Oil

WASHINGTON - Plans to burn hundreds of thousands of gallons of oil from BP's blown-out well are raising new questions about the health and safety of the thousands of workers on rigs and vessels near the spill site. BP and the federal government are in new territory once again in dealing with the nation's worst environmental disaster: There has never been such a huge flaring of oil in the Gulf of Mexico, or possibly anywhere. The incineration of such huge amounts of oil combined with the black clouds of smoke already wafting over the gulf waters from controlled burns of surface oil create pollution hazards for the estimated 2,000 people working in the area.

GAS PRICES will never be what they used to be, we know that. Is it just coincidental that the fictional oil crunch just happens to coincide with the introduction of hybrid automobiles? If gas were so scarce, why hasn't SEPTA had a fare increase? Yet they were going to allow a strike over healthcare benefits, something they were already paying for. Darnell Perry Sr., Philadelphia

If you've been to a gas station lately, you have no doubt been shocked by the prices: $1.67, $1.78, even $1.92. And that's just for Hostess Twinkies. Gas prices are even worse. Americans are ticked off about this, and with good reason: Our rights are being violated! The First Amendment clearly states: "In addition to freedom of speech, Americans shall always have low gasoline prices, so they can drive around in 'sport utility' vehicles the size of minor planets. " And don't let any so-called "economists" try to tell you that foreigners pay more for gas than we do. Foreigners use metric gasoline, which is sold in foreign units called "kilometers," plus they are paying for it with foreign currencies such as the "franc," the "lira" and the "doubloon.

The drilling rig is coming to South Philadelphia. A contractor for the Sun Co. is expected to begin sinking test wells next week in the Passyunk Homes housing project to find out how far underground petroleum has spread from a nearby military supply base. The drilling will "bore far enough down to tell where the plume is likely to be," said Rob Goldberg, a spokesman for the Department of Environmental Protection. The immediate concern is the extent of contamination from the Defense Personnel Support Center, near the Schuylkill Expressway, rather than Sun's own property, where the company is cleaning up other plumes of oil. The base, Sun and the DEP have agreed on a need to pinpoint contamination in the area.

An 84-year-old woman died at a Burlington County hospital Monday night two days after drinking tiki torch lamp oil that she had mistaken for apple juice. Four other people across New Jersey have gotten sick since May from accidentally drinking the amber liquid, prompting state officials to issue a health alert yesterday about the hazards of ingesting it. Officials have urged people to keep tiki torch fluid far away from foods and common areas to avoid confusion. "Lamp oil bottles closely resemble juice containers and the colors of those fluids is indistinguishable from juice," said Bruce Ruck, spokesman for the state Poison Information and Education System.

It could be an oil-producing nation on the Persian Gulf: Oil taxes generate nearly 85 percent of government revenues. In the boom years, it launched scores of expensive projects - schools, roads, hospitals - all across what was once a wasteland. Now, the boom has fizzled. Per-capita income is down, and thousands of skilled workers from elsewhere are packing up to go home. Or, it could be an oil-dependent Latin American debtor nation: It owes nearly $1 billion, almost all of it due in 10 years or less.

Cleanup workers have blocked off three New Jersey creeks and are watching a wildlife refuge along the Delaware River for any signs of environmental damage from an oil spill at Wilmington. An estimated 10,000 gallons of lightweight oil and volatile chemicals gushed into the Christina River Wednesday night, forcing the Coast Guard to limit traffic on the Delaware and block off the Christina with floating booms. Booms also were placed yesterday across the entrances to Oldmans Creek, about five miles above the Christina, Raccoon Creek, about eight miles above, and the Salem Canal, just below it. Downriver, small streaks of oil stretched beyond New Castle, Del., to Pea Patch Island, near the Supawna Meadows National Wildlife Refuge in Salem County, N.J. "Down there, it was just a light sheen, so the impact there is probably going to be very minimal," said Coast Guard spokesman Gary Croot.

To me, the Arctic refuge represents everything spectacular and everything endangered about America's natural heritage: a million years of ecological serenity . . . an irreplaceable sanctuary for polar bears, white wolves and 130,000 caribou.. . .For 20,000 years - literally hundreds of generations - the native Gwich'in people have inhabited this sacred place, following the caribou herd and leaving the awe-inspiring landscape just as they found it. . . . It is a sad day indeed when our President and congressional leaders would sacrifice America's largest wildlife refuge for the sake of a possible six-month supply of national energy.

That's what I like," said Slats Grobnik, with a snort and a snicker. "I like a guy who doesn't make any snap decisions. " Who are you talking about? "Who else? Our new leader, the commander in chief, the great horseshoe player, President Bush. " What has brought on your sudden admiration? "Well, I just heard he said the big oil leak in Alaska is the oil company's fault, but he's going to send in troops to help clean it up anyway. " I think that is a decision we can all agree on. "Right, and what I like is he just didn't rush in there with any whatchacallits.

