Exxon, the multinational oil company you may recall from such hit environmental catastrophes as the Valdez and global warming, has agreed to pay $25 million toward cleaning up that huge underground oil plume that spans at least 55 acres of Greenpoint. The company, which rakes in somewhere in the neighborhood of $45 billion a year, reached a settlement with Attorney General Andrew Cuomo's office to make amends for the oil spill, which happened over the course of several decades when the company was doing business as Standard Oil. Perhaps 17 million gallons of oil was released in all, making it the second worst spill in U.S. history next to the summer's Gulf spill. But hey—$25 million! We're cool now, right? more ›

Due to the economic troubles following the oil spill in the Gulf Coast, many families have found themselves unable to afford to care for their dogs anymore. But what is their lost could be our gain, because there are now 107 dogs in New Jersey waiting to find new homes. The dogs were brought to St. Hubert’s Animal Welfare Center in Madison, NJ, and should be ready for adoptions after baths and chip implants by next week. more ›

After causing the worst ecological catastrophe in U.S. history, BP will receive a $10 billion tax credit from the U.S. Nice! Also, just a heads up, BP's outgoing CEO Tony Hayward has just slaughtered your family, set fire to your house, and defiled your disinterred grandmother's corpse. He'll be sending you a bill for his legal expenses. more ›

Rumors have swirled for weeks that BP was finally going to toss tone-deaf CEO Tony Hayward under the proverbial gas-guzzling bus, and despite numerous denials from the embattled oil giant, it looks like Hayward is finally getting his life back. The Wall Street Journal reports that Robert Dudley, an American oil executive who has been running BP’s Gulf Coast Restoration Organization, will replace Hayward, and ABC speculates that today could be Hayward's last day. more ›

The perfect (or terrible) storm of events that led to the April 20th explosion of the Deepwater Horizon rig just got even more tragic. The vessel's electrician, Michael Williams, testified yesterday that an alarm system that should have warned workers of danger had been disabled just before the explosion, which killed 11 and led to quite possibly the worst environmental disaster in the world. Williams said the automatic system had been switched off because they "did not want people woken up at 3 a.m. with false alarms." Because what's worse, having the deaths of 11 innocent workers on your conscience or knowing that you inconvenienced some workers with a few interrupted nights of sleep? more ›

After responding to the situation yesterday, the Coast Guard has finally released details on the oil spill off Valentino Pier in Red Hook, which was allegedly killing starfish along the shore. About 15 gallons of oil leaked into the water, spreading out 150 feet and tinging the water red. Residents could smell the oil all through the neighborhood, and one told the Daily News, "For this to happen, it's devastating." more ›

Whatever you do, don't call Tony Hayward. A tipster directed us to these photos, taken by redhookd, of a supposed oil spill off Valentino Pier in Red Hook. She writes, "The spill is in the water and at least 2 miles long. You can't even go there, the smell is terrible and you get headaches from it. People in Red Hook are extremely upset. There are dead starfish and other creatures washing up on the shore." It's believe the spill occurred some time last night; our tipster and others want "to get the word out so people and their dogs and kids stay away." more ›

After just 87 days, BP has fully contained the oil gushing out of a broken well in the Gulf of Mexico. Or so they say. After replacing an ill-fitting cap over the weekend with a newer, custom-fitted cap, BP claims that for the first time since 4/20, there is no oil leaking into the Gulf. The new top hat is a temporary solution until the oil well can be permanently sealed via relief wells which are being drilled toward the blown-out well. more ›

Last night Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino took a break from the GTL routine and dropped a little BP knowledge for Vulture. That is, after parroting back their question about the oil spill didn't make it go away, he was forced express his deep thoughts on the crisis in the Gulf. This all went down at Marquee, natch. more ›

