he’ll never stand up to big oil!

The Hill: The Obama administration said Friday that a massive pipeline carrying oil across much of the United States must remain shut down until federal regulators are satisfied that it can operate without future leaks. TransCanada’s Keystone pipeline leaked twice last month, fueling opposition to a pending expansion of the project, which is undergoing a wide-ranging federal review.

The Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) issued a “corrective action order” Friday informing TransCanada that it must take a series of steps before resuming normal operations at the pipeline, which runs from Canada to Oklahoma.

“After evaluating the foregoing preliminary findings of fact, I find that the continued operation of the pipeline without corrective measures would be hazardous to life, property and the environment,” Jeffrey Wiese, PHMSA’s associate administrator for pipeline safety, said in the order.

…The order comes at a politically sensitive time for TransCanada. The company is seeking federal approval to expand its Keystone pipeline to carry Canadian oil sands from Alberta to Texas … Environmental groups have mounted a campaign against the Keystone XL project, arguing that it puts the country at risk of major oil spills ….the oil industry and some Republicans have been strong advocates for the approval Keystone XL…..

More here

Thank you Jovie

this a big ****ing lovely deal

The Justice Department sued BP, Transocean and three other companies involved in the oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico on Wednesday, charging that they broke environmental laws.

The Obama administration is suing the companies “for the impact this spill has had on our environment and the livelihoods of those who depend on the Gulf’s ecosystem,” Lisa Jackson, the head of the Environmental Protection Agency, said at a press conference.

The Justice Department’s civil and criminal investigations into the oil leak are continuing, said Attorney General Eric Holder. “We intend to hold them fully accountable for their violations of the law,” he said of the companies in the suit.

progress

about time too

The new containment cap is pictured during ‘well integrity testing’ in this image captured from a BP live video on July 15, 2010. BP Plc conducted pressure tests on its blown-out Gulf of Mexico well on Thursday and said no oil was leaking into the ocean for the first time since the accident began in April.

flotus in florida

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

… on a visit to Panama City Beach, Florida to discuss the impact of the BP oil leak on local communities. July 12, 2010

so sorry, bp

mississippi, alabama, florida

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

June, 2010

White House photos

kickin’ ass

NBC Nightly News, June 7, 2010

come what may

a month in the life – may, 2010

… before giving the University of Michigan commencement address in Ann Arbor May 1

… exiting the stage with University of Michigan president Mary Sue Coleman, May 1

… being briefed on the BP oil spill aboard Air Force One en route to New Orleans, May 2

… talking with Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal after arriving in New Orleans, May 2

… talking with Thad Allen and Bobby Jindal aboard Marine One, May 2

… being briefed on the BP oil spill by U.S. Coast Guard Commandant Admiral Thad Allen, May 3

… discussing the pending Supreme Court nomination with staff in the Rose Garden, May 6

… talking on the phone with German Chancellor Angela Merkel to discuss the economic situation in Europe, prior to the Hampton University commencement, May 9

… waiting in the Blue Room of the White House, May 10, prior to the announcement of Solicitor General Elena Kagan as his choice to replace retiring Justice John Paul Stevens in the Supreme Court

… with Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai following their working lunch, May 12

… at Duff’s Famous Wings in Cheektowaga, N.Y., May 13

… walking from Marine One to the motorcade at the Wall Street landing zone in New York, May 13

… during a meeting on the BP oil spill in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, May 14

… greeting workers during a shift change at V&M Star in Youngstown, Ohio, May 18

…  hosting Mexican President Felipe Calderón and his wife, Margarita Zavala, at the White House, May 19

… discussing G20 goals and strategy with staff in the Situation Room, May 20

… delivering remarks on Wall Street reform legislation in the Rose Garden, May 20

… greeting guests after signing a Presidential Memorandum in the Rose Garden, May 21

… boarding Marine One en route to West Point, N.Y., May 22

… at Michie Stadium in West Point, N.Y., May 22

… looking at a gift saber aboard Marine One, with Trip Director Marvin Nicholson, following the West Point commencement, May 22

… delivering remarks during a reception for members of the Federal Judge Association in the Grand Foyer of the White House, May 24

… meeting with Prime Minister Saad Hariri of Lebanon in the Oval Office, May 24

… with Grand Isle Mayor David Camardelle during a briefing on the BP oil spill at the U.S. Coast Guard Station in Grand Isle, La., May 28

… being briefed by Thad Allen aboard Marine One en route to Port Fourchon, Louisiana, May 28

… looking at the effect the BP oil spill is having on Fourchon Beach in Port Fourchon, La., May 28

… flying over southern Louisiana after visiting Grand Isle, May 28

… pausing after laying a wreath at Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery in Elwood, Ill., on Memorial Day, May 31

… at the Memorial Day ceremony at Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery, Elwood, Ill., May 31

… speaking to people aboard a bus after the Memorial Day ceremony in Elwood was cancelled because of severe weather, May 31

… meeting with advisors before a phone call in the Oval Office with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, May 31

All official White House photos

leaving louisiana

President Obama walks up the stairs prior to departing on Air Force One at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport in New Orleans, Louisiana, June 4, 2010