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{{short description|Oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico}} | |||
{{pp-move-indef}} | |||
{{about|the oil spill itself|the initial explosion|Deepwater Horizon explosion|other related articles|Deepwater Horizon (disambiguation)}} | |||
{{Current|date=May 2010}} | |||
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2024}} | |||
{{split2|Deepwater Horizon drilling rig explosion|discuss=Talk:Deepwater_Horizon_oil_spill#Split_proposal|date=June 2010 }} | |||
{{Infobox oil spill | {{Infobox oil spill | ||
| spill_name |
| spill_name = ''Deepwater Horizon'' oil spill | ||
| location = ] (] Block 252), in the North-central ], United States (south of Louisiana) | |||
| spill_date = April 20, 2010 – present ({{age in days|2010|4|20}} days) | |||
| coordinates = {{coord|28|44|17|N|88|21|58|W|region:US-LA_type:event_scale:6700000|display=inline,title}}<ref name="AutoBB-1"/> | |||
| location = ] near ] | |||
| image = Deepwater Horizon oil spill - May 24, 2010 - with locator.jpg | |||
| coordinates = {{Coord|28.73667|-88.38716|region:US-LA_type:event_scale:700000|display=inline,title}} | |||
| |
| caption = As seen from space by the ] satellite on 24 May 2010 | ||
| spill_date = 20 April – 19 September 2010<br />({{Age in months, weeks and days|year1=2010|month1=04|day1=20|year2=2010|month2=09|day2=19}}) | |||
| image_caption = The oil slick as seen from space by ]'s ] satellite on May 24, 2010 | |||
| cause |
| cause = ] ] | ||
| operator |
| operator = ] under contract for ]<ref name=MHL/> | ||
| casualties |
| casualties = 11 people killed<br />17 people injured | ||
| volume |
| volume = {{cvt|4.9|MMoilbbl|USgal m3|abbr=off|sp=us}} ±10%<ref name=report2011/> | ||
| area |
| area = {{cvt|2500|to|68000|sqmi|km2}}<ref name="area of spill">{{cite press release |title=BP / Gulf Oil Spill – 68,000 Square Miles of Direct Impact |publisher=SkyTruth.org |date=27 July 2010 |url=http://blog.skytruth.org/2010/07/bp-gulf-oil-spill-68000-square-miles-of.html |access-date=13 May 2001 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100811031036/http://blog.skytruth.org/2010/07/bp-gulf-oil-spill-68000-square-miles-of.html |archive-date=11 August 2010 }}</ref> | ||
}} | }} | ||
{{Deepwater Horizon oil spill series}} | |||
{{external media | width = 210px | float = right | |||
| headerimage= | video1 = (54:25), ] on ]<ref name="PBS A">{{cite web |title=Frontline: The Spill |publisher=] on ] |date=26 October 2010 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzrGZCJojUE&ab_channel=FRONTLINEPBS%7COfficial |access-date=27 April 2022}}</ref> }} | |||
The '''''Deepwater Horizon'' oil spill''' (also referred to as the "'''BP oil spill'''") was an ] which began on 20 April 2010, off the coast of the ] in the ] on the ]-operated ],<ref name=nyt020810>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/03/us/03spill.html |title=Gulf Spill Is the Largest of Its Kind, Scientists Say |first1=Campbell |last1=Robertson |first2=Clifford |last2=Krauss |newspaper=] |date=2 August 2010 |access-date=12 August 2010}}</ref><ref name="AutoBB-4">{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/energy/oilandgas/7924009/BP-leak-the-worlds-worst-accidental-oil-spill.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/energy/oilandgas/7924009/BP-leak-the-worlds-worst-accidental-oil-spill.html |archive-date=11 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=BP leak the world's worst accidental oil spill |work=The Daily Telegraph |date=3 August 2010 |access-date=15 August 2010 |location=London}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref name="largest in US hist">{{cite news |url=http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/nation/2010-05-27-oil-spill-news_N.htm |title=Obama, in Gulf, pledges to push on stopping leak |first1=Rick |last1=Jervis |first2=Alan |last2=Levin |agency=] |newspaper=] |date=27 May 2010 |access-date=3 March 2013}}</ref><ref name="AutoBB-5">{{cite news |url=http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/nation/2010-05-25-oil-spill-victims-memorial_N.htm |title=Memorial service honors 11 dead oil rig workers |newspaper=USA Today}}</ref> considered the largest marine ] in the history of the petroleum industry and estimated to be 8 to 31 percent larger in volume than the previous largest, the ], also in the Gulf of Mexico. Caused in the aftermath of a blowout and ], the ] estimated the total discharge at {{cvt|4.9|MMoilbbl|USgal m3}}.<ref name=report2011/> After ] to contain the flow, the well was declared sealed on 19 September 2010.<ref name=Aspress/> Reports in early 2012 indicated that the well site was still leaking.<ref name="aljazeera1">{{cite news |first=Dahr |last=Jamail |url=http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2012/03/20123313318459762.html |title=BP settles while Macondo 'seeps' |publisher=] |date=4 March 2012 |access-date=1 June 2012}}</ref><ref name="AutoBB-3">{{cite news |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rocky-kistner/the-macondo-monkey-on-bps_b_988262.html |title=Rocky Kistner: The Macondo Monkey on BP's Back |work=Huffington Post |date=30 September 2011 |access-date=1 June 2012}}</ref> The ''Deepwater Horizon'' oil spill is regarded as one of the largest environmental disasters in world history. | |||
The '''''Deepwater Horizon'' oil spill''', also called the '''BP Oil Spill''', the '''Gulf of Mexico oil spill''' or the '''Macondo blowout''',<ref name="whitehouse.gov 2010-05-05">{{cite web | title = The Ongoing Administration-Wide Response to the Deepwater BP Oil Spill | format = press release | publisher = ] | date = 2010-05-05 | url = http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2010/05/05/ongoing-administration-wide-response-deepwater-bp-oil-spill | accessdate = 2010-05-08 }}</ref><ref name="ens 2010-05-13">{{cite news | last1=White |first1-Stephen | title = BP's oil slickers; Bosses who earn millions claimed they could handle rig explosions | work = Daily Mirror | date = 2010-05-03 | page = 14 | url=http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2010/05/03/bp-under-fire-for-louisiana-oil-slick-as-obama-demands-they-pay-up-115875-22229895/ | accessdate = 2010-05-13}}</ref><ref name=upstream100510>{{cite news | url = http://www.upstreamonline.com/live/article214684.ece | title = BP 'army' battles Macondo flow | newspaper = ] | publisher = NHST Media Group | date = 2010-05-10 | accessdate = 2010-05-21}}</ref><ref name="NOAAPredictionMapHowTo">{{cite web|title=Interpreting NOAA’s Trajectory Prediction Maps for the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill|url=http://response.restoration.noaa.gov/book_shelf/2056_NOAATrajectoryMaps.pdf |format=PDF |publisher=] |accessdate=2010-05-24}}</ref> is a massive ongoing ] in the ], now considered the largest offshore spill in U.S. history.<ref name="largest in US hist">{{cite news|url=http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2010-05-27-oil-spill-news_N.htm?csp=34news |title=Gulf oil spill now largest offshore spill in U.S. history as BP continues plug effort |newspaper=USA Today |date=2010-05-27 |accessdate=2010-05-27 }}</ref> The spill stems from a sea floor ] that started with an ] on April 20, 2010. The blowout caused a catastrophic explosion on the '']'' ] that was situated about {{convert|40|mi}} southeast of the ] coast in the ] ]. The explosion killed 11 platform workers and injured 17 others; another 98 people survived without serious physical injury.<ref>{{cite news |title=Memorial Services Honors 11 Dead Oil Rig Workers |date=2010-05-25 |accessdate=2010-05-26 |url=http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2010-05-25-oil-spill-victims-memorial_N.htm |first1=William |last1=Welch |first2=Chris |last2=Joyner |newspaper=USA Today}}</ref> | |||
A massive response ensued to protect beaches, ] and ] from the spreading oil utilizing skimmer ships, floating ], controlled burns and {{cvt|1840000|USgal|m3}} of ].<ref name=staff4/> Due to the months-long spill, along with adverse effects from the response and cleanup activities, extensive damage to marine and wildlife habitats and fishing and tourism industries was reported.<ref name="AutoBB-7"/> In ], oil cleanup crews worked four days a week on {{cvt|55|mi}} of Louisiana shoreline throughout 2013. {{cvt|4900000|lb|t}} of oily material was removed from the beaches in 2013, over double the amount collected in 2012.<ref name=autogenerated7>{{cite web |url=https://www.npr.org/2013/12/21/255843362/for-bp-cleanup-2013-meant-4-6-million-pounds-of-gulf-coast-oil |title=For BP Cleanup, 2013 Meant 4.6 Million Pounds Of Oily Gunk |website=NPR |date=21 December 2013 |last1=Elliott |first1=Debbie }}</ref> Oil continued to be found as far from the Macondo site as the waters off the ] and ], where scientists said the oil and dispersant mixture is embedded in the ].<ref name=autogenerated3>{{cite news |url=https://www.tampabay.com/news/environment/water/oil-from-bp-spill-was-pushed-onto-shelf-off-tampa-bay-by-underwater/2137406/ |title=Oil from BP spill pushed onto shelf off Tampa Bay by underwater currents, study finds |newspaper=Tampa Bay Times |date=20 August 2013}}</ref> In April 2013, it was reported that ]s and other marine life continued to die in record numbers with infant dolphins dying at six times the normal rate.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.discovery.com/animals/whales-dolphins/record-dolphin-sea-turtle-deaths-since-gulf-spill-130402.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160130231923/http://news.discovery.com/animals/whales-dolphins/record-dolphin-sea-turtle-deaths-since-gulf-spill-130402.htm |date=2 April 2013 |archive-date=30 January 2016 |title=Record Dolphin, Sea Turtle Deaths Since Gulf Spill |first=Jen |last=Viegas }}</ref> One study released in 2014 reported that tuna and ] exposed to oil from the spill developed deformities of the heart and other organs which would be expected to be fatal or at least life-shortening; another study found that ] might have been widespread in animal life exposed to the spill.<ref name="LATimes-fish-toxins">{{cite news |url=http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-tuna-hearts-oil-spill-toxins-20140213,0,5212912.story#ixzz2tbQVLgxI |title=Toxins released by oil spills send fish hearts into cardiac arrest |work=Los Angeles Times |date=13 February 2014 |access-date=17 February 2014 |author=Sahagun, Louis}}</ref><ref name="Wines-24-March-14">{{cite news |last=Wines |first=Michael |title=Fish Embryos Exposed to Oil From BP Spill Develop Deformities, a Study Finds |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/25/us/fish-embryos-exposed-to-oil-from-bp-spill-develop-deformities-a-study-finds.html |access-date=25 March 2014 |newspaper=The New York Times |date=24 March 2014}}</ref> | |||
The gusher originates from a deepwater ] {{convert|5000|ft|m}} below the ocean surface. Current estimates of the amount of oil being discharged range from {{convert|12000| to|100000|oilbbl|USgal L||abbr=none}} per day.<ref>{{cite news|last=Macdonald |first=Ian R. |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/22/opinion/22macdonald.html |title=The Measure of an Oil Disaster | first1=Ian |last1=MacDonald |first2=John |last2=Amos |first3=Timothy |last3=Crone |first4=Steve |last4=Wereley |publisher=The New York Times |date=2010-05-21 |accessdate=2010-06-01}}</ref><!--THIS IS THE RANGE OF ALL ESTIMATES AT Deepwater_Horizon_oil_spill#Spill_flow_rate--> The preliminary best estimate that was released on May 27 by the semi-official ] put the volume of oil flowing from the blown-out well at {{convert|12000|to|19000|oilbbl|USgal L|abbr=none}} per day, which had amounted to between {{convert|440000|and|700000|oilbbl|USgal L|abbr=none}} as of that date.<ref name=FRTG>{{cite web|url=http://www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com/go/doc/2931/569235 |title=Flow Rate Group Provides Preliminary Best Estimate Of Oil Flowing from BP Oil Well |publisher=Deepwater Horizon Incident - Joint Information Center |work=Deepwater Horizon Response - Official Site of the Deepwater Horizon Unified Command |date=2010-05-27 |accessdate=2010-05-29 |format = press release}}</ref> The exact spill flow rate is uncertain – in part because BP has refused to allow independent scientists to perform accurate measurements – and is a ].<ref name="plumsundergulf">{{cite news | first1=Justin |last1=Gillis | title = Giant Plumes of Oil Forming Under the Gulf | newspaper = The New York Times | date = 2010-05-18 | url = http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/16/us/16oil.html | accessdate = 2010-05-18}}</ref> The resulting oil slick covers a surface area of at least {{convert|2500|sqmi|sqkm}}, with the exact size and location of the slick fluctuating from day to day depending on weather conditions.<ref name="reuters 2010-05-03">{{cite news |first=Matthew |last=Bigg |title = Progress toward Gulf oil well cap | agency = Reuters | date = 2010-05-03 | url = http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6424KO20100503 | accessdate = 2010-05-13}}</ref> Scientists have also discovered immense ] not visible from the surface.<ref name="plumsundergulf"/> The ''Deepwater Horizon'' spill has surpassed in volume the 1989 ] as the largest ever to originate in ]; however, it is still outranked in the greater Gulf of Mexico by the 1979 ]. | |||
Numerous investigations explored the causes of the explosion and record-setting spill. The United States Government report, published in September 2011, pointed to defective cement on the well, faulting mostly ], but also rig operator ] and contractor ].<ref name="BOERMEPR"/><ref name="AutoBB-17"/> Earlier in 2011, a White House commission likewise blamed BP and its partners for a series of ] decisions and an inadequate safety system, but also concluded that the spill resulted from "systemic" root causes and "absent significant reform in both industry practices and government policies, might well recur".<ref name="AutoBB-16"/> | |||
Experts fear that due to factors such as ] and ], the spill will result in an ]. The spill has damaged the Gulf of Mexico ], the Gulf Coast tourism industry, and the habitats of hundreds of bird species, fish and other wildlife.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nwf.org/News-and-Magazines/National-Wildlife/Birds/Archives/2010/Oil-Spill-Birds.aspx |title="Bird Habitats Threatened by Oil Spill" from ''National Wildlife'' |publisher=National Wildlife Federation |date=2010-04-30 |accessdate=2010-05-03}}</ref><ref name=cbs300410>{{cite video| url = http://wcco.com/video/?id=78277| title = Gulf Oil Slick Endangering Ecology| publisher = CBS Broadcasting | medium = web streaming| date = 2010-04-30| accessdate = 2010-05-01}}</ref> Crews are working to block off bays and estuaries, using skimmer ships, anchored barriers, floating ]s, and sand-filled barricades along shorelines. There are a variety of ] to contain the spill and remove outbound oil before more comes ashore along beaches and estuaries of the Gulf of Mexico. | |||
In November 2012, BP and the ] settled federal criminal charges, with BP pleading guilty to 11 counts of ], two ], and a felony count of lying to the ]. BP also agreed to four years of government monitoring of its safety practices and ethics, and the ] announced that BP would be temporarily banned from new contracts with the United States government. BP and the Department of Justice agreed to a record-setting $4.525 billion in fines and other payments.<ref name=nyt151112/><ref name=latimes290113/><ref name="AutoBB-21"/> {{as of|2018}}, cleanup costs, charges and penalties had cost the company more than $65 billion.<ref name=reuters160118>{{Cite news| url = https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-bp-deepwaterhorizon/bp-deepwater-horizon-costs-balloon-to-65-billion-idUKKBN1F50O6| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180116133342/https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-bp-deepwaterhorizon/bp-deepwater-horizon-costs-balloon-to-65-billion-idUKKBN1F50O6| url-status = dead| archive-date = 16 January 2018| title = BP Deepwater Horizon costs balloon to $65 billion| last1 = Bousso | first1 = Ron| work = Reuters| date = 16 January 2018| access-date = 31 May 2018}}</ref><ref name=ft010518>{{Cite news | url = https://www.ft.com/content/ab8a602e-4d18-11e8-8a8e-22951a2d8493 | title = BP hints at future dividend increases| last1 = Ward | first1 = Andrew | newspaper = Financial Times| date = 1 May 2018| access-date = 31 May 2018|url-access=subscription }} | |||
] (formerly British Petroleum) is the operator and principal developer of the Macondo Prospect, which was thought to hold as much as {{convert|50|Moilbbl}} of oil prior to the blowout (by BP's own estimate).<ref name=size>{{cite news | first=Edward | last=Klump | title=Spill May Hit Anadarko Hardest as BP's Silent Partner | date=2010-05-13 | url =http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601072&sid=aawwCXDN1UsM | publisher=Bloomberg | accessdate = 2010-05-19}}</ref> The ''Deepwater Horizon'' drilling platform had been leased by BP from its owner, ].<ref name=lease>{{cite news | first=Braden | last=Reddall | title=Transocean rig loss's financial impact mulled | date=2010-04-22 | url=http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN2211325420100422 | agency=Reuters | accessdate = 2010-05-01}}</ref> The ] has named BP as the responsible party in the incident, and officials have said the company will be held accountable for all cleanup costs resulting from the oil spill.<ref name=massive>{{cite news | title=Salazar: Oil spill 'massive' and a potential catastrophe | date=2010-05-02 | work=CNN | url=http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2010/05/02/salazar-oil-spill-massive-and-a-potential-catastrophe/ | accessdate = 2010-05-01}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.politico.com/politico44/perm/0410/cabinetlevel_oil_spill_meet_bcb87e48-b21e-4b72-8716-3d3a87ac7ffa.html|title=Guard mobilized, BP will foot bill|date=2010-05-01 |newspaper=Politico|publisher=Capitol News Company LLC |accessdate=2010-05-01}}</ref> BP has accepted responsibility for the oil spill and the cleanup costs, but indicated they were not at fault because the platform was run by Transocean personnel.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36912754/ns/us_news-environment/|title=Fire booms neglected in oil cleanup?|date=2010-05-03 |work=] |accessdate=2010-05-03}}</ref> The ''Deepwater Horizon'' blowout is the third serious incident at a BP-operated site in the United States in the last five years, following the ] in 2005 and the ] in 2006. These previous incidents, attributed to lapses in safety and maintenance, have contributed to the damage to BP's reputation and ] since the spill.<ref>{{Cite news | last = Krauss | first = Clifford | title = Oil Spill’s Blow to BP’s Image May Eclipse Costs | pages = | newspaper = New York Times | location = New York | date =2010-04-29 | url = http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/30/business/30bp.html | accessdate = <!-----26 May 2010----->}}</ref><ref>{{Cite episode | title = Previous BP Accidents Blamed On Safety Lapses | episodelink = | url = http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=126564739 | series = All Things Considered | serieslink = | credits = Wade Goodwyn | network = ] | station = | city = | airdate = 2010-05-06 | minutes = 5:06 | accessdate = 2010-06-01}}</ref> <br> | |||
</ref> | |||
In September 2014, a United States District Court judge ruled that BP was primarily responsible for the oil spill because of its gross negligence and reckless conduct.<ref name="Times - barbier - 18 billion"/> In April 2016, BP agreed to pay $20.8 billion in fines, the largest environmental damage settlement in United States history.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.noaa.gov/explainers/deepwater-horizon-oil-spill-settlements-where-money-went |title=Deepwater Horizon oil spill settlements: Where the money went |work=NOAA |date=20 April 2017}}</ref> | |||
==Background== | |||
===''Deepwater Horizon''=== | |||
== Background == | |||
===''Deepwater Horizon'' drilling rig=== | |||
{{Main|Deepwater Horizon}} | {{Main|Deepwater Horizon}} | ||
'']'' was a 10-year-old<ref>{{cite book |last1=Konrad |first1=John |last2=Shroder |first2=Tom |title=Fire on the horizon the untold story of the Gulf oil disaster |date=2011 |publisher=HarperLuxe |location=New York |isbn=9780062066541 |page=3}}</ref> ], ] ] that could operate in waters up to {{cvt|10000|ft}} deep.<ref name="AutoBB-22"/> Built by South Korean company ]<ref name="AutoBB-23"/> and owned by ], the rig operated under the ] ], and was chartered to BP from March 2008 to September 2013.<ref name=MHL/> It was drilling a deep exploratory well, {{cvt|18360|ft}} below sea level, in approximately {{cvt|5100|ft}} of water. The well is situated in the ] in ] Block 253 (MC253) of the ], in the United States' ]. The ] is found roughly {{cvt|41|mi}} off the ] coast.<ref name="USA"/><ref name="BP"/> BP was the operator and principal developer of the Macondo Prospect with a 65% share, while 25% was owned by ], and 10% by ], a unit of ].<ref name="subsea"/> | |||
{{Location map | USA | |||
| caption=Location of the ''Deepwater Horizon'' on April 20, 2010| label=oil spill | |||
| alt=Origin of oil spill | mark=<!--dot-->Red pog.svg | |||
| lat_deg=29 | lat_min=10 | lon_deg= -88.3 | lon_min=0 | |||
| position=right | width=250 | float=right | |||
}} | |||
The ''Deepwater Horizon'' was a floating ] — a fifth-generation, ultra-deepwater, ], column-stabilized, ] (MODU). The platform was {{convert|396|ft|m}} long and {{convert|256|ft|m}} wide and could operate in waters up to {{convert|8000|ft|m}} deep, to a maximum drill depth of {{convert|30000|ft|m|}}.<ref name="specification">{{cite web|url=http://www.deepwater.com/fw/main/Deepwater-Horizon-56C15.html|title= Transocean Deepwater Horizon specifications|publisher=]|accessdate=2010-04-22}}</ref> The {{Nowrap|$560 million}} platform was built by ] in ] and completed in 2001.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.marketwatch.com/story/transocean-ltd-provides-deepwater-horizon-update-2010-04-26 |title=Transocean Ltd. Provides Deepwater Horizon Update |date=2010-04-26 |newspaper=Wallstreet Journal}}</ref> It was owned by Transocean, operated under the ] ], and was under lease to BP until September 2013.<ref name="lease" /> At the time of the explosion, the ''Deepwater Horizon'' was on ] Block 252, referred to as the ], in the United States sector of the Gulf of Mexico, about {{convert|41|mi}} off the Louisiana coast.<ref name=BP>{{Cite press release | title = BP confirms that Transocean Ltd issued the following statement today | publisher = ] | date = April 21, 2010 | url = http://www.bp.com/genericarticle.do?categoryId=2012968&contentId=7061443 | accessdate = April 21, 2010}}</ref><ref name=Rigzone>{{cite news | url= http://www.rigzone.com/news/article.asp?a_id=91349 | title= Deepwater Horizon Still on Fire in GOM | publisher= Rigzone | author = | date=2010-04-21 | accessdate=2010-04-21}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rigzone.com/news/article.asp?a_id=92025 |title=Gibbs: Deepwater Horizon Aftermath Could Affect Next Lease Sale |publisher=Rigzone |date=2010-04-30 |accessdate=2010-05-18}}</ref> The platform commenced drilling in February 2010 at a water depth of approximately {{convert|5000|ft|m}}.<ref name="otMacondo">{{cite web|url=http://www.offshore-technology.com/projects/macondoprospect/|title=Macondo Prospect, Gulf of Mexico, USA|date=2005-10-20|publisher=offshore-technology.com|accessdate=9 May 2010}}</ref> At the time of the explosion the rig was drilling an exploratory well.<ref name=USA>{{cite news | url= http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2010-04-21-louisiana-oil-rig_N.htm?loc=interstitialskip | title= At least 11 workers missing after La. oil rig explosion |first=Rick |last=Jervis |agency=Associated Press |newspaper= ] | date=2010-04-21 | accessdate=2010-04-21}}</ref> The planned well was to be drilled to {{convert|18000|ft|m}} below sea level, and was to be plugged and suspended for subsequent completion as a ] producer.<ref name="otMacondo"/> Production ] was being run and cemented at the time of the accident. Once the cementing was complete, it was due to be tested for integrity and a cement plug set to temporarily abandon the well for later completion as a subsea producer.<ref name=upstream220410>{{cite news | url = http://www.upstreamonline.com/live/article212769.ece | title = Coast Guard confirms Horizon sinks | newspaper = ] | publisher = NHST Media Group | first1=Noah |last1=Brenner |first2=Anthony |last2=Guegel |first3=Tan |last3=Hwee Hwee |first4=Anthea |last4=Pitt | date = 2010-04-22 | accessdate = 2010-04-22}}</ref> | |||
