Obama Administration Prevents Independent Scientific Analysis of Gulf

[amborin]

DOJ gags scientists studying BP disaster

In an explosive first-hand account, ecosystem biologist Linda Hooper-Bui describes how Obama administration and BP lawyers are making independent scientific analysis of the Gulf region an impossibility. Hooper-Bui has found that only scientists who are part of the Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) process to determine BP’s civil liability get full access to contaminated sites and research data. Pete Tuttle, USFWS environmental contaminant specialist and Department of Interior NRDA coordinator, admitted to The Scientist that “researchers wishing to formally participate in NRDA must sign a contract that includes a confidentiality agreement” that “prevents signees from releasing information from studies and findings until authorized by the Department of Justice at some later and unspecified date.” Hooper-Bui writes:

It’s not hazardous conditions associated with oil and dispersants that are hampering our scientific efforts. Rather, it’s the confidentiality agreements that come with signing up to work on large research projects shepherded by government entities and BP and the limited access to coastal areas if you’re not part of those projects that are stifling the public dissemination of data detailing the environmental impact of the catastrophe.

Hooper-Bui’s depictions of samples confiscated by US Fish and Wildlife officials and expeditions blocked by local law enforcement is consistent with the steady stream of reports about obstruction, censorship, and confusion under BP’s private army of contractors. A full and open scientific assessment of the effects of the BP disaster is crucial for the health of the ecosystem and the residents of this American jewel

http://thinkprogress.org/2010/08/10/scientists-bp-gag/

[Poboy]

1. Oh, but fuck no! How can ANYONE support this?! -k&r -nt

[damntexdem]

13. But, but, if we protest it, or even just gripe -- won't that make us part of the professional left?

And won't we have to get drug tests?

[bluethruandthru]

30. Oh come on. Why can't we just give Obama credit for all the good things he's done?

Change takes time.
No one ever promised tranparency..or scientific anything. You weren't paying attention.
You never supported him anyway.
Would you rather have President Palin?
Poutrage
F'ing retard
You want a pony too?
I'm gonna call the Waaaambulance.

Did I get them all?

[Poboy]

31. I don't know, I'm high as a kite. -nt

[theoldman]

2. Almost all scientific studies are funded by the organizations that have the most to lose.

The current situation is nothing new. Eventually someone will make an honest study but that will be years from now.

[VMI Dem]

3. Whats the problem. They've told you exactly what is going on.

All the oil is gone.

[RandomThoughts]

7. LOL, that is funny.

Although I thought it possible the whole thing was to get preassure off of banks with niahlist threats, going after shell fish makes sense, and the pattern, blow an oil well, then use that oppurtunity for spraying poison, while getting cover from areas.

Seems to be more about something else. Distraction with threat with damage.

Then again Russia is having fires according to media, and floods in some other places, so who really knows.

So it could just be inacurate media reporting also, no way of knowing if what is on TV or Internet is accurate. One of the reasons having been blessed with an injust action done against me in my past is so important, it allows for me to advocate for justice without having to know what is actually going on, since I know injustice still exists.


Dust In The Wind.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tH2w6Oxx0kQ

[Lorien]

4. If Gibbs doesn't want Obama compared to Bush then he should stop acting like him

fucking disgusting! Is there any limits to corporate whoredom?

[Pooka Fey]

44. I was going to say this, Lorien - so I'll just kick your post.

[truebrit71]

47. ..and i'll kick it again...this is beyond maddening...

..I am just seething with anger right now...this is EXACTLY the kind of shit * pulled, and would be expected from a President McCain admninistration, and yet it's the "professional left" that are on drugs??? Un-fucking-real...

[Blue Owl]

5. So in this instance, is Obama resembling Bu$h, or not? Yes or No?

Did GWB's DOJ suppress independent scientific study? Yes.

Did Obama's DOJ just suppress independent scientific study? Yes, according to the article.

If Mr. Gibbs or someone here can disprove the above, I am all ears.

[femrap]

6. Ain't fascism grand? nt

[HCE SuiGeneris]

35. It's becoming the norm.

And, that's a very bad development.

[Hell Hath No Fury]

8. And some here wonder why --

many of us believe O to be as bad as W on some issues.

[Confusious]

9. So much for the 'science president' nt

[snagglepuss]

10. A willow wisp :(

[Confusious]

16. ?????

[Confusious]

17. Crap. Dup again

Trying to get used to this iPad.

[GOTV]

11. Yet again, an easy way for Obama to appear to be on our side against BP and he's not doing it ....

... Then he'll send Gibbs out to call us names for suggesting that Obama isn't doing all he could to protect us against corporate predators.

When people ask "What more could Obama do?" add this to the list.

[Junkdrawer]

12. Here's her first-hand account:

Functioning as an independent researcher in and around the Gulf of Mexico these days is no simple task. I study insect and plant communities in near-shore habitats fringing the Gulf, and my work has gotten measurably harder in the wake of the Deepwater Horizon disaster. It's not hazardous conditions associated with oil and dispersants that are hampering our scientific efforts. Rather, it's the confidentiality agreements that come with signing up to work on large research projects shepherded by government entities and BP and the limited access to coastal areas if you're not part of those projects that are stifling the public dissemination of data detailing the environmental impact of the catastrophe.

