Archive - Illinois
Read: BP E-mails Show Decisions Pre-Blast to Save 'Lots of Time' and Money
The House Energy and Commerce Committee releases documents suggesting that BP took dangerous shortcuts on its disastrous well in the Gulf of Mexico. The committee says BP "repeatedly chose risky procedures in order to reduce costs and save time,"
Read: BP's Document on Workers' Illnesses and Injuries, Little Mention of Chemical Exposure
BP has posted an accounting of 485 injuries and illnesses reported by cleanup workers in the Gulf of Mexico. But there's no breakdown of illnesses possibly connected to exposure to oil or dispersants.
Many Spill Claims Remain Unpaid as BP Debates Escrow Account
As BP considers creating an escrow account to compensate those affected by the oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, the company says it has paid about half of the damage claims submitted so far.
Soldier Brain Injuries to Get Senate Scrutiny After ProPublica, NPR Report
Responding to an investigation by ProPublica and NPR, Sen. Carl Levin said he would expand a hearing on soldier suicides to include a more extensive discussion of the military’s handling of traumatic brain injuries and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Another (Sigh) Increase in Estimate of Oil Flow
The estimated size of the oil spill in the Gulf rises yet again, to 25,000 to 30,000 barrels a day. BP says it’s hard to measure flow, but in 2008, it touted technology that it said was accurate at doing so.
Experts: Gulf Workers' Levels of Chemical Exposure May Be 'Perfectly Legal, but Not Safe'
Federal standards on what a safe exposure to toxic chemicals constitutes vary by agency. And the legal standard, applied to workers in the Gulf oil spill, may not necessarily be safe, some experts say.
Rise in Offshore Spills Raises Wider Questions on Drilling
The Deepwater Horizon oil spill is merely the biggest and most widely reported of oil spills in the Gulf this year. The number of spills nationwide also seems to be on the rise, raising questions about oversight.
Gov't and BP Unresponsive on Requests for Data on Sick Cleanup Workers
If you ask the CDC how many workers have been sickened while cleaning up the Gulf oil spill, CDC says to ask OSHA. OSHA says to ask BP. BP says to ask Unified Command, which hasn't yet responded to our requests.
Top Officer Says Military Takes Brain Injuries 'Extremely Seriously'
The Army's vice chief of staff says it takes the treatment of soldiers with mild traumatic brain injuries "very seriously." Gen. Peter Chiarelli said the military plans to evaluate soldiers exposed to nearby blasts by two separate tests before being returned to the battlefield. But our investigation has found problems with the tests now being used.
Scientists Criticize BP's Claims About How Much Oil It's Siphoning
More scientists are expressing skepticism about BP's claim on how much oil it's recapturing. One said that the estimate that BP is capturing most of the oil "is going to be proven wrong in short order."
Results of Our 2010 Reader Survey
ProPublica readers like our longer stories, are generally happy with what we’re doing, and are a demographic dream, our most recent survey found.
