Ahem.
Exxon tweeted this on April 15th, 2013:
Okay, so fast forward to today. April 22nd, 2013 via the latest Mayflower meeting:
So, it got into the Arkansas River? Great job, guys. Great job. Unfortunately, now every time I am on Twitter I have to see a sponsored ad from Exxon about how much they care about Arkansas. Pfft…
*Sigh…it doesn’t end. Oh, and I’d like to say hello to Exxon. They seem to like visiting my blog these days.*
Activists with the group Tar Sands Blockade published new videos on Sunday showing oil from the Arkansas pipeline rupture purportedly diverted from a residential neighborhood into a wetland area to keep it out sight and, most importantly, out of the media.
While it’s not clear if the oil was intentionally moved into the wetland, the company says it is cleaning pavement with power washing devices, which could cause some of the oil to be pushed off neighborhood streets and into other areas.
Read more:
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/04/07/activists-claim-arkansas-oil-spill-diverted-into-wetland/
Once again, not getting too much information. It’s infuriating the state and the evacuees.
Absence of oil-spill answers straining evacuees’ patience
(subscription site)
Almost a week after an oil pipeline ruptured in a Mayflower subdivision, spilling thousands of gallons of oil, workers pushed ahead on the cleanup, dozens of residents remained evacuated, a noxious odor lingered in parts of the community, lawyers for the state and Exxon Mobil got busy, and tempers flared.
http://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2013/apr/04/absence-oil-spill-answers-straining-evacu-20130404/
Arkansas Attorney General McDaniel sets deadline for Exxon oil spill documents
(AP) – Arkansas Attorney General Dustin McDaniel has set an April 10 deadline for ExxonMobil to produce documents connected to the company’s oil spill in Mayflower.
http://www.thv11.com/news/article/258400/2/Arkansas-AG-sets-deadline-for-Exxon-documents-
They keep parroting this 3,500-5000 barrel information…seriously? If the flyover vid is to be believed, which of course I do, it looks much worse.
Bravo, you guys are doing great! Wonder if it is in response to this???
http://theinternetpost.net/2013/04/03/amazing-aerial-footage-of-arkansas-tar-sands-oil-spill/
MAYFLOWER, AR — The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has placed flight restrictions on the airspace over the Mayflower oil spill.
http://arkansasmatters.com/fulltext?nxd_id=650762
Full text of FAA restriction:
http://tfr.faa.gov/save_pages/detail_3_8699.html
It is beyond frustrating. Obviously, Exxon is running the show, just like BP did. The plan is all coming together quite nicely, eh? Wildlife services takes over for the animals…nobody in or out of the neighborhood…now no flying over.
It’s deja-vu all over again.
I found these on the FB page for HAWK Center (Helping Arkansas Wild Kritters). They were working the animal response team for the oiled wildlife, but this morning it was learned that Wildlife Response Services (the ones that assisted Gulf of Mexico wildlife) will be taking over for HAWK. I’m not thrilled about it, but HAWK is probably a bit overwhelmed right now. We didn’t get a lot of photos of wildlife from WRS during the Gulf spill…it seemed a lot of stuff was suppressed. Anyhow, if you would like to help HAWK, please like them on their FB page. It can be found here:
https://www.facebook.com/hawkcenter
Here are some photos of the animals, taken by HAWK. Thanks to HAWK for the work they did with the animals.
Blue Winged Teal
Mallard Hen 2
Mallard Hen 3
Oiled Muskrat
Wood Duck Hen
Welcome to terrible reporting. In all fairness, Exxon keeps having these private meetings…people aren’t getting informed, and according to what I saw one journalist tweeting, he was not allowed into meetings concerning this issue. American journalism just isn’t journalism anymore when real stories cannot be accurately reported.
MAYFLOWER, AR – Four days after the release of thousands of gallons of crude oil, ExxonMobil says a plan is being developed for the phased return of residents to 22 homes.
A few thousand barrels of oil were observed in the area; a response for 10,000 barrels has been undertaken to ensure adequate resources are in place, according to ExxonMobil.
More at link.
Here is a video I took of the oil spill clean-up. I was in the staging area near the small shopping center. It took me several hours to upload because of my slowwwww connection. Sorry for the shakiness; when I use the zoom, there is an increased shaking effect, sadly.
We went up to Mayflower to inspect what the hell is going on concerning the oil spill in Mayflower, Arkansas. In all honesty, the media isn’t giving this one much attention. Again, I suspect this is because it occurred in the South. CNN and the like don’t really give a damn about us. I have seen this far too many times since moving down here two years ago, and it saddens me.
Clean-up crews have pretty much taken over the town. Mayflower is not a big town at all…but seems like the Exxon and clean-up people have made it a home for awhile.
The smell was absolutely revolting. I got very sick from being there. Had problems breathing and got nauseated. If any of you have ever experienced an oil spill, you will know exactly what I am talking about.
We were not allowed to go into the neighborhood where the oil is overtaking people’s homes. There is plenty of oil in the other areas, though, and as I said…the clean-up crews are all over. Not sure what the official story is concerning how much was released, but honestly, it has to be a lot with this many people.
There is a police checkpoint before you get into the neighborhood where the homes are. We chatted with the police officer and he said it will be at least a month before anyone is allowed in the neighborhood. I don’t know if the homeowners are being allowed there, but I did see people, so I am going to assume that they are. Of course, those could have been Exxon reps, for all I know. The police officer was not happy about the situation; you could tell he was disgusted by the whole situation.
We went over to the grocery store, where one of the staging areas is located. JM spoke to one of the workers, who said that he was doing air quality tests. All in all, it was fairly busy.
This is very upsetting that this occurred in Arkansas. There was boom in Lake Conway and the creek looks like it had a lot of oil. I saw a family of ducks right next to the boom, there were babies there.
Here are some photos. I did record a video and will be uploading this to youtube this evening. It always takes me a couple of hours to upload videos because of my connection 😦
Click on the photo for the larger version.
This was near highway 365
Clean-up workers in the town
Mayflower Medical Clinic sign
Workers near neighborhood
Oil in creek-booms
Oil in creek 2
Centennial Bank sign
Sludge near creek
Boom on Lake Conway
More boom on Lake Conway
Testing Results Returning With High Levels: Wilma Subra, chemist and president of soil testing company, Louisiana Environmental Action Network (LEAN), August 30, 2010:
Results of sampling performed by the Lower Mississippi River Keeper in the Lower Atchafalaya Bay area on August 2, 2010
East of Oyster Bayou, LA:
Results of sampling performed by the Lower Mississippi River Keeper in the Mississippi River Delta on August 3, 2010
Mouth of Pass-a-Loutre:
*I do not believe in coincidences*
Marshall Township, Mich. – A pipeline company says 840,000 gallons of oil has leaked into a creek that feeds into the Kalamazoo River in southwestern Michigan.
http://www.wthr.com/Global/story.asp?S=12873946
JEFFERSON, La. – Officials in Jefferson Parish said that a wellhead was hit overnight and it is leaking oil near Bayou St. Denis.
Councilman Chris Roberts said he is getting reports of oil in the marsh from the Jefferson Parish emergency management staff. Vessels of opportunity are en route to beginning cleaning up the area.
“There is a pretty good amount of oil flowing there,” said Roberts, though the exact amout is unknown.
http://www.wwltv.com/home/Wellhead-hit-leaking-oil-near-Bayou-St-Denis-99313024.html
Heidi-Lore's Musings 