Via Lee Camp: Aerial footage of Arkansas Tar Sands Oil spill.
There are more photos from National Geographic here.
Seems Exxon has some job openings for more people to toss paper towels into the tar sands. From Craigslist:
Oil Spill Cleanup (Mayflower)
Need 40 HR Hazmat trained laborers. Emergency cleanup of oil.Location: Mayflower
Compensation: Contract / OT.
This is a contract job.
Principals only. Recruiters, please don't contact this job poster.
Please, no phone calls about this job!
Please do not contact job poster about other services, products or commercial interests.
What, no experience necessary? Temporary work. Pathetic that Exxon doesn't have experienced specialists in their employ. There certainly isn't a shortage of work cleaning up after this industry. This doesn't inspire much confidence for me as far as what to expect from the quality of the clean up efforts by Exxon...not that I had high expectations to begin with.
Oil-covered wildlife (Not all survived) from the Mayflower area is keeping the volunteers with the Helping Arkansas Wild Kritters (HAWK) Center busy:
"That is oil," Slater said, holding her hand out covered in dark liquid. "That's all oil he [the duck] just pooped. It's going through is GI tract. That's what we have to be on the look out for right now."
It's been an exhausting three days as the first of the animals began to be delivered to the rehabilitation center, but Slater said it's well worth it, especially considering the alternative.
"It feels good to be able to give back to these animals that would have no chance at all ," she said.
The job of washing and treating these animals isn't easy or inexpensive.
"It certainly does cost a great deal more than just some dish soap," she said. "The cost of each bird can go up in the thousands, when you think about food, electricity, and medical treatment."
There's also video with the Hawk Center article that gives a good look at the work involved with treating these birds and other wildlife.
Wildlife paying the price for Exxon tar sands pipeline rupture in Arkansas. Image via the HAWK Center.
The employees of Wildlife Response Services (WRS) are busy as they join in the efforts to assist in rescuing wildlife in the area. WRS is based out of Texas and its crews specialize in wildlife care following oil spills. They arrived Tuesday near Lake Conway to operate an on-site rehab center:
All wildlife response efforts will now take place at the on-site rehab center. If you come across an animal affected by the spill, officials say you should not attempt to capture or transport it. Instead call the hotline at 1-800-876-9291. You're also asked not to touch the animals to avoid contamination.
On Tuesday, Arkansas made a wise move in launching their own investigation into the Exxon pipeline rupture that dumped thousands of gallons of toxic tar sands oil, and forced the evacuation of an entire subdivision in the area.
Arkansas Attorney General Dustin McDaniel asked Exxon to preserve all documents and information related to Friday's spill and ongoing recovery at the site in Mayflower, Ark., about 20 miles northeast of Little Rock.
"This incident has damaged private property and Arkansas's natural resources. Homeowners have been forced from their homes," McDaniel said in a statement. Asking Exxon to secure the documents is the "first step in determining what happened and preserving evidence for any future litigation," he said.
Exxon spokeswoman Kim Jordan said the company will "cooperate fully" with any investigation.
But will they actually cooperate? Money should be no object for them with their record profits, and afterall, contaminating the pristine Yellowstone River only cost them $1.7 million in fines by regulators.
As Susie reported earlier today, Exxon has been exempt from paying into the cleanup fund for their pipeline spill. Reacting to public criticism, Exxon Mobil officials have said that the company will pay for all of the cleanup costs associated with last week's oil spill in central Arkansas.
Ben Jervey of Desmogblog says Exxon's history suggests they can't be trusted to clean up their mess.
And as if the media hasn't had enough difficulty getting access to the area of the Mayflower tar sands spill, now this:
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)has had a "no fly zone" in place in Mayflower, Arkansas since April 1 at 2:12 PM and will be in place "until further notice," according to the FAA website and it's being overseen by ExxonMobil itself. In other words, any media or independent observers who want to witness the tar sands spill disaster have to ask Exxon's permission.
For more on this topic:
Exxon's Pegasus Tar Sands Pipeline Ruptures in Central Arkansas
Exxon Pipeline Dumps 84K Gallons of Tar Sands Oil in Arkansas