===Explosion=== | |||
===Pre-spill risks and precautions=== | |||
{{Main|Deepwater Horizon explosion}} | |||
There were 39 fires or explosions on offshore oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico in the first five months of 2009, the last period with statistics available.<ref name=CNN/><ref name=Fox/> There had been numerous previous spills and fires on the ''Deepwater Horizon'', which had been issued citations by the Coast Guard 18 times between 2000 and 2010. The previous fires were not considered unusual for a Gulf platform and have not been connected to the April 2010 explosion and spill.<ref name="earlyfires" /> The ''Deepwater Horizon'' did, however, have other serious incidents, including one in 2008 in which 77 people were evacuated from the platform when it listed and began to sink after a section of pipe was accidentally removed from the platform's ] system.<ref>{{cite news | url= http://www.gomr.mms.gov/homepg/offshore/safety/acc_repo/2008/080526a.pdf?q=transocean-deepwater-horizon | title= Accident Investigation Report | publisher= ] | date=2008-05-26 | accessdate=2010-04-22}}</ref> | |||
] | |||
At approximately {{Nowrap|7:45 pm ]}}, on 20 April 2010, high-pressure ] gas from the well expanded into the ] and rose into the drilling rig, where it ignited and exploded, engulfing the platform.<ref name="upstream220410" /><ref name="yahoo1" /> Eleven missing workers were never found despite a three-day ] (USCG) search operation and are believed to have died in the explosion.<ref name="Times search end" /><ref name="huffington151112a" /> Ninety-four crew members were rescued by ] or helicopter, 17 of whom were treated for injuries.<ref name="upstream220410" /><ref name="nola 0422" /> The ''Deepwater Horizon'' sank on the morning of 22 April 2010. | |||
In February 2009, BP filed a 52 page exploration and environmental impact plan for the Macondo well with the ] (MMS), an arm of the ] that oversees offshore drilling. The plan stated that it was "unlikely that an accidental surface or subsurface oil spill would occur from the proposed activities".<ref name=AP0430/> In the event an accident did take place the plan stated that due to the well being {{convert|48|mi|km}} from shore and the response capabilities that would be implemented, no significant adverse impacts would be expected.<ref name=AP0430>{{cite news | first1= Cain| last1=Burdeau | first2=Holbrook |last2=Mohr | title=Document: BP didn't plan for major oil spill | date=2010-04-30 | newspaper=ABC News | url =http://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory?id=10515973 | agency = Associated Press| accessdate = 2010-04-30}}</ref> The Department of the Interior exempted BP's Gulf of Mexico drilling operation from a detailed environmental impact study after concluding that a massive oil spill was unlikely.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/05/04/AR2010050404118.html |title=U.S. exempted BP's Gulf of Mexico drilling from environmental impact study |first1=Juliet |last1=Eilperin |publisher=The Washington Post Company |work=The Washington Post |date= 2010-05-05 |accessdate=2010-05-16}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN0621334420100506?type=marketsNews |title=RPT-BP's US Gulf project exempted from enviro analysis |publisher=Reuters |date= |accessdate=2010-05-16 |first1=Jeffrey |last1=Jones |first2=Jeff |last2=Mason}}</ref> In addition, following a loosening of regulations in 2008, BP was not required to file a detailed blowout plan.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iVLeScIs1hliTdPPSAWxykKj1E8QD9FH7J100 |title=Feds let BP avoid filing blowout plan for Gulf rig |first1=Michael |last1=Kunzelman |first2=Richard |last2=Pienciak |publisher=Associated Press |date= 2010-05-03 |accessdate=2010-06-3}}</ref> | |||
== Volume and extent of oil spill == | |||
The BP ] had been fitted with a ] (BOP), but it was not fitted with remote-control or acoustically-activated triggers for use in case of an emergency requiring a platform to be evacuated. It did have a dead man's switch designed to automatically cut the pipe and seal the well if communication from the platform is lost, but it was unknown whether the switch was activated.<ref name="Russell">{{cite news |first1=Russell |last1=Gold |first2Ben |last2=Casselman |first3Guy |last3=Chazan |title=Leaking Oil Well Lacked Safeguard Device |date=2010-04-28 |newspaper=Wall Street Journal |url=http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704423504575212031417936798.html |accessdate=2010-05-26}}</ref> Regulators in both Norway and Brazil generally require acoustically-activated triggers on all offshore platforms, but when the Minerals Management Service considered requiring the remote device, a report commissioned by the agency as well as drilling companies questioned its cost and effectiveness.<ref name="Russell"/> In 2003, the agency determined that the device would not be required because drilling rigs had other back-up systems to cut off a well.<ref name="Russell"/><ref>{{cite news|first=Mike |last=Soraghan |url=http://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2010/05/04/04greenwire-warnings-on-backup-systems-for-oil-rigs-sounde-30452.html |title=Warnings on Backup Systems for Oil Rigs Sounded 10 Years Ago |newspaper=The New York Times |agency=Greenwire |date=2010-05-04 |accessdate=2010-05-16}}</ref> | |||
{{Main|Volume and extent of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill}} | |||
{{For timeline|Timeline of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill}} | |||
] ] | |||
] | |||
] | |||
The oil leak was discovered on the afternoon of 22 April 2010 when a large oil slick began to spread at the former rig site.<ref name="AutoBB-24"/> The oil flowed for 87 days. BP originally estimated a flow rate of {{convert|1000|to|5000|oilbbl/d|abbr=~}}. The ] (FRTG) estimated the initial flow rate was {{cvt|62000|oilbbl/d}}.<ref name="BBC 29/4"/><ref name="AutoBB-28"/><ref name="AP 60k barrels"/> The total estimated volume of leaked oil approximated ] with plus or minus 10% uncertainty,<ref name=report2011/> including oil that was collected,<ref name="ap110113"/> making it the world's largest accidental spill.<ref name=nyt020810/><ref name=hoch>{{cite news |first=Maureen |last=Hoch |url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/2010/08/new-estimate-puts-oil-leak-at-49-million-barrels.html |title=New Estimate Puts Gulf Oil Leak at 205 Million Gallons |publisher=MacNeil/Lehrer Productions |work=PBS NewsHour |date=2 August 2010 |access-date=19 December 2010 |archive-date=22 January 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140122073506/http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/2010/08/new-estimate-puts-oil-leak-at-49-million-barrels.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> BP challenged the higher figure, saying that the government overestimated the prefaced volume. Internal emails released in 2013 showed that one BP employee had estimates that matched those of the FRTG, and shared the data with supervisors, but BP continued with their lower number.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/08/bp-oil-spill-flow-rate-emails_n_2260275.html |work=Huffington Post |first=John |last=Rudolf |title=New BP Oil Spill Emails Suggest Cover-Up |date=8 December 2012}}</ref><ref name=oilprice/> The company argued that government figures do not reflect over {{cvt|810000|oilbbl|MUSgal m3}} of oil that was collected or burned before it could enter the Gulf waters.<ref name="ap110113"/> | |||
===Pre-spill problems and warnings=== | |||
Internal BP documents show that BP engineers had concerns as early as 2009 that the metal casing BP wanted to use might collapse under high pressure. <ref name="warnings">{{cite news | first = Ian | last = Urbina | title = Documents Show Early Worries About Safety of Rig | date = 29 May 2010 | url = http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/30/us/30rig.html | work = New York Times | accessdate = 2010-06-04}}</ref> In March, 2010, the rig was experiencing problems that included drilling mud falling into the undersea oil formation, sudden gas releases, a pipe falling into the well, and at least three occasions of the blowout preventer leaking fluid.<ref name="warnings" /> According to a report by '']'', the blowout preventer was damaged in a previously unreported accident in late March, and BP overruled the drilling operator on key operations. BP declined to comment on the report.<ref name="chron.com"/> The ] last inspected the rig's failed blowout preventer in 2005.<ref>{{cite article |url=http://www.nola.com/news/gulf-oil-spill/index.ssf/2010/05/hearings_rigs_blowout_prevente.html |title=Hearings: Rig's blowout preventer last inspected in 2005 |Publisher=Times-Picayune |author=David Hammer |date=2010-05-26 |accessdate=2010-05-26}}</ref> | |||
According to the satellite images, the spill directly affected {{cvt|70000|sqmi}} of ocean, comparable to the area of ].<ref name="area of spill"/><ref name=norse>{{cite journal |title=Impacts, Perception, and Policy Implications of the BP/Deepwater Horizon Oil and Gas Disaster |first1=Elliott A. |last1=Norse |first2=John |last2=Amos |journal=Environmental Law Reporter |url=http://mcbi.marine-conservation.org/publications/pub_pdfs/Norse-and-Amos-2010.pdf |date=November 2010 |volume=40 |issue=11 |pages=11058–11073 |access-date=22 February 2013 |issn=0046-2284}}</ref> By early June 2010, oil had washed up on {{cvt|125|mi}} of Louisiana's coast and along the ], ], and ] coastlines.<ref name="AutoBB-49"/><ref name="AutoBB-50"/> Oil sludge appeared in the ] and on ] and the ].<ref name=Kunzelman/> In late June, oil reached ], its first appearance in Mississippi.<ref name="McConnaughey"/> In July, ] reached ] and the shores of ].<ref name=Lozano/><ref name="AutoBB-51"/> In September a new wave of oil suddenly coated {{cvt|16|mi}} of Louisiana coastline and marshes west of the Mississippi River in ].<ref name="AutoBB-52"/> In October, weathered oil reached Texas.<ref name="AutoBB-53"/> {{as of|2011|July|}}, about {{cvt|491|mi}} of coastline in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida were contaminated by oil and a total of {{cvt|1074|mi}} had been oiled since the spill began.<ref name="AutoBB-12"/> {{as of|2012|December|}}, {{cvt|339|mi}} of coastline remain subject to evaluation and/or cleanup operations.<ref name=Ramseur/> The reported 3.19 million barrels of spilled oil was not the only effect of this disaster. A report detailed the release of thousands of tons of ] gases (HC) into the atmosphere.<ref>{{Cite journal|date=15 September 2016|title=Environmental effects of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill: A review|url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0025326X16304313|journal=Marine Pollution Bulletin|language=en|volume=110|issue=1|pages=28–51|doi=10.1016/j.marpolbul.2016.06.027|issn=0025-326X|hdl=11250/2569780|hdl-access=free|last1=Beyer|first1=Jonny|last2=Trannum|first2=Hilde C.|last3=Bakke|first3=Torgeir|last4=Hodson|first4=Peter V.|last5=Collier|first5=Tracy K.|pmid=27301686|bibcode=2016MarPB.110...28B }}</ref> | |||
On March 10, 2010, a BP executive e-mailed the ] that there was a stuck pipe and "well control situation" at the drilling site, and that BP would have to "plugback the well."<ref>{{cite news | first = Joe | last = Carroll | title = BP Cited ‘Well Control Situation’ Six Weeks Before Blowout | date = 31 May 2010 | url = http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-05-31/bp-cited-well-control-situation-six-weeks-before-blowout.html | work = Bloomberg Businessweek | accessdate = 2010-06-04}}</ref> A draft of a BP memo in April warned that the cementing of the casing was unlikely to be successful.<ref name="warnings" /> ], a week after the explosion, said that it had finished cementing 20 hours before the fire,<ref name=earlyfires>{{cite news | first1=Frank | last1=Jordans |first2=Garance |last2=Burke | title=Rig had history of spills, fires before big 1 | date=2010-04-30 | newspaper=Huffington Post | url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20100430/us-gulf-oil-spill-the-rig/ | agency =] | accessdate = 2010-05-01}}</ref> and that it cemented the Macondo well but had not set the final cement plug to cap the bore as "operations had not reached a stage where a final plug was needed".<ref name="CITEREFupstream2010a">{{cite news | first1=Noah |last1=Brenner |first2=Anthony |last2=Guegel |first3=Tan |last3=Hwee Hwee |first4=Anthea |last4=Pitt |title = Congress calls Halliburton on Macondo | newspaper = ] | publisher = NHST Media Group | date = 2010-04-30 | url = http://www.upstreamonline.com/live/article213912.ece | accessdate = 2010-05-01}}</ref> A special ]-foamed cement was used which is more difficult to handle than standard cement.<ref name=nyt0510>{{Cite news|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/11/us/11hearings.html?sq=halliburton&st=cse&scp=2&pagewanted=all|date=2010-05-10|author=|title=Nitrogen-Cement Mix Is Focus of Gulf Inquiry |newspaper=The New York Times |first1=Justin |last1=Gillis |first2=John |last2=Broder|postscript=<!--None-->}}</ref> | |||
Concerns were raised about the appearance of underwater, horizontally-extended plumes of dissolved oil. Researchers concluded that deep plumes of dissolved oil and gas would likely remain confined to the northern Gulf of Mexico and that the peak impact on dissolved oxygen would be delayed and long-lasting.<ref name="AutoBB-62"/> | |||
In late April, 2010, Adrian Rose, a vice president of Transocean, Ltd., said that workers had been performing their standard routines and had no indication of any problems prior to the explosion.<ref name="CNN" /> However, preliminary findings from BP’s internal investigation released by the House Committee on Energy and Commerce on May 25 indicated several serious warning signs in the hours just prior to the explosion.<ref>{{cite article |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/26/us/26rig.html?src=me&ref=us |title=Panel Suggests Signs of Trouble Before Rig Explosion |publisher=New York Times |author=Henry Fountain and Tom Seller, Jr. |date=2010-05-25 |accessdate=2010-05-26}}</ref><ref>{{cite article |url=http://energycommerce.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2017:committee-releases-details-of-bps-internal-incident-investigation&catid=122:media-advisories&Itemid=55 |title=Committee Releases Details of BP's Internal Incident Investigation |publisher=] |date=2010-05-25 |accessdate=2010-05-26}}</ref> Equipment readings indicated gas bubbling into the well, which could signal an impending blowout.<ref name="warnings" /> | |||
Two weeks after the wellhead was capped on 15 July 2010, the surface oil appeared to have dissipated, while an unknown amount of subsurface oil remained.<ref name="GillisRobertson"/> Estimates of the residual ranged from a 2010 NOAA report that claimed about half of the oil remained below the surface to independent estimates of up to 75%.<ref name=Talev/><ref name="AutoBB-43"/><ref name="AutoBB-44"/> | |||
That means over {{cvt|100|e6USgal}} (2.4 million barrels) remained in the Gulf.<ref name="Ramseur" /> {{as of|2011|January|}}, tar balls, oil sheen trails, fouled wetlands marsh grass and coastal sands were still evident. Subsurface oil remained offshore and in fine silts.<ref name="AutoBB-10" /> In April 2012, oil was still found along as much as {{cvt|200|mi}} of Louisiana coastline and tar balls continued to wash up on the barrier islands.<ref name="AutoBB-15" /> In 2013, some scientists at the Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill and Ecosystem Science Conference said that as much as one-third of the oil may have mixed with ]s, where it risks damage to ecosystems and commercial fisheries.<ref name="nature260113" /> | |||
===Explosion and fire=== | |||
] combat the fire on the ''Deepwater Horizon'' while the ] searches for missing crew.]] | |||
In 2013, more than {{cvt|4600000|lb|t}} of "oiled material" was removed from the Louisiana coast.<ref name=autogenerated7 /><ref>{{cite web |url=http://blog.nwf.org/2013/06/40000-pound-tar-mat-reminds-us-the-oil-spill-is-not-over/ |title=40,000-Pound Tar Mat Reminds Us the Oil Spill is Not Over |date=27 June 2013}}</ref> Although only "minute" quantities of oil continued to wash up in 2013, patches of tar balls were still being reported almost every day from Alabama and Florida Panhandle beaches. Regular cleanup patrols were no longer considered justified but cleanup was being conducted on an as-needed basis, in response to public reports.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/16/gulf-oil-spill-cleanup_n_3451488.html |work=Huffington Post |title=BP Pulls Out of Gulf Cleanup, Leaving Unanswered Questions Behind |date=16 June 2013}}</ref> | |||
The fire aboard the ''Deepwater Horizon'' reportedly started at {{Nowrap|9:45 p.m.}} ] on April 20, 2010. According to Transocean executive Adrian Rose, abnormal pressure accumulated inside the ] and as it came up it "expanded rapidly and ignited".<ref name="upstream220410" /> According to interviews with platform workers conducted during BP's internal investigation, a bubble of ] gas escaped from the well and shot up the drill column, expanding quickly as it burst through several seals and barriers before exploding.<ref name=yahoo1>{{cite web|url=http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_gulf_oil_spill |title=Bubble of methane triggered rig blast – AP, May 7, 2010 |publisher=Yahoo News |agency=Associated Press |first1=Jim |last1=Kunzelman |first2=Greg |last2=Bluestein |date=2010-05-01 |accessdate=2010-05-16}}</ref> Rose said the event was basically a blowout.<ref name="upstream220410" /> Survivors described the incident as a sudden explosion which gave them less than five minutes to escape as the alarm went off.<ref>{{cite news | url= http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/business/6969069.html | title= Rig blast survivor: 'We had like zero time' | newspaper= ] | last1= Wise |first1=Lindsay | last2=Latson |first2=Jennifer | last3=Patel |first3= Purva | date=2010-04-22 | accessdate=2010-04-22}}</ref> | |||
It was first thought that oil had not reached as far as ]; however, a study done in 2013 found that one of the plumes of dispersant-treated oil had reached a shelf {{cvt|80|mi}} off the Tampa Bay region. According to researchers, there is "some evidence it may have caused lesions in fish caught in that area".<ref name=autogenerated3 /><ref>{{cite journal |title=Toxicity and Mutagenicity of Gulf of Mexico Waters During and After the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill |first1=John H. |last1=Paul |first2=David |last2=Hollander |first3=Paula |last3=Coble |first4=Kendra L. |last4=Daly |author-link4=Kendra Daly|first5=Sue |last5=Murasko |first6=David |last6=English |first7=Jonelle |last7=Basso |first8=Jennifer |last8=Delaney |first9=Lauren |last9=McDaniel|first10=Charles W.|last10=Kovach |s2cid=206970807 |date=3 September 2013 |journal=Environ. Sci. Technol. |volume=47 |issue=17 |pages=9651–9659 |doi=10.1021/es401761h |pmid=23919351 |bibcode=2013EnST...47.9651P | issn=0013-936X}}</ref> | |||
At an April 30 press conference, BP said that it did not know the cause of the explosion.<ref>{{cite news| title=100430-G-3080T-001-DHS News Conferencemov | date=2010-05-01 | publisher=United States Coast Guard | url =http://cgvi.uscg.mil/media/main.php?g2_itemId=845728 | work =Visual Information Gallery | accessdate = 2010-05-01}}</ref> Transocean chief executive Steven Newman described the cause as "a sudden, catastrophic failure of the cement, the casing or both."<ref name=nyt0510/> The heavy ] in the pipes initially held down the gas of the leaking well. When managers believed they were almost done with the well, they decided to displace the mud with seawater; the gas was then able to overcome the weight of the fluid column and rose to the top.<ref name=nyt0510/> | |||
== Efforts to stem the flow of oil == | |||
The explosion was followed by a fire that engulfed the platform. Video of the fire shows billowing flames, taller than a multistory building, and a captain of a rescue boat described the heat as so intense that it was melting the paint off the boats.<ref>{{cite news | title=Rig fire at Deepwater Horizon 4/21/10 | date=2010-04-22 | publisher=CNN | url =http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-435316 | work =CNN iReport | accessdate = 2010-05-05}}</ref> After burning for more than a day, ''Deepwater Horizon'' sank on April 22, 2010.<ref name=bloomberg220410>{{cite news | url = http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aHylLWhmGcI0 | title = Transocean Oil-Drilling Rig Sinks in Gulf of Mexico | agency = ]]] |first1=Jessica |last1=Resnick-Ault |first2=Katarzyna |last2=Klimasinska | date = 2010-04-22 | accessdate = 2010-04-22}}</ref> The Coast Guard stated to CNN on April 22 that they received word of the sinking at approximately {{Nowrap|10:21 am}}.<ref name=cnn0422>{{cite news | title=Oil slick spreads from sunken rig ''(video interview)''| date=2010-04-22 | work=CNN | url =http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/04/22/oil.rig.explosion/index.html | accessdate = 2010-05-02}}</ref> | |||
{{Main|Efforts to stem the Deepwater Horizon oil spill}} | |||
{{See also|Offshore oil spill prevention and response}} | |||
=== |
=== Short-term efforts === | ||
] | |||
] | |||
] under construction in Port Fourchon, Louisiana, at ] on 26 April]] | |||
