other oil explosions and destruction by the oil companies

since doing research on the catastrophe events in the gulf , i,ve come across so much destruction caused by the oil and gas companies of many other counties, cultures, oceans that i feel so strongly that they just cannot be ignored.

blessings spiritwarrior

THE NIGER DELTA

this is a film documentary "Black Gold".

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Black Gold in Nigeria the truth about (S)hells horrible practices.

40% of its oil spills worldwide have occurred in the Niger Delta.

In the Niger Delta, there were 2,976 oil spills between 1976 and 1991.

This Rivers State Internal Security Task Force is suspected in the murders of 2000 people.

Ken's final words before his execution were: "The struggle continues!"

In
1990,Shell specifically requested that the military protect its
facilities from nonviolent protesters in the village of Umeuchem. 80
villagers were killed in two days of violence.

In 1991 alone, $12 billion in oil funds disappeared (and have yet to be located).
Local governments admit that oil companies bribe influential local officials to suppress action against the companies.

There
are currently many groups in the Niger Delta working on researching and
educating about the environmental and social impacts of the oil
industry on the Niger Delta.
A few of these are Environmental Rights Action (ERA) and Niger Delta Human and environmental Rescue Organization (ND-HERO).

Additionally,many
ethnic groups other than the Ogoni are vocalizing and demonstrating
against the environmental racism and human rights abuses of
Shell,Chevron, Mobil, and many others.

International condemnation of Nigeria is widespread, but there has been much more talk than action.

the United Nations Special Rapporteurs report on Nigeria (released 4/15/98)
accused
Nigeria and Shell of abusing human rights and failing to protect the
environment in oil producing regions, and called for an investigation
into Shell.

In word, the United States is a strong critic of the Nigerian government,
both past and present. It has condemned the existence of the military regime,
of election cancellations, and of the situation in Ogoniland.
It
has threatened to take action. Yet it never does. As the largest
consumer of Nigerian oil, the US could be the strongest advocate for
human rights and justice, yet it refuses to take on that role. -__youtube poster skinrich

17 June 2010

Niger Delta oil spills dwarf BP, Exxon Valdez catastrophes


Delta oil fire

One of the world’s largest oil spill catastrophes is unfolding right now — in Nigeria

For decades, thousands of spills across the fragile Niger Delta have destroyed the livelihoods of fishermen and farmers, fouled water sources and have polluted the ground and air.

The Nigerian government estimates there were over 7,000 spills, large and small, between 1970 and 2000, according to the BBC. That is approximately 300 spills a year, and some spills have been leaking for years.

Vast swathes of the Delta are covered with tar and stagnant lakes of crude. By some estimates, over 13 million barrels of oil have spilled into the Delta. That’s the equivalent of one Exxon Valdez spill every year for 40 years, according to The Independent.

Nigeria is the fifth largest exporter of oil to the United States and the largest producer in Africa
.
Niger Delta from space

The government has threatened Exxon Mobil with sanctions if the corporation fails to manage spills properly, according to Agence France-Presse. It hasn’t been determined what the sanctions would entail. Previous attempts by Nigerians to attain damages against oil companies have been mostly unsuccessful.

Idris Musa, head of Nigeria’s oil spill response agency, said an additional 2,405 spills by all major oil companies in the region have occurred since 2006.

The Delta is densely populated with about 31 million people. Thousands of miles of above-ground pipelines snake throughout the Delta, passing through cities, towns and villages as well as delicate wetlands.

There are several reasons for the huge number of spills, including a crumbling, aging oil infrastructure and outright sabotage by thieves and warring rebel groups.
Corroding pipes, according to Bloomberg Businessweek, caused a spill in May 2010 that leaked about 232 barrels of crude.Pipelines wind through the Delta


Pipelines wind through the Delta-----continues http://newsdesk.org

this is heartbreaking,
spiritwarrior

deleted

deleted

Petrochemical factory blast kills 4 in Iran

Posted:

wnRenderDate('Sunday, July 25, 2010 1:46 AM EST', '', true);
Jul 25, 2010 6:46 AM GDT

Sunday, July 25, 2010 1:46 AM EST
Updated:

wnRenderDate('Sunday, July 25, 2010 11:06 AM EST', '', true);
Jul 25, 2010 4:06 PM GDT


TEHRAN, Iran (AP) - Iran's official news
agency says an explosion at a petrochemical factory on Iran's largest
oil terminal has killed four people.

