• After 15+ years, we've made a big change: Android Forums is now Early Bird Club. Learn more here.

Judge who overturned drilling bans had shares in the oil industry

hakr100

Android Expert
Apr 18, 2010
1,005
62
Judge who overturned drilling bans had shares in the oil industry

The judge who overturned deepwater drilling bans allowing BP to resume oil extraction in the Gulf of Mexico, had shares in Transocean and other firms in the industry, it was revealed today.


Yesterday, a Louisiana-based judge Martin Feldman ruled that Barack Obama's six-month drilling moratorium in the Gulf was unjustified because it assumed that all deepwater drilling was as dangerous as BP's.


The White House promised an immediate appeal.


Meanwhile environmental groups have said Feldman's ruling may have to be rescinded because of the possible conflict of interests.
Feldman's most recent financial disclosure forms show that he was paid dividends from his shares in Transocean, the firm that owned the Deepwater oil rig that exploded in April killing 11 oil workers, prompting America's worst environmental disaster.


The forms, which relate to the calendar year 2008, also show that he sold shares in Halliburton, which was also involved in the disaster.
Feldman's other interests included Ocean Energy, Quicksilver Resources, Prospect Energy, Peabody Energy, Pengrowth Energy Trust, Atlas Energy Resources, and Parker Drilling.


Obama's interior department imposed the moratorium last month in the wake of the BP disaster, halting approval of any new permits for deepwater projects and suspending drilling on 33 exploratory wells.
Feldman has yet to respond to the disclosures. He is one of many federal judges across the Gulf Coast region with money in oil and gas. Several have disqualified themselves from hearing spill-related claims, while others have sold their holdings so they can preside over many cases being filed.


Josh Reichert, managing director of the Pew Environment Group, said the ruling should be rescinded if he still held such shares.
"If Judge Feldman has any investments in oil and gas operators in the Gulf, it represents a flagrant conflict of interest," Reichert said.
At least two major oil companies, Shell and Marathon, said they would wait for the appeal before resuming drilling.


- - -


Well, whatever the merits of the opposing sides of the moratorium issue, this judge should have recused himself. He has a serious conflict of interest.
 
Except good luck finding a financially responsible person who ISNT invested in energy as part of a retirement portfolio. I notice how your info doesn't specify if it is individual stocks or an energy fund of some kind. Until more detail is given on his investments I am not willing to agree with your conclusion.

I think the idea that he has money invested, makes no difference. of course, the fed will use that to their advantage no doubt... but the idea of a 6 month ban is ridiculous. The MMS, TransOcean and BP allowed this mess to happen and THEY should be the ones to deal with the backlash, not oilfield workers.
 
Upvote 0
The oil drill ban only affected 33 exploratory rigs. There are many wells underway in the gulf which are not affected.

Many conservatives have said, "It's only one well in 50 years".

Well I say, "That's too much!"

No additional drilling should take place until procedures are put in place which GURANTEE that this will not occur again. Walk to work if you have to, ride a bike, car pool, I personally don't care who it inconveniences.

Somehow we feel we have a right to screw this planet up. Manifest destiny. God gave us dominion over the Earth. Well if he did, he didn't intend for us to screw it up just so you and I can have cheap gas to put in our cars.

You conservatives remind me of the Dutch Boy Paint company. Instead of cover the Earth with Paint, you say Cover the Earth with Oil. Drill baby Drill.

The workers in the gulf who have lost their jobs temporarily can draw from a $100 million dollar fund just for them. This is separate from the $20 billion that our president extracted from BP.
 
Upvote 0
The oil drill ban only affected 33 exploratory rigs. There are many wells underway in the gulf which are not affected.

Many conservatives have said, "It's only one well in 50 years".

Well I say, "That's too much!"

No additional drilling should take place until procedures are put in place which GURANTEE that this will not occur again. Walk to work if you have to, ride a bike, car pool, I personally don't care who it inconveniences.

Somehow we feel we have a right to screw this planet up. Manifest destiny. God gave us dominion over the Earth. Well if he did, he didn't intend for us to screw it up just so you and I can have cheap gas to put in our cars.

