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A brief history of offshore oil drilling
http://www.eoearth.org/article/A_Brief_History_of_Offshore_Oil_Drilling?topic=64403

Florida Oil Spill Law

Documenting the BP/Deepwater Horizon Oil, Gas, & Dispersant Disaster

http://www.floridaoilspilllaw.com
fosl forum

RSS feeds on this site make a comprehensive static recap impractical - nor would it do the site justice, with its live feed array covering multiple breaking news sources on Gulf stories, articles and sources. I've done partial recaps in the past, of course, to help ensure expanded visability.
It's on my Netvibes public RSS.

The Second Biggest Oil Spill in the Gulf
http://www.themarknews.com/articles/1757-the-second-biggest-oil-spill-in-the-gulf
David Suzuki
On June 3, 1979, a blow-out preventer failed on the Ixtoc I drilling platform off the coast of Mexico. The well was owned by Mexico’s state oil company, Pemex, but the drilling was being done by Sedco, which later became Transocean, owner of the Deepwater Horizon rig where the current disaster is unfolding.

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GULF SPILL: Transocean charts the depths, heights and ironies of drilling
http://www.eenews.net/public/Greenwire/2010/08/11/1

Deepwater Horizon: Final Report (Released 01/11/2011)

11 Jan 2011 ... The Deepwater Horizon was drilling the Macondo well under 5000 feet ..... he was serving for four days as a relief man for Ronald Sepulvado, ...
www.docstoc.com › Current Events › Other

Methane Release From the Gulf Oil Spill What Dies It Mean ? How Bad Could It Get ?
( Rather detailed overview of blowout's effects )

No More Deepwater Drilling Permits in the Gulf!
http://soe.salsalabs.com/o/1/t/2/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=4&autologin=true&track=2011_0330_DrillingPermit

Florida Oil Spill Law

Deepwater drilling tax relief

U.S. Royalty Plan to Give Windfall to Oil Companies

14 Feb 2006 ... The original law, known as the Deep Water Royalty Relief Act, had bipartisan ... bill that added new royalty relief for deep drilling in shallow waters. ... The House and Senate have yet to agree on a final tax bill. ...
www.commondreams.org/headlines06/0214-01.htm - Cached - Similar

Oil Subsidies - Oil companies have a rich history of U.S. ...

25 May 2010... of dollars in tax and royalty relief to encourage drilling for oil and gas ... significant federal support for such deep-water drilling. ...
articles.latimes.com/2010/may/.../la-na-oil-spill-subsidies-20100525 - Cached

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HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES STAFF ANALYSIS BILL #: HM 539 Deepwater ...

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9 Mar 2011 ... Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill/Tax Relief ... 2010 in the Gulf of Mexico, the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig experienced an explosion1 ...
www.myfloridahouse.gov/sections/.../loaddoc.aspx?... - United States

Gulf of Mexico Oil Rigs – 2nd Post « The Swordpress

13 Jun 2010 ... “Extreme deep water drilling is not the preferred choice to meet our ... it very difficult to have safe drilling coupled with the tax relief ...
thes.wordpress.com/2010/06/13/gulf-of-mexico-oil-rigs-2nd-post/ - Cached

BP Gulf Oil Gusher Disaster Subsidized by Corporate Welfare
http://beforeitsnews.com/story/49/560/BP_Gulf_Oil_Gusher_Disaster_Subsidized_by_Corporate_Welfare.html

The Oily Obama Scam: New Drilling Will Do Nothing for America's Energy Independence

There is something called disaster capitalism* and the United States is being ruined by it. It means that the oil found in the coastal US will be sold on the world markets to the highest bidders. Incidentally, this disaster capitalism is what either killed or forced half of the Irish population to leave Ireland during the Great Potato Famine. (see A People's History of the Great Irish Famine and What it Means for us Today) But that is just one more terrible and sordid story brought to humanity by disaster capitalism.

In the mean time, there is talk in Congress about bailing out BP for their malicious acts and irresponsible behavior. In the US, individuals are expected to stand on their own 2 feet while corporations are expected to be subsidized by those very same individuals.
*( I added link to Naomi Klein's website - author of 'Shock Doctrine' DisasterCapitalism Video)

Gov’t Subsidizes Deep-Water Drilling With Big Tax Breakshttp://www.propublica.org/blog/item/oil-companies-still-get-billions-in-incentives-to-drill-in-deep-water
There's little debate that the technology used to obtain oil in deeper waters was developed and rapidly put into use before safety technology could keep up.
...The royalty waiver program was established by Congress in 1995, when oil was selling for about $18 a barrel and drilling in deep water was seen as unprofitable without a subsidy. Today, oil sells for about $70 a barrel, but the subsidy continues.