The Sunday report said high
pressure in the central boiler of the factory led to an explosion and
fire at the facility on Kharg island in the Persian Gulf.

So far the bodies of three of the victims have been found and the blaze is under control. Several other workers were injured.,,,continueshttp://www.ktuu.com/Global/story.asp?S=12865644

TWO KILLED IN GAS WELL EXPLOSION IN PITTSBURGH

VIDEO http://www.ktuu.com/global/video/flash/popupplayer.asp?ClipID1=4969793&h1=2%20killed%20in%20gas%20well%20explosion%20near%20Pittsburgh&vt1=v&at1=News%20-%20AP-National&d1=43333&LaunchPageAdTag=News%20-%20AP-National&activePane=info&rnd=95870107

2010 Port Arthur oil spill


LocationCoordinatesDateCauseCauseOperatorSpill characteristicsVolume

A barge embedded in the bow of Eagle Otome

Sabine-Neches Waterway at Port Arthur, Texas

29°51′42″N 93°56′12″W / 29.861611°N 93.9366°W / 29.861611; -93.9366Coordinates: 29°51′42″N 93°56′12″W / 29.861611°N 93.9366°W / 29.861611; -93.9366

January 23, 2010

Collision between oil tanker Eagle Otome and a barge

AET Incorporated

1,000 to 11,000 barrels

Collision


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_Port_Arthur_oil_spill

deleted

abuse claims ??

NWS: Oil spill could reach Lake Michigan by Sunday

Updated:7/27/2010


Oil from the spill is clearly visible in the Kalamazoo River between the
Ceresco Dam and Historic County Bridge Park today in Battle Creek.
(JOHN GRAP/Battle Creek Enquirer)

BATTLE CREEK, Mich. (Detroit Free Press) -
Battle Creek area residents are being warned to stay away from the
Kalamazoo River because of a major oil spill.


http://www.wzzm13.com/news/news_story.aspx?storyid=125205&catid=14&provider=email

Calhoun County Public Health Department Fact Sheet about the Enbridge Oil Spill


Calhoun County Public Health Department Fact Sheet about the Enbridge Oil Spill
Hotline Number for Enbridge Oil Spill Questions: (800) 306-6837
What is in the Oil?
The Enbridge oil spill contains heavy crude oil. Crude oil is a
mixture of different hydrogen- and carbon-based chemicals normally
called hydrocarbons. Because they are mixtures, different oils can be
harmful in different ways. The crude oil involved in this oil spill is
what is called heavy crude oil.
What is in the Air?
Over time, many of the compounds that make up these oil mixtures will
enter the air. The wind will then spread out these vapors over a
distance, lowering their concentration in any one area.

Based on what the Centers for Disease Controland Prevention (CDC) reports about these chemicals and their previous experiences with oil spills, the level of vapors in the air is expected to be below the level that can hurt you. Tests of the air can tell us more. These tests are being conducted at this time and will continue for
as long as necessary.

Strong smells affect different people in different ways. Some people may experience nausea, vomiting, or headaches. Leaving the area affected by the smell should help to stop your symptoms, if the smell is causingthem. If you have to be outside, a respirator with an odor control feature may provide some relief from the smell.

Based on what is known now, you do not need to use a respirator for your safety, but using one may make you more comfortable.Most hardware stores stock
NIOSH-certified N95 respirators with odor control or charcoal filter layers; check the label to make sure the mask is an N95 respirator with odor control or an N95 with a charcoal layer. Follow themanufacturer's instructions carefully to be sure you are using the maskproperly. For now, if the smell bothers you, stay indoors, close the doors and windows, and turn on your central air conditioning. If you have a window air conditioner, instead of a central unit, it may be better not to use the air
conditioner or to turn the settings to the recirculating mode, which closes the outside ventilation feature.