You conservatives remind me of the Dutch Boy Paint company. Instead of cover the Earth with Paint, you say Cover the Earth with Oil. Drill baby Drill.

The workers in the gulf who have lost their jobs temporarily can draw from a $100 million dollar fund just for them. This is separate from the $20 billion that our president extracted from BP.

Yep, only affects 33 drilling rigs... and the thousands of workers that work on those rigs, and the workers at the pipe yards that supply those drilling rigs and the inspectors that inspect that pipe and the guys that work at the tool shops that make and repair the drill bits and the truck drivers that deliver the drill bits and drill pipe and the guys that fly the oilfield workers out to the rigs on helicopters and the boat crews that transport workers and gear by boat... I am sure I am missing tons of workers... but yeah, only 33 rigs...

You liberals are awesome. You blame this on the "conservatives" when the contract that was awarded to BP, Transocean and Haliburton for the Deepwater Horizon (sans deepwater blowout contingency plan) was given out by the MMS (Minerals Management Service) directly under your perfect liberal administration.

100 million dollar fund? Not a drop in the bucket. You bag on conservatives all you want but it seems to me that the current administration thinks throwing money at people will make everything all better.

At this point, there are around 3800 wells in the Gulf... and one is leaking. So lets shut down every deep water rig, lets stop the coal mining since a few of those guys die every month and lets ban white cars... because I witnessed one cause a wreck this morning. Then lets fix the problem by throwing money at the drivers of white cars, coal miners and oilfield workers.
 
Upvote 0
You know Mr. Cajun, or should I say Little Dutch Boy. If you really are a cajun, you seem to care very little for your marshes, beaches and wild life.

What about the people who have lost their Jobs on the shrimp and fishing boats and the oystermen. What about the dead turtles, dolphins and sea birds? I don't think you conservatives will be happy until the gulf is dead.
 
Upvote 0
You know Mr. Cajun, or should I say Little Dutch Boy. If you really are a cajun, you seem to care very little for your marshes, beaches and wild life.

What about the people who have lost their Jobs on the shrimp and fishing boats and the oystermen. What about the dead turtles, dolphins and sea birds? I don't think you conservatives will be happy until the gulf is dead.

Actually I do care very much for our marshes, beaches and wildlife... but I care more about the wellbeing of thousands of workers that are sitting at home. See, for me, the well being of children is more important than the well being of pelicans and crabs.

If you were actually FROM this area, you would realize that the only fisherman that have lost their jobs are the guys that are too pissed about the situation to go get hired on as clean-up crew. Sure, they aren't out shrimping in that particular area of the gulf but they have an option to go out and get a paycheck if they want it.

This time of year, dolphins wash up on shore. It's called calving... and the turtles that I have seen were not killed by the oil. See, shrimpboats that operate in the gulf have to have these things called a "TED" (Turtle Excluder Device) on their boats. When the oil spill happened, a bunch of shrimpers removed the TED's because not only do they cause turtles to be excluded from the nets BUT they also decrease the amount of shrimp flowing into the nets. They wanted to rush and shrimp as fast as they could.

I understand it is in your blood as a liberal to look past the facts and make outrageous claims to support your opinion but it wont work with me son. Go argue with a kid somewhere, you'll gain more ground and generally feel better about yourself.

Furthermore, there is the possibility that the leak wouldn't have been such a big problem if the MMS (read: Federal Entity Operating Under Obama) would have required the Transocean Deepwater Horizon to have a deepwater blowout contingency plan. But hey, lets look past that... and blame it on everyone else... you think we can maybe blame this on Bush? He is a conservative so he must have had something to do with it.

One more thing... you little comment about conservatives not being happy until the entire gulf is dead... It's funny you should mention that.

The situation in the gulf is a sad one and it needs to be fixed pronto... but us "conservatives" know that in the long run, a 6 month ban on drilling will devestate the gulf coast region. Stopping exploratory drilling is not the answer and your ignorant comment is one that I have heard parroted over and over.

Have you been to Elmer's Island? Grand Isle? Port Fourchon? Yeah, didn't think so. Go and argue with someone else that is getting all of his knowledge about the gulf and the spill from CNN and MSNBC.
 