Some Gulf scientists have already been snatched up by corporate consulting companies with offers of $250/hour. Others are badgered for their data by governmental agencies. Some of us desire to conduct our work without lawyers, government officials, or corporate officers peering over our shoulders. In the end, it may be the independent, non-biased researchers who can deliver credible scientific results that perform the crucial function of assessing the damage wrought by this disaster...if we survive professionally.

...

In southern Alabama back in late May, my PhD student's ant samples were taken away by a US Fish and Wildlife officer at a publicly accessible state Wildlife Management Area because our project hadn't been approved by Incident Command (also called the Deepwater Horizon Response Unified Command -- which is a joint program of BP and federal agencies, such as the Coast Guard, the Department of the Interior, and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, assembled to respond to problems related to the April 20 blowout).

We've had similar experiences in south Louisiana, where our research trip was halted after driving more than 150 miles to a study site. On the way to our sampling sites in Grand Isle, LA, were turned away by a sheriff's deputy blocking the road who said that he was told to allow no one who wasn't associated with BP or NRDA to pass that point. We've also been blocked by the Wisner Trust, one of the largest private land owners of marsh habitat in Louisiana, who in the past allowed LSU researchers access to their property. The lawyer representing the trust indicated that they are coordinating over 700 different people associated with BP and NRDA and that they simply cannot approve access for anyone else.

...

http://www.the-scientist.com/templates/trackable/displa...

Confiscating samples...Blocking access... Not to invoke Goodwin's law, but....

[Poboy]

14. This needs to be KICKED. -nt

[piratefish08]

15. how very fucking transparent of them.

[Barack2theFuture]

18. Keep in mind the way power flows between the adminsitration

and ANY powerful corporation.

The corporation has the power; the adminsitration does what it is told.

[Poboy]

19. Not going to let this one sink. I refuse to be poisoned w/o a protest.

I'm crazy high like that.

[Junkdrawer]

20. "I'm crazy high like that." - LOL

[frylock]

21. i blame the professional leftists quite frankly..

and ralph nader, of course.

[Uncle Joe]

22. This is light years away from transparency.

Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, amborin.

[DCBob]

23. Greenpeace is starting a three-month expedition to study Gulf ecosystem and marine life

from Greenpeace..

Many questions have remained unanswered throughout the entire Gulf oil spill disaster and its response. Last week we submitted 27 Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests to uncover information on underwater oil plumes, impacts to marine wildlife, chemical dispersants and more.

Even if the report’s calculations are accurate, we know that the Gulf will be feeling the effects of this disaster long after the oil disappears from the human eye. Despite the fact that the wellhead appears to have been capped, we must redouble efforts to understand the true impacts of this catastrophe. There is no question that some of the oil is being broken down by bacteria, but this eats up a lot of oxygen. How is this process affecting the Gulf dead zone that plagues the Gulf each summer?

The impact on commercially and recreationally important fish stocks is another huge concern, but so far remains largely unknown. Of further concern is the impact on Gulf food webs. Oil and dispersant has been observed in plankton, which moves quickly up the food chain to whales and whale sharks. Even more poorly understood is the impact on the deep sea. Cold water coral reefs and the sponges and anemones of the sea floor provide habitat for many species, but very, very little exploration has yet been done to investigate the health of this critical part of the Gulf ecosystem.

These are many questions that still need answers in the wake of this disaster. That’s why next week, the Greenpeace ship Arctic Sunrise will begin a three-month expedition to support independent scientists’ efforts to research the impacts to the Gulf’s ecosystem and marine life.

http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/en/news-and-blogs/campaig...
http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/oilspilltruth

[whistler162]

43. Well then Greenpeace must be paid shills of BP and the government!

[Junkdrawer]

24. Kick

[Poboy]

25. Upsy daisy.

[amborin]

32. thanks for keeping it kicked today!

[Poboy]

45. You're welcome! Thank you for posting! -nt

[Ignis]

26. K&R

An evidence-driven government should have nothing to fear from independent analysis.

[City Lights]

27. They're gonna need a bigger rug.

[me b zola]

28. kicking for those with their heads in the sand

Oh, and recommended

[Starry Messenger]

29. k & r

[maryf]

33. K&Rnt

[Karmadillo]

34. K&R

nt

[felix_numinous]

36. kick for the night nt

[Johonny]

37. I remember the days when the government analysis WAS the independent analysis

The analysis of we the peoples agencies for we the people.

I don't know what to think: On one hand DUers say the oil is toxic and gonna kill people so the administration limits access to areas, but then by limiting access to areas now the Government is out to control information. Of course if they let just anyone into the most toxic areas and they got sick they'd be accused of not doing enough to protect people. There are real reasons the DOJ might want control of information particularly if they plan legal action and anyone that works through a government agency usually has to have those reports cleared. It does seem like a no win situation.

My paranoia level is at 5 on this one. Government agencies have disappoint before on being "independent" when big oil is around. But I see so real catch 22 situations for them.

[flyarm]

38. opps..not Obama's fault, it is the Lunatic Liberals Professionals fault!

DIDN'T YOU KNOW THAT?

[Catherina]

39. Maddening. So maddening! n/t

[Dragonfli]

40. K&R

[Kalun D]

41. K and R

K and R

[Wilms]

42. .

[truebrit71]

46. I love the smell of transparency in the morning...

Just more bullshit stacked on top of bullshit...

[End Of The Road]

48. Simply criminal.