Researchers: BP and USgovt withholding information about oil spill

Oil and gas stream from the larger of two existing leaks on the riser of the Deepwater Horizon well on May 11. Footage taken by BP Rov on May 11th. This is the main leak that is causing the problem and the natural gas now mixed with the oil as it leaks out is said to be slowing the spillage a bit.

Travis Griggs
Researchers from universities across Florida claim they are being locked out of Gulf oil spill response efforts by BP and state and federal agencies.

Since the April 20 spill, BP and government agencies have hampered their efforts to secure information about the spill and scientific data, such as water oil samples, collected during response efforts, the academics said.

"We're throwing this open for the scientific discourse, and right now, we're not getting a heck of a lot of information about what's going on out there," said Florida State University Associate Vice President for Research W. Ross Ellington. "If we, the scientists, are not getting much information ... we know the public isn't getting information."

On Tuesday, Frank T. Brogan, chancellor of the State University System of Florida, and Ellington visited the University of West Florida to speak with faculty members and discuss difficulties the university has faced while preparing for the oil spill.

"Public access is a problem," Brogan said. "The inability to acquire data from the organizations involved in this can be frustrating."

During their day-long visit, Brogan and Ellington were briefed by university faculty members and researchers, including Richard Snyder, director of the UWF Center for Environmental Diagnostics and Bioremediation.
Shut out of data

Snyder voiced frustration about the difficulties he's faced while trying to get cooperation from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and other agencies monitoring the environmental effects of the spill.

"They won't even tell us where they're sampling, none the less what they're sampling or testing for," Snyder said.

Snyder said he has made multiple attempts to coordinate with official response agencies, including offers to use university equipment and expertise to do water quality samples in the Gulf, but so far, all of his offers have been declined.

Last week, after multiple failed attempts at soliciting information from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, UWF researchers independently set up four water and sand sampling sites on Pensacola Beach.

"We reached the point where we decided we had to do something," Snyder said.

University researchers will maintain the sites for at least 10 weeks, or until they run out of money, Snyder said.
Academic task force

The Florida university system recently created the Oil Spill Academic Task Force — which Ellington called a "clearinghouse" of more than 14 public and private Florida universities that want to take an active role in researching and responding to the oil spill.

"We're not here to set policy. We're not here to say, 'This is what you should do.' We're here to be a resource for the local, federal and state agencies," said Ellington, who is chair of the task force.

Brogan said that by forming the task force, Florida universities can use their collective political and scientific clout to increase the flow of public information and be allowed to contribute to the response process.

"You bring together all that talent and genius and all those resources and it's difficult to be denied a seat at the table," Brogan said. "By organizing, it's our hope that we can make a difference in this spill and the aftermath by creating one loud voice."

UWF at 'ground zero'

Brogan, who served as the lieutenant governor of Florida from 1999 to 2003, said he planned to use political channels to help get researchers access to data and other information about the oil spill response process.

"This whole thing strings on data at the end of the day. Without the data, we don't know how to deal with the spill. We don't know where it's going. We don't know the potential volatility it has when it makes landfall. We don't understand what the air quality, the water quality, the quality of marine life is," Brogan said.

Snyder said in addition to providing expertise, independent academic involvement would provide objective analysis and validation of BP and government research.

"If BP comes out with a study or the EPA or NOAA come out with a study, there's a bowl of scientists here to look at the report and provide the State of Florida with an objective evaluation," Snyder said.

University President Judy Bense accompanied Brogan during his visit and said it was reassuring to know UWF concerns are being heard in Tallahassee.

"By seeing the chancellor coming here ... he's telling me he's got my back, and I'm telling him that I need my back covered," Bense said.

Bense said the university has offered up researchers, facilities, housing, and other resources, and is prepared to aid in oil spill research and response efforts in any way it can.

After visiting one of the university's water sampling locations on Pensacola Beach Tuesday, Brogan said UWF is positioned to play a key role in oil spill recovery and research efforts.

"They're the javelin tip on this thing. They're not only looking into the issue ... they're on the ground at ground zero," Brogan said.