Robot submarines were successful in securing Top Hat Number 10—a newer, tighter fitting cap on top of the oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico. Now the 150,000 pound cap will be put to the test, as pressure inside the well is measured to determine whether the cap can remain in place without causing the pipe to burst elsewhere. Don Van Nieuwenhuise, director of Professional Geosciences Programs at the University of Houston, told AP, "Rather than like a train running into a brick wall, it'll be more like putting the brakes on slowly. That's what they're aiming for. You can keep the brakes on and everyone arrives alive, or you hit the wall and have big problems." Especially all of these newly orphaned baby animals. more ›

Oil is back to gushing from broken pipe at the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico as BP removed a leaky containment cap to replace it with a new, better cap (they swear). If the new cap, named "Top Hat Number 10," works it could capture nearly all of the oil spilling from the leak. But like any of these attempts, it's not as easy as it looks. Coast Guard spokesman Capt. James McPherson said, "It's not just going to be, you put the cap on, it's done. It's not like putting a cap on a tube of toothpaste." It's more like Tetris. more ›

Moving to take advantage of a break in storms caused by Hurricane Alex, Coast Guard Commander Thad Allen announced today that tomorrow BP will try to replace the leaky containment cap over the broken oil well and replace it with a cap that could contain almost all of the gushing oil. If it works, they'll have done it in less than three months! "I use the word 'contained,' " Allen told reporters " 'Stop' is when we put the plug in down below." more ›

Gulf oil spill day 75: It's going farther than we thought. The latest NOAA findings show that the Florida Keys, Miami, and Fort Lauderdale have a 61%-80% chance of oil impact, thanks to the looming threat from the Loop Current. However, they insist that doesn't mean the oil will necessarily wash ashore. They say their findings mean "that oil or streamers or tar balls are likely to be in the general vicinity (within 20 miles of the coast)." Good news? more ›

Former Vice President Dick Cheney was hospitalized yesterday afternoon after "experiencing discomfort," according to the AP. It's unknown is Cheney's condition if related to his long history of heart issues (he was hospitalized in February for a fifth "mild" heart attack), but his spokesman Peter Long said the 69-year-old would probably remain at George Washington Hospital over the weekend. Fox News has a rundown of Cheney's health issues—he had his first heart attack at age 37. Recently, Cheney has slammed Obama for his oil spill response. more ›

The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico continues to wreak havoc upon wildlife, but news comes today that NYers won't have to worry about one comfort creature disappearing from their menus: shrimp. Despite concerns that the oil spill may hurt America's shrimp industry, it turns out that the vast majority of shrimp in NYC is imported from overseas. more ›

Well, the oil in the Gulf is already on its way to Pensacola and Cuba, and who knows, maybe Scotland? But Spirit Airlines wants you to know there's a different kind of oil in Ft. Lauderdale. (That is, until the spill hits the Loop Current.) Ads on their website invite travelers to check out the (tanning) oil on beaches in Atlantic City, San Juan and Cancun for $50 off! All while poking a little harmless fun at a horrific environmental catastrophe. Did the fees from carry on luggage pay for that brilliant ad campaign, or did their marketing department just hire Tony Hayward? [Via Deadspin] more ›

There is a chance, albeit a small one, that the Loop Current could carry oil from the Gulf spill around the tip of Florida and up to beaches as far as north as New York. We're really going to be steamed if this thing messes up P. Diddy's white party. more ›

The Coney Island Mermaid Parade marched down Surf Avenue yesterday, but this year the parade took on a different tone. As one sign put it: "Fuck You BP, Save the Mermaids." There was an element of protest at yesterday's parade, as some marchers and performers attempted to remind the audience that real marine life is in danger in the Gulf of Mexico. " Performance artist James (Tigger) Ferguson told the Daily News, "Today is a celebration of sea life trying to survive in the gulf. The Mermaid Parade is a celebration of marine life, mythical and real." more ›

Though the latest NOAA oil spill trajectory says oil is at least 100 miles off the shore of Florida, but this video from the Huffington Post begs to differ. Filmed just 20 miles southeast of Pensacola, the National Wildlife Federation found fish struggling to survive. They even spotted a blacktip shark, which is classified as a near-threatened species. more ›

