Today’s Climate: June 9, 2010

BP Spill Response Plans Severely Flawed (AP)

BP’s 582-page regional spill plan for the Gulf and its 52-page site plan for the Deepwater Horizon rig are riddled with omissions and glaring errors, according to an AP analysis that details how BP officials have pretty much been making it up as they go along.

Support for U.S. Climate Regulation Growing: Poll (Reuters)

A growing number of Americans want the U.S. to regulate greenhouse gas emissions as the largest oil spill in U.S. history helps boost interest in petroleum alternatives, a poll by two universities found on Tuesday.

Rockefeller Signals Support to Overturn Greenhouse Gas Curbs (Wall Street Journal)

Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D., W.Va.) on Tuesday broke ranks with Democratic party leaders and indicated that he would support an effort by Senate Republicans to overturn new rules to curb greenhouse gases.

White House Eyes Veto if Senate Curbs EPA Climate Power (AP)

The White House on Tuesday threatened to veto a Republican-led effort to stop the EPA from carrying out regulations controlling greenhouse gases.

Graham Says He Won’t Vote for the Climate Bill He Wrote (Grist) 

Lindsey Graham, an original cosponsor of the Senate climate bill who has been backing away from that legislation for a while, is now saying he would vote against it, citing changes in the bill that would restrict offshore drilling.

Plumes of Oil Deep in Gulf Have Spread Far, Tests Find (New York Times)

The government and university researchers confirmed Tuesday that plumes of dispersed oil were spreading far below the ocean surface from the leaking well in the Gulf of Mexico, raising fresh concern about the potential impact of the spill on sea life.

Interior Issues New Oil-and-Gas Drilling Safety Requirements (The Hill)

The Interior Department on Tuesday issued a notice to oil-and-gas producers that spells out new safeguards that must accompany offshore drilling in deep and shallow waters, including third-party verification that blowout prevention devices are operating properly. 

Feds Knew of Gulf Spill Risks in 2000, Document Shows (McClatchy Newspapers)  

A decade ago, U.S. government regulators warned that a major deepwater oil spill could start with a fire on a drilling rig, prove hard to stop and cause extensive damage to fish eggs and wetlands because there were few good ways to capture oil underwater.

Federal Government Loses a Battle Against a Massey Mine in Virginia (Washington Post)

A federal judge ruled Tuesday that a Massey Energy coal mine with one of the highest safety violation and injury rates in the nation did not commit enough serious safety violations to qualify for a special enforcement program that could lead to a shutdown.

Economist Says Oil Spill Helps Renewable Fuels (Reuters)

Renewable fuels like corn-based ethanol will get a boost as the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico feeds worries by Americans about long-term dependence on oil, a top U.S. private agricultural economist said on Tuesday.

10 Eastern States Join Wind Energy Consortium (AP)

The governors of 10 East Coast states have joined federal authorities to form a consortium that will promote the development of offshore wind energy.

Trade, Human Rights Seen Aiding UN Climate Deal (Reuters)

A planned U.N. climate deal might adapt systems for monitoring trade or human rights as models to check up on poor nations’ curbs on greenhouse gases, Mexico’s climate chief said. 

Copenhagen Adopts a Mandatory Green Roof Policy (Inhabit) 

As part of its overall strategy to become a carbon neutral city by 2025, Copenhagen has become the first Scandanavian city to adopt a policy that requires green roofs for all new buildings with roof slopes of less than 30 degrees.

Total, Abengoa to Build UAE Solar Power Plan (Reuters)

Spain’s Abengoa and the United Arab Emirates’s Masdar will build a 10-MW concentrated solar power plant southwest of Abu Dhabi, Masdar said in a statement on Wednesday.

Snakes May Be in Decline Worldwide: Study (AFP) 

Distinct populations of snake species on three continents have crashed over the last decade, raising fears that the reptiles may be in global decline from climate changes, according to a study published Wednesday.