PROFNET EXPERT ALERTS: Gulf Oil Spill

May 27, 2010

Following are experts who can discuss various aspects of the Gulf oil spill, including environmental impact, cleanup efforts and economic impact:

**1. Alan Abramowitz, Alben W. Barkley Professor of Political Science at Emory University and an expert on national politics, can discuss the political ramifications of the spill: "The administration is trying hard not to own this problem. That's why they've been relying on BP as the lead player in trying to deal with it. The reality is, nobody really knows how to stop this thing. So far, it's working to some extent in that the public blames BP much more than Obama. The president has been trying to seem like he's engaged in the problem and that the administration is doing what it can while trying to deflect as much blame onto BP as possible. They've also been avoiding trying to draw any big conclusions from this for U.S. energy policy, and especially for the future of offshore oil exploration. But the longer this goes on and the worse it gets, the harder it's going to be for the administration to avoid taking a larger role in the response and shoving BP out of the way." Abramowitz's bio: http://tinyurl.com/37rqqal  News Contact: Beverly Cox Clark, [email protected] Phone: +1-404-712-8780

**2. Bradford P. Anderson, law lecturer, Orfalea College of Business, California Polytechnic State University, can discuss the legal issues and litigation that will result from the Gulf oil spill. He recently wrote an op-ed that says, in part: "As with the Exxon Valdez disaster, litigation related to this spill could easily continue for nearly 20 years. It is already unclear exactly how much BP, or other responsible parties, will end up paying for this disaster. BP stated in testimony to Congress that it 'will pay all necessary cleanup costs and is committed to paying legitimate claims for other loss and damages caused by the spill.' However, the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 expressly states that a responsible party 'is not liable for removal costs or damages … if the responsible party establishes' that the discharge of oil and resulting damages were caused by 'an Act of God' or by a third party. Only time will only tell if BP and others will attempt an 'Act of God' defense, and you can count on each potentially responsible party to shift the blame, in whole or in part, to anyone who played a role in the operation and maintenance of the oil platform." The full text of the op-ed is available to reporters upon request. News Contact: Bruce Bobbins, [email protected] Phone: +1-212-981-5190

**3. Keifer Bonvillain, author of the newly released "The Broken Road to Disaster Recovery: A Story of Drugs, Sex, Alcohol & FEMA Fraud. Beware!": "If a Katrina-type hurricane were to hit New Orleans again today, the federal government would have no way of measuring the effectiveness of its first-response teams because of widespread fraud and corruption within the monitoring companies hired by FEMA. This time, it's not a hurricane but a devastating oil spill, and the same people are involved." Bonvillain's book provides a detailed account of the fraud and other illegal acts engaged in by the first-response monitoring company, and specific evidence backing up allegations of corruption. News Contact: Scott Lorenz, [email protected] Phone: +1-734-667-2090 Website: http://www.the-broken-road.com

**4. Marshall Brain, founder of HowStuffWorks.com, a credible, award-winning website with information on thousands of topics, including how to burn oil floating in the ocean; unconventional, surprising ways to soak up oil; and a simple proposal to prevent future oil spills, in which he wrote: "This is not the first time an oil well had sprayed millions of gallons of oil into the ocean, and it will not be the last unless we develop regulations to prevent it. And prevent it we must. This entire episode is a disaster on so many different levels. The obvious question going forward is: How do we prevent this situation from ever happening again? Here is a proposal for a simple solution: We require drilling companies to drill their relief wells first, before they strike oil. Then, if there is a problem with the main well, the relief wells are already in place and can be activated in a few hours rather than a few months. Someone will bring up a cost objection. The best response to that is, 'So what?' The cost of gasoline will go up a few cents at the most, and untold billions of dollars in long-term commercial and environmental damage will be prevented. The cost of pre-drilling relief wells is insignificant compared to the real cost of a catastrophe like we are seeing today." News Contact: Jamie Bezozo, [email protected] Phone: +1-917-595-3032

**5. Latosha Brown, nationally recognized community organizer and advisory board member of the Gulf Coast Fund for Community Renewal and Ecological Health ("the fund") is available to discuss the philanthropic response of the Gulf oil spill, including the environmental and economic impact and the current cleanup efforts. The fund is helping lead the current disaster response through emergency grants and support to local community leaders and grassroots organizations: "This has the potential to be one of the worst environmental disasters in U.S. history, with far-reaching economic, ecological, health and social impacts, and it has hit at a time when we're at a tipping point. The progress made in the region over the last five years cannot be overstated, but funders are beginning to turn their attention elsewhere. With more long-term investment, the Gulf will not only recover, but will serve as a model for the nation." News Contact: Lauren Macon, [email protected] Phone: +1-212-220-4444