At this time, evacuation is not considered necessary. However, the situation is being closely monitored and if evacuation of any area is required, you will be contacted by health authorities.

Can the oil harm my children?
Children tend to be more sensitive than adults to oil and other forms of pollution. What might be annoying to you could be a real problem for them, particularly if your child is an infant or toddler, or has a pre-existing condition.

Like adults, children should avoid contact with the oil. If some of the oil gets on your children's bare skin, wash it off as soon as you can. Watch your children carefully for rashes or dark, sticky spots on their skin that are hard to wash off. If you see any of these symptoms, see your doctor or other health care provider.

What to Expect?
People can be exposed to hazardous substances related to the spill by breathing them (air), by swallowing them (food or water), or by touchingthem (skin). People should avoid close contact to the spill and fumes from any burning oil.

Air Quality:
Smell: People may be able to smell the oil spill. Exposure to low levelsmof these chemicals may cause irritation of the eyes, nose, throat, and skin. People with asthma or other lung diseases may be more sensitive tothese effects. These people should attempt to limit exposure to these vapors. If you smell gas or see smoke or know that fires are nearby, stay indoors, set your air conditioner to reuse indoor air, and avoid physical activities that put extra demands on your lungs and heart.

Food:
The Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are monitoring the oil spill and its potential impact on the safety of fish harvested from the area. CDC will continue to work closely with the FDA to monitor food safety and will notify the public of any potential hazards.

Water:
Based on current findings, drinking water and household water from water wells is not expected to be affected by the spill.

Water tests are being conducted at this time and will continue for as long as necessary. Municipal water is not affected by the oil. However, water used for
recreation may be affected. Swimming in water contaminated with chemicals from the oil spill could cause health effects.

The Kalamazoo
River water is not to be used for drinking by any animal or for irrigation.

What should I do if I see animals that have been exposed to the oil?
Individuals should not attempt to approach, rescue, or contain any animals exposed to the oil. Attempts to capture animals may cause injury to both the animal and the rescuer.

A trained rescuer will
respond to your call. Please be patient.
Updated: 7/27/2010 7:05 PM
Calhoun County Public Health Department
190 E. Michigan Avenue, Suite A100
Battle Creek, Michigan 49014
Tel: (269) 969-6371
Fax: (269) 969-6488

Fact Sheet provided by the Calhoun County Public Health Department

Company doubling efforts to clean up oil spill in Kalamazoo River




Amy Fox






Updated:7/28/2010

BATTLE CREEK, Mich. (AP) -- A company
operating a pipeline that dumped an estimated 877,000 gallons of oil
into a southern Michigan river says it's doubling is work force on the containment and cleanup effort.
Officials with Calgary, Alberta-based Enbridge Inc. made the
announcement during a Wednesday update on the spill. The company had
about 200 employees and contractors working on the spill a day earlier.
The Environmental Protection Agency also is bringing in additional contractors.
Oil leaking from a 30-inch pipeline coated birds and fish as it poured into a creek and flowed into the Kalamazoo River, one of the state's major waterways, before it was shut off Monday.
Democratic U.S. Rep. Mark Schauer of Michigan has said Enbridge was slow in alerting federal authorities to the spill.
Press Conference regarding the oil spill. Camera phone photo from WZZM 13 photographer Ken Ritz.plus videos.....http://www.wzzm13.com/news/story.aspx?storyid=125340&catid=14

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Granholm criticizes pipeline company as oil heads west on Kalamazoo River

Updated:7/28/2010

BATTLE CREEK (The Enquirer) -- Gov. Jennifer Granholm tonight hammered a company responsible for an 819,000-gallon oil spill near Marshall as the crude continued to flow westward along the Kalamazoo River, and government officials and company workers attempted to stop the disaster from spreading.

th.........http://www.wzzm13.com/news/oilspill/story.aspx?storyid=125272&catid=250