Upvote 0
Please don't take this personally, Cajun, but there isn't a word coming from "the right" on the BP disaster that I take seriously. Almost all of it is just plain spin. The far right seems to have an "explanation" for everything..."it's the fault of the feds, something else killed the turtles, dolphins wash up all the time, the pelicans and crabs aren't all that important."

Sorry. I'm not buying itl. And I've been to Port Fourchon. Here's another guy, a "local," who isn't buying it, either. He simply bought it.

Gulf oil spill: Boat captain, despondent over spill, commits suicide

June 23, 2010 | 11:51 am
LA Times

William Allen Kruse, 55, a charter boat captain recently hired by BP as a vessel of opportunity out of Gulf Shores, Ala., died Wednesday morning before 7:30 a.m. of a gunshot to the head, likely self-inflicted, authorities said.
"He had been quite despondent about the oil crisis," said Stan Vinson, coroner for Baldwin County, which includes Gulf Shores.
Kruse, who lived with his family in nearby Foley, Ala., reported to work Wednesday morning as usual at the Gulf Shores Marina on Fort Morgan Road in Gulf Shores, Vinson said. He met up with his two deckhands at his boat, The Rookie. One of the deckhands later told Vinson that Kruse seemed his usual self, sending them to fetch ice while he pulled the boat around to the gas pumps.
As the deckhands walked off to get ice, they heard what sounded like a firecracker, Vinson said. They turned around but didn't see anything out of the ordinary. So they proceeded to gather the ice and wait for Kruse at the pumps. "He never showed," Vinson said.

After waiting a while, the deckhands returned to the boat, which was moored where they had left it, Vinson said. They went aboard and found Kruse at the captain's bridge above the wheelhouse, Vinson said. He had been shot in the head. A Glock handgun was later recovered from the scene, and investigators do not suspect foul play, Vinson said.
Vinson said Kruse was in good health, did not suffer from any mental illness and was not taking psychotropic medications.
But he said it's not surprising the oil spill had weighed heavily on his mind, as it has on many local fishermen no longer able to support themselves with deep-sea sport fishing trips for marlin and the like, Vinson said.
"All the waters are closed. There's no charter business anymore. You go out on some of the beaches now, with the oil, you can't even get in the water," Vinson said. "It's really crippled the tourism and fishing industry here."
Vinson's office was to perform an autopsy Wednesday, and the Gulf Shores Police Department is still investigating. Det. Justin Clopton did not return calls.
Kruse's family was notified by Wednesday afternoon, Vinson said, and his deckhands were sent home for the day.
-- Molly Hennessy-Fiske
 
Upvote 0
Please don't take this personally, Cajun, but there isn't a word coming from "the right" on the BP disaster that I take seriously. Almost all of it is just plain spin. The far right seems to have an "explanation" for everything..."it's the fault of the feds, something else killed the turtles, dolphins wash up all the time, the pelicans and crabs aren't all that important."

Sorry. I'm not buying itl. And I've been to Port Fourchon. Here's another guy, a "local," who isn't buying it, either. He simply bought it.

Gulf oil spill: Boat captain, despondent over spill, commits suicide

June 23, 2010 | 11:51 am
LA Times

William Allen Kruse, 55, a charter boat captain recently hired by BP as a vessel of opportunity out of Gulf Shores, Ala., died Wednesday morning before 7:30 a.m. of a gunshot to the head, likely self-inflicted, authorities said.
"He had been quite despondent about the oil crisis," said Stan Vinson, coroner for Baldwin County, which includes Gulf Shores.
Kruse, who lived with his family in nearby Foley, Ala., reported to work Wednesday morning as usual at the Gulf Shores Marina on Fort Morgan Road in Gulf Shores, Vinson said. He met up with his two deckhands at his boat, The Rookie. One of the deckhands later told Vinson that Kruse seemed his usual self, sending them to fetch ice while he pulled the boat around to the gas pumps.
As the deckhands walked off to get ice, they heard what sounded like a firecracker, Vinson said. They turned around but didn't see anything out of the ordinary. So they proceeded to gather the ice and wait for Kruse at the pumps. "He never showed," Vinson said.