**6. Mark Bunim, chairman and managing director of Case Closure LLC, an alternative dispute resolution firm specializing in resolving insurance-related disputes, has spent 30 years as a leading insurance recovery and risk management litigator. He says BP may be facing an economic tsunami and decades in the courtroom: "With dozens of industries negatively affected by the widening oil slick, the number of lawsuits being prepared against BP could number in the hundreds. For BP and its insurers, the costs they will incur by paying for the cleanup of this spill is just the beginning. While they will likely use mediation to streamline the settlement of disputes with local businesses affected by the spill and to stay out of the headlines, the cumulative payouts they and their insurers will absorb will certainly be absorbed in subsequent quarterly reports. Further, more than 21 years after the Exxon Valdez spill, major cases are still being argued by litigants in that case about economic damages." News Contacts: Chris Licata, [email protected] Phone: +1-212-685-4600, ext. 6985, or Tom Butler, [email protected] Phone: +1-212-685-4600, ext. 6982 Website: http://www.CaseClosure.com

**7. George R. Cook, executive professor of marketing, Simon School of Business, University of Rochester: "In the last month, we have seen a 15.61 percent decline (a decline of $80+/barrel to below $70/barrel) in the price of oil per barrel, yet the price of gasoline at the pump remains in the stratosphere -- $3 and higher in most instances. I find it interesting that when the price of oil skyrockets, the next day the price of gasoline at the pump shoots upward as well, but the reverse is not true. When the price of oil plummets as it is doing now, the price of gasoline at the pump continues to remain high. Where is justice in this game? All we get is excuses from the oil companies about why it has to remain high. The real reason is that the oil companies' philosophy is, 'Sock it to the consumer,' while they line their pockets with (gold) gasoline profits in the upper stratosphere. Here is an area for Congress and the administration to look into and set up commissions to investigate. Try helping the average consumer for a change." Cook is available to do phone interviews, as well as live or taped broadcast interviews from the university's on-campus TV studio, with satellite uplink through VideoLink in Newton, Mass. News Contact: Charla Stevens Kucko, [email protected] Phone: +1-585-273-4806

**8. Steve Cowell, CEO of Conservation Services Group, can discuss energy efficiency. Cowell wrote a blog post for The Huffington Post two years ago, "Energy Efficiency is the New Oil," that is very timely today. In the blog, Cowell writes: "Remember 'Drill, baby, drill'? Just a few short months ago, it was all the rage to call for drilling for new oil supplies in order to lower prices. But compare efficiency to drilling, and it's clear that we can save more oil by insulating and weatherizing homes in the Northeast than we could ever produce by drilling in the entire outer Continental shelf. And it provides results immediately, not 10 years from now." The full blog post is available at http://tinyurl.com/34kvvql  Cowell is also a chief architect of the federal Home Star legislation. (See: http://tinyurl.com/399hrw7) This plan, if approved, will cut oil consumption dramatically by weatherizing America's homes. News Contact: Lisa Rinkus, [email protected] Phone: +1-617-965-9847

**9. Stephen H. Cutcliffe, professor of history and director of the Science, Technology and Society Program at Lehigh University and historian of technology, suggests those responsible for the oil spill had a lack of historical perspective: "Why weren't we better prepared, given what we experienced from the Santa Barbara blowout? Surely a complex system such as one of these rigs will eventually have a 'normal accident,' as per Perrow's notion. Thus, why not have one of these box devices already tested and either confirmed it had a good chance of working or not, rather than screwing around now trying to invent a last-minute technical fix?" Cutcliffe's current research interests include the historical intersection between technological change and the environment. His complete profile can be found at: http://tinyurl.com/33n5zso  News Contact: Dina Silver Pokedoff, [email protected] Phone: +1-610-758-6656

**10. Byron Elton, CEO, Carbon Sciences, Inc.: "In the wake of the BP oil spill, strategies to rectify the already 7 million gallons of oil being discharged into the Gulf of Mexico may be the immediate concern, but a long-term solution must be explored to curb the growing demand for fossil fuels. This solution lies in an emerging technology called carbon recycling, or Carbon Capture & Recycling (CCR), which, through a CO2-to-fuel conversion process, offers the prospect of meeting 30 percent of the world's liquid fuel needs at the same time that it mitigates 11 percent of the world's CO2 emissions. (This estimate is based on the processing of only 25 percent of the world's CO2 emissions from coal-fired power plants, so the impact could be much greater.)" News Contact: Christina Brozek, [email protected] Phone: +1-201-465-8002 Website: http://www.CarbonSciences.com

**11. Robert Glasser, managing director, Insurance Claim Services and Business Interruption practice, BDO Consulting (a division of BDO): "With uncertainty and concern surrounding the impact of the Gulf oil spill to the coastline from Florida to Texas, many companies in the fishing, shipping, and hospitality industries are asking what needs to be done to quantify and document lost income for future claims. Many businesses are considering filing insurance claims. Others may be looking at the potentially responsible parties (BP, Transocean, etc.) for direct reimbursement. Regardless of the source of indemnification, proper documentation of claimed losses is critical. Quantifying and documenting lost revenue has been a complicated undertaking for the hospitality industry in particular." News Contact: Siobhan Ford, [email protected] Phone: +1-212-584-5474

