Thursday, May 20, 2010
Now the EPA says something
From the beginning of the Hayward Blowout, BP has been using a dispersant made by a company it has a financial stake in. This is not a problem of itself, but the fact that Corexit is among the more toxic dispersant and not the most effective could be a problem. After applying more than a half million gallons on and below the surface of the Gulf of Mexico, the EPA has decided that enough is enough.
The Environmental Protection Agency has ordered BP to find another chemical dispersant to use on the Gulf Coast oil spill amid concerns about the long-term effects of the substance now being used, the agency said Thursday.Time to share the wealth with other manufacturers.
The EPA has given BP until midnight Thursday to identify an alternative to Corexit 9500 and 72 hours to stop applying it to the undersea gusher, the agency announced.
Hundreds of thousands of gallons of Corexit already have been sprayed on the oil slick that has been spreading across the Gulf since late April. But the chemical has been rated less effective and more toxic than many others on the list of 18 EPA-approved dispersants, according to testimony at a congressional hearing Wednesday.
BP did not mention the order in a statement on dispersants issued Thursday morning, but the oil company said Corexit is biodegradable, has been approved by the EPA and the Coast Guard and is "readily available in the quantities required" by a response plan approved by the government before the spill.
"It has been very effective in causing the oil to form into small, isolated droplets that remain suspended until they're either eaten by naturally occurring microbes, evaporate, are picked up, or dissolve," the company said.
"At the same time, we are conducting ongoing assessment of alternative or supplemental dispersant products," it said.
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