After waiting a while, the deckhands returned to the boat, which was moored where they had left it, Vinson said. They went aboard and found Kruse at the captain's bridge above the wheelhouse, Vinson said. He had been shot in the head. A Glock handgun was later recovered from the scene, and investigators do not suspect foul play, Vinson said.
Vinson said Kruse was in good health, did not suffer from any mental illness and was not taking psychotropic medications.
But he said it's not surprising the oil spill had weighed heavily on his mind, as it has on many local fishermen no longer able to support themselves with deep-sea sport fishing trips for marlin and the like, Vinson said.
"All the waters are closed. There's no charter business anymore. You go out on some of the beaches now, with the oil, you can't even get in the water," Vinson said. "It's really crippled the tourism and fishing industry here."
Vinson's office was to perform an autopsy Wednesday, and the Gulf Shores Police Department is still investigating. Det. Justin Clopton did not return calls.
Kruse's family was notified by Wednesday afternoon, Vinson said, and his deckhands were sent home for the day.
-- Molly Hennessy-Fiske

So some nutcase popped himself in the head with a handgun.... it's the oils fault? Didn't suffer from mental illness? I would say shooting yourself in the head is the ultimate proof for mental illness!

On the other hand, everything the left is spewing about the spill is spin as well.

The flat out attacks on someone who is directly connected with this spill "wanting" the gulf dead is ignorant. LIke I stated before. i know the spill is bad... but putting tens of thousands of people out of work isn't going to fix the problem and it all stemmed from the MMS not including a blowout contigency plan for this particular rig. period.
 
Upvote 0
So some nutcase popped himself in the head with a handgun.... it's the oils fault? Didn't suffer from mental illness? I would say shooting yourself in the head is the ultimate proof for mental illness!

On the other hand, everything the left is spewing about the spill is spin as well.

The flat out attacks on someone who is directly connected with this spill "wanting" the gulf dead is ignorant. LIke I stated before. i know the spill is bad... but putting tens of thousands of people out of work isn't going to fix the problem and it all stemmed from the MMS not including a blowout contigency plan for this particular rig. period.


Some "nutcase"? Is that the way you righties really think?
Oh, and it all stemmed from BP and the other corporations involved with that rig. They were obligated to run that rig safely and properly, and they didn't.

And if the right wants more stringent rules and enforcement from the government, maybe it should stop whining so much about "big government, " eh?

Once again, the rig blew up not because of the government, but because of BP and its partners.
 
Upvote 0
Some "nutcase"? Is that the way you righties really think?
Oh, and it all stemmed from BP and the other corporations involved with that rig. They were obligated to run that rig safely and properly, and they didn't.

And if the right wants more stringent rules and enforcement from the government, maybe it should stop whining so much about "big government, " eh?

Once again, the rig blew up not because of the government, but because of BP and its partners.

How righties think? No, that's how "I" think. Some guy shoots himself in the head and I'm supposed to feel bad for him? Sorry, doesn't work that way. He was a coward. He likely left a wife and children behind because he was too weak to suck it up and deal with his situation like a MAN. Shit happens, you gotta learn to get over it.

You are correct that they were obligated to run that rig safely and properly... and the MMS was obligated to ensure that they had all of the proper safety precations in place... which they did not.

The rig blew up due to hitting a methane pocket that shot up the drill column, blowing natural gas into a control room. Not because of BP and it's partners. The reason the blowout has not been controlled is because there was no contingency plan to control it. The reason there was no contingency plan is because the MMS didn't require one.
 
Upvote 0
How righties think? No, that's how "I" think. Some guy shoots himself in the head and I'm supposed to feel bad for him? Sorry, doesn't work that way. He was a coward. He likely left a wife and children behind because he was too weak to suck it up and deal with his situation like a MAN. Shit happens, you gotta learn to get over it.

You are correct that they were obligated to run that rig safely and properly... and the MMS was obligated to ensure that they had all of the proper safety precations in place... which they did not.

The rig blew up due to hitting a methane pocket that shot up the drill column, blowing natural gas into a control room. Not because of BP and it's partners. The reason the blowout has not been controlled is because there was no contingency plan to control it. The reason there was no contingency plan is because the MMS didn't require one.