**12. John Harrald, research professor, Center for Technology, Security, and Policy, Virginia Tech National Capital Region: "Once oil is released in such great quantities in the water column, there are no good solutions; all decisions are compromises. The real issue is one of risk management: Why are we permitting activities that have the potential (albeit small) for catastrophic consequences without ensuring that the permittee has the ability to respond if the rare event does occur?" Harrald is the director emeritus of The George Washington University Institute for Crisis, Disaster, and Risk Management, and professor emeritus of Engineering Management and Systems Engineering at The George Washington University. He is a member and chair of the National Research Council Disasters Roundtable Steering Committee and a member of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention Board of Scientific Counselors. He served as a member of the National Research Council Transportation Research Board Aviation Emergency Management Task Force. He is the executive editor of the electronic Journal of Homeland Security and Emergency Management and associate editor of The International Journal of Emergency Management. He is immediate past president, The International Emergency Management Society. He has been engaged in the fields of emergency and crisis management and maritime safety and security as a researcher in his academic career and as a practitioner during his 22-year career as a U.S. Coast Guard officer, retiring in the grade of captain. News Contact: Barbara L. Micale, [email protected] Phone: +1-703-518-2714

**13. Mike Hylant, CEO, Hylant Group, one of the largest privately held insurance brokerage firms in the United States: "Environmental disasters impact more than just the environment. These tragedies are global in scope, negatively impacting individuals, businesses and communities, both directly and indirectly. One lesson to be learned from these events is that companies can protect their assets and livelihood by working with professional insurance brokers who understand their business interests and associated risks while closing dangerous gaps in coverage." News Contact: John Znidarsic, [email protected] Phone: +1-216-696-0229

**14. Ed Joyce, insurance recovery partner, Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP, can discuss what insurance will cover: "Insurance coverage may be available for business interruption losses. Commercial property policies typically provide coverage for income lost due to the interruption of the policyholder's business by a covered cause of loss. Policyholders should keep in mind, however, that courts have found that 'direct physical loss of or damage to' property could encompass loss of use, value or function of the covered property. While many policies require the total suspension of business operations, some also cover only a partial shutdown. This may be an important distinction for businesses such as seafood processing plants, for instance, that have or will shut down either all or part of their operations due to a drop in supplies." News Contact: Adi Weisman, [email protected] Phone: +1-212-506-5122

**15. Bruce Kranz, senior vice president, environmental risk practice leader, Hylant Group, one of the largest privately held insurance brokerage firms in the United States: "The recent environmental disasters of the last several years serve as a reminder that insurance protection targets the unknown, unplanned and unexpected pollution liability occurrence. No one plans for a catastrophic event that results in the release of pollutants and gives rise to third-party damage claims. Thirty years of industrial experience in coal mining, civil construction and environmental remediation has shown me, firsthand, that the unexpected is a real danger in any type of operating environment." News Contact: John Znidarsic, [email protected] Phone: +1-216-696-0229

**16. Dr. Gavin W. Manes, president and CEO, Avansic, a leading e-discovery and digital forensics firm: "Even hours after the spill began, there was talk about the legal implications for all the companies involved, including BP, Cameron, Halliburton and Transocean. The amount of digital information and electronic evidence that will be requested, processed and produced during the many lawsuits to come will likely lead to one of the largest e-discovery projects in recent history. Not only will they be producing regular business documents, but also complex information from rig operations (such as SCADA database systems). Several of the attorneys general from the affected states have already requested that any data be preserved, and companies often must take affirmative steps to keep this data, rather than only ceasing their typical document destruction procedures." News Contact: Beth Downing, [email protected] Phone: +1-888-808-0337 Website: http://www.avansic.com

**17. Michael McKean, CEO of The Knowland Group, can address the impact of the oil spill on the hospitality industry and the hotel business in the Gulf area. The Knowland Group is a leading provider of business development solutions for the hospitality industry, and has surveyed hotels in the Gulf area about the impact on business. As the founder of the world's largest data firm in the global meetings and conventions industry, McKean has designed and implemented enterprise-sized information systems. He has directly spoken with hotels about the impact of the oil spill. He says: "Right now, the spill seems to be impacting bookings between the present and the next six months, which gives hoteliers time to plan ahead to ensure they maintain business. If things do get worse, hoteliers should consider new ways to proactively increase their sales and needed revenue." McKean can address the impact of the oil spill, and can share the results of his survey on booking issues, cancellations and what hotels are expecting for the next six months. News Contact: Jean Nickerson, [email protected] Phone: +1-617-904-9393, ext. 129 Survey: http://tinyurl.com/3y2w729

**18. Robert McKee, partner, Krupnick Campbell Malone Buser Slama Hancock Liberman & McKee; lead Florida counsel, Gulf Oil Disaster Recovery Group; and legal counsel for Gulf County, Fla., says the oil spill is a disaster of tremendous proportion: "This spill will greatly affect fisheries and others along the Gulf Coast, and may become one of the most damaging environmental disasters this country has ever seen." News Contact: Michelle Friedman, [email protected] Phone: +1-954-370-8999

**19. Connie Mixon is CEO of MyCelx, an international company that remediates oil spills, using a patented chemical process on mats and filters: "The technology being used today in the cleanup in the Gulf is outdated by 30 years. That technology absorbs 5 percent oil and 95 percent seawater, and is ineffective and inefficient. The U.S. spill-response industry is way behind in clean-up technology." MyCelx is used around the world for oil-spill cleanup, and absorbs 98 percent oil and 2 percent seawater. News Contact: Jean Creech Avent, [email protected] Phone: +1-770-862-7978 Website: http://www.mycelx.com

