Note:
One
year ago, through our former organization, Disaster Alert News Service (DANS), we provided
modeling, analysis, correlations and background on the oil industry
in the immediate aftermath of the Refugio Spill.
This was our first sample of what we can do. No one else had this and both the 'environmental organizations' and the media ignored our news releases with the information. Some used these. No one attributed. Being continuously ripped off by news outlets and organizations which pay large salaries to multiple employees disgusted us. Some quit. Dave and I kept going.
This blog went online in early 2005. I generally stopped publishing articles here out of frustration since it seemed no one cared about what I was uncovering. Today I stopped by and noticed large spikes in traffic even though I have published nothing here since January. Would you like to share why you come? I am perplexed.
For a list of other attempts made to break through visit this page. I think I have most of the sites on the list.
The article below was originally published on ACP Vision & Action the article and announcement site for EcoAlert.
(From DANS
SHEET 1,
one of two models supplied)
Marplot
map of Hydrogen Sulfide from the spill point appears in purple, extending
to the Threat Point 2 miles downwind (blue cross) and beyond, as
indicated.
This is one of the worst oil
spills in Santa Barbara history. Therefore, we, now EcoAlert,
prepared this review for what we knew then and what actions we
recommended. This could impact some of the indictments revealed this
week and perhaps expand the criminal investigation to hold all
responsible parties accountable.
Shortly after the spill we
asked about the locations and timelines of the 5 Plains employees who
reportedly worked out of EXXONMobil’s Las Flores Canyon Facility.
We recommended that each of the workers involved provide signed
affidavits as to their whereabouts and actions. We emphasized that
all correspondence including emails, telephone logs and faxes by the
operator in the first 24 hrs. be included in the body of evidence in
case criminal action is eventually pursued. We provided an article
with, time line
from the available information. This went out as a news release on
July 7th
.
We
argued that,
“Plains knew the names and
whereabouts of all of their employees during the first few hours of
the spill incident. We further claimed that they knew the condition
of their little ten miles of pipe. They surveyed it in 2012 and again
in 2015, and they made numerous repairs and external inspections. We
know it does
not take
months to pull up these records on a 10-mile stretch of their 18,000
mile pipeline network. So, if they failed to release this information
voluntarily, they should have been subpoenaed.”
We also questioned EXXONMobil’s
role in creating and responding to the pressure anomalies in the
Plains Line 901 pipeline located only a short distance from their
temporary storage tanks at the oil treatment center. We pointed out
that Plains owned only ten miles of pipeline in the Refugio area, the
rest of pipeline upstream from the spill is owned by EXXONMobil, who
also controlled the offshore platforms where the oil originated.
Secondly, we criticized the
function of the Unified Command in providing explanations and public
relations for Plains actions which might have been criminal. We
pointed this out at the time. This has been borne out by the 46 count
indictment against Plains and their Environmental and Regulatory
Compliance officer.
One
year ago we recommended alternatives to the way spills and other
similar disasters be handled. We were right and strongly suggest our
proposal be adopted.
Furthermore, we expressed
concern for the health of clean-up workers and recommended a list of
names and contacts for everyone who was involved with clean-up or
remediation be obtained.
Nothing has been done about
this. At the time, we sent information on the symptoms of petroleum
poisoning to the Santa Barbara County Medical Society, asking they
distribute the information, by email, to their members. The
information supplied was based on the BP Gulf Spill and supplied by
Science Corp. It was prepared by Michael
R. Harbut, MD, Professor,
Clinical Medicine Director, Environmental Cancer Initiative, Chief,
Center for Occupational & Environmental Medicine. Petroleum
poisoning follows patterns. We wanted local physicians to know what
to look for.
Finally, we recommended 21st
century technologies (like drones and modeling) to monitor and track
the initial stages of the spill dispersal. We had supplied some of
these for the first hours after the Refugio Spill.
Few of these recommendations
have been implemented so far, but it is not yet too late. The
Attorney General can still subpoena all communications between Plains
and EXXONMobil in the region within 24 hours of the spill in the
region. The Unified Command can be pressured to release all of its
monitoring and modeling data of the spill and its associated air and
water pollution dispersal. The health department still needs to
collect medical histories on all cleanup workers who are potential
victims.
Ultimately, the entire spill
response bureaucracy needs to be updated with the latest technologies
and modernized with geospatial real-time assessment and decision
making. Grounds existed for criminal indictments immediately after
the spill. Essential upgrades and improvements for all of their
facilities, including refineries, are long over due, as we have
witnessed in California and across our country. (Graphs from article)
Graph
by Company
We
emphasize, ExxonMobil should also be charged.
The best way to protect
innocent people and minimize the environmental impacts on the
ecosystem is to ensure those who ignore the obligation to carry out
maintenance and deliberately but people and the environment at risk
are held accountable to the full extend of the law, paying
reparations which make the victims whole.
David
Lincoln & Melinda Pillsbury-Foster
Eco-Alert
May
19, 2016
