil fuels = fossil thinking.
Posted by steeepe at 05:41 PM : Jul 19, 2008
.........
Excellent statement!
Posted by DaysRnumbrd at 06:25 PM : Jul 19, 2008"

From the brains of dinosaurs.
And just look at all of the pharmaceuticals that we WOULD NOT have if not for fossil fuels, for just ONE example.
Oil is NOT just used for fuel, dummies.

Posted by DemWatcher at 07:33 PM : Jul 19, 2008

Of course it isn''t! That''s why wasting it to run gas engines is so stupid.

[wading1222]

Can someone clean up the spilled oil and deliver it to the refinery. I need some gas for my SUV.

[iombuy]

It was a TANKER not an oil well spill, get it? Tankers bring oil in to the states from the arabs each week but do you worry about that?? Read and weep about how they tried to rip off Exon but FAILED in the courts!

Supreme Court cuts punitive damages for Exon Valdez spill by 90%
note that the 2.5 bill. mention was an award already reduced by circuit courts from the original 5 bill. awarded by a jury


quote:

The US Supreme Court has struck down a $2.5 billion punitive damages award against oil giant Exxon for its role in the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska.

The high court said the award should be reduced to the amount of compensatory damages in the case %u2013 $507.5 million.

Until Wednesday''s announcement, the $2.5 billion award was the largest punitive damages award ever upheld by the US courts. But the Supreme Court ruled 5 to 3 that the punishment was excessive.

Writing for the majority, Justice David Souter said punitive damages could be awarded under maritime law, but the verdict against Exxon "under the circumstances of this case" should be limited to an amount equal to the damages already paid by Exxon to compensate victims of the oil spill.

The ruling marked a significant victory for Exxon which has been waging legal battles related to the 1989 oil spill for 19 years. Business groups also praised the opinion as a move by the high court toward reducing the level of uncertainty in punitive damages cases.

[harp1963]

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/jul/09/us-exports-to-iran-grew-tenfold-under-bush/

[MIpapaof4]

Didn''t the Exon Valdez spill something that ruined the enviroment? And how long did it take to clean that mess up? How many animals and birds and sea mammals died because of the spill? That wasn''t crude oil was it? How ignorant do you think we are? You''re all morons if you believe the *** written in this string.

[maverickgrn]

The Bush Administration has proven (about every other day) that lying about serious issues is the most heinous act of treason that can be committed against a country.
Now John McCain shows he is willing to lie too. I''d thought better of him. Some hero. 2sad2lol.

[eddynewhope]

Posted by sparks224 at 01:38 PM

LOL - It''s always those pesky "facts" that stink up the punch.

[sparks224]

So the right-wingers lied? Nothing new there.

When you''re in the business of creating false impressions, you can''t let a few facts get in your way.