Uh, you obviously know absolutely nothing about depression, so I will let it go for the moment.

The rig blew up because BP and its partners were sloppy, careless, and driven solely by profit motives, and cared little for the safety of their crews and the environment. Oh..and it is the responsibility of these companies to run their rigs safely.
 
Upvote 0
Uh, you obviously know absolutely nothing about depression, so I will let it go for the moment.

The rig blew up because BP and its partners were sloppy, careless, and driven solely by profit motives, and cared little for the safety of its crews and the environment. Oh..and it is the responsibility of these companies to run their rigs safely.

You assume I know nothing about depression. You know what they say when we assume.

No, the rig blew up because they hit a methane pocket that expanded exponentially as it rose through the drill column. The blowout was allowed to get out of hand because of the BOP not functioning correctly. It happens. You can believe what you want to believe and I understand that liberals have this anti-industry mentality... you know... but the simple fact is that nothing would have prevented this blowout and the only thing that would have stopped the oil leak any faster than it is being stopped now is if there was another rig, drilling a secondary column into this well.

I agree that it is the responsibility of the companies to run their equipment safely... but I also SEE that it is the responsibility of the MMS to ensure that all precations are being taken. Your liberal blindness will not allow you to see both sides of it. You are the one blaming ONE... not I, sir.
 
Upvote 0
Mr. Cajun
I don't know how old you are sonny, but I bet you haven't caught me yet. And you know, you care so much about the kids, how about the kids inheriting a dead gulf. The people who fish and shrimp for a living, I suspect would rather be doing that than lowering oil booms into the water that are ineffectual at best and skimming oil off the surface and inhaling the sulfurous stench of the oil slime. You think that is a viable option for them, if it is then a viable option for the oil rig workers who have TEMPORARILY lost their jobs is to collect short term subsidies from the $100 million fund put aside for them.

You say the MMS caused the explosion and they didn't require safety procedures. They did require safety procedures, they just didn't enforce them. Obama bears his share of responsibilty for not reforming that agency. But reform it from what, reform it from the way it was when he inherited it and yes that also puts some of the blame on Bush. I suppose you think he bears no blame for any of the situations we find ourselves in. I will grant that Obama has made mistakes, will you grant that Bush has? Lax enforcement was one of the causes of the disaster but the major cause was that BP disregared its OWN safety guidelines that would have prevented the accident. Of course enforcing existing and probably adding to existing regulations means more government. Well we better not go there, huh? And regulating Wall Street and Insurance Companies also will require more government. Well we better not go there, huh? Why don't we just get rid of our government and replace it with a corporation?

The explosion was caused by methane but methane which came up the drill column, was sucked into the intake of the generator engine, caused it to overspeed and blow. Just adding a little touch of fact to your discourse.

Yeah, a few dophins, turtles and seabirds die of natural causes every day, but not the number that are dying now. Why don't you cover yourself in black slime and see how long you last.

And I suspect you are born again, praise the lord and to hell with the looney cajun who blew his head off. He was probably more sane than you because he opened his eyes and saw the reality around him and couldn't take it any more.

Drill baby drill!
 
Upvote 0
Mr. Cajun
I don't know how old you are sonny, but I bet you haven't caught me yet. And you know, you care so much about the kids, how about the kids inheriting a dead gulf. The people who fish and shrimp for a living, I suspect would rather be doing that than lowering oil booms into the water that are ineffectual at best and skimming oil off the surface and inhaling the sulfurous stench of the oil slime. You think that is a viable option for them, if it is then a viable option for the oil rig workers who have TEMPORARILY lost their jobs is to collect short term subsidies from the $100 million fund put aside for them.

You say the MMS caused the explosion and they didn't require safety procedures. They did require safety procedures, they just didn't enforce them. Obama bears his share of responsibilty for not reforming that agency. But reform it from what, reform it from the way it was when he inherited it and yes that also puts some of the blame on Bush. I suppose you think he bears no blame for any of the situations we find ourselves in. I will grant that Obama has made mistakes, will you grant that Bush has? Lax enforcement was one of the causes of the disaster but the major cause was that BP disregared its OWN safety guidelines that would have prevented the accident. Of course enforcing existing and probably adding to existing regulations means more government. Well we better not go there, huh? And regulating Wall Street and Insurance Companies also will require more government. Well we better not go there, huh? Why don't we just get rid of our government and replace it with a corporation?

