From Miami Herald, Claim HOTLINE FOR RELATED LOSSES:
"Florida opens oil spill hot line for businesses
A hot line is available to help Florida business owners affected by the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
Alex Sink, the state's chief financial officer, announced the hot line on Wednesday.
``Florida businesses can take steps now to help expedite delivering their claim to BP, as well as help themselves be ready to take advantage of federal and state aid that may become available for recovery,'' Sink said.
Business owners can call 1-877-My-FL-CFO or 1-877-693-5236 from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on weekdays. Information is also on the website myfloridacfo.com.
The specialists on the hot line will be able to answer questions about filing insurance claims, but the office said claims of damages and lost income must be filed with BP at 1-800-440-0858."
From:
http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/05/0...#ixzz0n6vOWsgy
Information on the containment dome, pending placement attempt and controlled burn today. It was stated a similar approach was used for a release in Mexico about 20 years ago in only 200 ft. of water. This has never been attempted at a water depth remotely close to 5000 ft.
Short overview of release and solutions being pursued to stopping the leakage.
Potential cause explored on NPR:
"Cementing Becomes One Focus In Gulf Oil Probe, by ELIZABETH SHOGREN
The Deepwater Horizon oil rig is seen burning on April 21 in the Gulf of Mexico. Federal investigators have turned their attention to the cementing process that occurred on the oil rig before the explosion.
A cementing job done by a Halliburton crew just hours before the oil accident in the Gulf of Mexico has emerged as a central focus of the investigation.
Bad cementing work has triggered leaks in the past, and some experts say it's hard to imagine a scenario where it was not part of the problem at the Deepwater Horizon well, too."
Continued at:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/s...ryId=126536457
Business Week - Some potential financial impacts of the release - May 5, 2010
"May 3 (Bloomberg) -- The growing oil slick fed by an underwater leak in a BP Plc well in the Gulf of Mexico may threaten production, shipping and refining of oil and natural gas in Mississippi, Alabama, and Louisiana.
Those three states account for 19 percent of U.S. refining capacity as of 2009, according to data from the U.S. Energy Department’s Energy Information Administration.
“Traders are nervous about how fast the slick could grow,” and whether it could have a significant effect on oil and natural-gas production, said Andy Lipow, president of Lipow Oil Associates LLC in Houston."
"Oil in the water could ignite another fire and the slick could emit dangerous fumes, putting offshore workers at risk, said Steve Rinehart, a spokesman for BP and the multiagency Joint Information Center coordinating the federal response.
Ships face the same potential hazards, and have the additional risk of interfering with clean-up efforts or tracking oil on their hulls into the Mississippi River, he said. So far, the Coast Guard hasn’t restricted commercial traffic, Rinehart said in a telephone interview today.
Three natural gas platforms have been affected by the explosion. One has been evacuated and production shut, another has been shut-in without being evacuated and the third was evacuated without being shut-in, he said. Rinehart wouldn’t identify the companies involved." Continued at:
http://www.businessweek.com/news/201...-update2-.html
Photos from:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/49889869@N07/