An informative article on the oil disaster

[JohnR]

More not good news:

Coast Guard officials said the heavy industrial oil that spilled from a barge late Sunday was "clumping together" Tuesday, making it difficult for recovery vessels to skim it off the surface.

"The skimming doesn't appear to be working for us," Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer Phyllis Gamache-Jensen said. Cool temperatures may have made the oil congeal. Water temperatures in the area have been in the 40s and air temperatures dipped to the mid-40s overnight.

Gamache-Jensen said skimming was suspended, but she could not say whether other cleanup operations were continuing.

News Channel 10's Larry Estepa reported the state is prepared to pursue damages against the barge's owner if it is found at fault for the spill.

"Anytime there is an oil spill, it is a real crisis. We have to be thorough in our investigation and make sure we pursue every avenue to be sure it doesn't happen again in the same way," said Ellen Roy-Herzfelder, the state's secretary of Environmental Affairs. "We correct the mistakes that we made and hold people's feet to the fire."

Estepa reported the oil has fouled 9 miles of shoreline.

Hickey said oil had been reported coming to shore on the west side of the bay in the area from the Mattapoisett-Fairhaven line to the Dartmouth-Westport line.

Hickey said officials were concerned that with a wind shift, some oil may begin washing up on east side of the bay. Hickey said there had been a report already of some oil in Falmouth. Steps had already been taken to protect sensitive areas in that area.

http://www.turnto10.com/news/2165745/detail.html