**20. Ziad Munson, assistant professor of sociology at Lehigh University and expert in the sociology of religion: "Historically, people look for signals from God almost anywhere. After such large disasters, there are people who cry, 'God is punishing us.' There is a concept in social psychology that refers to the fact that people aren't generally good interpreters of objective facts; instead, we tend to read into events confirmation of our beliefs, while we tend to not see or ignore events that might disconfirm the beliefs we already hold." Munson's profile can be found at: http://ziadmunson.blogspot.com  News Contact: Dina Silver Pokedoff, [email protected] Phone: +1-610-758-6656

**21. Michael Newport is president and CEO of Houston-based Mainland Resources, an independent oil and gas exploration, development, and production company that is developing the natural gas potential of leases in the northern Louisiana Haynesville Shale play and intends to immediately explore the potential for further extensions of the Haynesville shale in Mississippi: "As we face serious environmental and economic ramifications from the Gulf oil spill, more people are taking a closer look at the benefits of natural gas. Obama's hotly anticipated climate change bill by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid will include tax credits for natural gas fuels for trucks and manufacturers. Is natural gas America's savior or a transitional fuel source that will tide us over until we become a cleantech nation awash in viable wind, solar and biofuel solutions? The development of natural gas properties in the United States ensures our country's greater energy independence from geopolitical strife and provides high-paying energy-sector jobs and prosperous communities. As the CEO of an energy company that is actively tapping our country's natural gas reserves, even I don't think natural gas is the answer to all our country's energy needs. I simply believe that natural gas is a great, long-term bridge energy solution that provides an important part of our country's energy equation." News Contact: Nancy Tamosaitis-Thompson, [email protected] Phone: +1-212-532-2208

**22. Matt Oliver, assistant professor of oceanography in University of Delaware's College of Earth, Ocean and Environment, is mapping where the Gulf oil spill may travel next by using real-time data of sea surface temperatures overlaid on Google Earth images to generate maps of the Gulf Coast and Eastern Seaboard: "The temperature of the water is a signal for what currents are approaching the spill location. This helps us determine where we need to focus cleanup efforts." Oliver's work is part of the DeepWater Horizon Response, created by NOAA's Integrated Ocean Observing System (http://rucool.marine.rutgers.edu/deepwater/), a collaboration working to mitigate/manage the response to the spill. Contact: Andrea Boyle, [email protected] Phone: +1-302-831-1421

**23. Stephen Perry, president and CEO, New Orleans Convention & Visitors Bureau, can discuss the impact of the Gulf oil spill on tourism and recently issued a statement regarding the oil crisis as it pertains to the city of New Orleans: "Our hearts go out to our fellow Louisianans on the Gulf Coast who are suffering from this environmental tragedy.  New Orleans is 100 miles inland, thus we have avoided any physical or environmental damage and remained unscathed. There has been no adverse impact on the air or water quality in New Orleans, both of which are completely safe. We continue to meet and exceed the expectations of hundreds of thousands of business and leisure travelers, and festival goers." News Contact: Katharine Kent, [email protected]

**24. Seshadri Ramkumar, associate professor of nonwoven materials at The Institute of Environmental and Human Health (TIEHH) at Texas Tech University, says the same Texas Tech-created nonwoven cotton technology that keeps soldiers safe from chemical and biological warfare agents may also serve as the perfect sponge for sopping up oil that has polluted the Gulf of Mexico: "Already, several million feet of the oil-containment booms have been used to capture the oil spilling into the Gulf. They are made of synthetic materials, don't biodegrade and absorb only a third of what raw cotton can do. The properties of raw cotton allow it to soak up 40 times its weight. With chemical modifications, it can soak up to as much as 70 times its weight. And it won't just stay in a landfill forever." Ramkumar's research focuses on developing value-added materials using nonwoven materials and nanotechnology. He supervises the Nonwoven and Advanced Materials Laboratory at TIEHH. He is the creator of several nonwoven cotton technologies, including Fibertect, which is used in the U.S. military's decontamination kits. He and a small group of his graduate students are researching ways to use lower-quality cottons that don't make apparel grade for uses such as this. News Contact: John Davis, [email protected] Phone: +1-806-742-2136

**25. Dan Rowe, president and CEO, Panama City Beach Convention & Visitors Bureau, is available to discuss the impact of the oil spill on the area's tourism industry: "Although Panama City Beach has not been directly impacted by the recent Gulf of Mexico oil spill, the Panama City Beach Convention & Visitors Bureau recently announced a vacation assurance program called the 'Real.Fun.Guarantee.' to ease travelers' concerns about moving forward with their upcoming travel plans. The guarantee is applicable to new reservations made now through June 10. Panama City Beach is open for business and there has been no projected landfall to its beaches. The Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport opened last week, and the popular summer season is approaching. We hope to reassure returning and future visitors that they can book their beach vacations with confidence." News Contact: Michael Hicks, [email protected] Phone: +1-561-655-3836

