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BP was forced to defend its chief executive on Monday after Russia’s deputy PM said he expected Tony Hayward to resign soon, while a tropical storm threatened oil spill cleanup efforts in the Gulf of Mexico.
BP said Hayward remained CEO and no change was under discussion after Igor Sechin said he expected Hayward to resign and that Russian officials would be told the name of his successor in Moscow on Monday. Get the full story »
BP said Monday it has spent about $2.65 billion responding to the massive oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. The price tag includes “the cost of the spill response, containment, relief well drilling, grants to the Gulf states, claims paid, and federal costs,” the company said on its website.
The Gulf oil spill is forcing the removal of oysters from Red Lobster’s menu.
A Franklin, La., processing plant that provided Darden Restaurants with oysters for its Red Lobster chain shut down last week because it was unable to maintain its supply. AmeriPure Processing Co.’s co-owner and founder said the closure could last through October. Get the full story »
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has delayed until Oct. 1 the date by which contractors must be certified to safely remodel homes built before 1978 that may contain lead paint.
The Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting Rule, which involved specific safety precautions and criteria for contractor certification, took effect April 22. The agency has faced criticism for more than a year from remodelers’ trade groups that argued there was not adequate time to get firms certified.
Get the full story »
BP removed Chief Executive Tony Hayward from day-to-day oversight of the Gulf oil spill crisis a day after he was pummeled by lawmakers in an appearance on Capitol Hill, the company’s chairman said Friday.
Carl-Henric Svanberg told Britain’s Sky News television that Hayward “is now handing over the operations, the daily operations to [BP Managing Director] Bob Dudley,” overshadowing news that after many setbacks BP was finally making real progress in siponing and burning off oil from the underwater gusher. Get the full story »
Reuters | BP Plc is ahead of schedule on drilling a pair of relief wells to
eventually stop its gushing oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico, but the top
U.S. official overseeing the spill response said on Thursday the company
still expects to finish them in August.
Meanwhile BP said that its dual oil-handling system collected 14,750
barrels of oil and burned off another 3,850 barrels on Wednesday.
Actor Kevin Costner testified on the Gulf oil spill last week before the House Science and Technology Committee. (AFP/Getty Images)
From ABC News | As part of its growing arsenal to fight the Gulf oil spill, BP has contracted with actor Kevin Costner and Ocean Therapy Solutions to uses their centrifuge machines that separate oil from the water.
Get the full story: abcnews.com
Associated Press | Home furnishings retailer Ikea plans to start
pulling incandescent light bulbs from its U.S. stores starting in
August.
Ikea says that it hopes to have all incandescent bulbs
out of its U.S. stores by Jan. 1, in favor of other longer-lasting
bulbs.
From The New York Times | The heads of the world’s largest oil companies are facing a Congressional panel on Tuesday, and they will try to cast the BP spill as a rare event that their companies are not likely to repeat. In prepared remarks, the executives said that continued offshore drilling is essential to American oil and gas supplies.
Get the full story: nytimes.com.
By Julie Johnsson | Online travel agency Orbitz is offering to refund lodging costs for
Florida travelers with standalone hotel reservations if a beach at their
destination is closed due to the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.
The “Open Beach Guarantee,” rolled out Monday by Chicago-based Orbitz
Worldwide, is one of the first broad initiatives aimed at addressing the
steep drop-off in tourism to the gulf region as a result of the BP
environmental disaster.
The guarantee applies to about 100 coastal hotels in Florida, but may be
expanded to other states, and is aimed providing some assurance to
travelers hesitant to vacation along Florida’s coasts, said Orbitz
spokesman Brian Hoyt.
An aerial view of a crew cleaning the oil-swamped marshes off the coast of Louisiana on May 27, 2010. (Reuters)
From CNN | The bad news is: Things in the Gulf of Mexico could get a whole lot worse.
So far, the leaking BP well has spewed out as much as 630,000 barrels, making it the worst oil spill in U.S. history.
BP continues to try ad-hoc fixes, which have included filling the hole with bits of old tires and placing an upside down funnel over it. On Thursday night, the company said it had put a cap on the ruptured well in an attempt to channel the oil to a tanker on the surface.
By Julie Wernau | Ten 100-watt incandescent light bulbs, burning four hours a day,
replaced by ten 100-watt compact fluorescent light bulbs, burning four
hours a day: How much can you save over a year?
No need to do the
math. An online tool introduced Wednesday by the Citizens Utility Board
does it for you; the answer is $241. CUB Energy Saver automatically
links to your Commonwealth Edison bill to track savings, rewards your
energy savvy with points redeemable for gift certificates and lets you
compete against your neighborhood, friends — heck, even enemies.
Associated Press | More than 40 major retailers and apparel
makers have agreed to limit the use of lead in handbags and other
fashion accessories, an environmental group said Wednesday.
The companies will set new industry standards for lead use in their
products as part of a $1.7 million settlement filed Tuesday in Alameda
County Superior Court in California.
By Mary Ellen Podmolik
| The ivy-covered outfield walls aren’t the only green at Wrigley Field.
Four companies and the Chicago Cubs announced a recycling initiative at the ballpark Wednesday that is expected to save about 165,000 pounds of cardboard and plastic materials from landfills.
By Mary Ellen Podmolik | Among large metropolitan areas,
Chicago isn’t doing well in the survival of the fittest.
A fitness index performed by the American College of Sports Medicine
ranked Chicago No. 33 among the 50 largest metropolitan areas when it
comes to residents’ health, fitness and the infrastructure that
encourages such a lifestyle. Last year, Chicago at least was in the top
half, but just barely, having ranked No. 25.