An underground plume of petroleum - for months a concern in South Philadelphia - reaches under part of the Passyunk Homes public housing project, recent tests have found. But as a nearby refinery and military base signed on for a cleanup, environmental officials said the oil 20 feet under the ground appeared to pose no immediate health threat to the project's 2,300 residents. A thick cover of earth blocks the escape of vapors, the Department of Environmental Protection said yesterday.

Oil tumbled below $90 a barrel in New York Wednesday, erasing gains through 2011, as U.S. supplies increased to a 22-year high and European leaders met to discuss the euro region's debt crisis. Futures fell 2.1 percent after the Energy Department said stockpiles rose 883,000 barrels to 382.5 million barrels last week. The European Union summit is the 18th since Greece was shaken by debt and the first since an anti-austerity campaign carried Francois Hollande to France's presidency.

"My first reaction was, ‘Wow, they're thinking outside the box.'?" — C. Alan Walker, an aide to Gov. Corbett, on Delta Air Lines' purchase of the ConocoPhillips refinery in Trainer, where the carrier intends to make its own jet fuel. "Acquiring the Trainer refinery is an innovative approach to managing our largest expense. " — Delta chief executive Richard Anderson, on the $150 million purchase. "They're really going to have to prove that they can start to monetize these 900 million users, not just in a desktop environment, but more importantly in a mobile environment, which is even more questionable.

Cheap labor in China helped make Apple Inc. the richest company in the world. But those days are nearing an end, says Marshall Mayer, veteran Wharton School management professor and regular visitor to America's top competitor. "Things are happening to drive up manufacturing costs in China," Mayer tells me. One, there's the "incipient labor shortage. " China (like Mexico, Brazil, and other fast-growing economies) temporarily benefited from the shift to small families, with more workers and fewer dependent seniors and babies.

The shaky future of the oil industry in the Philadelphia region took a turn for the better this week, as did the prospects for hundreds of workers whose jobs are linked to oil refineries along the Delaware River. In what proved to be a double-barreled announcement Monday of corporate takeovers, one unlikely savior literally swooped down from the clouds, as Delta Air Lines became the buyer of the ConocoPhillips refinery in Trainer. Given its limited presence at Philadelphia International Airport, Delta's move to lock up a reliable source of discounted jet fuel won't mean lower airfares locally.

Much as I love a big, beefy steak on the grill, sometimes I need something lighter. My new favorite is cauliflower — sliced into two thick "steaks. " In this recipe, I've topped them with poached eggs and truffle oil, creating a delicious sauce. Grilled Cauliflower Steaks With Poached Eggs and Truffle Oil Makes 2 servings 1 large head cauliflower Olive oil Salt, ground black pepper 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder Juice of 1/2 lemon 1 tablespoon vinegar 2 eggs Truffle oil (or truffle-flavored olive oil)

NEW ORLEANS - A BP engineer intentionally deleted more than 300 text messages that said the company's efforts to control the Gulf of Mexico oil spill were failing and that the amount of oil leaking was far more than what the company reported, the Justice Department said Tuesday. In the first criminal charges related to the deadly explosion on the Deepwater Horizon rig in April 2010, the Justice Department arrested Kurt Mix and charged him with two counts of obstruction of justice for allegedly destroying evidence sought by federal authorities, officials announced in a statement.

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour 1/2 cup pastry flour 1 cup sugar 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon Ener-G Egg Replacer (available at natural food stores) 2 tablespoons water 3/4 cup soy milk 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil 1 tablespoon rosemary, minced 1/4 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper Zest of 1 lemon, orange, or Meyer lemon 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly oil a 9-inch cake pan. 2. In a medium bowl, mix flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

WASHINGTON - President Obama pushed Congress Tuesday to give oil-market regulators more muscle to deter price manipulation by speculators, the latest White House response to determined Republican attacks on administration energy policies amid high gas prices at the pump. Obama wants Congress to strengthen federal supervision of oil markets, increase penalties for market manipulation, and empower regulators to increase the amount of money energy traders are required to put behind their transactions.

RUBKONA, South Sudan - Sudanese planes bombarded a disputed oil town near South Sudan's border on Saturday, a southern military official said, and a doctor said bombs aimed at sites in South Sudan's Unity State killed five people. Col. Philip Aguer said Saturday that villages near the disputed oil town of Heglig fell under aerial bombardment and that he expected ground fighting to resume "anytime" soon. Troops from South Sudan on Wednesday captured the oil-rich border town that is claimed by Sudan.

JUBA, South Sudan - After a day of fierce fighting, troops from South Sudan captured an oil-rich border town that has been claimed by Sudan, whose troops withdrew under the onslaught, a Sudanese government minister said Wednesday. The military advance by South Sudan into territory it claims but which is internationally recognized as Sudan's brought swift condemnation from the United States and Britain. Both nations, along with the U.N. Security Council, urged South Sudan to withdraw from the town of Heglig and condemned the bombings of South Sudan territory by Sudan.