**26. Dork Sahagian, director of the environmental initiative and professor of earth and environmental sciences at Lehigh University, addresses whether the oil spill could be the "tipping point" that alters people's behavior in terms of oil use: "I'm skeptical about this being a tipping point. Usually, it takes a big hit to people's pocketbooks. The 1970s gas crisis did something temporarily, but people are driving SUVs 40 years later. A gusher like this was pretty inevitable, and only because of extreme care has there not been one like it before. There will surely be more. The answer is efficiency, rail transport, non-fossil energy, clustered, multi-use community structure and a much higher level of education and scientific awareness than exists now." Sahagian conducts research in paleoclimatology, volcanology, stratigraphy, geodynamics and tectonics, global hydrology and sea level. Among his career highlights is the contribution to three of four assessment reports by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which was jointly awarded the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize with Al Gore. His complete bio can be found at: http://tinyurl.com/333vsaq  News Contact: Dina Silver Pokedoff, [email protected] Phone: +1-610-758-6656

**27. Jesus Salas, assistant professor of finance at Lehigh University, is available to discuss oil industry pricing: "How big of an impact will the spill have on oil prices? Not a significant one. World oil consumption is more than 85 million barrels a day. With the losses in the Gulf of approximately 5,000 barrels a day, this represents less than .005 percent of daily oil consumption and, thus, no measurable change to oil pricing. However, what will truly be interesting to watch is whether there will be a change to the holding pattern Obama is in right now regarding the future of offshore drilling. If this incident halts future offshore drilling, then indeed we may see a much more significant and long-term impact on oil pricing overall." Salas recently authored a study on the oil industry, "Minimum Variance Hedging When Spot Price Changes Are Partially Predictable." His teaching and research interests include investments, corporate finance, corporate governance, corporate risk management and dividend policy. His complete bio can be found at: http://tinyurl.com/2vwgcsf  News Contact: Dina Silver Pokedoff, [email protected] Phone: +1-610-758-6656

**28. Nada Sanders, professor of management, Lehigh University, can discuss the economic impact of the spill: "The forecast of what will happen rests heavily on the probability or likelihood that the leak will be capped immediately. I can give one forecast of what will happen if it is plugged tomorrow; I can also give some prediction of what will happen if it goes on for another week, but it will be different. What it comes down to is an understanding of the technology and the probability of it working. As it stands right now, we are looking at some very grave consequences regarding business interruption, supply-chain ripple effects and the ecosystem. I would also argue that a forecast at this point needs to be made involving a group of at least three people: an expert on technology regarding the leak stoppage, a biologist or any expert that understands ecosystems and how this is impacting wildlife, and a business supply-chain management expert. Together, a team of these three individuals can get a better prediction of the future. None alone can do it." Sanders is an expert in supply chain and forecasting. Her complete bio can be found at: http://tinyurl.com/2v7ypkz  News Contact: Dina Silver Pokedoff, [email protected] Phone: +1-610-758-6656

**29. Frederic Scheer, founder, chairman and CEO of Cereplast, Inc., a bioplastics company: "With the continued fascination on the Gulf oil spill, we can now reflect at the way the U.S. has hinged its dependence on oil and other fossil fuels, and many of us burn through fossil fuels without even driving a car. Petroleum can be found in almost every product we use in our daily lives, including toys, football helmets, toothbrushes, plastic utensils/dinnerware, nail polish, ice trays, vitamin capsules, contact lenses and electronics." Cereplast is working to replace plastics from fossil fuels from sources such as starches, tapioca, potatoes and wheat. News Contact: Jerry Schranz, [email protected] Phone: +1-201-465-8020

**30. Steffen Schmidt, professor of political science at Iowa State University and an associate at the Nova Southeastern University Oceanographic Center in Dania Beach, Fla., where he conducts research, lectures and consults on coastal policy, predicts the politics of this disaster will continue long after the oil spill is cleaned up: "The oil spill is very much about politics because it has now produced a dilemma for the Republicans, especially, on drilling [for new sources of energy]. It has created either an opportunity [for alternative energy sources] or gotten in the way of President Obama in terms of opening up some of the offshore oil reserves for drilling. And so this oil spill has big political implications for one of the biggest issues in the U.S., which is energy policy." Co-author with S. Paul Schmidt of the forthcoming book, "Climate Change, Coastal Issues, and Coastal Solutions" (fall 2010), Schmidt just had his op-ed, "Treading Slick Political Waters," published by AOL News (http://tinyurl.com/33cumms). News Contact: Mike Ferlazzo, [email protected] Phone: +1-515-294-8986

**31. John Kenly Smith Jr., associate professor of history at Lehigh University and trained engineer and historian: "I think we need to refer to that universal genius Murphy here: Whatever can go wrong, will, and the thing that goes wrong will be the one that does the most damage." Smith says the key factor with this spill is the water depth: "When you cannot physically get to the technology, it is difficult to fix. Even the astronauts have to go outside to fix the space station. It is just arrogance to think technology can be controlled automatically and reliably. It is amazing how they don't really have a clue how to deal with this thing. I wonder how many engineers said a prayer every day, 'Please let us never have a blow-out a mile below the surface.'" Smith's research interests focus on the history of industrial research and development and the chemical industry. His bio can be found at: http://tinyurl.com/3622tl9  Contact: Dina Silver Pokedoff, [email protected] Phone: +1-610-758-6656