President Obama pledges swift response after Mich. oil spill





MARSHALL TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP)- President Barack Obama has
pledged a swift response to requests for help in dealing with a spill
that dumped more than 800,000 gallons of oil into waterways in southern Michigan.
White House spokesman Matt Lehrich says Michigan Democratic
Congressman Mark Schauer updated the president about the spill Tuesday.
Lehrich says Obama asked what the U.S. government could do to provide
additional help.
Schauer told re........http://www.wzzm13.com/news/oilspill/story.aspx?storyid=125311&catid=250

Kalamazoo River oil spill close to 1 million gallons: A roundup from the past 24 hours and more
Published: Thursday, July 29, 2010

The EPA is now saying that the amount of oil spilled from a section of 30-inch underground pipe near Marshall on Monday is close to 1 million gallons, higher than the company’s (Enbridge Inc.) earlier estimate of 840,000 gallons.



Love Always
mudra

Quantcast Indonesia's mud volcano flows on


A pipe discharges muddy water as workers attempt to control the flow from the Lapindo volcano in Porong, Sidoarjo district, on East Java. (Adek Berry, AFP/Getty Images / July 10, 2010)

After four years, spewing about 100,000 tons a day, the Lusi mud volcano in East Java shows no signs of letting up. Initially linked to an earthquake, the spill is now being linked to drilling.

Reporting from Sidoarjo, Indonesia —
For four long years, Reni Sualeha has lived in the shadow of a monster, a menacing chemical flow of fetid gray mud that belches unchecked from the bowels of the earth near her home.

Known as the Lusi mud volcano, its spread is so relentless — burping noxious gas, swallowing communities, killing 14 people and forcing the evacuations of 60,000 — that some say it could star in its own sci-fi thriller.

Those in the United States who are wondering just how long the ruptured oil well in the Gulf of Mexico could possibly keep gushing should listen to Sualeha's cautionary tale.

Get important science news and discoveries delivered to your inbox with our Science & Environment newsletter. Sign up »

Each day, she watches as a series of fissures, marked by an ominous smoke plume, pump out 100,000 tons of mud. New chemical fires erupt from smaller, gas-seeping cracks in a vision from hell that has closed roads and demolished buildings, including one just down the road from Sualeha's tiny home.

"It's not from this planet," she said of the volcano.

The mudflow is slowly gobbling up the countryside. Now covering 2,000 acres, it's 65 feet deep in some places, submerging factories, schools, farms and a dozen villages.

Indonesian officials have insisted that the deadly flow was the result of a natural disaster: an earthquake that struck 175 miles away just before the mud began its onslaught in 2006.

But evidence from a team of independent U.S. and British geologists suggests that the mud volcano, like the British Petroleum oil disaster, was man-made, the result of a 2006 drilling accident at a nearby gas exploration site. And these geologists say they have no idea when the mudflow will stop, if ever.

The accident, many here charge, is just the latest example of corruption and incompetence in the impoverished Southeast Asian nation's attempt to exploit its energy resources.

PT Lapindo Brantas, a company that owns a controlling stake in the project, is controlled by the family of Aburizal Bakrie, one of Indonesia's wealthiest men, who at the time of the rupture was the government's minister for people's welfare.

The company has denied any connection to the mudflow, but it also has agreed to pay $400 million to compensate 10,000 families, as ordered by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. Many of those people say they have received only one-fifth of their settlement.

The government has been shouldering the cost of mitigating the flow, erecting an earthen dike to contain the main mud stream, building huge pumps near the source to divert newly rising sludge away from villages.

Activists estimate that the total cost of cleanup and settlement payments will run into the billions of dollars. If they can obtain a legal ruling establishing Lapindo Brantas as responsible, they say, the company could be forced to pay more, if not all, of the damages.

BP, the company involved in the Gulf of Mexico oil leak, is learning that such a prospect could be incredibly expensive. Analysts estimate that the company could pay more than $60 billion in legal costs alone. The current cleanup costs are estimated to be $60 million a day.

Indonesia, meanwhile, seems nowhere near exerting such financial pressure on Lapindo Brantas.

Last year, regional authorities halted their investigation of the mudflow, citing a lack of evidence to link Lapindo Brantas to the volcano's eruption. The Indonesian Supreme Court has also upheld a lower court's dismissal of a lawsuit by environmentalists blaming the company for the disaster.

