While the Deepwater Horizon BP oil spill is nearing its end, so long as the "bottom kill" procedure ensures that the well will be permanently closed, the oil and chemical dispersant could affect the Gulf's food chain "for years to come."
Scientists will focus on the crab because they are a "keystone species" and "play a crucial role in the food web as both predator and prey." "As adults, they live the the Gulf's bays and estuaries amid marshes that offer protection and abundant food and they "provide sustenance for a variety of wildlife, from redfish to raccoons and whooping cranes." Females, however, lay their eggs in "areas where estuaries meet the open sea" and many of the 3 million eggs from a single female are eaten by predators.
The Wall Street Journal reports that "the Obama administration and BP PLC are close to a deal to use future revenues from the oil giant's Gulf of Mexico operations to guarantee its $20 billion cleanup and compensation fund." Officials are still discussing how BP will guarantee the $20 billion. BP has said that it expects to make the payments "through its ongoing operations and asset sales," but administration officials want "security in the form of collateral."
To read the Associated Press story, click here.
To read the Wall Street Journal story, click here.
Posted: 08/10/2010