This weekend, BP is rolling out the first of 32 machines sponsored by Kevin Costner that will use centrifugal force to separate the spilled oil from water. The "Ocean Therapy" machines can process up to 600,000 gallons a day (about 14,285 barrels). One government scientist estimates the current oil flow at about 100,000 barrels a day. more ›

[UPDATE BELOW] BP has tentatively agreed to set aside approximately $20 billion for a fund to pay claims for the Gulf oil spill. The fund will be run by Kenneth Feinberg, who specializes in mediation and dispute resolution. Feinberg served as "special master" for the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund, as well as cases involving compensation for victims of Agent Orange used in Vietnam, the Times reports. more ›

Remember last week when scientists estimated that twice as much oil was gushing into the Gulf as previously thought? It's actually twice as much as that. Maybe 60,000 barrels (2.5 million gallons) of oil a day are spewing from the broken well, and who knows—one scientist on the government’s Flow Rate Technical Group says it could be as much as 100,000 barrels a day, which is BP's own worst estimate. That's enough black gold for every dolphin, turtle, and walrus in the Gulf to pack up and move to Beverly. (Hills, that is.) They certainly can't stay here. Meanwhile, one Louisiana congressmen says BP execs should at least have the decency to commit ritual suicide. more ›

Responding to reports that BP was restricting media access to public beaches and other areas affected by the Gulf oil spill, BP Chief Operating Officer Doug Suttles said in a statement on June 9th: "BP has not and will not prevent anyone working in the the cleanup operations from sharing his or her own experiences and opinions." Two days later, a New Orleans-based TV News reporter tried to interview some clean-up workers on a public beach. Watch the infuriating video: more ›

During an Oval Office interview with Politico, President Obama compared the Gulf oil spill catastrophe to the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, saying, "In the same way that our view of our vulnerabilities and our foreign policy was shaped profoundly by 9/11, I think this disaster is going to shape how we think about the environment and energy for many years to come." OH, he said 9/11! So of course the Daily News had to ask relatives of 9/11 victims what they thought of the comparison. more ›

Protesters gathered at the New York Times building yesterday as part of a worldwide protest of BP, though from the looks of it not nearly as many showed up as they said they would on Facebook. Instead of the harassing another BP station owner, the protesters chose to rally outside the NYT building because the paper continued to run full-page BP ads in the wake of the oil spill. Organizer Lauren McGowan told NY1, "BP has spent $50 million on campaign ads for positive [public relations] and we feel that money really needs to be spent on protection." Join the club. more ›

With the US-UK World Cup match starting at 2:30 p.m. (EST) and BP's oily mess in the Gulf Coast, the Post decides, "It's the Revolutionary War, Round 2. While tens of millions settle in to watch England and the United States in their first match of the World Cup today, the leaders of the two testy allies will be butting heads over BP and the Gulf oil spill... The two teams have been bitter rivals in the past, but anger over the Gulf mess raises today's game to a new level." And a former British ambassador said "relations between the two countries are in 'a bit of a crisis.'" more ›

Today, 52 cities across 5 continents will be protesting BP, and will apparently be "wearing black and/or black ribbons to show solidarity, support and mourning for the Gulf and the folks who live, eat, sleep and work there." The New York City protest will be meeting outside the New York Times building at 11 a.m., a location chosen "because of full page ads run by BP’s money wasting PR team in The New York Times as well as other major media outlets." Looks like those apology ads really aren't working! The Facebook event also asks protesters to "please make sure all words on the signs are spelled correctly." more ›

You know, instead of running around blaming BP, maybe everyone should just take a deep breath and remember that BP didn't intend to cause the worst oil spill in history. As Mayor Bloomberg pointed out in his weekly radio address this morning, "The guy that runs BP didn't exactly go down there and blow up the well." So he says it's a little premature that "we're going after the heads of some of these companies... If you want him to fix it and they're the only ones with the expertise, I think I might wait to look, assign blame. There's got to be somebody that's culpable in everything. C'mon." In other words, if we all tried being a little nicer to BP, maybe they'd plug the damn leak. more ›