**32. Gregory Unruh, doctor of environmental management and professor of global business at Thunderbird B-School, can discuss the BP oil spill implications from a CSR/environmental business strategy perspective: "BP is clearly a strong example of the impact we have -- as individuals and businesses -- on, as well as our responsibility to, our environment. Business leaders can -- and should -- follow the same basic rules that have sustained Mother Nature for billions of years." In his new book, "Earth Inc.," Unruh discusses his concept of the "Biosphere Rules," five nature-derived principles for today's business leaders who are inspired to implement this new business model for building sustainable and profitable enterprises. News Contact: Amanda Cullari, [email protected] Phone: +1-908-276-4344, ext. 215

**33. Jim Wagner, co-founder and CEO of DiscoverReady LLC, a leading provider of discovery management services, can speak to the enormous legal discovery implications of the oil leak and the challenging issues that will no doubt emerge: "While oil industry engineers are working around the clock to develop a solution to the massive leak in the Gulf of Mexico, another industry -- behind the scenes -- is busy at work preparing for the massive legal battles that will undoubtedly cost hundreds of millions of dollars and continue for decades to come. Unlike the Exxon Valdez spill, the documents pertinent to the Gulf of Mexico leak are primarily digital in nature and likely reside on thousands of storage servers, office computers and individual mobile devices -- all subject to varying records-retention policies. Just determining which communications must be produced in a legal discovery process versus which ones are considered privileged will be a huge, time-consuming undertaking." News Contact: Evan Jordan, [email protected] Phone: +1-917-595-3056

**34. Mark Zupan, dean, Simon School of Business, University of Rochester, and an energy expert: "The BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico will go down in history as the largest such disaster, eclipsing the Exxon Valdez in 1989. In a bold move, Transocean Ltd., which leased the Deepwater Horizon oil drilling rig to BP, recently invoked an 1851 maritime law limiting liability for sunken vessels to their value after the accident. That law is outdated and needs to be overturned, and full liability needs to be enacted. In addition, regulations monitoring offshore drilling need to be overhauled. Lawmakers recently failed to pass a bill to raise liability caps from the current $75 million to $10 billion. BP estimates 5,000 barrels of oil a day continue to leak into the Gulf, jeopardizing the environment and creating serious implications for consumers and businesses along the Gulf Coast, but scientists are disputing that estimate, saying it may be leaking more than five times that amount. Dozens of lawsuits have already been filed against BP in state and federal courts." Zupan is available to do phone interviews, as well as live or taped broadcast interviews from the university's on-campus TV studio, with satellite uplink through VideoLink in Newton, Mass. News Contact: Charla Stevens Kucko, [email protected] Phone: +1-585-273-4806

**35. Gregg Feistman, assistant professor, public relations, Temple University, teaches a graduate-level class in reputation management, and can discuss the public relations/reputation issues surrounding BP, the federal government's response, the oil industry as a whole, etc. Each are facing critical issues from a variety of stakeholders, including local residents, the business community, environmentalists, politicians, the media and more. Feistman: [email protected]

**36. Celine Godard-Codding, assistant professor at The Institute of Environmental and Human Health, is keeping a close eye on endangered species and how they are affected by the massive oil spill. She is working with the endangered and threatened sea turtles along the Texas coast to monitor how the animals will fare through the crisis. With more than 10 years of experience working with dolphin and whale toxicology, she also can discuss how oil impacts animals such as bottlenose dolphins and sperm whales. News Contact: John Davis, [email protected] Phone: +1-806-742-2136

**37. Kristian Gustavson is co-founder of Below the Surface, a California nonprofit organization focused on promoting water conservation and improving water quality in rivers and oceans. Currently, a Below the Surface team is on-site in the Gulf defending our waterways, cleaning and helping any way possible. Below the Surface is a group of audacious young adventurers, scientists, businesspeople and concerned citizens who are out stretching themselves to the physical and mental limits to demonstrate visually just how big of a production it is to get water to our homes, and how far the ripple effect of water pollution reaches. Having written the well-received consumer guide to curbing river pollution, "90 Ways in 90 Days," and having traveled the country giving presentations and exploring solutions to our mounting water concerns, Gustavson is available to discuss what he believes the solution is and what the current course of action will do to our environment. News Contact: Tonya Fleetwood, [email protected] Phone: +1-212-981-5213 Website: http://www.belowthesurface.org

**38. Mr. Kim Hollaender, partner at Nelson Levine de Luca & Horst and an environmental engineer, can address environmental issues and liability concerns associated with the Gulf oil spill. With his unique background, Hollaender focuses his practice on coverage matters, environmental litigation and complex insurance defense at Nelson Levine de Luca & Horst, a national law firm focused on the insurance industry. News Contact: Wendy Ward, [email protected] Phone: +1-215-321-9822

