Report: Shortcuts, Mistakes Led To BP Oil Spill
January 7, 2011
In what likely will become fodder for upcoming lawsuits, a stinging federal report scheduled for release next week shows that shortcuts, mistakes, questionable technology and overall poor management led to the worst oil spill in U.S. history.
Releasing a portion of the report it will formally submit to President Obama on Jan. 11, the National Oil Spill Commission on Thursday had plenty of blame to spread around for the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
The commission, co-chaired by former Florida Gov. Bob Graham, also is tasked with suggesting how to prevent a repeat of the catastrophic event that cost 11 lives and billions of dollars.
BP, Halliburton and Transocean share the majority of blame for the April 20 blow out of BP’s Macondo well, but the incident brought up industry-wide shortcomings that are even more troubling, the commission said.
“Whether purposeful or not, many of the decisions that BP, Halliburton, and Transocean made that increased the risk of the Macondo blowout clearly saved those companies significant time and money,” the report reads. “There is nothing inherently wrong with choosing a less costly or less-time-consuming alternative – as long as it is proven to be equally safe.”
Federal regulators did not escape blame as the commission, also co-chaired by former Environmental Protection Agency Administator William Reilly, found agencies tasked with policing the industry lacked the authority and the expertise to properly do the job. The report is scheduled for full release next week.
“The well blew out because a number of separate risk factors, oversights, and outright mistakes combined to overwhelm the safeguards meant to prevent just such an event from happening,” an advance excerpt released this week reads. “But most of the mistakes and oversights at Macondo can be traced back to a single overarching failure-a failure of management.”
Florida officials, meanwhile, have conducted a number of hearings as they try to recoup state and local money spent in repsonse to the disaster. People and businesses affected by the spill are also embroiled in efforts to receive payment from a $20 billion fund set up to compensate victims of the spill.
BP oversight was found lacking on a number of fronts, led by the decision to allow the well to be drilled using only six stabilizers instead of the 21 called for in its own engineers. Though unable to unequivocally link the lack of stabilizers to the blow out, investigators said the decision showed markedly poor management on BP’s part.
The commission found that BP’s overall approach to the stabilizer issue was best summed up in an E -mail sent by a BP engineer to a colleague days before the explosion arguing that more stabilizers were needed.
“But, who cares, it’s done, end of story, [we] will probably be fine and we’ll get a good
cement job,” the engineers concluded.
Looking at Halliburton, the company responsible for providing the cement needed to both cap the well and secure the bore hole, the commission found that the company disregarded its own tests that showed the foamy cement mixture it was using might not work at such depths and pressures.
“Halliburton documents strongly suggest that the final foam stability test results indicating stable slurry may not even have been available before Halliburton pumped the primary cement job at Macondo,” the report said. “If true, Halliburton pumped foam cement into the well at Macondo at a time when all available test data showed the cement would be, in fact, unstable.”
Meanwhile, employees for Transocean, the owner of the Deepwater Horizon Rig, failed to follow protocols and misread tell-tale signs that things were not proceeding as planned during the critical hours leading to the explosion and fire aboard the drilling platform that marked the beginning of a three month battle as millions of gallons of oil spewed into the Gulf, the commission found.
The investigation showed rig workers may have overlooked some developments and disregarded others as indications mounted throughout the day that trouble was brewing.
But mistakes and failures to appreciate risk compromised each of those potential barriers,steadily depriving the rig crew of safeguards until the blowout was inevitable and, at the very end, uncontrollable,” the report concluded.
By Michael Pelteir
The News Service Florida
Miss Northview High School Pageant Scheduled For January 29
January 7, 2011
Mark your calendars — the annual Miss Northview High School Pageant will be held on Saturday, January 29 at 7:00 in the school auditorium. The pageant is sponsored by the Northview High Varsity Cheerleaders.
Tickets go on sale on Tuesday, January 11 at 8 a.m. for Miss NHS contestants only. All others can purchase their tickets beginning Wednesday, January 12 at 8 a.m. All tickets can be purchased in the Northview front office; tickets will not be sold at the door. Admission is $6 per person.
Pictured above: Angel Mitchell reacts as she was named last year’sMiss Northview High School. NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
Charges Dropped Against Man Charged With Cutting Outside Bar
January 7, 2011
All charges have against an Atmore man charged with a cutting last year outside of a Davisville bar.
Joshua Wayne Stuckey, now 34, was charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon after the incident about 12:30 the morning of January 31, 2010, outside of the Grey Goose on Highway 97 just south of the Alabama state line.
Escambia County (Fla.) deputies were dispatched at 12:48 that morning to Atmore Community Hospital in reference to a stabbing. The victim, a 34-year old male, told deputies that he and his wife decided to go to the Grey Goose after leaving the Atmore casino. Inside the bar, the victim saw his ex-girlfriend and her husband, Joshua Wayne Stuckey, and he told deputies he spoke to her.