Nine crew members on the platform floor and two engineers died during the explosion.<ref name="yahoo1"/> According to officials, 126 individuals were on board, of whom 79 were Transocean employees, six were from BP, and 41 were contracted; of these, 115 individuals were evacuated.<ref name="CNN" /> Most of the workers evacuated the rig and took diesel-powered ] ] to the M/V Damon B Bankston, a workboat that BP had hired to service the rig.<ref name=nola>{{cite news | url= http://www.nola.com/news/index.ssf/2010/04/rescued_oil_rig_workers_arrive.html |agency=The Times-Picayune |title= Rescued oil rig explosion workers arrive to meet families at Kenner hotel | newspaper= New Orleans Metro Real-Time News | first=Chris |last=Kirkham | date=2010-04-22 | accessdate=2010-04-22}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url= http://abcnews.go.com/WN/oil-rig-explosion-survivors-reunite-land-coast-guard/story?id=10446518 | title= Deepwater Horizon Is On fire; Officials Say Burning Oil Rig in Gulf of Mexico Has Sunk | publisher= ] |first1=Lee |last1=Lee |first2=Jeffrey |last2=Kofman |first3=Michael |last3=Murray | date=2010-04-22 | accessdate=2010-04-22}}</ref> Seventeen others were then evacuated from the workboat by helicopter.<ref name="CNN" /> Most survivors were brought to ] for a medical check-up and to meet their families.<ref name=Shreveport>{{cite news |first=Mike |last=Kuzelman |url= http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/feedarticle/9042118 | title= Oil rig survivors back on land; 11 missing | agency=Associated Press |newspaper= ] | date=2010-04-22 | accessdate=2010-04-22}}</ref> Although 94 workers were taken to shore with no major injuries, four were transported to another vessel, and 17 were sent to trauma centers in Mobile, Alabama and ].<ref name=CNN>{{cite news | url= http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/04/21/oil.rig.explosion/index.html | title= At least 11 missing after blast on oil rig in Gulf | publisher= CNN | date=2010-04-21 | accessdate=2010-04-21}}</ref> Most were soon released.<ref name="CNN" /><ref name=Fox>{{cite news | url= http://www.foxnews.com/us/2010/04/21/search-missing-workers-la-oil-rig-blast/ | title= Search for Missing Workers After La. Oil Rig Blast | work= ] | agency=Associated Press |date=2010-04-21 | accessdate=2010-04-21}}</ref><ref name="Times search end" /> When the blowout occurred, 4 BP and Transocean executives were on board the platform for a tour of the rig, maintenance planning, annual goals review, a "Drops" safety campaign, and to congratulate the senior staff of the rig for 7 years of operations without a lost time incident (MMS reports show a lost time accident occured 2008-03-06 on a service vessel at a lease being worked by the Deepwater Horizon, in preparation for a crane operation under control of the Deepwater Horizon);<ref>{{cite video|url=http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/293776-4 |title=USCG & MMS Joint Investigation of Deepwater Horizon Explosion, Haire and Ezell Testimony May 28, 2010 |publisher=C-Span | time = 38:30, 1:01:05, 1:20:37 |format=digital media|date=2010-05-28 |accessdate=2010-06-05}}</ref> they were injured but survived.<ref name="yahoo1"/> Lawyers for some survivors of the blast claim that their clients were kept in boats and on another rig for 15 hours or more before being brought to shore and when they did get to shore, "they were zipped into private buses, there was security there, there was no press, no lawyers allowed, nothing, no family members."<ref name="survivors sequestered">{{cite news | last=Shapiro |first=Joseph | title = Rig survivors felt coerced to sign waivers | publisher = National Public Radio | date = 2010-05-06 | url = http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=126565283 | accessdate = 2010-05-18 | ref = CITEREFnpr2010b}}</ref> They were then driven to a hotel under escort, secluded at the hotel for hours, questioned by company consultants and investigators and then given a form to sign before being released.<ref name="survivors sequestered"/> These claims are denied by Transocean.<ref name=upstream120510>{{cite news | url = http://www.upstreamonline.com/live/article214729.ece | title = Transocean denies forcing crew to sign waivers | newspaper = ] | publisher = NHST Media Group | date = 2010-05-12 | accessdate = 2010-05-25}}</ref> | |||
First, BP unsuccessfully attempted to close the ] valves on the wellhead with ].<ref name=leakfix/><ref name="BBC 02/5"/> Next, it placed a 125-tonne (280,000 lb) ] over the largest leak and piped the oil to a storage vessel. While this technique had worked in shallower water, it failed here when gas combined with cold water to form ] crystals that blocked the opening at the top of the dome.<ref name="thestar1405"/> Pumping heavy ]s into the blowout preventer to restrict the flow of oil before sealing it permanently with cement ("]") also failed.<ref name="AutoBB-80"/><ref name="AutoBB-81"/> | |||
Initial reports indicated that between 12 to 15 workers were missing.<ref>{{cite news | url= http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/22/us/22rig.html?ref=us | title= Workers Missing After Oil Rig Blast | newspaper= The New York Times | last1= Robertson |first1= Campbell |last2= Robbins |first2= Liz| date=2010-04-21 | accessdate=2010-04-21}}</ref> The ] launched a massive rescue operation involving two ], four helicopters and a rescue plane.<ref name="CITEREFtransocean2010a">{{cite web | title = Transocean Ltd. Reports Fire on Semisubmersible Drilling Rig Deepwater Horizon | format = press release | publisher = ] | date = 2010-04-21 | url = http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=113031&p=irol-newsArticle_print&ID=1415487 | accessdate = 2010-04-21}}</ref><ref name="CITEREFwhitehouse.gov2010a">{{cite web | title = The Ongoing Administration-Wide Response to the Deepwater BP Oil Spill | format = press release | publisher = Whitehouse.gov | date = 2010-05-05 | url = http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2010/05/05/ongoing-administration-wide-response-deepwater-bp-oil-spill | accessdate = 2010-05-08}}</ref> Two of the cutters continued searching through the night. By the morning of April 22 the Coast Guard had surveyed nearly {{convert|1940|mi2}}.<ref name=nola/> On April 23, the Coast Guard called off the search for the 11 missing persons, concluding that "reasonable expectations of survival" had passed.<ref name="Times search end">{{cite news|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/24/us/24spill.html?hpw|title=Search Ends for Missing Oil Rig Workers |last=Kaufman |first=Leslie |date=2010-04-24 |accessdate=2010-04-24 |newspaper=New York Times |page=A8 }}</ref><ref name=CBC>{{cite news | url= http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2010/04/23/louisiana-oil-rig-search.html | title= Coast guard calls off search for oil rig workers | work= CBC |agency=Associated Press |date=2010-04-23 | accessdate=2010-04-23}}</ref> Officials concluded that the missing workers may have been near the blast and unable to escape the sudden explosion.<ref>{{cite news | title= 11 missing in oil rig blast may not have escaped | agency= ] | first=Kevin |last=McGill | date=2010-04-22 |accessdate=2010-04-22 | url=http://www.salon.com/wires/allwires/2010/04/22/D9F8AR1O0_us_louisiana_oil_rig_explosion/index.html |newspaper=Salon Media}}</ref> | |||
BP then inserted a riser insertion tube into the pipe and a stopper-like washer around the tube plugged at the end of the riser and diverted the flow into the insertion tube.<ref name="upstream150510"/> The collected gas was flared and oil stored on board the ] '']''.<ref name="bp240510"/> Before the tube was removed, it collected {{cvt|924000|USgal|oilbbl m3}} of oil.<ref name="AutoBB-82"/> On 3 June 2010, BP removed the damaged ] from the top of the blowout preventer and covered the pipe by the cap which connected it to another riser.<ref name="AutoBB-83"/> On 16 June, a second containment system connected directly to the blowout preventer began carrying oil and gas to service vessels, where it was consumed in a clean-burning system.<ref name="upstream170610"/> The United States government's estimates suggested the cap and other equipment were capturing less than half of the leaking oil.<ref name="Kunzelman"/> On 10 July, the containment cap was removed to replace it with a better-fitting cap ("Top Hat Number 10").<ref name="AutoBB-84"/><ref name="AutoBB-85"/> Mud and cement were later pumped in through the top of the well to reduce the pressure inside it (which did not work either). A final device was created to attach a chamber of larger diameter than the flowing pipe with a flange that bolted to the top of the blowout preventer and a manual valve set to close off the flow once attached. On 15 July, the device was secured and time was taken closing the valves to ensure the attachment under increasing pressure until the valves were closed completing the temporary measures.<ref name="Yahoo7-20100715"/> | |||
The 11 men killed in the explosion were: Jason Anderson, 35, ]; Aaron Dale Burkeen, 37, ]; Donald Clark, 34, ]; Stephen Curtis, 39, ]; Gordon Jones, 28, ]; Roy Wyatt Kemp, 27, ]; Karl Klepping, 38, ]; Blair Manuel, 56, ]; Dewey Revette, 48, ]; Shane Roshto, 22, ]; and Adam Weise, 24, ]. Jones and Manuel were employees of M-I-Swaco, while the other nine worked for Transocean.<ref>{{cite article |url=http://www.aolnews.com/nation/article/relatives-of-dead-deepwater-horizon-oil-rig-workers-feel-forgotten-in-the-spill/19488058 |title=Relatives Fear the Dead Oil Rig Workers Are Forgotten |publisher=AOL News |author=Doug Simpson |date=2010-05-23 |accessdate=2010-05-27}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.deepwaterhorizoncondolences.com/ |title=Transocean Deepwater Horizon Condolences |publisher=Transocean |accessdate=2010-05-27}}</ref> | |||
=== Well declared "effectively dead" === | |||
===Discovery of oil spill=== | |||
Transocean's '']'' started drilling a first ] on 2 May 2010. '']'' started drilling a second relief on 16 May 2010.<ref name="relief_map"/><ref name="upstream170510"/><ref name="AutoBB-90"/> On 3 August 2010, first test oil and then drilling mud was pumped at a slow rate of approximately {{cvt|2|oilbbl|L}} per minute into the well-head. Pumping continued for eight hours, at the end of which the well was declared to be "in a static condition."<ref name="AutoBB-91"/> On 4 August 2010, BP began pumping cement from the top, sealing that part of the flow channel permanently.<ref name="AutoBB-92"/> | |||
] attempting to turn on the Deepwater Horizon blowout preventer]] | |||
On the morning of April 22, 2010 (2 days after the blowout accident), CNN quoted Coast Guard Petty Officer Ashley Butler as saying that "oil was leaking from the rig at the rate of about {{convert|8000|oilbbl|USgal L||abbr=none}} of crude per day."<ref>{{cite news | title=Coast Guard: Oil rig that exploded has sunk | date=2010-04-22 | publisher= | url =http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2010/04/22/coast-guard-oil-rig-that-exploded-has-sunk/ | work =] | accessdate = 2010-04-30}}</ref> That afternoon, as a large oil slick spread, Coast Guard Senior Chief Petty Officer Michael O'Berry used the same figure. Two ]s (ROVs) were sent down to attempt to cap the well, but had been unsuccessful.<ref name="cnn0422" /> Butler warned of a leak of up to {{convert|700000|USgal|oilbbl}} of diesel fuel, and BP Vice President David Rainey termed the incident as being a potential "major spill."<ref name="cnn0422" /> | |||
On 3 September 2010, the 300-] failed blowout preventer was removed from the well and a replacement blowout preventer was installed.<ref name="20100903BlowoutPreventerRemoved"/><ref name="20100904BlowoutPreventerOnBoat"/> On 16 September 2010, the relief well reached its destination and pumping of cement to seal the well began.<ref name="AutoBB-93"/> On 19 September 2010, ] ] declared the well "effectively dead" and said that it posed no further threat to the Gulf.<ref name="Aspress"/> | |||
On April 22, BP announced that it was deploying a remotely operated underwater vehicle to the site to assess whether oil was flowing from the well.<ref>{{cite news| title=Rig sinks in Gulf of Mexico, oil spill risk looms | date=2010-04-22 | publisher= | url =http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N22187394.htm | agency=Reuters | accessdate = 2010-04-30 |first1=Bruce |last1=Nichols |first2=Anna |last2= Driver }}</ref> Other reports indicated that BP was using more than one remotely operated underwater vehicle and that the purpose was to attempt to plug the well pipe.<ref>{{cite news | first=Patrik | last=Jonsson | title=Ecological risk grows as Deepwater Horizon oil rig sinks in Gulf | date=2010-04-22 | newspaper=] | url =http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2010/0422/Ecological-risk-grows-as-Deepwater-Horizon-oil-rig-sinks-in-Gulf | accessdate = 2010-04-30}}</ref> On April 23, a remotely operated underwater vehicle reportedly found no oil leaking from the sunken rig and no oil flowing from the well.<ref>{{cite news | first=Bruce | last=Nichols | title= Oil spill not growing, search for 11 continues | date=2010-04-23 | publisher= | url =http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN2317771020100423 | agency =Reuters | accessdate = 2010-04-30}}</ref> Coast Guard ] ] expressed cautious optimism of zero environmental impact, stating that no oil was emanating from either the wellhead or the broken pipes and that oil spilled from the explosion and sinking was being contained.<ref>{{cite news | first=Rick | last=Jervis | title=Coast Guard: No oil leaking from sunken rig | date=2010-04-23 | work=] | url =http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2010-04-23-deepwater-horizon_N.htm | accessdate = 2010-04-30}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | first=Kevin | last=McGill | coauthors= Noaki Schwartz | title=Oil drilling accidents prompting new safety rules | date=2010-04-23 | newspaper=] | accessdate = 2010-04-30 }}{{Dead link|date=May 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite video | title=Coast Guard: Oil Not Leaking from Sunken Rig | date=2010-04-23 | publisher=] | url =http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=6424647n | work = ] | accessdate = 2010-04-30}}</ref><ref>{{cite video | publisher=WDSU NBC | title=RAW: Interview with Rear Adm. Mary Landry | date=2010-04-23 | url =http://www.clipsyndicate.com/video/playlist/1805/1420648?title=broadcast_local | work =Clip Syndicate | accessdate = 2010-04-30}}</ref> The following day, April 24, Landry announced that a damaged wellhead was indeed leaking oil into the Gulf and described it as "a very serious spill".<ref name=oilleak>{{cite news| url = http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2010/05/02/www.cbc.ca/m/rich/world/story/2010/05/07/www.cbc.ca/m/rich/world/story/2010/04/24/deepwater-horizon-oil-rig-leaking.html | title = Oil rig wreck leaks into Gulf of Mexico| newspaper = CBC News| agency = ] | date = 2010-04-25| accessdate = 2010-04-25}}</ref> | |||
===Recurrent or continued leakage=== | |||
==Volume and extent of oil spill== | |||
] | |||
In May 2010, BP admitted they had "discovered things that were broken in the sub-surface" during the "top kill" effort.<ref name=autogenerated4 /> | |||
Oil slicks were reported in March<ref name=msnbc220311/> and August 2011,<ref name=autogenerated5 /><ref name="aljazeera3"/> in March<ref name="aljazeera1"/> and October 2012,<ref name="AutoBB-98"/><ref name="AutoBB-99"/><ref>Aeppli_2013</ref> and in January 2013.<ref name=onwingsofcare/> Repeated scientific analyses confirmed that the sheen was a chemical match for oil from the Macondo well.<ref name="AutoBB-94"/><ref name="AutoBB-95"/> | |||
===Spill flow rate=== | |||
] | |||
BP initially estimated that the wellhead was leaking {{convert|1000|oilbbl|USgal L||abbr=none}} a day.<ref name=oilleak/> On April 28, the ] estimated that the leak was likely {{convert|5000|oilbbl|USgal L|abbr=none}} a day, five times larger than initially estimated by BP.<ref>{{cite video | format=online video |title=Coast Guard New oil leak from area where rig exploded, sank in Gulf; spill heads to coast | date=2010-04-28 |publisher=Associated Press | url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhUjqi7IlzY | accessdate =2010-04-30}}</ref><ref name="BBC 29/4">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/8651624.stm|title=US military joins Gulf of Mexico oil spill effort|date=2010-04-29 |work=] |publisher=BBC| accessdate=2010-04-29}}</ref> The estimates of {{convert|5000|oilbbl|USgal L|abbr=none}} a day were based on satellite pictures.<ref>{{cite news |title=White House Struggles as Criticism on Leak Mounts |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/31/us/31spill.html |newspaper=The New York Times |date=2010-05-30 |first1=Clifford |last1=Krauss |first2=John |last2=Broder |first3=Jackie |last3=Calmes |accessdate=2010-06-01}}</ref> According to BP, estimating the flow is very difficult as there is no metering of the flow underwater.<ref name="BBC 29/4"/> Estimates are also complicated by the presence of ] in the outflow. The company has refused to allow scientists to perform more accurate, independent measurements of the flow, claiming that it is not relevant to the response and that such efforts might distract from efforts to stem the flow.<ref name="plumsundergulf"/> Former ] ] and Congressman ] (D-MA) have both accused BP of having a vested financial interest in downplaying the size of the leak.<ref>{{cite news| title=Government, BP spar over size of oil leak |url=http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/05/30/oil.spill.bp.government/ |publisher=CNN |date=2010-05-30 |accessdate=2010-06-01}}</ref> | |||
The USCG initially said the oil was too dispersed to recover and posed no threat to the coastline,<ref name=nola010911/> but later warned BP and Transocean that they might be held financially responsible for cleaning up the new oil.<ref name=nola101012/> USGS director ] stated that the riser pipe could hold at most {{cvt|1000|oilbbl}} because it is open on both ends, making it unlikely to hold the amount of oil being observed.<ref name=bw111012/> | |||
In their permit to drill the well, BP estimated the worst case flow at {{convert|162000|oilbbl|USgal L|abbr=none}} per day.<ref>{{cite paper| url=http://www.gomr.mms.gov/PI/PDFImages/PLANS/29/29977.pdf | title=Initial Exploration Plan Mississippi Canyon Block 252 OCS-G 32306| format=PDF| first= Michelle | last= Griffitt| work=BP Exploration and Production |publisher=]| location= New Orleans, Louisiana}}</ref> In a permit submitted May 13, 2010, BP estimated a worst case spill of {{convert|240000|oilbbl|USgal L|abbr=none}} per day for each of the two relief wells that are being drilled in an attempt to stop the uncontrolled release. Early estimates of the flow by outside experts were considerably higher than those of BP. Geologist and oil industry consultant John Amos said a more realistic figure was {{convert|20000|oilbbl|USgal L|abbr=none}} a day.<ref name="CITEREFonearth2010a">{{cite news | last=Gertz |first=Emily | title = Gulf oil spill far worse than officials, BP admit, says independent analyst | work= ] |publisher=Natural Resources Defense Council |date = 2010-04-29 | url = http://www.onearth.org/node/2084 | accessdate = 2010-05-12}}</ref><ref name="CITEREFwsj2010a">{{cite news | last=Talley |first=Ian | title = Oil may be leaking at rate of 25,000 barrels a day in Gulf | newspaper= Wall Street Journal | date = 2010-04-30 | url = http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703871904575216382160623498.html | accessdate = 2010-05-13}}</ref> Oceanographer Ian MacDonald and other sources using satellite imagery put the number as high as {{convert|25000|oilbbl|USgal L|abbr=none}} a day.<ref name=oilleak/><ref>{{cite news|url=http://articles.latimes.com/2010/may/01/nation/la-na-oil-spill-measure-20100502 |title=Tiny group has big impact on spill estimates| first=Julie last=Cart| newspaper=] |date=2010-05-01 |accessdate=2010-05-02}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article7113943.ece|title=BP takes desperate measures as oil slick reaches US coast| first1=Tony |last1=Allen-Mills |first2=Craig |last2=Guillot |date=2010-05-02 |publisher=Times Newspapers Ltd |newspaper=The Sunday Times |accessdate=2010-05-02}}</ref> | |||
In October 2012, BP reported that they had found and plugged leaking oil from the failed containment dome, now abandoned about {{cvt|1500|ft}} from the main well.<ref name=cbc171212/><ref name=cbc131212/><ref name=nola251012/> In December 2012, the USCG conducted a subsea survey; no oil coming from the wells or the wreckage was found and its source remains unknown.<ref name=Ramseur/><ref name=nola281212/> In addition, a white, milky substance was observed seeping from the wreckage. According to BP and the USCG, it is "not oil and it's not harmful."<ref name=cbs310113/> | |||
On May 12, BP released a 30 second video of the spill at the site of the broken pipe. Experts contacted by ] and shown the footage put the leak rate substantially higher than the early estimate.<ref name="CITEREFnpr2010c">{{cite web|url=http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=126809525 |first=Richard |last=Harris |title=Gulf Spill May Far Exceed Official Estimates |date=2010-05-14 |publisher=National Public Radio |accessdate=2010-05-14}}</ref> Timothy Crone, an associate research scientist at the ], estimated at least {{convert|50000|oilbbl|USgal L|abbr=none}} a day was leaking from the well by using another well-accepted method to calculate fluid flows.<ref>{{cite news|title=BP oil spill rate in Gulf may be 3 million gallons per day |first=Raymond |last=Geller |publisher=World News Examiner |date=2010-05-14 |accessdate=2010-05-27}}</ref> Eugene Chaing, a professor of astrophysics at the ], estimated the leak to be {{convert|20000|-|100000|oilbbl|USgal L|abbr=none}} a day.<ref name="CITEREFnpr2010c"/><ref name="CITEREFguardian2010b">{{cite news | last=Goldenberg |first=Suzanne | title = Scientists study ocean footage to gauge full scale of oil leak | work = The Guardian |agency=Reuters | date = 2010-05-14 | page = 29 | url = http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/may/13/bp-oil-spill-ocean-footage | accessdate = 2010-05-18}}</ref> Steven Wereley, an associate professor at ] used ] to initially arrive at a rate of {{convert|70000|oilbbl|USgal L|abbr=none}} per day, with a margin of error of 20 percent.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article7127306.ece |title=Obama denounces 'big oil blame game' as experts question information on leak |first=Jacqui |last=Goddard |newspaper=The Times |date= 2010-05-15}}</ref> Wereley concluded the leak was likely considerably more than he initially estimated, after viewing the released footage of the leak, stating before Congress that the leak was likely {{convert|95000|oilbbl|USgal L|abbr=none}} a day.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/05/21/1641930/bp-not-named-to-task-force-that.html |title=BP not named to task force that will figure Gulf oil spill's size| first=Renee |last=Schoof |newspaper=Miami Herald |work=McClathy Newspapers |date=2010-05-21 |accessdate=2010-05-27}}</ref> BP, the ] and United States Senator ] are all hosting live streaming video feeds of the spill from {{convert|5000|ft|m}} below sea level, permitting the public and scientists to see the spill volume and estimate the flow independently.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/37257629/ns/gulf_oil_spill/?GT1=43001 |title=Live video from BP spill is placed online |publisher=MSNBC |date=2010-05-20 |accessdate=2010-05-27}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/may/20/deepwater-horizon-oil-spill-live-web-footage |title=BP switches on live video from oil leak |first=Suzanne |last=Goldberg |newspaper=The Guardian |date=2010-05-21 |accessdate=2010-06-01}}</ref> | |||
In January 2013, BP said that they were continuing to investigate possible sources of the oil sheen. Chemical data implied that the substance might be residual oil leaking from the wreckage. If that proves to be the case, the sheen can be expected to eventually disappear. Another possibility is that it is formation oil escaping from the subsurface, using the Macondo well casing as flow conduit, possibly intersecting a naturally occurring fault, and then following that to escape at the surface some distance from the wellhead. If it proves to be oil from the subsurface, then that could indicate the possibility of an indefinite release of oil. The oil slick was comparable in size to ] and was not large enough to pose an immediate threat to wildlife.<ref name="aljazeera1"/><ref name="NBC-Sheen-1-13">{{cite news |url=http://science.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/01/31/16792048-mystery-oil-sheen-grows-near-site-of-bp-gulf-disaster-says-researcher |title=Mystery 'oil sheen' grows near site of BP Gulf disaster, says researcher |work=NBC News |date=31 January 2013 |access-date=21 February 2014 |author=Roach, John}}</ref> | |||