... Congress had originally intended to provide royalty relief only when oil prices were especially low. But an Interior Department error in the drafting of contracts in the 1990s led the industry to argue against pegging the relief to oil prices.

The oil industry argues that government subsidies and tax breaks for deep-water drilling have opened up domestic oil production and created jobs. This continued benefit to the industry, however, has long been flagged by watchdogs as a direct loss to taxpayers.

BHP Billiton wins nod for deep-water drilling in US

13 Mar 2011 ... BHP Billiton Ltd won the second US deep-water permit to drill in the Gulf of ... Get a tax relief of up to Rs. 20000 by investing in bonds. ...
www.business-standard.com › Home › Companies & Industry - Cached

Why Was BP Drilling in 5000 Feet of Water Anyway? - Yahoo! Finance

11 Jun 2010 ... It s also where the oil is. But the real story behind deepwater. ... new tax incentives for drillers and expanded the royalty relief program ...

Deepwater Tax Cut Could Attract Drillers Stymied By US Drilling Moratorium
http://www.allbusiness.com/mining-extraction/oil-gas-exploration-extraction-oil-oil/14891962-1.html
Deepwater The Future?

Seepersad-Bachan also gave an update on progress of the Deep Atlantic 2010 bidding round. The minister said that future growth in hydrocarbons reserves would come from so-called 'average' and deepwater blocks, classified as those in water depths of greater than 400 metres (m). The minister added that T&T's own technical analysis suggested 'potential resources' of 1.8bn barrels (bbl) of oil and 190bn cubic metres (bcm) of gas in these areas. She highlighted, however, that exploration and production costs in these areas were between three and five times those in shallow water, making fiscal incentives a necessity to spur development.

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7 Signs Your Website Needs an Update

Will BP Spill Lower Risk of Deepwater Drilling?
http://www.gulfspilloil.com/will-bp-spill-lower-risk-of-deepwater-drilling
For the oil industry, for a long time, there was almost no such thing as too deep. Then came Deepwater Horizon. In September 2009, the Transocean rig drilled the deepest well in history, through more than 35,000 ft. (10,700 m) of water and rock. The following year, Deepwater began drilling the Macondo prospect in the Gulf of Mexico for BP — and we all know what happened on April 20, when the rig was destroyed by a catastrophic blowout, unleashing the biggest oil spill in U.S. history. “For the past 20 years, there was rapid movement by the oil and gas industry to drill deeper and deeper and in riskier and riskier areas of the Gulf,” says Bob Graham, co-chairman of the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling. “On April 20, after a long period of rolling the dice, our luck ran out.”
The question is whether this means the Deepwater tragedy will roll back the multidecade-long march by the oil industry into deeper and deeper water. The commission’s final report, released on Tuesday in Washington, says the blowout and subsequent spill were not due to the mistakes of a single company.
this was the result of what Graham calls the “illusion of inevitable success” that accompanied the rapid expansion into deepwater drilling, despite the risks — and it won’t be easy to fix. “There are systematic problems in the industry that need to be addressed,” said Frances Beinecke, head of the Natural Resources Defense Council and a member of the spill commission, speaking to TIME earlier. “We’re going to need much more aggressive action by industry and by the Interior Department.” (See pictures of the relief well in the Gulf.)
There’s no doubting the ability of oil companies to drill ever deeper — the technology on rigs like the Deepwater Horizon is comparable to that of NASA. The question the Gulf spill has raised is whether it can be done safely — and what policies need to be put in place to make that happen.

Campus oil spill response falls short
We don’t know which of these two dramatically different stories to believe — and we don’t even know why the oil spilled in the first place, meaning that it could very well happen again. Whoever should be criticized for the bureaucratic delays, the fundamental issue is this: when oil spills, we have the right to a speedy cleanup, and the right to know why.
Link DoorKings to cell phones
only landline phone numbers can be programmed into DoorKing, and over 30 percent of students at Stanford lack landlines. This percentage is steadily increasing as cell phones, are becoming the norm for communication.
Ex BP boss Tony Hayward could face Gulf oil spill death charges
Deepwater Horizon: The Movie
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Deep-water oil drilling: banned in America, allowed here - Home ...