Meanwhile, Bakrie, 63, who many believe has aspirations to become president, has been chosen to lead a new joint secretariat likely to play an important role in determining government policy, including its focus on energy.

But citing the new U.S. and British geologic evidence, activists have called for the inquiry to be reopened. "It's a national scandal," said Bambang Catur Nusantara, a regional director of the Indonesian Forum for the Environment. "The company is getting away with murder. And the government is doing nothing."

In a paper published in the journal Marine and Petroleum Geology, U.S. and British researchers said their findings — funded by a grant from the U.S. National Science Foundation — suggest that the disaster was caused when operators pulled the drill while the natural gas well was unstable.

read more : http://www.latimes.com/news/science/la-fg-indonesia-mudslide-20100710,0,7302150.story?track=rss&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+latimes%2Fnews%2Fscience+%28L.A.+Times+-+Science%29

Love Always
mudra

1 Missing After Rig Explosion In Gulf
NEW ORLEANS -- One person is missing after a rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico, about 80 miles south of Vermilion Bay, the U.S. Coast Guard said.
2/10/2010

It happened around 9 a.m., and as of 10:15 a.m., the rig was still burning, the Coast Guard said. Rescue crews from New Orleans and Houston are responding.

Officials said there were 13 people aboard the rig, and all but one are accounted for.

Two helicopters from Houston and three from New Orleans are responding to the blast. Two other fixed-wing planes and two cutter ships are also responding, the Coast Guard said.

The rig is owned by Mariner Energy.

more infos plus video here: http://www.examiner.com/google-trends-in-national/mariner-energy-oil-rig-explosion-mile-long-oil-sheen-spreading-gulf-video

Love Always
mudra

Two Missing as Storm Hits Chinese Rig

SEPTEMBER 9, 2010
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704358904575478491982756342.html

BEIJING—Two workers are missing after a storm-battered oil-service platform in the waters of Eastern China partly collapsed, in the latest of several recent accidents to hit China's oil industry.

The platform, off the coast of Shandong province in the East China Sea, was left tilting at a 45-degree angle after being hit by four-meter (13-foot) waves from Typhoon Malou on Tuesday night, sending four workers tumbling into the water and trapping 32 on board. Rescue helicopters sent early Wednesday rescued the trapped workers and two of those in the sea, but the status of the remaining two was unclear late Wednesday.

View Full Image

Reuters
Rescuers search for missing workers after the collapse of an oil platform off China's Shandong province.

The platform, set in waters about seven meters deep, is mostly used for repair work rather than for drilling or pumping oil. The owner, China Petroleum & Chemical Corp., or Sinopec, said that no oil had leaked as a result of the accident, and that there would be little impact on production. The collapse occurred in the Shengli field, one of China's largest, which is mostly onshore with only small amounts of it reaching into the shallow waters off the coast, said a spokesman with Sinopec's state-owned parent, China Petrochemical Corp.

Sinopec, listed in Hong Kong and Shanghai, is China's second-largest listed oil producer and biggest oil refiner.

The Shengli accident followed an explosion earlier Tuesday at a refinery owned by China's biggest oil company, PetroChina Co. Company officials said a fire broke out during repairs at Fushun Petrochemical Co. in northeastern China's Liaoning province, but that output at the 214,000 barrel-a-day refinery and ethylene plant would be unaffected. Authorities said there were no injuries.

In July, China experienced one of its most severe offshore oil spills, when an oil pipeline near the northeastern tourism and shipping hub of Dalian exploded, sending flames and oil into the water that took nine days to clean up. That operation also is owned by PetroChina, a unit of state-owned China National Petroleum Corp.

The Chinese incidents underscore the safety challenges facing China as it seeks to satisfy its enormous need for energy. They come as China's oil companies are beginning to explore for oil and natural gas in much deeper waters off its coastline, teaming up with Western partners, including Chevron Corp. and BP PLC for these riskier and more complicated projects.