**39. Michael W. Kempner, president and CEO of MWW Group and one of the nation's foremost authorities on crisis communications, has counseled the CEOs of many Fortune 500 companies during their most troubled times. He is available to provide expert analysis and candid commentary on: 1) Lessons learned: What can corporations learn from the oil spill? 2) The BP brand: Can the image be repaired? 3) Media coverage: Has the coverage been fair and balanced? 4) Partnerships: Does it harm corporate brands to stay associated with BP? Which brands should stay on and which must terminate their agreements? 5) PR strategy: How does Kempner grade BP's PR strategy (to date) in managing the crisis? MWW Group, one of the nation's largest public relations firms, has 10 offices across the United States and a client roster that includes such major brands as McDonald's, Samsung, Deloitte, Volkswagen, Hershey, Nikon, Sara Lee and Gold's Gym. News Contact: Ashley Smith, [email protected] Phone: +1-212-827-3756 Website: http://www.mww.com

**40. Ron Kendall, director of The Institute of Environmental and Human Health at Texas Tech University, can discuss the toxic effects of oil on birds, reptiles, shrimp, fish and other wildlife. He was a part of the assessment for the Exxon Valdez, as well as other oil spills and contamination events. He is the chief editor of the textbook, "Wildlife Toxicology: Emerging Containment and Biodiversity Issues" (Taylor & Francis), which provides a global assessment of a range of environmental stressors, including pesticides, environmental contaminants and other emerging chemical threats, as well as their impact on wildlife populations. News Contact: John Davis, [email protected] Phone: +1-806-742-2136

**41. Rick S. Kurtz, professor of political science and public administration, Central Michigan University, is an acknowledged expert on coastal oil-spill policy, spill response operations and threat mitigation. Kurtz served as a policy analyst with the National Park Service Alaska Oil Spill Division Office from 1991-1993. Working with representatives from other government agencies and industry, Kurtz participated in the formulation of post-Exxon Valdez spill impact assessment, future spill planning and response, and threat mitigation. During this period, he also served as a member of the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA 90) mandated Prince William Sound Regional Citizens Advisory Council, Community Information and Education Committee. Kurtz has researched, published and served as expert presenter on a multitude of major incidents, such as: Morris J. Berman, Selendang Ayu, Cosco Busan and Hebei Spirit. His recent research has also focused upon deviant organizational management and safety incidents in the area of oil and gas pipeline transportation, including the BP 2006 North Slope spill. News Contact: Heather Smith, [email protected] Phone: +1-989-774-1702 Website: http://works.bepress.com/kurtz1rs/

**42. Rene Mack, president, Tourism & Lifestyle Practice, Weber Shandwick, can discuss how tourism needs to respond to crisis situations. News Contact: Katharine Kent, [email protected]

**43. Dr. George Maul, professor of oceanography and head of the Department of Marine and Environmental Systems at Florida Institute of Technology, teaches physical oceanography, meteorology, hydrographic surveying, and earth system science. He created the institute's meteorology, hydrographic engineering and Earth remote sensing programs, and founded the Center for Remote Sensing. He served two terms as vice chairman of the Subcommission for the Caribbean and Adjacent Regions (IOCARIBE) of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO. He was founding chairman of the IOCARIBE Group of Experts on ocean processes and climate, is chairman of the IOCARIBE Tsunami Science Steering Group of Experts, founded the regional IOCARIBE sea level network, and was chairman of the United Nations Environment Programme Joint Task Team on Climatic Changes in the Wider Caribbean Region. He has served as a consultant to the Organization of American States for CPACC (Caribbean: Planning for Adaptation to Climate Change) and to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Maul has been chief scientist on numerous oceanographic cruises, and has published over 100 refereed articles and book chapters on oceanography and meteorology, 30 technical reports, 60 abstracts and seven books. He has been interviewed extensively since the spill occurred in April. News Contact: Karen Rhine, [email protected] Phone: +1-321-674-8964

**44. Tony Michaels, professor of biological sciences at USC College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, can discuss the Gulf oil spill and hurricanes. News Contact: Susan Andrews, [email protected] Phone: +1-213-821-2481

**45. Jeff Rachlinski, professor, Cornell Law School, has been speaking to the press at length on the legal implications of the BP oil spill. He has been quoted in The New York Times and The Guardian, as well as several other major newspapers. He has also been interviewed on MSNBC and ABC. News Contact: Kathleen Corcoran, [email protected]

**46. Ray Tarasi is president and chief executive of Pittsburgh-based Universal Remediation, which manufactures an oil-absorbing containment tool named BioBoom, a long, floating tube filled with a powder that breaks down hydrocarbons, like oil, and fuses with it. After about three weeks in the water, the empty tubes are retrieved. Demand in the Gulf has required Universal Remediation to implement 24-hour shifts and a search for other facilities. Tarasi: +1-412-788-2444 Website: http://Unireminc.com  For background on the environmental technology industry in the Pittsburgh region: Kevin Lane, [email protected] Phone: +1-412-848-8345

**47. The following University of Florida experts are available to talk to the news media about the Gulf of Mexico oil spill:

Water Quality, Wildlife:

-- Peter Sheng, professor of civil and coastal engineering, studies ocean circulation and coastal hazards such as oil spills and their impact on ecosystems, including water quality and fisheries: [email protected]

-- Peter Frederick, research professor in wildlife ecology and conservation, can discuss the ecology of coastal and oceanic birds, as well as information on specific coastal resources that the birds need to survive: [email protected]

-- Karen Bjorndal, director of the Archie Carr Center for Sea Turtle Research, is an expert in the biology and conservation of sea turtles, seagrasses and nutritional ecology: [email protected]