The director of the ] (USGS), ], is leading the {{anchor|FRTG}}Flow Rate Technical Group — scientists from the U.S. Coast Guard, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Minerals Management Service, the ] and academics outside government who are tasked with providing the government with an independent scientific assessment of the scope of the disaster and of BP's efforts to stop the flow of oil.<ref>{{cite news|author=Tapper, Jake|title=Today’s Qs for O’s WH - 5/24/10|date=2010-05-24|url=http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2010/05/todays-qs-for-os-wh-52410.html|publisher=ABC News |accessdate=2010-05-25}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Craig |first=Tiffany |title=Is U.S. interior secretary confident BP knows what it's doing? 'No, not completely' |date=2010-05-24 |url=http://www.kens5.com/news/national/Is-US-interior-secretary-confident-BP-knows-what-its-doing-No-not-completely-94733119.html |work=KENS 5-TV |publisher=Belo Corp.|accessdate=May 25, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Robertson |first=Campbell |title=Estimates Suggest Spill Is Biggest in U.S. History|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/28/us/28flow.html|newspaper=The New York Times |date=2010-05-27 |accessdate=2010-05-27}}</ref> On May 27, 2010 the government increased its official estimate to {{convert|12000|-|19000|oilbbl|USgal L|abbr=none}} a day.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.doi.gov/news/pressreleases/Flow-Rate-Group-Provides-Preliminary-Best-Estimate-Of-Oil-Flowing-from-BP-Oil-Well.cfm |title= Flow Rate Group Provides Preliminary Best Estimate Of Oil Flowing from BP Oil Well |date=2010-05-27 |publisher= U.S. Department of the Interior |accessdate=2010-05-30}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|first1=Jonathan |last1=Weisman |first2=Guy |last2=Chazan |first3=Stephen |last3=Power |url=http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704269204575270081524288118.html |title=Spill Tops Valdez Disaster |newspaper=Wall Street Journal |date=2010-05-27 |accessdate=2010-06-01}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| first1=Greg |last1=Bluestein |first2=Ben |last2=Nuckols |url=http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gIXWYBTpLtSayJtg41LKXpxSxVPAD9FVIFAO2 |title= Gulf leak eclipses Exxon Valdez as worst US spill |agency= Associated Press |date=2010-05-27 |accessdate=2010-06-01}}</ref> The United States Geological Survey views the {{convert|12000|-|19000|oilbbl|USgal L|abbr=none}} range as the best initial estimate for the lower and upper boundaries, while other scientists involved in drafting the figure view it as an estimated minimum.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703957604575272880066140578.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_MIDDLETopStories |title=Oil Spill May Be Still Bigger |date=2010-05-29 |first=Carl |last=Bialik |newspaper=Wall Street Journal |accessdate=2010-06-01}}</ref> According to Ira Leifer, a member of the Flow Rate Technical Group, the group was only provided an approximately seven minute time segment of low-quality video selected by BP, which showed a lot of variability from very low to very high flows.<ref>{{cite news |http://www.instadv.ucsb.edu/pa/print.aspx?pkey=2258 |title=UCSB Scientist Has Key Role in Gulf Oil Spill Studies |first=George |last=Foulsham |publisher=University of California|url=http://www.ia.ucsb.edu/pa/display.aspx?pkey=2258}}</ref> | |||
== Containment, collection and use of dispersants == | |||
===Spill area=== | |||
{{main|Deepwater Horizon oil spill response}} | |||
], Louisiana in this aerial photo]] | |||
The fundamental strategies for addressing the spill were containment, dispersal and removal. In summer 2010, approximately 47,000 people and 7,000 vessels were involved in the project. By 3 October 2012, federal response costs amounted to $850 million, mostly reimbursed by BP. {{as of|2013|January|}}, 935 personnel were still involved. By that time cleanup had cost BP over $14 billion.<ref name=Ramseur/> | |||
The spread of the oil was increased by strong southerly winds caused by an impending ]. By April 25, the oil spill covered {{convert|580|sqmi|km2}} and was only {{convert|31|mi|km}} from the ecologically sensitive ].<ref name=leakfix/> An April 30 estimate placed the total spread of the oil at {{convert|3850|sqmi|km2}}.<ref name=numbers>{{cite news| url = http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/04/30/national/main6447428.shtml| title = Gulf Oil Spill, by the Numbers| work = CBS News |publisher=CBS |author = | date = 2010-04-30| accessdate = 2010-04-30}}</ref> The spill quickly approached the ] and ], where dead animals, including a ], were found.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2010/05/02/gulf-oil-spill.html |title=Gulf oil leak presents 'grave scenario' |date=2010-05-02 |work=CBC News |publisher=CBC |accessdate=2010-05-02}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/apr/29/deepwater-horizon-oil-slick-us-coast|title=Deepwater Horizon oil slick to hit US coast within hours|last1=McGreal |first1=Chris |first2=Terry |last2=Macalister |first3=Adam |last3=Gabbatt|date=2010-04-29 |newspaper=The Guardian |accessdate=2010-04-30}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36800673/ns/us_news-environment|title=Oil from massive Gulf spill reaching La. coast|agency=Associated Press |work=MSNBC |date=2010-04-30 |accessdate=2010-04-30}}</ref> On May 14, the AP reported that a publicly available model called the ] indicates about 35 percent of a hypothetical {{convert|114000|oilbbl|USgal}} spill of light Louisiana crude oil released in conditions similar to those found in the Gulf now would evaporate, that between 50 and 60 percent of the oil would remain in or on the water, and the rest would be dispersed in the ocean. In the same report, Ed Overton says he thinks most of the oil is floating within {{convert|1|ft|cm}} of the surface.<ref name="whereoil">{{cite news |last=Burdeau| first=Cain |title=Where's the oil? Much has evaporated|url=http://www.fox10tv.com/dpp/news/gulf_oil_spill/wheres-the-oil-much-has-evaporated-underwater-jgr1273846357749|agency=Associated Press |work=Fox 10|date=2010-04-14 |accessdate=2010-06-01}}</ref> The New York Times is tracking the size of the spill over time using data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the US Coast Guard and Skytruth.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/05/01/us/20100501-oil-spill-tracker.html |title=Tracking the Oil Spill – An Interactive Map|date=2010-05-01 |newspaper=The New York Times |accessdate=2010-05-20}}</ref> | |||
By June 4, 2010, the oil spill had fouled 125 miles of Louisiana’s coast, had washed up on the ] and ] coasts, and was found for the first time in Florida, on the ] beach, part of the Gulf Islands National Seashore.<ref>{{cite news |agency[Associated Press |title=BP has another setback as oil slick threatens Florida, url=http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100603/ap_on_bi_ge/us_gulf_oil_spill |accessdate=2010-06-03 |first=Greg |last=Bluestein |date=2010-06-03 work=Yahoo! News}}</ref><ref name=Bluestein/><ref>Reuters, Florida coast suffers first impact from oil spill, June 4 2010, http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6533S820100604?type=domesticNews</ref> | |||
It was estimated with plus-or-minus 10% uncertainty that {{cvt|4.9|MMoilbbl|m3}} of oil was released from the well; {{cvt|4.1|MMoilbbl|m3}} of oil went into the Gulf.<ref name="AutoBB-153"/> The report led by the Department of the Interior and the NOAA said that "75% has been cleaned up by Man or Mother Nature"; however, only about 25% of released oil was collected or removed while about 75% of oil remained in the environment in one form or another.<ref name="AutoBB-149"/> In 2012, Markus Huettel, a ] at Florida State University, maintained that while much of BP's oil was degraded or evaporated, at least 60% remains unaccounted for.<ref name=ng220312/> | |||
===Underwater oil plumes=== | |||
University of California Berkeley engineering professor Robert Bea argued there was "an equal amount that could be subsurface", subsurface oil being "near impossible to track".<ref>{{cite news| title=Gulf oil spill swiftly balloons, could move east |url=http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100501/ap_on_bi_ge/us_gulf_oil_spill |first1=Allen |last1=Breed |first2=Seth |last2=Borenstein |agency=Associated Press |publisher=Yahoo! News |date=2010-05-01}}</ref> On May 13, ] began washing up on the shores of three Louisiana parishes and were possibly originating from the oil leak.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.fox8live.com/news/local/story/Tar-balls-discovered-on-Fourchon-beach/LqCXj9I_3UyMcC8pi65Rng.cspx |title=Tar balls discovered on Fourchon beach |publisher=Fox 8 News |first=Chris |last=Finch |date=2010-05-14}}</ref> On May 15, researchers from the ], aboard the research vessel '']'', identified oil plumes in the deep waters of the ], including one as large as {{convert|10|mi|km}} long, {{convert|3|mi|km}} wide and {{convert|300|ft|m}} thick in spots. The shallowest oil plume the group detected was at about {{convert|2300|ft|m}}, while the deepest was near the seafloor at about {{convert|4200|ft|m}}. Other researchers from the ] have found that the oil may occupy multiple layers. The undetermined amount of ]s in these underwater plumes may explain why satellite images of the ocean surface have calculated a flow rate of only {{convert|5000|oilbbl|USgal}} a day, whereas studies of video of the gushing oil well have variously calculated that it could be flowing at a rate of {{convert|25000|-|80000|oilbbl|USgal}} a day.<ref name="plumsundergulf"/> On May 27, marine scientists discovered a second oil plume, stretching {{convert|22|mi|km}} from the leaking wellhead toward ]. The oil has dissolved into the water and is no longer visible, and researchers say they are worried these undersea plumes may be the result of the use of chemical dispersants to break up the oil .<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/05/27/gulf-oil-spill-new-plumes_n_591994.html |title=Gulf Oil Spill: Scientists Discover Massive New Sea Oil Plume |first1=Matthew |last1=Brown |first2=Jason |last2=Dearen |date=2010-05-27 |publisher=Huffington Post}}</ref> | |||
In May 2010, a local native set up a network for people to volunteer their assistance in cleaning up beaches. Boat captains were given the opportunity to offer the use of their boats to help clean and prevent the oil from further spreading. To assist with the efforts the captains had to register their ships with the Vessels of Opportunity; however, an issue arose when more boats registered than actually participated in the clean-up efforts – only a third of the registered boats. Many local supporters were disappointed with BP's slow response, prompting the formation of The Florida Key Environmental Coalition. This coalition gained significant influence in the clean-up of the oil spill to try to gain some control over the situation.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://nvdatabase.swarthmore.edu/content/florida-keys-environmentalists-act-protect-against-bp-oil-spill-summer-2010 |title=Florida Keys environmentalists act to protect against BP oil spill summer 2010 {{!}} Global Nonviolent Action Database|website=nvdatabase.swarthmore.edu|language=en|access-date=28 September 2017}}</ref> | |||
] Rick Steiner said that the likelihood of extensive undersea plumes of oil droplets should have been anticipated from the moment the spill began, given that such an effect from deepwater blowouts had been predicted in the scientific literature for more than a decade and had been confirmed in a test off the coast of Norway. He criticized the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for not setting up an extensive sampling program to map and characterize the plumes in the first days of the spill.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/37248587/ns/us_news-the_new_york_times/page/2/ |title=Scientists accuse Obama over oil spill |first=Justin |last=Gillis |publisher=New York Times |date=2010-05-20}}</ref> BP has challenged the validity of the multiple reports from scientists that vast plumes of oil from the spill were spreading underwater, stating its sampling showed no evidence that oil was massing and spreading in the gulf water column.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-oil-spill-20100531,0,907235.story |title=BP's new plan risks worsening oil spill |date=2010-05-31 |first1=Margot |last1=Roosevelt |first2=Tina |last2=Susman |publisher=Los Angeles Times}}</ref> | |||
=== |
=== Containment === | ||
] | |||
Some unspecified scientists predict that the ] could pick up the oil and carry it around ] to the East Coast, but on May 5, Robert Weisberg of ] said winds would take the oil away from the ], which becomes the Gulf Stream. Ruoying He of ], head of the Ocean Observing and Monitoring Group, said if the oil reached the Gulf Stream, then south Florida, including the ], would likely be affected. Whether it comes ashore farther north depends on local winds, but the Gulf Stream moves away from the coast southeast of ], at a formation called the ]. According to Susan Lozier of ], in late spring the winds would blow away from the shore of the ]. Rich Luettich, director of the ] Institute of Marine Sciences in ], said the oil could remain a problem for as much as a year, or even longer. He did say in the unlikely event the oil reached ]'s coast, the ] would provide significant protection.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2010/05/06/1418540/oil-leak-reaching-nc-unlikely.html|title= Could oil leak reach N.C.? Unlikely, yet possible|last1=Henderson|first1=Bruce|last2=Price|first2=Jay|work=]|date=2010-05-06|accessdate=2010-05-06}}</ref> | |||
] stretching over {{cvt|4200000|ft|km}} were deployed, either to corral the oil or as barriers to protect marshes, mangroves, shrimp/crab/oyster ranches or other ecologically sensitive areas. Booms extend {{cvt|18|-|48|in|m}} above and below the water surface and were effective only in relatively calm and slow-moving waters. Including one-time use ] booms, a total of {{cvt|13300000|ft|km}} of booms were deployed.<ref name=butler/> Booms were criticized for washing up on the shore with the oil, allowing oil to escape above or below the boom, and for ineffectiveness in more than three- to four-foot (90–120 cm) waves.<ref name="AutoBB-104"/><ref name=guardian190610/><ref name=mnn090610/> | |||
The ] was developed to construct ]s to protect the coast of Louisiana. The plan was criticised for its expense and poor results.<ref name=sa080610/><ref name=pm220610/> Critics allege that the decision to pursue the project was political with little scientific input.<ref name=advocate110710/> The EPA expressed concern that the booms would threaten wildlife.<ref name=ap090910/> | |||
On May 19, scientists monitoring the spill with the ] Envisat radar satellite stated that oil reached the Loop Current, which flows clockwise around the Gulf of Mexico towards Florida, and may reach Florida within 6 days. The scientists warn that because the Loop Current is a very intense, deep ocean current, its turbulent waters will accelerate the mixing of the oil and water in the coming days. "This might remove the oil film on the surface and prevent us from tracking it with satellites, but the pollution is likely to affect the coral reef marine ecosystem".<ref>{{cite news|url= | |||
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/05/100519112721.htm |title=Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill in the Loop Current |publisher=ScienceDaily |date=2010-05-19}}</ref> National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration acknowledged, on May 19, that "a small portion of the oil slick has reached the Loop Current in the form of light to very light sheens."<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com/go/doc/2931/555703/ |title=NOAA Observations Indicate a Small Portion of Light Oil Sheen Has Entered the Loop Current |publisher=Deepwater Horizon Incident Joint Information Center |date=2010-05-19 |accessdate=2010-05-20}}</ref> | |||
For a time, a group called Matter of Trust, citing insufficient availability of manufactured oil absorption booms, campaigned to encourage hair salons, dog groomers and sheep farmers to donate hair, fur and wool clippings, stuffed in pantyhose or tights, to help contain oil near impacted shores, a technique dating back to the Exxon Valdez disaster.<ref name="BBC News human hair mats">{{cite web |title=How can human hair mop up the oil spill? |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/8674539.stm |website=BBC News |access-date=5 June 2018 |date=11 May 2010}}</ref><ref name="Wash Post May 2010 hair booms">{{cite news |last1=Farhi |first1=Paul |title=Matter of Trust creates hair-and-nylon booms to help clean up BP oil spill in Gulf |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/05/07/AR2010050704893.html |newspaper=Washington Post |access-date=5 June 2018 |date=8 May 2010}}</ref> | |||
On May 29, ] called the inability to stop the flow "as enraging as it is heartbreaking." Larry Crowder, ] at ], predicted the spill could reach 100 million gallons before a permanent solution is found, and with that much oil, damage to the Florida coast and the East Coast appeared more likely. James H. Cowan, a biological oceanographer at ], said a ] could result in oil reaching farther inland, even affecting ] and ] crops. A hurricane could also delay actions that would lead to a permanent solution, and it could spread the oil further or deeper in the ocean.<ref name=Schoof>{{cite news|url=http://www.thesunnews.com/2010/05/31/1505058/gulfs-future-looks-grim.html|title=Gulf's future looks grim|last1=Schoof|first1=Renee|last2=Adams|first2=Chris|work=]|publisher=]|date=2010-05-31|accessdate=2010-05-31}}</ref> | |||
=== Use of Corexit dispersant === | |||
On June 3, a ] showed that oil would likely reach the Loop Current and travel to East Coast beaches by July. Changes in weather as well as the Loop Current itself could affect the outcome, but the maximum possible speed would be 100 miles per day. The main stream would likely stay 50 to 60 miles offshore, but "pockets of oil" could reach the coast, according to Thom Berry of the ].<ref name=Anderson>{{cite news|url=http://www.thesunnews.com/2010/06/04/1511778/oil-could-hit-strand-by-july.html|title=Oil could hit Myrtle Beach area by July|last=Anderson|first=Lorena|work=]|date=2010-06-04|accessdate=2020-06-04}}</ref> Because of the distance, experts said, only a few tar balls would be likely to reach the Carolinas; significant environmental damage appeared very unlikely because oil "would be heavily diluted".<ref name=Baker>{{cite news|url=http://www.thesunnews.com/2010/06/05/1513760/oil-spill-threat-to-carolinas.html|title=Oil spill threat to Carolinas is minimal|last1=Baker|first1=Mike|last2=Bynum|first2=Russ|work=]|publisher=]|date=2010-06-05|accessdate=2010-06-05}}</ref> | |||
] dispersant onto the Gulf of Mexico|alt=A large four propeller airplane sprays Corexit onto oil-sheen water]] | |||
] | |||
The spill was also notable for the volume of ] ] used and for application methods that were "purely experimental."<ref name=butler/> Altogether, {{cvt|1.84|e6USgal|m3}} of dispersants were used; of this, {{cvt|771000|USgal|m3}} were released at the wellhead.<ref name=staff4/> Subsea injection had never previously been tried but, due to the spill's unprecedented nature, BP, together with USCG and EPA, decided to use it.<ref name="AutoBB-120"/> Over 400 sorties were flown to release the product.<ref name=butler/> Although usage of dispersants was described as "the most effective and fast moving tool for minimizing shoreline impact",<ref name=butler/> the approach continues to be investigated.<ref name="AutoBB-113"/><ref name="AutoBB-114"/><ref name="AutoBB-115"/> | |||
A 2011 analysis conducted by ] and Toxipedia showed that the dispersant could contain cancer-causing agents, hazardous toxins and ] chemicals.<ref name=pqarchiver/>{{medical citation needed|date=October 2023}} Environmental scientists expressed concerns that the dispersants add to the toxicity of a spill, increasing the threat to ]s and ]. The dangers are even greater when poured into the source of a spill, because they are picked up by the current and wash through the Gulf.<ref name="AutoBB-127"/> According to BP and federal officials, dispersant use stopped after the cap was in place;<ref name=Bolstad/><ref name="AutoBB-139"/> however, marine toxicologist ] wrote in an open letter to the EPA that Corexit use continued after that date<ref name="AutoBB-138"/> and a ] investigation stated that " majority of GAP witnesses cited indications that Corexit was used after ".<ref name=GAP>{{cite web |title=Corexit: Deadly Dispersant in Oil Spill Cleanup |url=http://www.whistleblower.org/program-areas/public-health/corexit |work=GAP |date=19 April 2013 |access-date=1 April 2014}}</ref> | |||
=== Independent monitoring of contamination === | |||
According to a NALCO manual obtained by ], Corexit 9527 is an "eye and skin irritant. Repeated or excessive exposure ... may cause injury to red blood cells (hemolysis), kidney or the liver". The manual adds: "Excessive exposure may cause central nervous system effects, nausea, vomiting, anesthetic or narcotic effects". It advises, "Do not get in eyes, on skin, on clothing", and "Wear suitable protective clothing". For Corexit 9500, the manual advised, "Do not get in eyes, on skin, on clothing", "Avoid breathing vapor", and "Wear suitable protective clothing". According to ] requests obtained by GAP, neither the protective gear nor the manual were distributed to Gulf oil spill cleanup workers. | |||
Wildlife and environmental groups accused BP of holding back information about the extent and impact of the growing slick, and urged the White House to order a more direct federal government role in the spill response. In prepared testimony for a congressional committee, ] President Larry Schweiger said BP had failed to disclose results from its tests of chemical dispersants used on the spill, and that BP had tried to withhold video showing the true magnitude of the leak.<ref name="Heavy oil hits Louisiana shore">{{cite news| url=http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6430AR20100520 |title=BP accused of cover-up |date=2010-05-19 |publisher=Reuters}}</ref> | |||
