Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Cost of the BP Oil Spill

The cost to clean up an oil spill is a function of many factors, including economic losses, environmental damage, and legal fees. Many of the costs come from cleanup personnel and the opportunity costs as employees focus on spill-related objectives, rather than their usual duties. Additional costs which might be overlooked include things such as regulatory and permitting changes, and capital investment costs as new equipment is purchased.

As of 22 July, the BP Oil Spill was between 50.7 and 145 million gallons of crude oil, or between 1.21 and 3.45 million barrels. Using the Oil Spill Cost Calculator, which was developed at Texas A&M University by Kartik Gandhi and Vijay Chennoju, I estimated that the cost of cleanup is between $7.6 billion and $43.5 billion. These estimates are based on a simple cost ratio and may not account for many economic and environmental losses, including adverse impacts on tourism, commercial fisheries, recreational and entertainment services, and others.



Sources:
NYT Oil Spill Tracker
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/05/01/us/20100501-oil-spill-tracker.html

Professor Hann's Oil Spill Technology Page
https://ceprofs.civil.tamu.edu/rhann/index1.asp

ESTIMATING CLEANUP COSTS FOR OIL SPILLS
Dagmar Etkin, Oil Spill Intelligence Report, Cutter Information Corp., Arlington, Massachusetts, U.S.
http://www.environmental-research.com/erc_papers/ERC_paper_1.pdf

Thursday, July 22, 2010

CCA Ceviche

1 pound medium shrimp, tails removed & deveined

½ cup fresh orange juice (1 large)

¼ cup fresh lime juice (1 large)

1 serrano chili, diced

½ cup red onion, diced

2 cups watermelon, cubed

1 mango, cubed

3-4 mint leaves, cut into thin strips

2 tlbs. orange zest

1 tlbs. grated ginger

Coarse sea salt

Coarse black pepper



Bring 1 quart pot of salted water to a boil and add shrimp. Turn off the heat & let the shrimp sit in the hot water until cooked thru, 2-3 minutes. This ensures the shrimp will stay tender. Drain the water & place shrimp in a large bowl. Add the citrus juices & diced serrano. Cover and marinate at least 15 minutes.



Pour off most of the juices & add the watermelon, mango, red onion, & mint. Toss lightly. Add the ginger, the orange zest, and top with the salt & pepper immediately before serving. Garnish with a sprig of mint and lime wedge.



Serves 4-6


Source:
CCA Tide magazine July/Aug 2010
Julie Hettiger, Food Stylist & Culinary Consultant
Juliehettiger.com