Blog
The Story of a Boat Captain who Worked on the BP Spill — Frank M. Howell
Frank M. Howell began working as a boat captain on the BP oil spill in May 2010. “We’d have a safety meeting every morning, which was very basic information… It was just more or less: Be safe, don’t get in the water, don’t get the stuff on you.” During the long and hot days…
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What the Ohio Train Derailment and the BP Oil Spill Have in Common
Thirteen years after the BP oil spill, lessons learned from this disaster could help save lives in the aftermath of the East Palestine train disaster. By Riki Ott, Director of the ALERT Project. The Northern Suffolk (NS) disaster response in East Palestine, Ohio, is playing out with frustrating similarity to the BP Deepwater Horizon…
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The Guardian: They cleaned up BP’s massive oil spill. Now they’re sick – and want justice
Today, on the thirteenth anniversary of the BP oil Spill, The Guardian published an in-depth piece on the human health crisis that was left in the wake of the disaster.
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Tampa Bay Times: Florida workers got sick after Deepwater Horizon oil spill. They want BP to pay.
Tampa Bay Times reports on the more than 5,000 lawsuits filed in federal courts in Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi and Florida.
Read MorePetition to OSHA calls for the critical protection of oil spill workers
For Immediate Release Contact: Riki Ott, ALERT Project, 206-853-2855, [email protected] Labor and Health Advocates and Tribal Emergency Management Councils Call for OSHA to Protect Oil Spill Workers OSHA’s reporting standards keep symptoms of toxic exposure from being recorded BERKELEY, CA (February 13, 2023) — Today, in an act of solidarity, labor, commercial…
Read MoreCourt case piques Congressional interest and oversight / EPA’s second status report reveals intent to finalize rule without current science
July 28, 2022. U.S. Senator Markey and U.S. Representatives Barragán and Khanna sent an oversight letter to EPA, urging it to update and strengthen its proposed rule on dispersant use before finalizing it based on current science. The letter states, “New scientific research has demonstrated an urgent need for stronger regulations that better reflect the…
Read MoreALERT requests Letter of Interpretation for OSHA cold/flu exemption
July 7, 2022. ALERT requested a letter of interpretation from OSHA of 1904.5(b)(2)(viii), an exemption to recording and reportability of an illness, which states an employer is “not required to record illnesses or injuries if… [t]he illness is the common cold or flu.” Specifically, ALERT asked how OSHA determines whether the common cold and flu is the source of an…
Read MoreALERT petitions EPA to supplement its 2015 proposed rule with current science
June 23, 2020. An ALERT coalition of individuals, environmental justice, and climate justice groups took action to step up pressure on EPA to ensure that the regulatory process considers the new data and information. The coalition petitioned EPA to supplement its 2015 proposed rule with current science before finalizing the rule in May 2023.…
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EPA reply to September 2021 letter inspires no confidence
May 16, 2022. Nearly six months after receiving a coalition letter from ALERT, EPA replied, stating that the agency and Dept. of Justice decided not to appeal the federal district court decision and that it “is working through its action development process to ensure a final rule” by the court-ordered deadline of View EPA’s…
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EPA’s first status report fails to report on key issue
February 2, 2022. EPA’s first status report fails to provide an update on one of the key arguments it used in court to delay the final rule until 2023. Over a year ago on May 20, 2021, EPA told the court that the oil industry had blocked access to the reference oils that EPA needed…
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