Corexit EC9500A and Corexit EC9527A were the principal variants.<ref name="AutoBB-116"/> The two formulations are neither the least toxic, nor the most effective, among EPA's approved dispersants, but BP said it chose to use Corexit because it was available the week of the rig explosion.<ref name=csm0515/><ref name=csm0517/> On 19 May, the EPA gave BP 24 hours to choose less toxic alternatives to Corexit from the National Contingency Plan Product Schedule and begin applying them within 72 hours of EPA approval or provide a detailed reasoning why no approved products met the standards.<ref name="AutoBB-130"/><ref name="AutoBB-131"/> On 20 May, BP determined that none of the alternative products met all three criteria of availability, non-toxicity and effectiveness.<ref name="AutoBB-133"/> On 24 May, EPA Administrator ] ordered EPA to conduct its own evaluation of alternatives and ordered BP to reduce dispersant use by 75%.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/01/science/earth/01dispersants.html |work=The New York Times |first=Matthew L. |last=Wald |title=BP Used Much Dispersant Despite E.P.A. Directive of Rarely |date=31 July 2010}}</ref><ref name="AutoBB-134"/><ref name="AutoBB-135"/> BP reduced Corexit use by {{cvt|25689|to|23250|USgal|L}} per day, a 9% decline.<ref name="AutoBB-136"/> On 2 August 2010, the EPA said dispersants did no more harm to the environment than the oil and that they stopped a large amount of oil from reaching the coast by breaking it down faster.<ref name="Bolstad"/> However, some independent scientists and EPA's own experts continue to voice concerns about the approach.<ref name="guardian"/> | |||
On May 19, 2010, BP established a live feed of the oil spill to meet the requests of the Chairman of the ], ].<ref>, by The House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming, Press Release, 19-05-2010</ref> This decision was made after hearings in Congress accused the company of withholding data from the ocean floor and of blocking efforts by independent scientists to come up with estimates for the amount of crude flowing into the Gulf each day.<ref>, by Suzanne Goldberg, guardian.co.uk, 21-05-2010</ref> | |||
Underwater injection of Corexit into the leak may have created the oil plumes which were discovered below the surface.<ref name=csm0517/> Because the dispersants were applied at depth, much of the oil never rose to the surface.<ref name="latimes1"/> One plume was {{cvt|22|mi}} long, more than {{cvt|1|mi|m}} wide and {{cvt|650|ft}} deep.<ref name="AutoBB-141"/> In a major study on the plume, experts were most concerned about the slow pace at which the oil was breaking down in the cold, {{cvt|40|°F|°C|sp=us}} water at depths of {{cvt|3000|ft|-2}}.<ref name="AutoBB-142"/> | |||
On May 20, 2010 ] ] indicated that the U.S. government will verify how much oil has leaked into the Gulf of Mexico.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6430AR20100520?type=domesticNews&feedType=RSS&feedName=domesticNews |title= U.S. to check BP spill size, heavy oil comes ashore |publisher=Reuters |date=2010-05-20}}</ref> On the same day, the heads of the ] and the ] told BP chief executive Tony Hayward in a letter that the company had "fallen short" of its promises to keep the public and the federal government informed about the spill, writing that "BP must make publicly available any data and other information related to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill that you have collected." Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa P. Jackson and ] ] asked for the results of tests looking for traces of oil and dispersant chemicals in the waters of the gulf. BP did not respond to requests for comment about the letter, the Washington Post reported in a story titled, "Estimated rate of oil spill no longer holds up."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/05/20/AR2010052005083.html |title=Estimated rate of oil spill no longer holds up |first1= Steven |last1= Mufson |first2= David |last2=Fahrenthold |date=2010-05-21 |publisher=Washington Post}}</ref> | |||
In late 2012, a study from ] and ] in Environmental Pollution journal reported that Corexit used during the BP oil spill had increased the ] of the oil by 52 times.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.newsweek.com/what-bp-doesnt-want-you-know-about-2010-gulf-spill-63015 |title=Drowning in Oil |date=22 April 2013 |magazine=Newsweek}}</ref> The scientists concluded that "Mixing oil with dispersant increased toxicity to ecosystems" and made the gulf oil spill worse.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.motherjones.com/blue-marble/2012/12/chemical-dispersant-made-bps-gulf-oilspill-52-times-more-toxic |title=Chemical Dispersant Made BP Oilspill 52 Times More Toxic |magazine=Mother Jones}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna50032789 |title=Dispersant makes oil from spills 52 times more toxic |date=30 November 2012 |work=NBC News}}</ref> | |||
The media has complained that the Coast Guard and BP have prevented them from viewing affected areas. On May 18, 2010, CBS reporter Kelly Cobiella tried to visit the beaches in the Gulf of Mexico to report on the disaster. She was met by BP contractors and American Coast Guard officers who threatened her with arrest if she did not leave. The Coast Guard officials specified that they were acting under the authority of BP.<ref>{{cite video |url=http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=6496749n |title=Coast Guard Under 'BP's Rules' |people=Kelly Cobiella |publisher=CBS News}}</ref> On May 25, a scheduled flyover was denied permission after BP officials learned that a member of the press would be on board.<ref>{{cite news |url= | |||
http://www.newsweek.com/2010/05/26/the-missing-oil-spill-photos.html |title=BP's Photo Blockade of the Gulf Oil Spill |publisher=Newsweek |date=2010-05-25 |first=Matthew |last=Philips}}</ref> | |||
=== Removal === | |||
==Attempts to stop the oil leak== | |||
] | |||
The rig's blowout preventer, a ] device fitted at source of the well, did not automatically cut off the oil flow as intended when the explosion occurred. BP attempted to use remotely operated underwater vehicles to close the blowout preventer valves on the well head {{convert|5000|ft|m}} below sea level, a valve-closing procedure taking 24–36 hours.<ref name=leakfix/><ref name="BBC 28/4">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/8648004.stm|title=Growing concerns over Gulf of Mexico oil leak|date=April 28, 2010 |work=]|publisher=BBC|accessdate=29 April 2010}}</ref> BP engineers predicted it would take six attempts to close the valves.<ref name="rov attempts">{{cite news | author = Webb, Tim | title = BP fights on the beaches to save the shoreline – and its name | work = The Observer | date = 2010-05-16| pages = 36–37 | url = http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/may/16/bp-gulf-of-mexico-oil-spill | accessdate = 2010-05-18}}</ref> As of May 2, 2010, they had sent six remotely operated underwater vehicles to close the blowout preventer valves, but all attempts were ultimately unsuccessful.<ref name="BBC 02/5">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8656627.stm|title=US oil spill 'threatens way of life', governor warns|date=May 2, 2010 |work=]|publisher=BBC|accessdate=2 May 2010}}</ref> | |||
] | |||
The three basic approaches for removing the oil from the water were: combustion, offshore filtration, and collection for later processing. USCG said {{cvt|33000000|USgal|m3}} of tainted water was recovered, including {{cvt|5000000|USgal|m3}} of oil. BP said {{cvt|826800|oilbbl}} had been recovered or flared.<ref name=Schoof/> It is calculated that about 5% of leaked oil was burned at the surface and 3% was skimmed.<ref name="AutoBB-149"/> On the most demanding day, 47,849 people were assigned on the response works and over 6,000 Marine vessels, 82 helicopters, and 20 fixed-wing aircraft were involved.<ref name=report2011/> | |||
From April to mid-July 2010, 411 controlled ''in-situ'' fires remediated approximately {{cvt|265000|oilbbl|MUSgal m3}}.<ref name=butler/> The fires released small amounts of ]s, including cancer-causing ]s. According to ]'s report, the released amount is not enough to pose an added cancer risk to workers and coastal residents, while a second research team concluded that there was only a small added risk.<ref name=ap121110/> | |||
Oil was known to be leaking into the gulf from three different locations. <!--Would like to add details on the three locations here-->On May 5, BP announced that the smallest of three known leaks had been capped. This did not reduce the amount of oil flowing out, but it did allow the repair group to focus their efforts on the two remaining leaks.<ref name=LATimes-0505>{{cite news |url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/greenspace/2010/05/gulf-oil-spill-smallest-leak-sealed-off-.html |title=Gulf oil spill: Smallest leak sealed off |publisher=L.A. Times Blogs |first=Richard |last=Fausset |date=2010-05-05 |accessdate=2010-05-05}}</ref> | |||
] | |||
===Short-term efforts=== | |||
BP engineers have attempted a number of techniques to control or stop the oil spill. The first and fastest was to place a {{convert|125|t|lb|adj=on}} container dome over the largest of the well leaks and pipe the oil to a storage vessel on the surface.<ref name=WSJ0503>{{cite news |url=http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20100503-700843.html |title=US Oil Spill Response Team: Plan To Deploy Dome In 6–8 Days |first=David |last=Winning |work= ] | newspaper = ] |publisher=Dow Jones & Company |date=2010-05-03 |accessdate=2010-05-05|id={{Subscription required}}}}</ref> This option was untested at such depths.<ref name=WSJ0503/> BP deployed the system on May 7–8 but it failed when gas leaking from the pipe combined with cold water to form ] crystals that blocked up the steel canopy at the top of the dome.<ref name=thestar1405>{{cite news |url=http://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/809477--the-6-techniques-that-have-tried-out-on-the-gulf-oil-leak?bn=1 |title=Engineers work to place siphon tube at oil spill site |first1=Erika | last1=Bolstad |first2=Lesley |last2=Clark |first3=Daniel |last3=Chang |publisher=McClatchy Newspapers | newspaper=] |date=2010-05-14 |accessdate=2010-05-14}}</ref> The excess buoyancy of the crystals clogged the opening at the top of the dome where the riser was to be connected. | |||
Oil was collected from water by using ]. In total, 2,063 various skimmers were used.<ref name=report2011/> For offshore, more than 60 open-water skimmers were deployed, including 12 purpose-built vehicles.<ref name=butler/> EPA regulations prohibited skimmers that left more than 15 parts per million (ppm) of oil in the water. Many large-scale skimmers exceeded the limit.<ref name="AutoBB-144"/> Due to use of ], the oil was too dispersed to collect, according to a spokesperson for shipowner ].<ref name="AutoBB-148"/> In mid-June 2010, BP ordered 32 machines that ], with each machine capable of extracting up to {{cvt|2000|oilbbl/d}}.<ref name="The_Guardian"/><ref name="NYTimes20100624"/> After one week of testing, BP began to proceed<ref name="abcnews1"/> and, by 28 June, had removed {{cvt|890000|oilbbl|m3}}.<ref name="BP100626"/> | |||
Following the failure, a smaller containment dome, dubbed a "top hat", was lowered to the seabed.<ref name=bbc1205>{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8678113.stm |title='Top hat' dome at Gulf of Mexico oil spill site – BP |work = ] |date=12-05-2010 |accessdate=2010-05-14}}</ref> The dome was lowered on May 11 but is currently being kept away from the leaking oil well.<ref name=bbc1205/> The dome is meant to funnel some of the escaping oil to a waiting tanker on the surface. Like the first containment dome, the dome has been deployed successfully in the past but not at such a depth.<ref name=bbc1205/> The {{convert|4|ft|m}} wide and {{convert|5|ft|m}} tall "top hat" dome is much smaller than the first containment dome, which was {{convert|40|ft|m}} tall and {{convert|125|t|lb|adj=on}}.<ref name=bbc1205/> The "top hat" dome originally was planned as BP's next attempt to control the spill and there has been no explanation for why BP engineers decided to try the insertion tube first.<ref name=thestar1405/> | |||
After the well was capped, the cleanup of shore became the main task of the response works. Two main types of affected coast were sandy beaches and ]es. On beaches, the main techniques were sifting sand, removing tar balls, and digging out tar mats manually or by using mechanical devices.<ref name=report2011/> For marshes, techniques such as vacuum and pumping, low-pressure flush, vegetation cutting, and ] were used.<ref name=butler/> | |||
On May 14, engineers began the process of positioning a 4-inch wide riser insertion tube tool into the 21-inch-wide burst pipe.<ref name=thestar1405/> After three days, BP reported the tube was working.<ref name=collins>{{cite news|url=http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100516/ap_on_hi_te/us_gulf_oil_spill|title=BP: Mile-long tube sucking oil away from Gulf well|last1=Collins|first1=Jeffrey|last2=Dearen|first2=Jason|work=]|agency=]|date=2010-05-16|accessdate=2010-05-16}}</ref> Collection rates varied daily between {{convert|1000|and|5000|oilbbl|USgal L||abbr=none}}, the average being {{convert|2000|oilbbl|USgal L||abbr=none}} a day, as of May 21.<ref name=ogj210510>{{cite news|last=Dittrick |first=Paula |url=http://www.ogj.com/index/article-display/5805138599/articles/oil-gas-journal/general-interest-2/hse/2010/05/bp-captures_varying/QP129867/cmpid=EnlDailyMay212010.html |title=BP captures varying rates in gulf oil spill response |publisher=] | work= Oil & Gas Journal |date= 2010-05-21|accessdate=2010-05-22|id={{Subscription required}} }}</ref><ref name=AP1705>{{cite news|url=http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5g8-DEMtAE9q4i4ySQ0eV_qZefmRQD9FOLFA80 |title=AP Top News at {{Nowrap|10:50 a.m.}} EDT |agency=] |date=2010-05-17 |accessdate=2010-05-17}}</ref> The collected gas rate ranges between {{convert|4|and|17|Mcuft/d}}. The gas was flared and oil stored on the board of drillship '']''.<ref name=bp240510>{{cite press release |url=http://www.bp.com/genericarticle.do?categoryId=2012968&contentId=7062283 |title=Update on Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill Response - 24 May |publisher=] |date=2010-05-24 |accessdate=2010-05-24}}</ref> {{convert|924000|USgal|oilbbl|abbr=none}} of oil was collected before removal of the tube so shutdown efforts could begin.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/05/26/501187/bp-to-try-to-choke-off-gulf-of.html?storylink=misearch | title=Gulf awaits word on latest bid to plug oil leak | accessdate=2010-05-28}}</ref> | |||
=== Oil-eating microbes === | |||
BP tried to shut down the well completely using a technique called "]".<ref name=APtopkill>{{cite news|url=http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5j2WM-6T8Nj9-NM50L97Qc8BdwyfgD9FU5PU00 |title=BP engineers draw up plans for 'top kill' |first=Greg |last=Bluestein |agency=Associated Press |date=2010-04-25 |accessdate=2010-04-25}}</ref> The process involves pumping heavy drilling fluids through two {{convert|3|in|cm|adj=on}} lines into the blowout preventer that sits on top of the wellhead. This would first restrict the flow of oil from the well, which then could be sealed permanently with cement.<ref name="chron.com">{{cite news|url=http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/business/deepwaterhorizon/7009757.html |title=BP Prepared for Top Kill to Plug Well |first=Tom |last=Fowler |newspaper=] |date=2010-05-18 |accessdate=2010-05-22}}</ref> The top kill procedure, approved by the Coast Guard on May 25, commenced at 1 p.m. CDT on May 26 and, according to BP sources, while failure could be evident in minutes or hours it may take "a day or two" before its success could be determined.<ref>{{cite article |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/27/us/27spill.html |title=BP Attempts ‘Top Kill’ Method to Seal Oil Well in Gulf |publisher=New York Times |author=Clifford Kraus and Robbie Brown |date=2010-05-26 |accessdate=2010-05-26}}</ref> On May 27, U.S. Coast Guard Adm. ], who is coordinating the government response, indicated that engineers had succeeded in stopping the flow of oil and gas into the Gulf of Mexico. He further stated that the well still had low pressure, but cement would be used to cap the well permanently as soon as the pressure hit zero.<ref name="GenAllen">{{cite news|url=http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-top-kill-works-20100528,0,4282960.story |title='Top kill' effort succeeds in blocking oil leak, Coast Guard admiral says |first=Jim |last=Tankersley |publisher=Los Angeles Times |date=2010-05-27}}</ref> However, BP officials said it was not possible to tell how far down the well the mud may have reached and declined to speculate on the odds of actually stopping the flow. "We have some indications of partial bridging which is good news. I think it's probably 48 hours before we have a conclusive view."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.upstreamonline.com/live/article216214.ece |title=Top kill fails | newspaper = ] | publisher = NHST Media Group |date=2010-05-28 |accessdate=2010-06-01}}</ref> On May 29, BP announced that the attempt to clog the ruptured oil well with "junk" had failed.<ref>{{cite news | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/us_and_canada/10191622.stm | title ='Top kill' BP operation to half US oil leak fails| date=29 May 2010| accessdate=29 May 2010|publisher = BBC News}}</ref> | |||
Dispersants are said to facilitate the digestion of the oil by ]s but conflicting results have been reported on this in the context of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://www.nap.edu/catalog/25161 |title=The Use of Dispersants in Marine Oil Spill Response |date=24 April 2020 |publisher=National Academies Press |others=Committee on the Evaluation of the Use of Chemical Dispersants in Oil Spill Response, Ocean Studies Board, Board on Environmental Studies and Toxicology, Division on Earth and Life Studies, National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine |isbn=978-0-309-47818-2 |location=Washington, D.C. |doi=10.17226/25161|pmid=32379406 |bibcode=2020udmo.book.....N |s2cid=133873607 }}</ref> Mixing dispersants with oil at the wellhead would keep some oil below the surface and, in theory, allow microbes to digest the oil before it reached the surface. Various risks were identified and evaluated, in particular, that an increase in microbial activity might reduce subsea oxygen levels, threatening fish and other animals.<ref name="science735"/> | |||
Several studies suggest that microbes successfully consumed part of the oil.<ref name=Ramseur/><ref name=valentine/> By mid-September, other research claimed that microbes mainly digested natural gas rather than oil.<ref name="AutoBB-158"/><ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-microbes-helped-clean-bp-s-oil-spill |title=How Microbes Helped Clean BP's Oil Spill |first=David |last=Biello |magazine=Scientific American}}</ref> David L. Valentine, a professor of microbial geochemistry at ], said that the capability of microbes to break down the leaked oil had been greatly exaggerated.<ref name="news.yahoo.com"/> However, biogeochemist Chris Reddy said natural microorganisms are a big reason why the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico was not far worse.<ref name="MicrobesSA2015">{{cite web |last1=Biello |first1=David |title=How Microbes Helped Clean BP's Oil Spill |url=https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-microbes-helped-clean-bp-s-oil-spill/ |website=Scientific American |access-date=26 December 2017 |date=28 April 2015 |quote=The microbes did a spectacular job of eating a lot of the natural gas}}</ref><ref name="MicrobesSA2010">{{cite web |last1=Biello |first1=David |title=Slick Solution: How Microbes Will Clean Up the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill |url=https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-microbes-clean-up-oil-spills/ |website=Scientific American |access-date=26 December 2017 |date=25 May 2010}}</ref> | |||
After three consecutive failed attempts at the top kill, on May 29 BP moved on to their next contingency option, the Lower Marine Riser Package (LMRP) Cap Containment System. The operational plan first involves cutting and then removing the damaged ] from the top of the failed Blow-Out Preventer (BOP) to leave a cleanly-cut pipe at the top of the BOP’s LMRP. The cap is designed to be connected to a riser from the Discoverer Enterprise drillship and placed over the LMRP with the intention of capturing most of the oil and gas flowing from the well. During the cutting of the pipe, the diamond blade saw became stuck but was later freed. BP had to use shears instead and the cut is "ragged",<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.bp.com/genericarticle.do?categoryId=2012968&contentId=7062487 | title = Update on Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill - 29 May | date=29 May 2010| accessdate=30 May 2010|publisher = BP }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.bp.com/liveassets/bp_internet/globalbp/globalbp_uk_english/incident_response/STAGING/local_assets/images/Containment_Contingency_Option_large.jpg | title = Containment Contingency Option - LMRP Cap | date=29 May 2010| accessdate=30 May 2010|publisher = BP }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = http://bp.concerts.com/gom/kentwells_update24052010.htm | title = Kent Wells Tech Update - 24 May 2010 | date=24 May 2010| accessdate=30 May 2010|publisher = BP }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/37463005/ns/disaster_in_the_gulf/ | title = BP slices pipe in 'significant step forward' | date = 3 June 2010}}</ref> meaning the cap will be harder to fit.<ref name=Bluestein>{{cite news|url=http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/06/03/513413/bp-cuts-pipe-plans-to-lower-cap.html |title=BP cuts pipe, plans to lower cap over Gulf spill |last1=Bluestein |first1=Greg |work=] |publisher=] |date=2010-06-03|accessdate=2010-06-03}}</ref> On June 4, BP claimed the cap collected 76,000 gallons its first day; Thad Allen of the Coast Guard estimated the daily amount at 42,000 gallons, but this represented less than 10 percent of leaking oil. One problem BP had to solve--oil could escape through vents intended to stop ice from blocking the cap.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/06/04/514811/cap-collects-some-gulf-oil-crude.html|title=Oil stains beaches and tourists as slick spreads|last1=Nelson|first1=Melissa|last2=Mohr|first2=Holbrook|work=]|publisher=]|date=2010-06-10|accessdate=2010-06=05}}</ref> | |||
] '']'' was added to the waters to speed digestion.<ref name="news.yahoo.com"/><ref name="AutoBB-160"/> The delivery method of microbes to oil patches was proposed by the Russian ].{{citation needed|date=February 2023}} | |||
===Long-term efforts=== | |||
BP is drilling ]s into the original well to enable them to block it. Once the relief wells reach the original borehole, the operator will pump ] into the original well to stop the flow of oil. Transocean's {{nowrap|'']''}} started drilling a first relief well on May 2 and was at 12,090 feet as of May 29. {{nowrap|'']''}} also started drilling a second relief on May 16 and was at 8,576 feet as of May 29.<ref name = "relief_map">{{cite web|url=http://www.bp.com/liveassets/bp_internet/globalbp/globalbp_uk_english/incident_response/STAGING/local_assets/images/relief_well_diagram.jpg|title=Relief wells and Subsea containment illustration|publisher=BP}}</ref><ref name="HEATON">{{cite news|title=Heat on White House to do more about Gulf spill|agency=Associated Press|accessdate=25 May 2010}}</ref><ref name=upstream170510>{{cite news | url = http://www.upstreamonline.com/live/article215111.ece | title = Second Macondo relief well under way | newspaper = ] | publisher = NHST Media Group | date = 2010-05-17 | accessdate = 2010-05-25}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.bp.com/genericarticle.do?categoryId=2012968&contentId=7062526 | title = Update on Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill - 01 June | publisher = BP | date = 2010-06-01 | accessdate = 2010-06-01 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.bp.com/genericarticle.do?categoryId=2012968&contentId=7062487 | title = Update on Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill - 29 May | publisher = BP | date = 2010-05-30 | accessdate = 2010-05-30}}</ref> This operation will take two to three months to stop the flow of oil (BP also confirmed in late May that they did not expect the relief well to operate before August)<ref name="BPTURNS">{{cite news|last=Nuckols|first=Ben|title=BP turns to next attempt after top kill fails|url=http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100530/ap_on_bi_ge/us_gulf_oil_spill|accessdate=30 May 2010|newspaper=Associated Press|date=30 May 2010}}</ref> and will cost about {{US$|100 million}} per well.<ref name="CITEREFupstream2010a"/><ref name = "CITEREFbp2010a"/> | |||