10 Jun 2010 ... In January Labour announced £160m relief on each new gas field opened up ... the tax arrangements for offshore drilling after canvassing the ...
www.independent.co.uk › News › UK › Home News - Cached

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Organizational Design for Spill Containment in Deepwater Drilling ...

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by R Anderson - 2011 - Related articles
workers, a six-month moratorium on deepwater drilling in the Gulf, ...... systems, processes, and procedures included diagnostics, testing, relief well ... provided by government and funded from lease or permit fees—essentially a tax on ...
www.rff.org/documents/RFF-DP-10-63.pdf

[PDF]

Solving Deepwater Well-Construction Problems

File Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat
and continental slope, and confer royalty or tax- ation relief on fields .... Conventional (left) and subsea mudlift (right) deepwater drilling technology. ...
www.slb.com/~/media/Files/resources/oilfield_review/ors00/.../p2_17.ashx

Blog Articles for S.3934: Gulf Coast Oil Recovery Zone Tax Relief ...

A bill to provide tax relief for persons affected by the discharge of oil in ... and sinking of, the mobile offshore drilling unit Deepwater Horizon. ...
https://www.opencongress.org/bill/111-s3934/blogs?sort=oldest - Cached

USA: Diamond Offshore Profit Drops | Offshore Energy Today

3 Feb 2011 ... Diamond Offshore Drilling, Inc. today reported net income for the fourth ... impacted by lower tax expense resulting from passage of the Tax Relief, ... to the energy industry and is a leader in deepwater drilling. ...

[PDF]

A Study of the Economic Impact of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill

File Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat - Quick View
13 Jan 2011 ... issued—specifically for the Deepwater Horizon relief well—and only ..... 9 The total tax revenue per rig (including income tax from .... The economic impact of one deepwater drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico (monthly). ...
gnoinc.org/.../Economic%20Impact%20Study,%20Part%20II%20-%20Moratoria%20FINAL.pdf

Retrospective - illustrative policy concerns ( Democracy Now! headlines )

UN Warns of More Pakistan Deaths Unless Aid Reaches Flooded Areas

The United Nations has launched an emergency appeal for $459 million to aid flood victims in Pakistan. On Wednesday, Emergency Relief Coordinator John Holmes warned a new wave of deaths could hit flood victims unless urgent aid is delivered.

Emergency Relief Coordinator John Holmes: "Assessments of losses and damages are still underway, as you can imagine, but it’s already very clear that these floods, the worst in Pakistan for over eighty years, have caused, and are continuing to cause, immense destruction and immense suffering. Unless aid activities continue to be rapidly scaled up, to reach those who remain displaced and without immediate access to food and clean drinking water, additional loss of human lives and further suffering will occur."

US Denied Helicopters for Pakistan Relief Effort Due to Afghan War

Although the US has provided millions in aid, the war in Afghanistan has hindered its ability to provide the needed assistance. On Wednesday, the US announced a tripling of helicopters being sent to Pakistan to nineteen. The Obama administration had been criticized for sending only six helicopters so far, despite a Pakistani request for dozens more. The US had denied the request because the helicopters play a key role in Afghan combat operations. Asked about transferring the helicopters earlier this week, a senior military official told the Washington Post the decision would have to come from Washington, adding, "Do [the helicopters] exist in the region? Yes. Are they available? No."

US Accused of Killing 3 Afghan Civilians

The US military is being accused of killing three innocent civilians in eastern Afghanistan today. Residents of the Zarin Khil village in Wardak province say US troops shot dead three brothers and then arrested their father in a raid on their home. The US-led NATO force says the victims were "suspected insurgents" who had drawn weapons on the troops. Earlier today, hundreds of Afghans blocked the main road leading through the area in a protest against the killings.

Military Officials to Push for Delayed Afghan Withdrawal

Top US military officials, meanwhile, are preparing to lobby for a delayed withdrawal from Afghanistan. The US has set a target date for starting to pull out troops next summer. But the Washington Post reports the new Afghan war commander, General David Petraeus, is taking steps to emphasize developments on the ground that "would make a rapid withdrawal unwise." Summarizing the military’s argument, a senior administration official said, "While we’ve been in Afghanistan for nine years, only in the past twelve months or so have we started doing this right, and we need to give it some time and think about what our long-term presence in Afghanistan should look like."

