It’s been more than a month since BP’s Deepwater Horizon rig keeled over and started introducing massive underground oil reserves to the Gulf of Mexico. Since then, we’ve been treated to a dizzying round of blame displacement and increasingly desperate (not to mention ineffective) attempts to stop the gushers. And it’s been fun, really it has. Especially when this guy was helping to run things.

But it’s getting to a point where BP’s approaches to plugging the leak have begun to resemble the product of a bunch of sleep-deprived, coke-fueled execs locked in a conference room with a bunch of Mad Libs. Today’s attempt is called a “top kill,” but it’s not nearly as awesome as it sounds; the general plan is to pour massive amounts of sludge over the leak like so much fondant over a spoiled cake. Of course, this method has never been tried before at such depths and there’s no guarantee it will work. Seriously, did every BP exec graduate from the Death Star School of Engineering? Nothing is too big to fail. Maybe you should have some backup plans in place before things start exploding.

The question many are asking now, including Florida Senator Bill Nelson, is whether the government can do any better. Sen. Nelson appeared on CNN Wednesday morning and called for the Obama administration to “completely take over” relief work if the problem wasn’t resolved that day. The federal government has already released tens of thousands of workers and over one thousand ships to assist BP in its efforts, but it hasn’t yet gotten involved in planning and directing any cleanup. Democratic politico/30 Rock guest star James Carville called the government’s approach to the spill “hands off” and echoed Nelson’s request to “get down here and take control of this.”

Even the Audobon Society is getting in on it, signing a petition asking President Obama to “protect the affected communities” on the Gulf Coast and “mobilize the resources of the federal government to address and contain the spill.” Earlier this week Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced he didn’t believe that BP officials “know exactly what they’re doing” and threatened to “push them out of the way” if they continue to miss deadlines.

Whether this was an actual promise or a scare tactic to encourage BP to work a little harder remains to be seen. There’s no question that BP has botched cleanup efforts at almost every turn, consistently under-reporting the rate of oil leakage and promising dramatic results with increasingly harebrained and ineffective solutions. The question isn’t “Has BP done a terrible job responding to the oil spill?” (because, um, yes) but “How can the government do better?”

The Clean Water Act makes it the president’s responsibility to “ensure effective and immediate removal of a discharge… of oil or a hazardous substance.” But does the Coast Guard have more resources than BP? So far, there’s no clear answer. Meanwhile, the Gulf continues changing color.

Of course, if the “sludge attack” attempt at containment fails too, the Coast Guard might start looking pretty good.

Image: mikebaird

The post This Week in Trying Your Very Best with Oil Spill Cleanups appeared first on EcoSalon.

If this nasty rust is what toxic Chinese-made wallboard can do to your home’s pipes, imagine what it can do to your own.

More about that will become known when the Senate subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety and Insurance opens a long-awaited congressional hearing today (May 21) on the defective product, which is being linked to health problems. Subcommittee member U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla. has been pushing for the hearing for several weeks.

“We now know there are three things in there that aren’t in other drywall samples. We’ve got the what, and now we need the why and how do we fix it?” said Nelson.

The Palm Beach Post reported that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sent letters this month to the Florida Department of Health and the Department of Homeland Security revealing the results of tests done on four samples of American and two samples of Chinese wallboard.

Chinese samples showed to be 83 parts per million and 119 parts per million of sulfur. Sulfur was not found in any of the American samples. Also, a metal analysis found the presence of strontium at significantly higher levels than in the American samples. Strontium sulfide is known to emit corrosive gases in moist air.

Two organic compounds, which are found in acrylic paints, were also found in the foreign product and not in the domestic wallboard.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other federal agencies are investigating complaints that the drywall is causing health problems. So far, the Florida Health Department has told homeowners more testing is needed to link the drywall to ailments.

For now, builders are the ones taking the heat for the wallboard installed in thousands of Florida homes and in other states between 2000 and 2008. Lawsuits have been filed by homeowners stuck with a product that emits sulfuric odors and gases responsible for corroding electrical wiring, air conditioning components, bathroom fixtures such as toilet handles and silver jewelry.

During a different Senate subcommittee meeting this week on how to hold foreign manufacturers accountable, a Mobile, Ala.-based home builder shared his problems with Chinese drywall and the difficulties he’s had getting a response. Chuck Stefan of The Mitchell Company argued no one has helped to find a solution to the mess, or even called him back about the crisis.

Did builders have any way to know the Chinese-made product was yet another defective import from the people who bought us toxic toys and tainted milk? If not, I don’t see how they can be blamed. For the sake of our health and well being it’s time to stop importing from China.

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