-- Alan Bolten, research professor in the Archie Carr Center, is an expert in the biology of sea turtles: [email protected]

-- Perran Ross, associate scientist in wildlife ecology and conservation, is a sea-turtle expert who can discuss the short- and long-term impact of oil spills on all types of ocean life. He suggests that as disruptive as previous oil spills have been, ecosystems are resilient and have bounced back in about a decade's time: [email protected]

Economic Impact:

-- Stephen Holland, professor of tourism, recreation and sport management, teaches a class on recreation management and development in the coastal zone. He is an expert in ecotourism, public beach access and recreational fisheries. He did a paper on the effects of a 1979 oil spill on coastal parks in Texas: [email protected]

-- Chuck Adams, Florida Sea Grant marine economist, is available to talk about the economic values associated with the marine resources of the Gulf region: [email protected]

-- Jim Cato, professor emeritus of food and resource economics, can talk about the productive value of the Gulf of Mexico, an economic overview of industries dependant on the Gulf and its changing coastal economics. He is a member of the Florida Ocean and Coastal Council, which did a detailed study of Florida's economic dependence on a clean and sustainable coast and ocean: [email protected]

Seafood Quality:

-- Steve Otwell, Florida Sea Grant seafood safety specialist, can talk about seafood safety following an oil spill. He is well-versed in many seafood-related topics, from the industry to the processing to consumption. He is an expert on Florida's oyster fishery, the true "canary in the coal mine" for our coastal waters: [email protected]

-- Leslie Sturmer, Florida Sea Grant shellfish extension specialist, is able to field questions about the spill's potential impact on oysters and clams: [email protected]

Geology of Gulf:

-- John Jaeger, geology professor, can talk about how geological conditions might have contributed to the explosion of the oil well and why it's been difficult to cap the flow. He also can talk about where similar types of oil wells might be developed off Florida's coasts: [email protected]

News Contact: Ron Wayne, [email protected] Phone: +1-352-392-0186

**48. The following experts from the University of Michigan are available to discuss the Gulf oil spill:

-- Nina Mendelson, professor of law, teaches and conducts research in administrative law, environmental law, statutory interpretation and the legislative process. She is one of three American Special Legal Advisers to the NAFTA Commission on Environmental Cooperation and is a fellow at the Center for Progressive Reform and former U.S. Department of Justice environmental attorney: [email protected]

-- Gerald Meyers, adjunct professor of management and organizations, Stephen M. Ross School of Business, is a well-known industrialist, business consultant and an expert in corporate governance and crisis management in business: [email protected]

-- Edward Parson, Joseph L. Sax Collegiate Professor of Law and professor of natural resources and environment, is an expert on climate change and energy; political economy of regulation; role of science and technology in law, policy and regulation; and negotiations, collective decisions and conflicts. He served on the National Academy of Sciences Panel on advancing the science of climate change: [email protected]

-- David Uhlmann, who directs the Environmental Law and Policy Program, specializes in criminal and civil enforcement of environmental laws, Clean Water Act jurisprudence, worker endangerment and efforts to address global climate change. He headed the Justice Department's environmental crimes section for seven years during the Clinton and George W. Bush administrations: [email protected]

-- Peter Adriaens, professor of environmental engineering, is an expert on using microorganisms to clean up oil spills. Adriaens served as a consultant on cleanups of the Exxon Valdez and Gulf War oil spills and has taught on the subject for 10 years. He can explain how oil breaks down naturally, how microorganisms decompose it, and how long that process takes. He can also discuss how the shore cleanup of the subtropical Gulf Coast spill is expected to differ from the sub-Arctic Exxon Valdez situation. Because warmer temperatures lead to faster evaporation and hungrier microorganisms, the Gulf spill should be quicker to resolve than the Alaskan spill was, once it reaches land. Adriaens is a professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, the School of Natural Resources and Environment and the Ross School of Business: [email protected] Website: http://tinyurl.com/2vyp4g9

-- Allen Burton, director of the Cooperative Institute for Limnology & Ecosystems Research, is an expert on ecological risk assessment. He can discuss the adverse effects of contamination on aquatic life, particularly bottom-dwelling organisms associated with sediments. Some of the oil from the Gulf spill will settle onto those sediments and persist for long periods. Burton is a professor at the School of Natural Resources and Environment and director of CILER, a partnership between the University and the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration: [email protected] Website: http://www.snre.umich.edu/profile/burtonal

-- Donald Scavia, director of the Graham Environmental Sustainability Institute, is an aquatic ecologist who has spent years studying the oxygen-starved "dead zone" that forms each spring and summer in the Gulf of Mexico when oxygen levels drop too low to support most life in bottom and near-bottom waters. Scavia is familiar with Gulf fisheries and can discuss likely ecological impacts of the oil spill. In addition to being director of the Graham Institute, he is Special Counsel to the U-M President on Sustainability, a professor at the School of Natural Resources and Environment, and a professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: [email protected] Website: http://www.snre.umich.edu/scavia

News Contact: Jared Wadley, [email protected] Phone: +1-734-936-7819 Website: http://www.umich.edu/news

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/PR Newswire -- May 27/

SOURCE ProfNet