Top Iraqi General: US Troops Should Remain Until 2020

The talk of a delayed Afghan withdrawal comes as Iraq’s top military officer has said he wants US troops to stay in Iraq for the next decade, despite a withdrawal timetable for the end of next year. Speaking to Agence France-Presse, Lieutenant General Babakir Zebari said he wants the US army to remain in Iraq until the Iraqi army is fully ready in 2020. Zebari’s comments come as the Obama administration is claiming it’s on pace to withdraw around 14,000 US troops from Iraq by the end of the month. White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said the US commander in Iraq, General Ray Odierno, briefed the White House on Wednesday.

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs: "The President heard directly from General Odierno, who said that we are on target to complete our drawdown by the end of August. Already we’ve removed over 80,000 troops from Iraq since President Obama took office. General Odierno also reported that the security situation has retained the significant improvements made over the last couple of years and that Iraqi security forces are fully prepared to be in the lead when we end our combat mission later this month."

Report: US Pressuring Allies to Target WikiLeaks Founder

The Obama administration is reportedly pressuring some of its top allies to crack down on WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange for releasing thousands of classified US military records on the Afghan war. According to the news website The Daily Beast, the US has asked Britain, Germany, Australia and other Western governments to open criminal investigations of Assange and severely restrict his international travel. The US is considering charges of its own against Assange, including violation of the Espionage Act. Assange, meanwhile, is claiming the Pentagon is refusing to assist him in his group’s attempt to remove the names of Afghan civilians and others who could be endangered by the release of 15,000 additional military documents. Assange says neither the Pentagon nor human rights groups that have urged him to censor the names have been willing to help foot the bill for an exhaustive review. The Daily Beast also reports the US may review its relations with Iceland, where WikiLeaks is effectively based.

BP Ties Compensation Fund to Gulf Coast Drilling Revenues

The Huffington Post is reporting the oil giant BP appears to have structured its $20 billion compensation fund so that it will only be solvent if the company continues profiting from oil drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. The US government’s agreement establishing the fund isn’t with BP or even BP America, but with a subsidiary called BP Exploration & Production, or BPEC, which operates BP’s Gulf oil leases. Vested with BPEC, the compensation fund could presumably fold in the event BPEC stops generating revenue from its Gulf operations. The structuring also could increase BP’s leverage in ensuring a continued Gulf presence, should it come under challenge. In a statement, the watchdog group Public Citizen called the arrangement "wildly inappropriate," adding, "It will give the government a financial incentive to become an even bigger booster of offshore oil drilling in the Gulf—the fatal flaw of the Minerals Management Service at the time of the BP disaster."

Texas Sues to Overturn Deepwater Drilling Freeze

Texas meanwhile has filed a lawsuit seeking to reverse the Obama administration’s moratorium on new deepwater offshore drilling. The ban freezes new deepwater drilling permits and has suspended operations at thirty-three wells until at least November 30th.

Top 5 Insurance Companies Paid Execs Nearly $200M in 2009

A new analysis from the group Health Care for America Now shows the nation’s five largest insurance companies paid top executives nearly $200 million last year while hitting customers with double-digit premium hikes. Execs at CIGNA, Humana, UnitedHealth Group and WellPoint all received pay hikes in 2009. CIGNA paid its top two executives over $136 million. The lone top exec to see his pay decline was Aetna’s Ron Williams, who received $18.2 million.

Florida AG Unveils Anti-Immigrant Measure

Florida Attorney General and Republican gubernatorial hopeful Bill McCollum has proposed a new anti-immigrant measure that could be even harsher than the notorious Arizona law that was partially stricken down last month. McCollum’s bill would impose a twenty-day jail sentence for any immigrant who doesn’t carry documentation, as well as longer sentences for crimes committed by undocumented immigrants. On Wednesday, McCollum said his bill "goes one step further" than Arizona’s and predicted that Arizona will want to pass a similar measure.

Bill McCollum: "This is our own law, not theirs. And I think when we’re done passing this law, Arizona is going to want our law. They’re going to want to pass our law, because we’re better, we’re stronger, we’re tougher