That incident allegedly led to a cutting outside the bar. According the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office report on the incident, the victim suffered a 9-centimeter long and 4-centimeter deep cut to his abdomen.
2010 Persons Of The Year: Lawrence And Doris Cooper
January 7, 2011
NorthEscambia.com is naming Persons of the Year for 2010 each day this week. Click here for previous recipients.
Lawrence and Doris Cooper have been named two of our North Escambia Persons of the Year.
The Coopers operated Cooper’s Grocery in Bratt for well over 50 years. They announced in October that they were closing the store; however, the store was later sold and remains open under a new name.
Reprinted below is our October story in which the Coopers announced the store’s closure.
A long chapter in the lives of many North Escambia residents is closing soon — Cooper’s Grocery at the Bratt Crossroads will soon be no more.
“I don’t know for sure when we will close it, but it won’t be long. Probably by the end of October,” Doris Cooper, 77, said Tuesday. She and her husband Lawrence Cooper, 84, have owned the country store at the heart of the Bratt community for 54 years.
Besides church, Cooper’s is, without a doubt, the center of the Bratt community. Mornings are a hustle and bustle of activity at “Coop’s”, with moms and children buying those last minute snacks for the school day at Bratt Elementary. Northview High students grab sugary snacks and caffeine to fuel their day.
The wooden front door creaks and moans as it opens and rings the bell to signal another customer. Wooden shelves are stocked with most everything imaginable. Cokes are sold in various sizes of plastic bottles like any other store. But there’s the sound of pure American nostalgia each time the top is popped on a glass bottle of Coca-Cola using the bottle opener located at the front counter. Glass bottles of Coke have been sold at Cooper’s since it first opened at the end of World War II.
The Coopers have offered credit to members of the community for decades. Customers were, and are still, able to add their purchase to their “ticket” for later payment. No credit checks needed, basically just residency in the community.
Some of the charge tickets are old and yellowed, waiting for decades payment. Tuesday morning, Mr. Lawrence located one from 1957. “3 doz. eggs $1.65. Gas $1.55. Groceries $21.35.” They know they will never be paid for the purchases 53 years ago. The gentleman that made the charges is long since deceased.
“But sometimes they will come back in here and make a payment,” Mr. Lawrence said. “I had a guy come in here and make a payment on an old one that I could not find right away. It wasn’t much, but he knew how much it was down to the penny that he owed.”
“I hope and pray that we’ve helped a lot of people,” Mrs. Doris said. “Sometimes that just what it is about.”
Anyone that has grown up around Bratt will happily tell you their memories about the candy counter. Well-stocked with all-time favorite candies, its the stuff dreams — and memories — are made of for little ones.
“Momma would give me 15 cents. We may have been poor, but I was spoiled with my 15 cents in here,” Donnie Bass, longtime Cooper’s Store customer said. “I would get a big candy bar, they were much bigger back then; a Coke and a honey bun.”
Bass, 64, has never really stopped going to Coopers. These days, it’s not uncommon to find Bass at the end of the counter, sharing his lighthearted outlook on most any subject that’s fit for discussion.
Known as the defacto mayor of Bratt, Bass and his buddies gather most mornings at the store to discuss the latest “news” of the day. They talk about the world’s problems, America’s problems and the local problems. And they always have a solution in mind.
“The world’s problems have been solved right here in this store,” Bass said, as he contemplated where he and his buddies will meet after the store’s closure. “I hate it when traditions are broken, don’t you? We might meet at my house, but I don’t know if that’s going to fly.”
It’s no secret that the solutions proposed by the men of Cooper’s Store have not solved America’s problems — the problems that have led to the demise of the store.
“It’s the economy really,” Mrs. Doris said as to why the store will close by the end of the month. And she said the couple hopes to do a little traveling. Then she started naming the trips taken through the years, all funded by the their little country store.
“We were blessed,” she said. “We able to do a lot with our children. We were probably one of the first families from Bratt to be able to go to Disney World.” Then there was the trip to California during which Mrs. Doris refused to get out of the car in Nevada because of legalized gambling.
“It was a Sunday and I wasn’t going to set foot on the ground in that state,” she said. As his wife continued to recount found memories of road trips with their children, Mr. Lawrence interrupted.
“We went to Wawbeek one day,” he said, bringing a chuckle from those around the counter. Even at 84, his humor is quick-witted.
Cooper’s Store adapted over the years to changing times. They once stocked a full line of groceries including fresh meats, hardware, clothes, shoes and animal feed. The store sold gasoline until just recently, and they also added a pizza/deli counter. “We would sell so much back then,” he said, from suppliers like J.U. Blacksher, Flomaton Wholesale and Lewis Bear.