Even in shallower water, storms are a constant threat. Last year, China's chief offshore oil producer, Cnooc Ltd., had to close down several offshore oil rigs for months to repair storm damage.

China's industrial safety record has been improving but remains far behind that of more developed countries. Despite declining fatality rates after repeated safety crackdowns, China has the deadliest coal mines in the world, and fatal and environmentally destructive accidents in factories occur regularly.

Love Always
mudra

Penguin rescue operation under way after south Atlantic oil spill
By David Ariosto, CNN
April 3, 2011
.
The M.S. Oliva ran aground, fracturing its hull and ultimately splitting the vessel in two.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Rescuers are struggling to save tens of thousands of Northern Rockhopper penguins

The penguins are threatened by an oil spill following a shipwreck near remote island chain
At least 300 penguins have died since the spill, local officials say

(CNN) -- On an island chain located halfway between Africa and Argentina, local authorities say a massive penguin rescue operation is under way.

A mix of island officials and resident volunteers are struggling to save tens of thousands of Northern Rockhopper penguins threatened by an oil spill in the remote stretches of the south Atlantic, roughly 1,500 miles west of Cape Town, South Africa.

The islands' conservation director said at least 300 penguins have died after a cargo ship leaked thousands of tons of heavy oil, diesel fuel and soya bean near Nightingale Island, a British territory part of the Tristan da Cunha archipelago.

"I've seen about 15 to 20 dead penguins just today," director Trevor Glass said.

Thousands more are covered in the ships' oil and diesel fuel, according to local officials and conservationists.

"The danger now is getting the rest of these penguins past that oil slick," Glass said.

The rescue operation began shortly after March 16, when the M.S. Oliva -- a Maltese-registered ship -- ran aground, fracturing its hull and ultimately splitting the vessel in two.

The ship was heading from Santos, Brazil, to Singapore and had been carrying 60,000 metric tons of soya beans and 1,500 metric tons of heavy fuel, according to islands' administrator Sean Burns and Transport Malta, the Maltese shipping authority.

The agency said in a statement that it "is investigating the grounding and subsequent complete hull failure" of the bulk carrier cargo ship.

The dramatic rescue of the ship's 22 crew members was captured on video, along with the spills' aftermath, which showed penguins soaked in heavy oil.

It was shot by an expedition team from an eco-tourism ship -- whose crew used inflatable boats to help ferry the sailors to safety, according to David E. Guggenheim of the Washington-based Ocean Foundation. Guggenheim witnessed the rescue aboard the vessel, called the Prince Albert II.

Since then, an oil sheen has surrounded the island chain, which officials say could lead to an environmental disaster.

Rescue workers, using inflatable watercraft and fishing vessels, are now ferrying penguins to a series of makeshift rehabilitation centers at the main island of Tristan da Cunha, according to Glass.

There, he added, conservationists and volunteers are working in an effort to nurse the blackened penguins back to health.

"We need help," said Katrine Herian, a spokeswoman for the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds who is also apart of the ongoing rescue effort.

"The priority is to get food into the birds as they are very hungry," she said. "We are trying locally caught fish and some are starting to take small half-inch squares of the food."

Herian noted that some of the islands' residents had emptied their personal freezers in an effort to help feed the animals.

By Friday, Glass said his team had corralled and transported a total of nearly 5,000 penguins, despite harsh winds and high seas that had hampered earlier rescue attempts.

But the timing of their task is daunting.

The shipwreck, having occurred at the end of the birds' molting season -- a period during which penguins shed their feathers, do not eat and largely stay out of the water -- left the birds "at their weakest possible state," Guggenheim explained. "They're very hungry."

The season's end also marks the beginning of a period when penguins re-enter the sea, now laden with heavy oil and soya beans.

In a written statement, Tristin da Cunha administrator Burns said it is unclear what the impact of the ship's cargo will have on the local marine environment, particularly "any long-term effect on the economically valuable fishing industry for crawfish, crayfish or Tristan Rock Lobster ... which is the mainstay of Tristan da Cunha's economy."

Fewer than 300 people live on the island chain, eclipsed by the its massive penguin population -- estimated at 150,000 -- which accounts for roughly 40 percent of the world's total, according to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, a global network of conservationists.

