political climate forecast

so sad ..... the political climate forecast in Louisiana:

partly cloudy with a chance of oil

"science for sale"

as Louisiana Bucket Brigade so clearly reported the inaccuracies of soil testing and sample results by Murphy Oil for their own crude oil spill in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina...........residents themselves reported hearing such nonsense from Murphy Oil and even DEQ as: ........."you have oil on your land, but its not ours".....or ..... "because the ground was already saturated with flood waters, only the first six inches of soil is tested for contamination"..............."your soil sample results indicate contamination, but its below a certain threshold so Murphy is not required to cleanup"......."no mam, there is no science data which assures the safety of raising either children or tomatoes in oil contaminated soil"........."8 months ago when Murphy tested your soil, the results were positive for contamination over the DEQ threshold, however, this secondary test, also conducted by Murphy Oil, shows the oil has now evaporated, so your property will be placed in Category 1: 'uneffected by oil spill' "......."yes, that property tested as one of the ten highest contaminated properties, but we didnot remove the soil for remediation because Murphy's test now indicates only the inside of that house was contaminated"........."your neighbor's property is on the ten highest contaminated list, but you did not have any oil on yours"......"no sir, we can only remove the contaminated soil from your lawn, we will not remove it from under your deck or raised shed"......."we did sand the streets, but we are not responsible for the sand runoff in the catch basins"......................."we're fortunate this was crude oil which can be cleaned up easily, not like a refined product which would stay in the ground for years"..............."Murphy Oil doesnot have to follow protocol for asbestos removal during demolition of these contaminated houses, the Governor has issued a 'No Action Assurance" letter.; Murphy Oil does however have to burrito wrap the debris and dispose in an asbestos approved landfill"......."the crews in hazard-protective gear are only removing the asbestos from the slabs, and then washing the slabs with water so they can recycle the cement: this is not a concern of the residents because there will only be short term exposure"...........................

$5 million donation and encouragement to rebuild

......parish leaders initially raised contamination concerns, making comments that they were dealing with another "Love Canal"......then, the oil company made a $5 million donation, its distribution decision left to the council.......and suddenly there wasnt much said by elected officials. Oil company officials visited neighborhoods on the South Side of Judge Perez and assured residents the oil did not go south, they had no oil on their properties, it was safe to cleanout their own personal belongings and encouraged them to rebuild......people were back in restored homes by Christmas 2005......even on the North Side of Judge Perez, where the crude oil was inches thick inside homes, residents were responsible to clean out their own household items and place on the curb. Yet Murphy Oil hired specially trained crews to pick up the curb-side debris for proper disposal.....the crews were suited up in EPA hazardous protective-wear


smart oil

residents were told the oil only went due west, from the tank farm all the way to Paris Road (about a mile and a half or so) and remained North of Judge Perez Drive ........nothing went east, into some of the poorest and disadvantaged neighborhoods, or so they said.........then, somehow, only certain areas were designated the most contaminated and thus considered for a voluntary buyout "to create a buffer".......these certain areas were conveniently located just four blocks west on BOTH North and South sides of Judge Perez----these certain areas are now in committee discussions for industrial and commercial expansions, despite the established, revitalized neighborhoods


aint no Louisiana sunshine when it rains

with another Hurricane Season approaching, the community remains concerned about the Murphy refinery's storm preparedness plans and the inadequate capacity of its waste water treatment plant to handle an afternoon rain..............Last June 2009 the Murphy Oil refinery was unable to contain its own stormwater; the overflow caused a neighborhood to flood. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w34l7_bpkFY

In December 2009 Murphy Oil somehow discharged diesel-type-oily-water through a municipal drainage pipe and into a neighborhood canal.

http://s786.photobucket.com/albums/yy141/concerned_citizens_2010/oil%20spill%20into%20neighborhood%20canal%20December%202009/?action=view&current=48a39670.pbw

With the refinery's water permit under review for renewal, residents are requesting the refinery be required to re-route their waste so not to foul the neighborhood canals and nearby central wetlands of Lake Borgne.............Just this week, May 3 2010, the neighborhood canal had a distinct, dark discharge with a sheen................refinery officials, however, said it was not a rainbow sheen, so they are not the source............

Buffer For Sale -- Only Refinery CAP members need apply

just yesterday, the parish planning commissioners held a special meeting to discuss a petition by Murphy Oil for a zoning change to accommodate the sale of three former buyout properties.........a zoning change from R1 residential to Commercial.......for three residential lots which are adjoined by four established - restored homes and surrounded by several dozen more, which are home to dozens of children......this Docket is to accommodate Murphy Oil's plan to sell some of the buffer : the perspective buyer ---a member of the Refinery Community Advisory Panel, who also is executive board member of the local Chamber of Commerce and brother of the chief of police..............the intended commercial use: improvements to the seafood restaurant and catering business which has outgrown it corner lot because of the increased turnarounds and other refinery catering jobs......................Louisiana residents in this little neighborhood are left to wonder what else is on the menu.

Pity the poor chickens.

environmental/editorials/OCR21. doc

WWL TV --1024 N. Rampart St.
New Orleans La.
Feb. 1, 1983 Phil Johnson

February 1, 1983

It is good and It is about time . The announcement yesterday that Louisiana will finally get a full-blown, cabinet level department to deal with our environment. Or, to quote Governor Treen: "The time has come for us to focus on our environmental problems." Actually, that time came many years ago. But this is not the time to quibble. Let us be thankful that someone finally had the good sense to realize that we are threatening to kill ourselves because we are neglecting to take proper care of our environment. The announcement means that a new Department of Environmental Protection will be formed and funded -if the Legislature approves. And it is difficult to see how our lawmakers cannot approve. This new department would take environmental affairs away from the Department of Natural Resources. It always seemed such an obvious conflict of interest. The Department of Natural Resources is run by people from the oil and gas industry, in the interests of the oil and gas Industry. To have them also monitor our environment is like hiring a fox to be watchman for the chicken coop. Pity the poor chickens. The proposal for a Department of Environmental Pro-tection and protection is the key word here -is good news indeed. We look forward to its approval and its operation.