The explosion was caused by methane but methane which came up the drill column, was sucked into the intake of the generator engine, caused it to overspeed and blow. Just adding a little touch of fact to your discourse.

Yeah, a few dophins, turtles and seabirds die of natural causes every day, but not the number that are dying now. Why don't you cover yourself in black slime and see how long you last.

And I suspect you are born again, praise the lord and to hell with the looney cajun who blew his head off. He was probably more sane than you because he opened his eyes and saw the reality around him and couldn't take it any more.

Drill baby drill!

I like the emphasis on the word "temporarily". Those exploratory rigs are going to sail on over to the coast of Africa if they aren't drilling in the Gulf. So temporary job loss isn't quite the right word.

Once again, I didn't say the MMS caused the explosion. The filter between your brain and your fingers is obviously faulty. I agree that Bush made mistakes but he was our past president and I don't harp on what happened in the past... just as I didn't blame Clinton for stuff that happened during Bush's presidency.

The comment about the generator intake is pure speculation.

Its always a liberal that will toss humans under the bus to save a flock of seagulls... The birds that have been washing up on shore were covered in oil are obvious. The dolphins, not so much. That happens every year. The turtles... none since a couple days after the halt of shrimping in the area.

Your last comment. You used the word suspect when you should have used assume. You should really look into the quote about making assumptions because you are WAY off base...

I love when you ignorant folks use the line "Drill Baby Drill" every chance you get. How about this... tell me how we are going to survive without oil from the gulf since you are so "enlightened".

You couldn't stop that last gush of bullshit from streaming through your keyboard so lets see what you can come up with now.
 
Upvote 0
Thank you for the spirited debate. Very entertaining.

You are all correct in my eyes. While you are fighting with each other Obama and the Oil companies are spending their time trying to think of a way to stick their big cocks up everyones ass.

Difference between you and the people you are arguing for is that you believe in doing what is right. Obama and Corporations believe in winning elections and making money.

What do we do with the illegals? Obama and corporations want them. Votes and cheap labor. Has nothing to do with what is good for 300 million american citizens.

I'm a registered independent because I can think for myself.
 
Upvote 0
By weaning ourselves off oil. There are many ways to do this, right now, and more will be available in the future.

honestly in this regard i couldnt agree with hackr more... there are so many ways we can distance ourselves from oil its ridiculous. dont get me as a full on yay go hybrid person, the carbon footprint used to make most hybrid vehicles is so crazy i dont see how anyone justifies buying them but the electric vehicle was and still is a marvel of engineering.
 
Upvote 0
honestly in this regard i couldnt agree with hackr more... there are so many ways we can distance ourselves from oil its ridiculous. dont get me as a full on yay go hybrid person, the carbon footprint used to make most hybrid vehicles is so crazy i dont see how anyone justifies buying them but the electric vehicle was and still is a marvel of engineering.

Name some of these so many ways though. I have done some research and see none as being feasible due to one reason... almost all of them require tons of petroleum to manufacture... or produce.
 
Upvote 0
Thank you for the spirited debate. Very entertaining.

You are all correct in my eyes. While you are fighting with each other Obama and the Oil companies are spending their time trying to think of a way to stick their big cocks up everyones ass.

Difference between you and the people you are arguing for is that you believe in doing what is right. Obama and Corporations believe in winning elections and making money.

What do we do with the illegals? Obama and corporations want them. Votes and cheap labor. Has nothing to do with what is good for 300 million american citizens.

I'm a registered independent because I can think for myself.

Illegal aliens can vote? And all politicians only care about winning elections and then getting cushy jobs and fat paychecks from the corporations who they fought for when the retire. We need campaign reform soooo bad....
 
Upvote 0

BEST TECH IN 2023

We've been tracking upcoming products and ranking the best tech since 2007. Thanks for trusting our opinion: we get rewarded through affiliate links that earn us a commission and we invite you to learn more about us.

Smartphones