== Access restrictions == | |||
===Use of explosive devices=== | |||
On 18 May 2010, BP was designated the lead "Responsible Party" under the ], which meant that BP had operational authority in coordinating the response.<ref>Marisa Taylor and Renee Schoof for McClatchy Newspapers, 18 May 2010. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130325152418/http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2010/05/18/94415/bps-secrecy-keep-facts-on-gulf.html#ixzz0oOgEMK7i |date=25 March 2013 }}</ref><ref>Gerald Baron for Crisisblogger, 8 June 2012. </ref> | |||
On May 24, 2010 BP said it ruled out conventional explosives, saying that if the company tried blasts to crimp the well and failed, “We would have denied ourselves all other options.”<ref></ref> Federal officials also confirmed neither Energy Secretary Steven Chu nor anyone else ever considered using a nuclear device under the gulf because of not only environmental but also political risks (doing so would violate ], which United States signed).<ref></ref> | |||
The first video images were released on 12 May, and further video images were released by members of Congress who had been given access to them by BP.<ref name=NYTimesLimits>Jeremy W Peters for ''The New York Times'', 9 June 2010 </ref> | |||
==Containment and cleanup== | |||
] for deployment.|alt=Men in hard hats standing near water next to large pile of bundled large yellow deflated rubber tubing]] | |||
During the spill response operations, at the request of the Coast Guard, the ] (FAA) implemented a {{cvt|900|sqmi|adj=on}} ] zone over the operations area.<ref name="faa">{{cite news |url=http://www.justhelicopters.com/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=MolrT7%2FHzdY%3D&tabid=434 |title=Deepwater Horizon NOTAM Overview: Air Traffic Organization, System Operations, Security |publisher=] |date=25 July 2010 |access-date=11 April 2013 |format=PPT }}{{dead link|date=June 2022|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref><ref name="airspacemag">{{cite news |url=http://www.airspacemag.com/flight-today/The-Other-Gulf-War.html |title=The Other Gulf War |first=Mark |last=Huber |newspaper=] |date=January 2011 |access-date=11 April 2013}} | |||
BP, which was leading the cleanup, initially employed remotely operated underwater vehicles, 700 workers, four airplanes and 32 vessels to contain the oil.<ref name=oilleak/> After the discovery that the undersea wellhead was leaking, the oil cleanup was hampered by high waves on April 24 and 25.<ref name=leakfix>{{cite news| url = http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2010/04/25/oil-rig-leak.html| title = Robot subs trying to stop Gulf oil leak| publisher = CBC News| author = Staff writer| date = 2010-04-25| accessdate = 2010-04-25}}</ref> According to Hayward, BP will compensate all those affected by the oil spill saying that "We are taking full responsibility for the spill and we will clean it up and where people can present legitimate claims for damages we will honor them. We are going to be very, very aggressive in all of that."<ref>{{cite news| url = http://in.reuters.com/article/businessNews/idINIndia-48135020100430?| title = BP CEO says will pay oil spill claims | publisher = Reuters | author = Tom Bergin| date = 2010-04-30 | accessdate = 2010-04-30}}</ref> On May 6, BP launched a section on their corporate web site devoted to the daily response efforts.<ref>{{cite article |url=http://www.urlwire.com/news/050610.html | title =Gulf Oil Spill Daily Response Activity Now at BP Web Site |publisher=URLwire |author=Eric Ward |date=2010-05-06 |accessdate=2010-05-06 }}</ref> | |||
</ref><ref name="weeklystandard">{{cite news |url=http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/bp-stopping-journalists-observing-oil-slick |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100716184418/http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/bp-stopping-journalists-observing-oil-slick |url-status=dead |archive-date=16 July 2010 |title=Is BP Stopping Journalists from Observing the Oil Slick? |first=Michael |last=Warren |newspaper=] |date=11 June 2010 |access-date=11 April 2013}} | |||
</ref> Restrictions were to prevent civilian air traffic from interfering with aircraft assisting the response effort.<ref name=NYTimesLimits/> All flights in the operations' area were prohibited except flight authorized by ]; routine flights supporting offshore oil operations; federal, state, local and military flight operations supporting spill response; and air ambulance and law enforcement operations. Exceptions for these restrictions were granted on a case-by-case basis dependent on safety issues, operational requirements, weather conditions, and traffic volume. No flights, except aircraft conducting aerial chemical dispersing operations, or for landing and takeoff, were allowed below {{cvt|1000|m}}.<ref name=faa/> Notwithstanding restrictions, there were 800 to 1,000 flights per day during the operations.<ref name="nola290510">{{cite news |url=http://www.nola.com/news/gulf-oil-spill/index.ssf/2010/05/limits_on_access_to_oiled_wate.html |title=Limits on access to oiled waters, coast frustrates journalists |first=Laura |last=Maggi |newspaper=] |date=29 May 2010 |access-date=11 April 2013}} | |||
</ref> | |||
Local and federal authorities citing BP's authority denied access to members of the press attempting to document the spill from the air, from boats, and on the ground, blocking access to areas that were open to the public.<ref name=NYTimesLimits/><ref>CBS News </ref><ref>Mac McClelland for Mother Jones, 24 May 2010. </ref><ref name=NewsweekPress>Matthew Philips, , ''Newsweek'', 25 May 2010.</ref><ref>Matthew Lysiak and Helen Kennedy, , ''Daily News'' (New York), 2 June 2010.</ref><ref name=Zak>Dan Zak for the Washington Post, 3 June 2010. </ref><ref>NPR. 4 June 2010 {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130517074225/http://www.onthemedia.org/2010/jun/04/media-encounter-access-problems-while-covering-the-oil-spill/transcript/ |date=17 May 2013 }}</ref> In some cases photographers were granted access only with BP officials escorting them on BP-contracted boats and aircraft. In one example, the U.S. Coast Guard stopped ]'s boat and allowed it to proceed only after the Coast Guard was assured that no journalists were on board.<ref name=NewsweekPress/> In another example, a ] crew was denied access to the oil-covered beaches of the spill area. The CBS crew was told by the authorities, "This is BP's rules, not ours," when trying to film the area.<ref name=NewsweekPress/><ref>{{cite web |publisher=CBS Evening News |date=18 May 2010 |title=Coast Guard Under 'BP's Rules |url=http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=6496749n}}</ref><ref>PR Newser, 20 May 2010, Crisis Communications, {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141219192023/http://www.mediabistro.com/prnewser/cbs-denied-access-to-shoot-oil-spill-coast-guard-and-contractors-say-this-is-bps-rules-not-ours_b3711 |date=19 December 2014 }}</ref> Some members of Congress criticized the restrictions placed on access by journalists.<ref name=NYTimesLimits/> | |||
On April 28, the US military announced it was joining the cleanup operation.<ref name="BBC 29/4"/> ], chief operating officer of BP, welcomed the assistance of the US military.<ref name="BBC 29/4"/> The same day, the ] announced plans to corral and burn off up to {{convert|1000|oilbbl|USgal L|abbr=none}} of oil on the surface each day. It tested how much environmental damage a small, controlled burn of {{convert|100|oilbbl|USgal L|abbr=none}} did to surrounding wetlands, but could not proceed with an open seas burn due to poor conditions.<ref name="CITEREFwapo2010a">{{cite news | author = Mufson, Steven | title = Today's spills, yesterday's tools | work = The Washington Post | date = 2010-05-04 | pages = A1, A8 | url = http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/05/03/AR2010050302781.html | accessdate = 2010-05-19}}</ref><ref name=oilgas>{{cite news | first=Paula | last=Dittrick | title=Federal officials visit oil spill area, talk with BP | date=2010-04-30 | publisher= | url =http://www.ogj.com/index/article-display/3601449328/articles/oil-gas-journal/general-interest-2/hse/2010/04/federal-officials.html | work =Oil and Gas Journal | pages = | accessdate = 2010-05-01 | language = }}</ref> By April 29, 69 vessels including skimmers, tugs, ]s and recovery vessels were active in cleanup activities. On April 30, ] ] announced that he had dispatched the Secretaries of the ] and ], as well as the Administrator of the ] and the ] to the Gulf Coast to assess the disaster.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/statement-president-economy-and-oil-spill-gulf-mexico|title= Statement by the President on the Economy and the Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico|author= Office of the Press Secretary|date= 30 April 2010|work= The White House|publisher= The White House|accessdate= 5 May 2010}}</ref> | |||
The FAA denied that BP employees or contractors made decisions on flights and access, saying those decisions were made by the FAA and Coast Guard.<ref name=NYTimesLimits/><ref name=weeklystandard/> The FAA acknowledged that media access was limited to hired planes or helicopters, but was arranged through the Coast Guard.<ref name=nola290510/> The Coast Guard and BP denied having a policy of restricting journalists; they noted that members of the media had been embedded with the authorities and allowed to cover response efforts since the beginning of the effort, with more than 400 embeds aboard boats and aircraft to date.<ref name=Zak/> They also said that they wanted to provide access to the information while maintaining safety.<ref name=Zak/> | |||
] | |||
In an attempt to minimize impact to sensitive areas in the ] area more than {{convert|100000|ft|km}} of ] were deployed along the coast.<ref name = "CITEREFbp2010a">{{cite web | title = BP MC252 Gulf Of Mexico Response Continues To Escalate On And Below Surface | format = press release | publisher = ] | date = 2010-04-29 | url = http://www.bp.com/genericarticle.do?categoryId=2012968&contentId=7061663 | accessdate = 2010-04-29}}</ref> By the next day, this nearly doubled to {{convert|180000|ft|km}} of deployed booms, with an additional {{convert|300000|ft|km}} staged or being deployed.<ref name="CITEREFwapo2010a"/><ref name = "booms deployed 30 april">{{cite web | title = BP Steps Up Shoreline Protection Plans on US Gulf Coast | format = press release | publisher = ] | date = 2010-04-30 | url = http://www.bp.com/genericarticle.do?categoryId=2012968&contentId=7061565 | accessdate = 2010-04-30}}</ref> On May 2, high winds and rough waves rendered oil-catching booms largely ineffective.<ref name="booms ineffective">{{cite news | author = Borenstein, Seth | author2 = Breed, Allen G. | title = Oil spill grows, with little success stopping flow | agency = Associated Press | date = 2010-05-02 | url = http://www.suntimes.com/news/nation/2225922,oil-spill-gulf-coast-grows-050210.article | accessdate = 2010-05-03}}</ref> | |||
==Cleanup== | |||
As of April 30, approximately 2,000 people and 79 vessels were involved in the response and BP claimed that more than {{convert|6300000|USgal|oilbbl|abbr=off}} of oil-water mix had been recovered.<ref name="numbers" /> On May 4, the U.S Coast Guard estimated that 170 vessels, and nearly 7,500 personnel were involved in the cleanup efforts, with an additional 2,000 volunteers assisting.<ref name=VOA2010-05-04>{{cite news |url=http://www1.voanews.com/english/news/usa/BP-Hopes-to-Contain-Main-Oil-Leak-in-Gulf-Soon-92807244.html |title=BP Hopes to Contain Main Oil Leak in Gulf Soon |work=] |date=2010-05-04 |accessdate=2010-05-04}}</ref> On May 26, all of the commercial fishing boats helping in the clean up and recovery process were ordered ashore. A total of 125 commercial vessels which had been outfitted with equipment for oil recovery operations were recalled after some workers began experiencing health problems.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.nola.com/news/gulf-oil-spill/index.ssf/2010/05/four_oil-cleanup_workers_fall.html |title=Four oil-cleanup workers fall ill; Breton Sound fleet ordered back to dock |publisher=NOLA.com |date=2010-05-26}}</ref> | |||
On 15 April 2014, BP announced that cleanup along the coast was substantially complete, while the ] work continued using physical barriers such as floating booms, the cleanup workers' objective was to keep the oil from spreading any further. They used skimmer boats to remove a majority of the oil and they used ]s to absorb any remnant of oil like a sponge. Although that method did not remove the oil completely, chemicals called ]s were used to hasten the oil's degradation to prevent the oil from doing further damage to the marine habitats below the surface water. For the Deep Horizon oil spill, cleanup workers used {{cvt|1400000|usgal}} of various chemical dispersants to further breakdown the oil.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Gulf Oil Spill |url=http://ocean.si.edu/gulf-oil-spill |website=Smithsonian Ocean Portal |access-date=23 November 2015}}</ref> | |||
The state of Louisiana received funding by BP to do regular testing of fish, shellfish, water, and sand. Initial testing regularly showed detectable levels of ], a chemical used in the clean up. Testing over 2019 reported by GulfSource.org, for the pollutants tested have not produced results.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.gulfsource.org/|archiveurl=http://arquivo.pt/wayback/20160517175405/http://www.gulfsource.org/|url-status=dead|title=gulfsource.org|date=10 May 2023|archivedate=17 May 2016}}</ref> | |||
The type of oil involved is also a major problem. While most of the oil drilled off of Louisiana is a lighter crude, because the leak is deep under the ocean surface the leaking oil is a heavier blend which contains ]-like substances, and, according to Ed Overton, who heads a federal chemical hazard assessment team for oil spills, this type of oil ] well, making a "major sticky mess". Once it becomes that kind of mix, it no longer evaporates as quickly as regular oil, does not rinse off as easily, cannot be eaten by microbes as easily, and does not burn as well. "That type of mixture essentially removes all the best oil clean-up weapons", Overton and others said.<ref>{{cite news|first=Seth |last=Borenstein |url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36878803/ns/technology_and_science-science/ |title=Oil spill is the 'bad one' experts feared |date=2010-04-30}}</ref> | |||
Due to the Deepwater Horizon spill, marine life was suffering. Thousands of animals were visibly covered in oil.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Gulf Oil Spill {{!}} Smithsonian Ocean|url=http://ocean.si.edu/conservation/pollution/gulf-oil-spill|access-date=18 October 2021|website=ocean.si.edu|date=30 April 2018 |language=en}}</ref> The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, working with the Smithsonian's ], rescued animals to help with the spill cleanup, although there were many animals found dead. | |||
On May 21, 2010, ] president ] publicly complained about the federal government's hindrance of local mitigation efforts. State and local officials had proposed building ] off the coast to catch the oil before it reached the ], but the emergency permit request had not been answered for over two weeks. The following day Nungesser complained that the plan had been vetoed, while ] officials claimed that the request was still under review.<ref>{{cite news |last=Schleifstein |first=Mark |url=http://www.nola.com/news/gulf-oil-spill/index.ssf/2010/05/plaquemines_parish_president_n.html |title=Plaquemines Parish President Nungesser claims berm oil capture plan killed. |publisher=The Times Picayune |date=2010-05-22}}</ref> Gulf Coast Government officials have released water via the ] diversions in effort to create an outflow of water that would keep the oil off the coast. The water from these diversions comes from the entire ]. Even with this approach, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is predicting a "massive" landfall to the west of the Mississippi River at ].<ref name="MississipiHyrdaulics">{{cite news|last=Achenbach|first=Joel|title=Gulf coast oil slick headed for Grand Isle, Louisiana|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/05/22/AR2010052203042.html|newspaper=WashingtonPost|date=May 23, 2010}}</ref> | |||
== Consequences == | |||
On May 23, 2010, ] ] wrote a letter to Lieutenant General ] of the ],<ref>{{cite article |url=http://online.wsj.com/public/resources/documents/052310caldwellletter.pdf |title=Letter to Lt. General Robert L. Van Antwerp, US Army Corps of Engineers |publisher=Louisiana Attorney General's Office |author=James D. "Buddy" Caldwell |date=2010-05-23 |accessdate=2010-05-25}}</ref> stating that ] has the right to dredge sand to build ] to keep the ] from its ] without the Corps' approval, as the ] to the ] prevents the federal government from denying a state the right to act in an emergency.<ref>{{cite article |url=http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2010/0524/BP-oil-spill-pushes-Louisiana-to-desperate-massive-berm-plan |title=BP oil spill pushes Louisiana to desperate, massive 'berm' plan |publisher=Christian Science Monitor |author=Bill Sasser |date=2010-05-24 |accessdate=2010-05-25 }}</ref><ref>{{cite article |url=http://www.nola.com/news/gulf-oil-spill/index.ssf/2010/05/attorney_general_buddy_caldwel.html |title=Attorney General Buddy Caldwell tells Corps of Engineers state has emergency powers to build barrier islands |publisher=Times-Picayune |author=Times-Picayune staff |date=2010-05-24 |accessdate=2010-05-25 }}</ref> He also wrote that if the Corps "persists in its illegal and ill-advised efforts" to prevent the state from building the barriers that he would advise ] ] to proceed with the plans and challenge the Corps in court.<ref>{{cite article |url=http://blogs.wsj.com/law/2010/05/25/will-the-gulf-cleanup-effort-yield-a-constitutional-smackdown? |title=Will the Gulf Cleanup Effort Yield a Constitutional Smackdown? |publisher=Wall Stret Journal |author=Ashby Jones |date=2010-05-25 |accessdate=2010-05-25}}</ref> | |||
=== Environmental impact === | |||
{{main|Environmental impact of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill}} | |||
] | |||
The spill area hosts 8,332 species, including more than 1,270 fish, 604 ]s, 218 birds, 1,456 ], 1,503 ]s, 4 sea turtles and 29 marine mammals.<ref name="AutoBB-165" /><ref name="AutoBB-166" /> Between May and June 2010, the spill waters contained 40 times more ]s (PAHs) than before the spill.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://oregonstate.edu/ua/ncs/archives/2010/sep/osu-researchers-find-heightened-levels-known-carcinogens-gulf |title=OSU researchers find heightened levels of known carcinogens in Gulf – News and Research Communications |publisher=Oregon State University |date=30 September 2010 |access-date=24 May 2013 |archive-date=17 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201117130556/https://today.oregonstate.edu/archives/2010/sep/osu-researchers-find-heightened-levels-known-carcinogens-gulf |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="AutoBB-174" /> PAHs are often linked to oil spills and include ]s and chemicals that pose various health risks to humans and marine life. The PAHs were most concentrated near the Louisiana Coast, but levels also jumped 2–3 fold in areas off Alabama, Mississippi and Florida.<ref name="AutoBB-174" /> PAHs can harm marine species directly and ]s used to consume the oil can reduce marine ] levels.<ref name="collins" /> The oil contained approximately 40% ] by weight, compared to about 5% found in typical oil deposits.<ref name="methane" /> Methane can potentially suffocate marine life and create "dead zones" where oxygen is depleted.<ref name="methane" /> | |||
A 2014 study of the effects of the oil spill on ] funded by ] (NOAA), ], and the ] and published in the journal '']'', found that the toxins from oil spills can cause irregular heartbeats leading to ]. Calling the vicinity of the spill "one of the most productive ocean ecosystems in the world", the study found that even at very low concentrations "PAH cardiotoxicity was potentially a common form of injury among a broad range of species in the vicinity of the oil."<ref name="LATimes-fish-toxins" /> Another peer-reviewed study, released in March 2014 and conducted by 17 scientists from the United States and Australia and published in the ], found that tuna and ] that were exposed to oil from the spill developed deformities of the heart and other organs that would be expected to be fatal or at least life-shortening. | |||
On June 3, BP said barrier projects ordered by the Coast Guard's Thad Allen would cost $360 million.<ref name=Bluestein/> | |||
The scientists said that their findings would most likely apply to other large predator fish and "even to humans, whose developing hearts are in many ways similar." BP responded that the concentrations of oil in the study were a level rarely seen in the Gulf, but ''The New York Times'' reported that the BP statement was contradicted by the study.<ref name="Wines-24-March-14" /> | |||
] near Grand Isle, Louisiana]] | |||
On June 4, Ecosphere Technologies - a diversified water engineering and environmental services company - deployed a non-chemical water treatment system to assist in the remediation efforts.<ref>{{cite article |url=http://www.forbes.com/feeds/globenewswire/2010/06/04/ecosphere_ozonix_non_chemical_technology_deploys_to_the_gulf_193544.html |title=Ecosphere Ozonix Non-Chemical Technology Deploys to the Gulf |publisher=GlobeNewsWire |date=2010-06-04 |accessdate=2010-06-04}}</ref> | |||
