Oil spill roundup: Fri., Sept. 3

+ Another oil rig has exploded in the Gulf of Mexico (haven’t you heard?) but this one is quite different from the Deepwater Horizon.

+ Mariner Energy, the company in charge of that rig, had a history of accidents and violations.

+ Over the past two days, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has opened more than 8,000 square miles of federal waters off the Florida panhandle to fishing. See a map of today’s opening of 3,000 square miles here, and yesterday’s of more than 5,000, here (.pdf).

+ Florida Senate President and Chief Financial Officer candidate Jeff Atwater has joined a growing list of Florida officials critical of Kenneth Feinberg’s oil spill claims protocol.

+ BP is saying that it may not be able to compensate oil spill victims if it loses rights to future offshore oil drilling in the gulf.

+ So far, the company says the oil spill has cost it $8 billion.

+ Some beach communities, including one in Orange Beach, Ala., have detected an “oily mist” on sea oats using grant money from BP.