The meat and cheese scale is still at the front counter — mostly used to weigh babies, she said.
Mrs. Doris’ own children are no strangers to the store, with all having worked behind the counter at one time or another.
“It’s been our family for all these years,” she said. “I’m going to miss seeing all the people in the community. They are like our family.”
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Deputies Seek Info On 1981 Murder
January 7, 2011
It was 30 years ago on the afternoon of January 2, 1981 that 9-year old Kenneth Deshun Underwood and three companions went bird hunting in the woods near their Cantonment home. Everyone returned home that afternoon except for Underwood.
When Underwood was still not home around 6 p.m., Escambia County Search and Rescue personnel were called. The area were Underwood was last seen alive was canvassed. His body was discovered about 5:45 the next morning –apparently murdered — in an area near Booker Street.
The case remains unsolved, and now the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office is asking the public for help because they believe someone in our area still has information about Underwood’s death.
If you know anything about the death of Kenneth Deshun Underwood, 9, you are asked to call the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office Major Crimes Unit at (850) 436-9580 or Crime Stopper at (850) 433-STOP (7867). Crime Stoppers also receives tips at gulfcoastcrimestoppers.org.
Pictured above: The fourth grade photo of murder victim Kenneth Deshun Underwood of Cantonment. Pictured below: The highlighted area in this map shows were the body was found. Submitted by the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Northview Gets Double OT Win Over PCA
January 7, 2011
Here’s a look at area high school basketball action on Thursday:
Northview 43 PCA 35 2OT
The Northview Chiefs defeated Pensacola Christian Academy in double overtime Thursday. The Chiefs and PCA were tied 33-33 at the end of regulation. In the first overtime, both teams managed just two points each. But in the second overtime, Northview dominated PCA 10-0 for the 43-35 win.
Northview 6 7 11 9 2 10
PCA 4 7 11 11 2 0
Aletheia 59 Jay 53
The Jay Royals fell by a half dozen to Aletheia Thursday 59-53.
GIRLS
Jay 55 Aletheia 22
Tessa Hendricks led the Lady Royals with 10 in a 55-22 win over Aletheia Thursday.
Jay –Tessa Hendricks 19, Lauren Steadham 8, Becca Calloway 8, Olivia Wright 4, Hilary Hendricks 4, Danielle Skaggs 4, Emily Russel 4, Lauren Diamond 2, Taylor Moore 2
Jay 12 20 13 10-55
Aletheia 4 8 5 5-22
Fire Departments Called To Bondurant Lumber; Find Trash Fire
January 6, 2011
Multiple fire departments were dispatched to a reported fire at Bondurant Lumber and Hardware in Century about 7:20 Thursday night, but what they found was a trash fire on a nearby street.
A caller reported that flames were coming from the back of the lumber company, but an Escambia County Sheriff’s deputy arriving who arrived on scene first found a trash fire on McCurdy Street.
Multiple Departments Battle Lumber Mill Fire
January 6, 2011
Firefighters were able to quickly contain a fire a Swift Lumber in Atmore Thursday afternoon.
The fire was reported about 3:20 in a lumber mill. For a brief time, a towering black cloud of smoke could be seen rising from the area. The fire was quickly brought under control, with the main fire reported to be out at 3:50.
Firefighters remained on the scene to work on smaller hot spots. An explosion was reported, but the source of the explosion was not immediately known.
There were no injuries reported. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Fire departments from Atmore, Nokomis and Poarch have responded to the scene.
Pictured top: Firefighters work to cool remaining hot spots after a fire at Swift Mill in Atmore Thursday afternoon. Pictured below: An ambulance stands by outside the mill. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Firefighters Battle Brush Fire
January 6, 2011
Firefighters from Walnut Hill and Century battled a large field fire on West Highway 4 Thursday afternoon.
A 40-acre field was reported to be burning in the 3200 block of West Highway 4 between C.W. Caraway Road and Canoe Creek just after 2 p.m. Firefighters were worked to keep the blaze from entering a wooded area. Most of the field was reported to have already burned before firefighters arrived.
The fire was reported under control about 2:55 p.m. No structures were threatened by the fire.
The Walnut Hill and Century Stations of Escambia Fire Rescue responded to the fire.
Pine Forest High Put On Lockdown After Suspicious Item Found
January 6, 2011
Pine Forest High School was placed on lock down Thursday after a student alerted a faculty member to suspicious item in another student’s bag.
The item turned out to be an electronic or computer part that belonged in a school project the student was working on. A bomb squad was called to the scene, and the item blasted with a water cannon to ensure it was safe as precaution, according to the State Fire Marshal’s Office.
A portion of the school was evacuated as a precaution while authorities checked out the item.