The oil dispersant ], previously only used as a surface application, was released underwater in unprecedented amounts, with the intent of making it more easily biodegraded by naturally occurring microbes. Thus, oil that would normally rise to the surface of the water was ] into tiny droplets and remained suspended in the water and on the sea floor.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.torontosun.com/news/world/2010/06/05/14277081.html |title=Oil spill's environmental costs |newspaper=Toronto Sun}}</ref> The oil and dispersant mixture permeated the ] through ].<ref name="AutoBB-174"/><ref name=ortmann/><ref name="AutoBB-187"/> Signs of an oil-and-dispersant mix were found under the shells of tiny ] larvae.<ref name="huffingtonpost1"/> A study of insect populations in the coastal marshes affected by the spill also found a significant impact.<ref name="AutoBB-191"/> Chemicals from the spill were found in migratory birds as far away as Minnesota. ] eggs contained "petroleum compounds and Corexit".<ref name="AutoBB-115"/> Dispersant and PAHs from oil are believed to have caused "disturbing numbers" of ] fish that scientists and commercial fishers saw in 2012, including 50% of shrimp found lacking eyes and eye sockets.<ref name="AutoBB-197"/><ref name="AutoBB-196"/> Fish with oozing sores and lesions were first noted by fishermen in November 2010.<ref name="aljazeera2"/> Prior to the spill, approximately 0.1% of Gulf fish had lesions or sores. A report from the ] said that many locations showed 20% of fish with lesions, while later estimates reached 50%.<ref name="aljazeera2"/> In October 2013, ] reported that the gulf ecosystem was "in crisis", citing a decline in seafood catches, as well as deformities and lesions found in fish.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2013/10/gulf-ecosystem-crisis-after-bp-spill-2013102065313544754.html |title=Gulf ecosystem in crisis after BP spill |first=Dahr |last=Jamail |publisher=Al Jazeera}}</ref> According to J. Christopher Haney, Harold Geiger, and Jeffrey Short, three researchers with extensive experience in environmental monitoring and post-spill mortality assessments, over one million coastal birds died as a direct result of the ''Deepwater Horizon'' spill. These numbers, coupled with the National Audubon Society scientists' observations of bird colonies and bird mortality well after the acute phase, have led scientists to conclude that more than one million birds ultimately succumbed to the lethal effects of the Gulf oil spill. | |||
In July 2010, it was reported that the spill was "already having a 'devastating' effect on marine life in the Gulf".<ref name="AutoBB-195"/> Damage to the ] especially endangered the ] whose range is entirely contained within the spill-affected area.<ref name="fish2fork"/> In March 2012, a definitive link was found between the death of a ] and the spill.<ref name="AutoBB-188"/><ref name="AutoBB-189"/><ref name="AutoBB-190"/><ref name="abc031210"/> According to NOAA, a ] Unusual Mortality Event (UME) has been recognized since before the spill began, NOAA is investigating possible contributing factors to the ongoing UME from the ''Deepwater Horizon'' spill, with the possibility of eventual criminal charges being filed if the spill is shown to be connected.<ref name="AutoBB-13"/> Some estimates are that only 2% of the carcasses of killed mammals have been recovered.<ref name="AutoBB-183"/> | |||
=== Dispersants === | |||
On May 1, two United States Department of Defense ] aircraft were employed to spray oil ].<ref name=C130>{{cite news |url=http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hew_8EkXXu79vuYRZ96WrFWDzQOw |title=US oil production, shipping unaffected by spill so far |publisher=Agence France-Presse |date=2010-05-01 |accessdate=2010-05-04}}</ref> ] EC9500A and Corexit EC9527A are the main oil dispersants being used.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/studentnews/05/15/oil.spill.dispersants/ |title=What are oil dispersants?] |publisher=CNN |date=2010-05-15}}</ref> These contain ], ] and a proprietary organic ] salt.<ref>{{cite news|first=Rebecca |last=Renner |url=http://www.rsc.org/chemistryworld/News/2010/May/07051001.asp |title=US oil spill testing ground for dispersants |publisher=Royal Society of Chemistry |date=2010-5-07}}</ref> On May 7, Secretary Alan Levine of the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals, Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality Secretary Peggy Hatch, and Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Secretary Robert Barham sent a letter to BP outlining their concerns related to potential dispersant impact on Louisiana's wildlife and fisheries, environment, aquatic life, and public health. Officials are also requesting BP release information on the effects of the dispersants they are using to combat the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.<ref name=BB080510>{{cite news |url=http://www.bayoubuzz.com/News/Louisiana/Government/Louisiana_Officials_Attorney_Want_More_Information_From_BP_Concerning__Spill__10804.asp |title=Louisiana Officials, Attorney Want More Information From BP Concerning Spill |date=08-05-2010 |publisher=BayouBuzz}}</ref> | |||
]'') observed in emulsified oil on 29 April 2010]] | |||
] | |||
In the first birthing season for dolphins after the spill, dead baby dolphins washed up along Mississippi and Alabama shorelines at about 10 times the normal number.<ref name="AutoBB-181"/> {{dead link|date=October 2016}} A peer-reviewed NOAA/BP study disclosed that nearly half the bottlenose dolphins tested in mid-2011 in Barataria Bay, a heavily oiled area, were in "guarded or worse" condition, "including 17 percent that were not expected to survive". BP officials deny that the disease conditions are related to the spill, saying that dolphin deaths actually began being reported before the BP oil spill.<ref name="AutoBB-191"/><ref>{{cite web |date=December 2013 |url=http://www.nola.com/environment/index.ssf/2013/12/half_of_bottlenose_dolphins_of.html |title=Half of bottlenose dolphins in Barataria Bay were seriously ill or dying in 2011, new study finds |publisher=NOLA}}</ref><ref name="AutoBB-186"/> By 2013, over 650 dolphins had been found stranded in the oil spill area, a four-fold increase over the historical average.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nwf.org/News-and-Magazines/Media-Center/Reports/Archive/2013/04-02-13-Restoring-A-Degraded-Gulf-of-Mexico.aspx |title=Restoring A Degraded Gulf of Mexico – National Wildlife Federation |publisher=NWF}}</ref> The ] (NWF) reports that sea turtles, mostly endangered ]s, have been stranding at a high rate. Before the spill there was an average of 100 strandings per year; since the spill the number has jumped to roughly 500.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nwf.org/What-We-Do/Protect-Habitat/Gulf-Restoration/Oil-Spill/Effects-on-Wildlife.aspx |title=How You Can Help Wildlife Impacted by the BP Oil Spill – National Wildlife Federation |publisher=NWF}}</ref> | |||
The Environmental Protection Agency approved the injection of dispersants directly at the leak site, to break up the oil before it reaches the surface, after three underwater tests.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/05/14/ap/business/main6484041.shtml|title=Some oil spill events from Friday, May 14, 2010|work=]|agency=Associated Press|date=2010-05-14|accessdate=2010-05-15}}</ref> Corexit EC9500A and EC9527A are neither the least toxic, nor the most effective, among the dispersants approved by the Environmental Protection Agency,<ref name=csm0515>{{cite web|url=http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2010/0515/In-Gulf-oil-spill-how-helpful-or-damaging-are-dispersants|title=In Gulf oil spill, how helpful – or damaging – are dispersants?|author=Mark Guarino|date=2010-05-15|publisher=Christian Science Monitor}}</ref> and they are banned from use on oil spills in the ].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.propublica.org/ion/blog/item/In-Gulf-Spill-BP-Using-Dispersants-Banned-in-UK |title=In Gulf Spill, BP Using Dispersants Banned in U.K. |first1=Marian |last1=Wang |publisher=ProPublica |date=2010-05-16}}</ref> Twelve other products received better toxicity and effectiveness ratings,<ref name=csm0517/> but BP says it chose to use Corexit because it was available the week of the rig explosion.<ref name=csm0515/> Critics contend that the major oil companies stockpile Corexit because of their close business relationship with ].<ref name=csm0515/><ref>{{cite article |url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/greenspace/2010/05/gulf-oil-spill-bp-grilled-over-choice-of-dispersant.html |title=Gulf oil spill: BP grilled over choice of dispersant |author=Geoff Mohan |publisher=Los Angeles Times |date=2010-05-19 |accessdate=2010-05-21}}</ref> By 20 May, BP had applied {{convert|600,000|USgal|l}} of Corexit on the surface and {{convert|55,000|USgal|l}} underwater.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://views.washingtonpost.com/climate-change/post-carbon/2010/05/epa_demands_less_toxic_dispersant.html |title=Post Carbon: EPA demands less-toxic dispersant |author=Juliet Eilperin |publisher=Washington Post |date=2010-05-20 |accessdate=2010-05-20}}</ref> | |||
NWF senior scientist Doug Inkley notes that the marine death rates are unprecedented and occurring high in the food chain, strongly suggesting there is "something amiss with the Gulf ecosystem".<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/02/gulf-of-mexico-dolphin-deaths-bp_n_3001408.html |work=Huffington Post |first=James |last=Gerken |title=Is The Gulf Still Sick? |date=2 April 2013}}</ref> In December 2013, the journal '']'' published a study finding that of 32 ]s briefly captured from 24-km stretch near southeastern Louisiana, half were seriously ill or dying. BP said the report was "inconclusive as to any causation associated with the spill".<ref name="dolphins-huffpo-2-14">{{cite news |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2014/02/12/bp-oil-spill-dolphins_n_4774754.html |title=BP Oil Spill: Dolphins Plagued By Death, Disease Years After Rig Explosion |work=Huffington Post Canada |date=12 February 2014 |access-date=17 February 2014}}</ref><ref name="Independent-dolphins-2-14">{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/dolphins-suffering-miscarriage-lung-disease-losing-teeth-after-bp-oil-spill-researchers-claim-9134045.html |title=Dolphins 'suffering miscarriage, lung disease, losing teeth after BP oil spill' researchers claim |work=The Independent (UK) |date=17 February 2014 |access-date=17 February 2014 |author=Gander, Kashmira |location=London}}</ref> | |||
] | |||
In 2012, tar balls continued to wash up along the Gulf coast<ref name="AutoBB-14"/><ref name=nola1012/><ref name=nola0911/><ref name=wdsu040912/> and in 2013, tar balls could still be found in on the Mississippi and Louisiana coasts, along with oil sheens in marshes and signs of severe erosion of coastal islands, brought about by the death of trees and marsh grass from exposure to the oil.<ref name="Dermansky 4-20-13">{{cite news |last=Dermansky |first=Julie |title=Three Years After the BP Spill, Tar Balls and Oil Sheen Blight Gulf Coast |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2013/04/three-years-after-the-bp-spill-tar-balls-and-oil-sheen-blight-gulf-coast/275139/ |access-date=29 April 2013 |newspaper=The Atlantic |date=20 April 2013}}</ref> In 2013, former NASA physicist Bonny Schumaker noted a "dearth of marine life" in a radius {{cvt|30|to|50|mi}} around the well, after flying over the area numerous times since May 2010.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://science.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/01/31/16792048-mystery-oil-sheen-grows-near-site-of-bp-gulf-disaster-says-researcher |title=Mystery 'oil sheen' grows near site of BP Gulf disaster, says researcher |last=Science |work=NBC News}}</ref><ref> {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140308045440/http://www.onwingsofcare.org/protection-a-preservation/gulf-of-mexico-oil-spill-2010.html |date=8 March 2014 }}</ref> | |||
Independent scientists have suggested that the underwater injection of Corexit into the leak might be responsible for the plumes of oil discovered below the surface.<ref name=csm0517/> However, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration administrator ] said that there was no information supporting this conclusion, and indicated further testing would be needed to ascertain the cause of the undersea oil clouds.<ref name=csm0517>{{cite web|url=http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2010/0517/Gulf-oil-spill-Has-BP-turned-corner-with-siphon-success|title=Gulf oil spill: Has BP 'turned corner' with siphon success?|author=Mark Guarino|date=2010-05-17|publisher=Christian Science Monitor}}</ref> | |||
In 2013, researchers found that oil on the bottom of the seafloor did not seem to be degrading,<ref>{{cite web |title=AP: BP oil not degrading on Gulf floor, study says |url=https://news.yahoo.com/ap-bp-oil-not-degrading-gulf-floor-study-171803770.html |access-date=1 April 2014}}</ref> and observed a phenomenon called a "dirty blizzard": oil in the water column began clumping around suspended sediments, and falling to the ocean floor in an "underwater rain of oily particles." The result could have long-term effects because oil could remain in the food chain for generations.<ref name=autogenerated1/> | |||
On May 19, the Environmental Protection Agency gave BP 24 hours to choose less toxic alternatives to Corexit. The alternative(s) had to be selected from the list of Environmental Protection Agency-approved dispersants on the National Contingency Plan Product Schedule with application beginning within 72 hours of Environmental Protection Agency approval of their choices, or provide a "detailed description of the alternative dispersants investigated, and the reason they believe those products did not meet the required standards."<ref>{{cite article |url=http://www.epa.gov/emergencies/content/ncp/product_schedule.htm |title=National Contingency Plan Product Schedule |publisher=Environmental Protection Agency |date=2010-05-13 |accessdate=2010-05-21}}</ref><ref>{{cite article |url=http://www.epa.gov/bpspill/dispersants/directive-addendum2.pdf |title=Dispersant Monitoring and Assessment Directive – Addendum |date=2010-05-20 |publisher=Environmental Protection Agency|accessdate=210-05-20}}</ref> On May 20, US Polychemical Corporation reportedly received an order from BP for ] SPC 1000, a dispersant it manufactures. US Polychemical stated it was able to produce {{convert|20,000|USgal|l}} a day in the first few days and increasing up to {{convert|60,000|USgal|L}} a day thereafter.<ref>{{cite article |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/21/science/earth/21disperse.html?ref=us |title=Agency Orders Use of a Less Toxic Chemical in Gulf |author=Campbell Robertson and Elisabeth Rosenthal |publisher=New York Times |date=2010-05-20 |accessdate=2010-05-21}}</ref> BP spokesman Scott Dean said Friday, May 20, that BP had responded to the Environmental Protection Agency directive with a letter "that outlines our findings that none of the alternative products on the Environmental Protection Agency 's National Contingency Plan Product Schedule list meets all three criteria specified in yesterday's directive for availability, toxicity and effectiveness."<ref>{{cite article |url=http://www.nola.com/news/gulf-oil-spill/index.ssf/2010/05/bp_is_sticking_with_its_disper.html |title=BP is sticking with its dispersant choice |author=Jonathan Tilove |publisher=The Times-Picayune |date=2010-05-21 |accessdate=2010-05-22}}</ref> BP has so far refused to offer an acceptable "detailed description of the alternatives investigated and the reason they believe those products did not meet the required standards" on a public Web site, as called for in a letter sent on May 20 by Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator ] to BP CEO ], claiming such full disclosure would compromise its confidential business information.<ref>{{cite article |url=http://www.epa.gov/bpspill/bp-hayward-dhs-epa.pdf |title=Letter From Secretary Napolitano and EPA Administrator Jackson to BP CEO Tony Hayward |author=Janet Napolitano and Lisa P. Jackson |date=2010-05-20 |accessdate=210-05-23}}</ref><ref>{{cite article |url=http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-oil-spill-20100523,0,907236.story |title=BP refuses EPA order to switch to less-toxic oil dispersant |publisher=Los Angeles Times |author=Margot Roosevelt and Carolyn Cole |date=2010-05-23 |accessdate=2010-05-23}}</ref> In a press conference on May 24, EPA administrator Lisa P. Jackson said the {{convert|700,000|USgal|l}} of dispersants already used was "approaching a world record" and that “dissatisfied with BP’s response” she was ordering the EPA to conduct their own evaluation of alternatives to Corexit, while ordering BP to take “immediate steps to scale back the use of dispersants.”<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/25/science/earth/25disperse.html?hpw |title=In Standoff With Environmental Officials, BP Stays With an Oil Spill Dispersant |publisher=New York Times |author=Elisabeth Rosenthal |date=2010-05-24 |accessdate=2010-05-25 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.epa.gov/bpspill/dispersants/5-21bp-response.pdf |title=EPA Release of BP's Response to Directive on Dispersants |date=2010-05-20 |publisher=BP |author=Douglas J. Suttles |accessdate=2010-05-25 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.epa.gov/bpspill/dispersants/statement-dispersant-use-may24.pdf |title=Statement by EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson from Press Conference on Dispersant Use in the Gulf of Mexico with U.S. Coast Guard Rear Admiral Landry |publisher=Environmental Protection Agency |author=Lisa P. Jackson |date=2010-05-24 |accessdate=2010-05-25 }}</ref> | |||
A 2014 bluefin tuna study in '']'' found that oil already broken down by wave action and chemical dispersants was more toxic than fresh oil.<ref name="Australian - 2014 bluefin study">{{cite news |url=http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/health-science/tuna-study-reveals-how-pollution-causes-heart-problems/story-e6frg8y6-1226826877064 |title=Tuna study reveals how pollution causes heart problems |work=The Australian |date=14 February 2014 |access-date=18 February 2014}}</ref> A 2015 study of the relative toxicity of oil and dispersants to coral also found that the dispersants were more toxic than the oil.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.newswise.com/articles/view/632428/?sc=swtr&xy=5028049 |title=Dispersant Used to Clean Deepwater Horizon Spill More Toxic to Corals Than the Oil |publisher=NewsWise}}</ref> | |||
==Consequences== | |||
===Ecological effects=== | |||
A 2015 study by the ], published in ''],'' links the sharp increase in dolphin deaths to the ''Deepwater Horizon'' oil spill.<ref>Ryan Grenoble (20 May 2015). . ''The Huffington Post.'' Retrieved 20 May 2015.</ref><ref>Nicholas St. Fleur (20 May 2015). . ''].'' Retrieved 21 May 2015.</ref> | |||
] coast on April 30, 2010 (approx. {{convert|100|mi}} across)]] | |||
More than 400 species live in the islands and marshlands at risk, including the endangered ] turtle. In the national refuges most at risk, about 34,000 birds have been counted, including ], ], ], ], ], and ].<ref name="numbers" /> As of May 30, dead animals collected from the spill zone included 491 dead birds, 227 sea turtles, and 27 mammals including dolphins,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/31/us/31latest.html?ref=us |title=The Latest on the Oil Spill |publisher=NYTimes.com |date=2010-05-02 |accessdate=2010-06-01}}</ref> although according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service these animals have not been determined to have been killed by the oil.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.fws.gov/home/dhoilspill/pdfs/collection_060210.pdf |title=Consolidated Deepwater Horizon/BP Unified Area Command Fish and Wildlife Collection Report |publisher=US Fish and Wildlife Service |date=2010-06-02 |accessdate=2010-06-02}}</ref> Samantha Joye of the ] indicated that the oil could harm fish directly, and ]s used to consume the oil would also add to the reduction of ] in the water, with effects being felt higher up the ].<ref name=collins/> According to Joye, it could take the ecosystem years and possibly decades to recover from such an infusion of oil and gas.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8685969.stm |title=US says BP move to curb oil leak 'no solution |publisher=BBC News |date=2010-05-17}}</ref> On Tuesday May 18, 2010, BP chief executive Tony Hayward insisted the environmental impact of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico will be "very, very modest".<ref>{{cite article|url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/energy/oilandgas/7737805/Gulf-of-Mexico-oil-spill-BP-insists-oil-spill-impact-very-modest.html |title=Gulf of Mexico oil spill: BP insists oil spill impact 'very modest' |author=Rowena Mason |publisher=Daily Telegraph |date=2010-05-18 |accessdate=2010-05-20}}</ref> | |||
On 12 April 2016, a research team reported that 88 percent of about 360 baby or ] dolphins within the spill area "had abnormal or under-developed lungs", compared to 15 percent in other areas. The study was published in the April 2016 '' Diseases of Aquatic Organisms''.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/news/nation-world/national/article71524207.html |title=Hundreds of baby dolphin deaths tied to BP's Gulf oil spill |last=Staletovich |first=Jenny |work=] |publisher=] |date=13 April 2016 |access-date=13 April 2016}}</ref> | |||
It is possible the Gulf Stream sea currents may spread the oil into the Atlantic Ocean.<ref name="CITEREFobserver2010a">{{cite news | author = Pilkington, Ed | author2 = McKie, Robin | title = Obama flies in to meet BP chief over Deepwater oil crisis | work = The Observer | date – 2010-05-02 | pages = 1, 2 | url = http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/may/02/obama-visits-louisiana-oil-spill | accessdate = 2010-05-18}}</ref> If oil follows the Loop Current to the east coast of the United States, it could impact wildlife even without the oil reaching the beaches. ] ] Larry Crowder said ] ]s on Carolina beaches could swim out into contaminated waters. Sea birds, mammals, and ]s could also be affected. Ninety percent of North Carolina's commercially valuable sea life spawn off the coast and could be contaminated if oil reaches the area. Douglas Rader, a scientist for the ], said ] could be negatively affected as well. Steve Ross of ] said ]s off the East Coast could be smothered by too much oil.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/05/22/494596/oil-may-harm-sea-life-in-nc.html|title=Oil may harm sea life in N.C.|last=Henderson|first=Bruce|work=]|date=2010-05=22|accessdate=2010-05-22}}</ref> Damage to the ] is as yet unknown, and marine life between the ocean floor and the surface could be affected.<ref name=Schoof/> | |||
=== Health consequences === | |||
===Impact on fisheries=== | |||
{{main|Health consequences of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill}} | |||
By June 2010, 143 spill-exposure cases had been reported to the ]; 108 of those involved workers in the clean-up efforts, while 35 were reported by residents.<ref name="AutoBB-230"/> Chemicals from the oil and dispersant are believed to be the cause; it is believed that the addition of dispersants made the oil more toxic.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/23/corexit-oil-spill-gulf_n_3134963.html |work=Huffington Post |first=Jessica |last=Leader |title=Is This Oil Spill Solution Worse Than The Problem? |date=23 April 2013}}</ref> | |||
] | |||
The United States ] set up the ] in June 2010 in response to these reports. The study is run by the ], and will last at least five years.<ref>{{cite journal |title=OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH. Study to Examine Health Effects in 'Deepwater Horizon' Oil Spill Cleanup workers |last=Schmidt |first=Charles W. |journal=] |issn=0091-6765 |volume=119 |issue=5 |year=2011 |pages=A204 |jstor=41203284 |doi=10.1289/ehp.119-a204 |pmid=21531657 |pmc=3094437}}</ref><ref name=aljazeera291010>{{cite news |first=Dahr |last=Jamail |url=http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2010/10/20101027132136220370.html |title=BP dispersants 'causing sickness' |publisher=] |date=29 October 2010 |access-date=21 May 2013}}</ref> | |||