The Northern Rockhopper penguin had been listed as "one of the world's most threatened species of penguin," according to the RSPB.

http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/africa/04/02/atlantic.penguin.rescue.operation/index.html?hpt=C1

Love Always
mudra

April 12, 2011
Oil & gas industry spills happen "all the time"
Six-month investigation finds at least 6,500 spills, leaks, fires or explosions at wells and pipelines nationwide in 2010

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/04/12/eveningnews/main20053283.shtml

A CBS News investigation reveals that dangerous spills and leaks by the U.S. oil and gas industry are happening all the time. Armen Keteyian reports.

Next week marks the anniversary of the beginning of the BP oil disaster. It should have been a wake-up call for the industry and the federal government. Instead, spills, leaks and explosions still happen every day.

A six month CBS News investigation found that spills of crude oil and toxic chemicals last year alone were three times the amount of the Exxon Valdez spill.

CBS News chief investigative correspondent Armen Keteyian discovered, federal officials have no idea how big the problem has become.

GRANVILLE SUMMIT, Penn.- A CBS News investigation has found that dangerous spills and leaks by the U.S. oil and gas industry are happening all the time across the country.

"Everyday there's numerous releases happening throughout just this country," said oil and gas safety expert Mike Sawyer. "Sometimes every couple of hours there's a new incident."

(Scroll down for an interactive map of spills in the U.S. in 2010)

Truman Burnett says his dream home in rural Pennsylvania was destroyed by a spill at a nearby gas well that killed everything in a pond.

"The fish were dead in two weeks," Burnett said. "Two nests of wood ducks, that was my wife's favorite animal - but they're all gone now."

We've learned that no one in the government knows just how many incidents there are.

Slideshow: Oil spills, leaks, fires and explosions

Dr. Sam Mannan of Texas A&M University said, "If you don't even know how many releases are occurring, if you don't even know what the overall consequences are, you can not answer the question of whether we are safe enough."

CBS News collected reported incidents for 2010 at wells and pipelines from three federal agencies and 23 of 33 oil and gas producing states. Not counting the BP disaster, we found at least 6,500 spills, leaks, fires or explosions nationwide - that's 18 a day. Overall, at least 34 million gallons of crude oil and other potentially toxic chemicals were spilled. That's triple the size of the 1989 Exxon Valdez spill.

Video: Watch tap water catch fire: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/04/12/eveningnews/main20053283.shtml

While exactly how much was cleaned up isn't known - the impact certainly is - poisoned drinking water. Dead wildlife, destroyed land, illness, injury, and people being forced from their homes.

Last July, a nearly one million gallon pipeline spill in Marshall, Mich., turned John Laforge's backyard - and miles of rivers and streams - into an oily mess. Today, Canadian oil giant Enbridge is still cleaning up the crude oil, and the legal mess that followed.

"The full creek was solid packed with oil," Laforge said. "I don't want to leave here but I haven't got any choice."

(Scroll down to read a statement from the American Petroleum Institute.)

The issue of oil and gas spills is so touchy, both the lead industry trade group and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) wouldn't speak to CBS News on camera.

Former Shell Oil president John Hofmeister however did speak with us.

"Very few people in the scheme of things, are impacted," Hofmeister said. "But nobody should be impacted."

"But 34 million gallons, in one year, that's a pretty significant number," Keteyian said.

"It's big, it's big. And this is a big country with 300 million consumers," Hofmeister replied. "That's not to excuse it. One gallon lost is one too many."

"It doesn't seem like they're doing a very good job John."

"I don't want to sound insensitive. But you have an industry that knows how much could happen. And relative to what could happen, from their perspective, very little does happen."

Video: Sen. Menendez: Gov't not holding oil companies accountable: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/04/12/eveningnews/main20053283.shtml

As for Truman Burnett, his dreams are shattered. "We were hoping to spend quite a bit of time here with our children and grandchildren. My wife doesn't want to come up anymore."

They're innocent victims of an unquestionable threat, only now becoming clear.

Love Always
mudra