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"MMS Official To Step Down In Wake Of Gulf Oil Spill"
Huffington Post, 05/18/2010"Chrys Oynes, the associate director of Offshore Energy and Minerals Management at the Minerals Management Service will retire May 31, reports The Washington Post."
"Independent Probe of BP Oil Spill in Works"
Wash Post, 05/18/2010"President Obama will establish an independent commission to investigate the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, an administration official said Monday, as the federal government came under increasing scrutiny for regulatory failures that might have contributed to the April 20 explosion on the Deepwater Horizon rig."
"Oil From Spill May Be Entering Gulf Loop"
Palm Beach Post, 05/18/2010"New satellite images show oil starting to enter the Gulf Loop current, which would pull it through the Florida Keys, into the Gulf Stream and up to Palm Beach County, according to a scientist tracking the oil spewing into the Gulf."
BP Pushed Deep Well Despite Safety Red Flags
60 Minutes, 05/17/2010In a rush to complete the well it was drilling with the Deepwater Horizon, BP and other companies pushed ahead to complete the well despite multiple warnings that conditions were unsafe. CBS Interviews with explosion survivor Mike Williams and Berkeley engineering professor Bob Bea bring to light new information not yet available to the panels investigating the spill. At least five congressional hearings are scheduled on the spill this week.
"Mile-Long Pipe Capturing Some Leaking Oil, BP Says"
McClatchy, 05/17/2010"Oil giant BP succeeded Sunday in connecting a mile-long pipe to help capture what it hopes will be most of the oil flowing from a damaged well into the Gulf of Mexico -- 'an important step' toward capping the massive spill, the company said, but not a complete solution."
"Town Rebuilds Green After Devastating Tornado"
NPR, 05/17/2010After a tornado largely destroyed Greensburg, Kansas, three years ago, the town has made a mark for itself by rebuilding a sustainable infrastructure from the ground up.
"Gulf Spill Could Be Much Worse Than Believed"
NPR, 05/14/2010"There's at least 10 times as much oil spilling into the Gulf of Mexico than official estimates suggest, according to an exclusive NPR analysis."
"Lisa Murkowski Blocks Bill To Raise Oil Spill Liability Cap"
Huffington Post, 05/14/2010"A bill to increase the liability cap for oil spills from $75 million to $10 billion was defeated Thursday by Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska."
"Owner of Gulf Oil Drilling Rig Tries To Limit Liability for Spill"
Wash Post, 05/14/2010"Transocean, owner of the drilling rig that caught fire and sank in the Gulf of Mexico three weeks ago, has asked a Houston federal court to limit its liability for the resulting oil spill to $26.8 million, a small fraction of the anticipated damages from the accident."
"MMS Ignores Environmental Permits"
Post Carbon, 05/14/2010"The Minerals Management Service has routinely issued drilling permits in the Gulf of Mexico since 2009 without obtaining other federal permits needed to account for the toll energy exploration would take on endangered species and marine mammals, according to documents obtained by the Washington Post."
"Western Senators Propose Ban on Pacific Drilling"
NYTimes, 05/14/2010"The political ripples from the Gulf of Mexico oil disaster spread in the capital on Thursday as six West Coast senators proposed a permanent ban on drilling in the Pacific...."
"BP Hopes Tube Will Siphon Oil To Tanker"
AP, 05/14/2010"Undersea robots were trying to thread a small tube into the jagged pipe that is pouring oil into the Gulf of Mexico in BP's latest attempt to cut down on the spill from a blown-out well that has pumped out more than 4 million gallons of crude."
"Hurricane Could Worsen Huge Us Oil Spill: Experts"
AFP, 05/13/2010"The Gulf of Mexico oil spill could grow even more disastrous if the looming hurricane season churns up towering black waves and blasts beaches and crowded cities with oil-soaked gusts, experts warned."
"Oil Spill Investigators Find Critical Problems in Blowout Preventer"
Wash Post, 05/13/2010"A House energy panel investigation has found that the blowout preventer that failed to stop a huge oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico had a dead battery in its control pod, leaks in its hydraulic system, a "useless" test version of a key component and a cutting tool that wasn't strong enough to shear through steel joints in the well pipe and stop the flow of oil."
"Criminal Charges Likely From Gulf Oil Spill, Legal Experts Say"
McClatchy, 05/13/2010"Federal investigators are likely to file criminal charges against at least one of the companies involved in the Gulf of Mexico spill, raising the prospects of significantly higher penalties than a current $75 million cap on civil liability, legal experts say."

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