] | |||
Mike Robicheux, a Louisiana physician, described the situation as "the biggest public health crisis from a chemical poisoning in the history of this country."<ref name=aljazeera170511/> In July, after testing the blood of BP cleanup workers and residents in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida for ]s, environmental scientist ] said she was "finding amounts 5 to 10 times in excess of the 95th percentile"; she said that "the presence of these chemicals in the blood indicates exposure."<ref name=aljazeera291010/><ref name=autogenerated6 /><ref name=democracynow070710/> ], a marine toxicologist with experience of the ], advised families to evacuate the Gulf.<ref name=Aguilar22July>Rose Aguilar, " {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121115061021/http://archive.truthout.org/toxic-dispersants-causing-widespread-illness61604 |date=15 November 2012 }}", ''Truthout'', 22 July 2010.</ref> She said that workers from the Valdez spill had suffered long-term health consequences.<ref>"Health of Exxon Valdez cleanup workers was never studied", ''Herald-Review'' (McClatchy), 4 July 2010.</ref> | |||
Following the 26 May 2010 hospitalization of seven fishermen that were working in the cleanup crew, BP requested that the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health perform a Health Hazard Evaluation. This was to cover all offshore cleanup activities; BP later requested a second NIOSH investigation of onshore cleanup operations. Tests for chemical exposure in the seven fishermen were negative; NIOSH concluded that the hospitalizations were most likely a result of heat, fatigue, and terpenes that were being used to clean the decks. Review of 10 later hospitalizations found that heat exposure and dehydration were consistent findings but could not establish chemical exposure. NIOSH personnel performed air monitoring around cleanup workers at sea, on land, and during the application of Corexit. Air concentrations of volatile organic compounds and PAHs never exceeded permissible exposure levels. A limitation of their methodology was that some VOCs may have already evaporated from the oil before they began their investigation. In their report, they suggest the possibility that respiratory symptoms might have been caused by high levels of ozone or reactive aldehydes in the air, possibly produced from photochemical reactions in the oil. NIOSH did note that many of the personnel involved were not donning personal protective equipment (gloves and impermeable coveralls) as they had been instructed to and emphasized that this was important protection against transdermal absorption of chemicals from the oil. Heat stress was found to be the most pressing safety concern.<ref> National Institute for Occupation Safety and Health, August 2011.</ref> | |||
] | |||
On April 29, 2010, ] ] declared a ] in the state after weather forecasts predicted the oil slick would reach the Louisiana coast.<ref name="state of emergency">{{cite news | title = State of emergency declared as oil spill nears Louisiana coast | publisher = CNN | date = 2010-04-29 | url = http://edition.cnn.com/2010/US/04/29/louisiana.oil.rig/ | accessdate = 2010-04-29}}</ref> An emergency shrimping season was opened on April 29, 2010, so that a catch could be brought in before the oil advanced too far.<ref name=CITEREFbbc2010a>{{cite news | title = Oil 'reaches' US Gulf Coast from spill | work = BBC News | date = 2010-04-30 | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8653162.stm | accessdate = 2010-04-30}}</ref>By April 30, the Coast Guard received reports that oil had begun washing up to wildlife refuges and seafood grounds on the Louisiana ].<ref name=fishing$1>{{cite news|url=http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1986323,00.html |title=Bryan Walsh. (2010-05-01). Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill: No End in Sight for Eco-Disaster. Time. Retrieved 2010-05-01 |publisher=News.yahoo.com |date= |accessdate=2010-05-03}}</ref> On May 19, heavy oil from the spill began to make landfall along fragile Louisiana marshlands.<ref>{{cite news|http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/05/20/2904817.htm |title= Heavy oil hits Louisiana shore, enters sea current |date=2010-05-20 |publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation}}</ref> By May 20 oil had reached populated areas of the Louisiana coast.<ref>{{cite article|url=http://www.nola.com/news/gulf-oil-spill/index.ssf/2010/05/a_month_after_explosion_oil_fr.html |title=A month after explosion, oil from Gulf of Mexico spill washes ashore in populated areas |author=Paul Rioux |publisher=The Times-Picayune |date=2010-05-20 |accessdate=2010-05-20}}</ref> On May 22, The Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board stated said 60 to 70 percent of ] and ] harvesting areas and 70 to 80 percent of fin-fisheries remained open.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.thesunnews.com/2010/05/22/1488631/wholesale-seafood-prices-rising.html|title=Wholesale seafood prices rising as oil spill grows|last=Jones|first=Steve|work=]|date=2010-05-22|accessdate=2010-05-22}}</ref> The Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals closed an additional ten oyster beds on May 23, just south of ], citing confirmed reports of oil along the state's western coast.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.dhh.louisiana.gov/news.asp?Detail=1630 |title=In Precautionary Move, DHH Closes Additional Oyster Harvesting Areas West of the Mississippi Due to Oil Spill |publisher=State of Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals |date=2010-05-23 |accessdate=2010-05-24}}</ref> | |||
Workers reported that they were not allowed to use respirators, and that their jobs were threatened if they did.<ref>{{cite web |last=Vanhemert |first=Kyle |title=BP Reportedly Preventing Clean-Up Workers From Wearing Respirators |url=https://gizmodo.com/5582758/bp-reportedly-preventing-clean-up-workers-from-wearing-respirators |work=Gizmodo |date=8 July 2010 |access-date=5 March 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Cohen |first=Elizabeth |title=Fisherman files restraining order against BP |url=http://edition.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/05/31/oil.spill.order/ |work=CNN |access-date=5 March 2014 |date=31 May 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Schor |first=Elana |title=Petition Urges Obama Admin to Protect Gulf Spill Cleanup Workers |url=https://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2010/07/09/09greenwire-petition-urges-obama-admin-to-protect-gulf-spi-60345.html |work=NYT |access-date=5 March 2014 |date=9 July 2010}}</ref> OSHA said "cleanup workers are receiving "minimal" exposure to airborne toxins...OSHA will require that BP provide certain protective clothing, but not respirators."<ref>{{cite news |last=Trotman |first=Melanie |title=OSHA Says Cleanup Workers Don't Need Respirators |url=https://www.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052748704764404575286180491707288 |work=] |access-date=5 March 2014}}</ref> ''ProPublica'' reported that workers were being photographed while working with no protective clothing.<ref>{{cite web |last=Chavkin |first=Sasha |title=Coast Guard Photos Show Spill Workers Without Protective Gear |url=https://www.propublica.org/article/coast-guard-photos-show-spill-workers-without-protective-gear |work=ProPublica |access-date=5 March 2014 |date=13 July 2010}}</ref> An independent investigation for ] showed that BP did not hand out the legally required safety manual for use with Corexit, and were not provided with safety training or protective gear.<ref>{{cite web |last=Hertgaard |first=Mark |title=What BP Doesn't Want You to Know About the 2010 Gulf Spill |url=http://www.newsweek.com/what-bp-doesnt-want-you-know-about-2010-gulf-spill-63015 |work=Newsweek |access-date=5 March 2014 |date=22 April 2013}}</ref> | |||
A 2012 survey of the health effects of the spill on cleanup workers reported "eye, nose and throat irritation; respiratory problems; blood in urine, vomit and rectal bleeding; seizures; nausea and violent vomiting episodes that last for hours; skin irritation, burning and lesions; short-term memory loss and confusion; liver and kidney damage; central nervous system effects and nervous system damage; hypertension; and miscarriages". Dr. James Diaz, writing for the ''American Journal of Disaster Medicine'', said these ailments appearing in the Gulf reflected those reported after previous oil spills, like the Exxon Valdez. Diaz warned that "chronic adverse health effects, including cancers, liver and kidney disease, mental health disorders, birth defects and developmental disorders should be anticipated among sensitive populations and those most heavily exposed". Diaz also believes neurological disorders should be expected.<ref name="AutoBB-239"/> | |||
On May 2, 2010 the ] closed commercial and recreational fishing in affected federal waters between the mouth of the Mississippi River and Pensacola Bay. The closure initially incorporated {{convert|6814|sqmi|km2}}.<ref>{{cite news|title=NOAA Closes Commercial and Recreational Fishing in Oil-Affected Portion of Gulf of Mexico |date=May 2, 2010 |publisher=Deepwater Horizon Incident Joint Information Center |accessdate=May 2, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov/bulletins/pdfs/2010/FB10-050_BP_Oil_Spill_Closure_060210.pdf |title=FB10-029: Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill: Emergency Area Closure in the Gulf of Mexico |date=May 3, 2010 |publisher=NOAA, National Marine Fisheries Service, Southeast Regional Office, ''Southeast Fishery Bulletin'' |accessdate=June 3, 2010}}</ref> By June 2, 2010, NOAA increased the area thirteen times in a month to encompass {{convert|88522|sqmi|km2}}, or about 37 percent of the Federal waters in the Gulf of Mexico.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov/bulletins/pdfs/2010/FB10-050_BP_Oil_Spill_Closure_060210.pdf |title=FB10-050: BP Oil Spill: NOAA Modifies Commercial and Recreational Fishing Closure in the Oil-Affected Portions of the Gulf of Mexico |date=June 2, 2010 |publisher=NOAA, National Marine Fisheries Service, Southeast Regional Office, ''Southeast Fishery Bulletin'' |accessdate=June 3, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov/ClosureSizeandPercentCoverage.htm |title=Deepwater Horizon/BP Oil Spill: Size and Percent Coverage of Fishing Area Closures Due to BP Oil Spill |date=June 2, 2010 |publisher=NOAA, National Marine Fisheries Service, Southeast Regional Office |accessdate=June 3, 2010}} Table.</ref> | |||
Two years after the spill, a study initiated by the ] found ] matching the oil from the spill in the bodies of cleanup workers. {{citation needed|date=July 2013}} Other studies have reported a variety of mental health issues, skin problems, breathing issues, coughing, and headaches.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.loe.org/shows/segments.html?programID=13-P13-00004&segmentID=6 |title=Living on Earth: Research Update on the Impact of BP Oil Spill |first=Living on Earth / World Media Foundation / Public Radio |last=International |publisher=LCE}}</ref> In 2013, during the three-day "Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill & Ecosystem Science Conference",<ref>{{cite web |title=Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill & Ecosystem Science Conference (21–23 January 2013, New Orleans, LA) |url=http://www.imber.info/Meetings/IMBER-Relevant-Meetings/meetings-2013/January-2013/Gulf-of-Mexico-Oil-Spill-Ecosystem-Science-Conference-21-23-January-2013-New-Orleans-LA |access-date=22 February 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170223044523/http://www.imber.info/Meetings/IMBER-Relevant-Meetings/meetings-2013/January-2013/Gulf-of-Mexico-Oil-Spill-Ecosystem-Science-Conference-21-23-January-2013-New-Orleans-LA |archive-date=23 February 2017 |url-status=dead }}</ref> findings discussed included a '"significant percentage" of Gulf residents reporting mental health problems like anxiety, depression and ]. These studies also showed that the bodies of former spill cleanup workers carry biomarkers of "many chemicals contained in the oil".<ref name=nola220113/><ref>Conferences on this theme occurred at least in 2016 and 2017. {{cite web |url=http://www.cvent.com/events/2016-oil-spill-and-ecosystem-science-conference/event-summary-52ad0b225ba54cf0960090070e6f8073.aspx |title=2016 Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill and Ecosystem Science Conference |publisher=CVENT.com}} {{cite web |url=http://www.cvent.com/events/2017-oil-spill-and-ecosystem-science-conference/event-summary-b167156e2ddd40e5a4d371b459058545.aspx?lang=en |title=2017 Oil Spill and Ecosystem Science Conference |publisher=CVENT.com}}</ref> | |||
On May 24, the federal government declared a fisheries disaster for the states of Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana.<ref>{{cite article |url=http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/capital/index.ssf?/base/news-8/1274769077181360.xml&coll=1 |title=The feds declare fisheries disaster in La., Miss., Ala. |publisher=Times-Picayune |author=Bruce Alpert |date=2010-05-25 |accessdate=2010-05-25 }}</ref> | |||
A study that investigated the health effects among children in Louisiana and Florida living less than 10 miles from the coast found that more than a third of the parents reported physical or mental health symptoms among their children. The parents reported "unexplained symptoms among their children, including bleeding ears, nose bleeds, and the early start of menstruation among girls," according to David Abramson, director of Columbia University's National Center for Disaster Preparedness.<ref name=nola220113/> | |||
===Sick workers=== | |||
By early June, dozens of people, mostly oil spill workers, had filed complaints with the ] regarding oil exposure. Eleven people had been treated and released from one New Orleans hospital alone, complaining of respiratory problems, headaches and nausea.<ref>Associated Press, Gulf spill workers complaining of flulike symptoms, June 3, 2010, http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gGyt_zfjX_sVsaMTgnOtGnrEXTMwD9G3NGV00</ref> | |||
A cohort study of almost 2,200 Louisiana women found "high physical/environmental exposure was significantly associated with all 13 of the physical health symptoms surveyed, with the strongest associations for burning in nose, throat or lungs; sore throat; dizziness and wheezing. Women who suffered a high degree of economic disruption as a result of spill were significantly more likely to report wheezing; headaches; watery, burning, itchy eyes and stuffy, itchy, runny nose.<ref>Lauren C. Peres, Edward Trapido, Ariane L. Rung, Daniel J. Harrington, Evrim Oral, Zhide Fang, Elizabeth Fontham, and Edward S. Peters. {{dead link|date=May 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} Environ Health Perspect;DOI:10.1289/ehp.1510348. advance publication, retrieved 5 February 2016</ref> | |||
===Financial impacts=== | |||
=== Economy === | |||
On June 1, 2010, BP reported that its own expenditures on the oil spill had reached $990 million, a figure that excludes claims from fishermen and other affected industries.<ref name="June 1 financials">{{cite news|publisher=New York Times |agency=Associated Press |title=BP Shares Drop, Costs Approach $1 Billion |date=2010-06-01 |url=http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2010/06/01/world/AP-EU-Britain-BP.html?_r=1}}</ref> An April 30 ] report found that five companies connected to the disaster, BP, Transocean, ], Halliburton and ], had lost a total of $21 billion in ] since the explosion.<ref>{{cite news|title=Factbox—Companies Involved in US Gulf rig accident | url=http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN3011545120100430 |date=2010-04-30}}</ref> Currently, the United States ] limits BP's liability for non-cleanup costs to $75 million unless gross negligence is proven.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5i-Bq4GrZpMDSMrtPh6TBPh6-bHdAD9FFKDGO4|title=Federal law may limit BP liability in oil spill|date=2010-05-03 |agency=Associated Press|accessdate=2010-05-03}}</ref> BP has said it would pay for all cleanup and remediation regardless of the statutory liability cap. Nevertheless, some Democratic lawmakers are seeking to pass legislation that would increase the liability limit to $10 billion.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.businessinsurance.com/article/20100523/ISSUE01/305239978 |title=Spill triggers effort to up liability cap}}</ref> Analysts for ] have estimated that the total insured losses from the accident could reach $3.5 billion. According to ], final losses could be $12 billion.<ref name=Timeslitigation/> According to ], total losses could amount to $30 billion, of which estimated total claims to the market from the disaster, including control of well, re-drilling, third-party liability and seepage and pollution costs, could exceed $1.2 billion.<ref name=upstream040610>{{cite news | url = http://www.upstreamonline.com/live/article216745.ece | title = Macondo slugs insurance rates | newspaper = ] | publisher = NHST Media Group | date = 2010-06-04 | accessdate = 2010-06-04}}</ref> | |||
{{Main|Economic and political consequences of the Deepwater Horizon disaster}} | |||
] | |||
] advising against swimming due to the oil spill]] | |||
The spill had a strong economic impact to BP <ref name=pracale>{{cite news |url=https://money.cnn.com/2010/06/10/news/companies/BP_stock/ |work=CNNMoney |first=Julianne |last=Pepitone |title=BP shares recover after reassurance |date=10 June 2010}}</ref> and also the ]'s economy sectors such as offshore drilling, fishing and tourism. Estimates of lost tourism dollars were projected to cost the Gulf coastal economy up to $22.7 billion through 2013. In addition, Louisiana reported that lost visitor spending through the end of 2010 totaled $32 million, and losses through 2013 were expected to total $153 million in this state alone.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Impact of the BP Oil Spill on Visitor Spending in Louisiana: Revised estimates based on data through 2010 Q4, Prepared for the Louisiana Office of Tourism |url=http://docplayer.net/9686378-The-impact-of-the-bp-oil-spill-on-visitor-spending-in-louisiana.html |publisher=Tourism Economics |volume=June 2011 |access-date=4 November 2016}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Summary of Information concerning the Ecological and Economic Impacts of the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Disaster |url=https://www.nrdc.org/file/4218/download?token=M2Bxrq5m |publisher=] |volume=June 2015 |access-date=4 November 2016 |format=PDF |archive-date=1 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180101214727/https://www.nrdc.org/file/4218/download?token=M2Bxrq5m |url-status=dead }}</ref> The Gulf of Mexico commercial fishing industry was estimated to have lost $247 million as a result of postspill fisheries closures. One study projects that the overall impact of lost or degraded commercial, recreational, and mariculture fisheries in the Gulf could be $8.7 billion by 2020, with a potential loss of 22,000 jobs over the same time frame.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite journal |author=Sumaila, U.R.|s2cid=53585645 |display-authors=et al |title=Impact of the Deepwater Horizon well blowout on the economics of U.S. Gulf fisheries |journal=Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences |volume=69 |issue=3 |pages=499–510 |date=March 2012 |doi=10.1139/f2011-171|doi-access=free |bibcode=2012CJFAS..69..499S }}</ref> BP's expenditures on the spill included the cost of the spill response, containment, relief well drilling, grants to the Gulf states, claims paid, and federal costs, including fines and penalties.<ref name="BP costs for oil spill response pass $3 billion"/> Due to the loss of the market value, BP had dropped from the second to the fourth largest of the four major oil companies by 2013.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-bp-results-urgent-idUSBRE91409C20130205?irpc=932 |work=Reuters |title=Smaller BP's profits down as oil spill trial looms |date=5 February 2013}}</ref> During the crisis, BP gas stations in the United States reported a sales drop of between 10 and 40% due to backlash against the company.<ref name="AutoBB-224"/> | |||
Local officials in Louisiana expressed concern that the offshore drilling ] imposed in response to the spill would further harm the economies of coastal communities as the oil industry directly or indirectly employs about 318,000 Louisiana residents (17% of all jobs in the state).<ref name="CSM Sasser"/> NOAA had closed {{cvt|86985|sqmi}}, or approximately 36% of Federal waters in the Gulf of Mexico, for commercial fishing causing $2.5 billion cost for the fishing industry.<ref name="AutoBB-202"/><ref name="AutoBB-203"/><ref name="fishing1" /> The U.S. Travel Association estimated that the economic impact of the oil spill on tourism across the Gulf Coast over a three-year period could exceed approximately $23 billion, in a region that supports over 400,000 travel industry jobs generating $34 billion in revenue annually.<ref name="AutoBB-219"/><ref name="AutoBB-220"/> | |||
{{As of|June 1, 2010}},BP's stock has lost more than one-third of its value compare to the period before accident, equivalent to $62.7 billion in market capitalization.<ref name="June 1 financials"/> BP is reportedly vulnerable to a ] as a result of the fall of its stock value and potential for continuing decline.<ref name="June 1 financials"/> As a result of the accident, insurance of offshore property and marine liability risks had hardened. The future changes in the US legislation on control of well and liability policy limits will likely result with higher levels of insurance for offshore oil exploration and production.<ref name=upstream040610/> | |||
=== Offshore drilling policies === | |||
Initial cost estimates to the fishing industry were $2.5 billion, while the impact on tourism along Florida's ] could be $3 billion.<ref name="fishing$1" /> Some local officials in Louisiana have expressed concern that the offshore drilling moratorium imposed in response to the spill will further harm the economies of coastal communities.<ref name="CSM Sasser">{{cite news | first1=Bill |last1=Sasser |url=http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2010/0524/Despite-BP-oil-spill-Louisiana-still-loves-Big-Oil | title=Despite BP oil spill, Louisiana still loves Big Oil |publisher=Christian Science Monitor |date=2010-05-24}}</ref> The oil industry employs about 58,000 Louisiana residents and has created another 260,000 oil-related jobs, accounting for about 17 percent of all Louisiana jobs.<ref name="CSM Sasser"/> The oil spill has not raised the price of crude oil, which declined during the Deepwater Horizon crisis.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gosanangelo.com/news/2010/may/29/falling-crude-oil-prices-contain-conundrum/?partner=yahoo_feeds |first=Alex |last=Mills |title=ALEX MILLS: Falling crude oil prices contain conundrum » Standard-Times |publisher=] |date= |accessdate=2010-06-01}}</ref> In the ], where ] weekend signals the beginning of the annual ] driving season, ] have dropped instead of going up.<ref>{{cite web|author=By Chavon Sutton and Ben Rooney, staff reporters |url=http://money.cnn.com/2010/05/28/news/economy/gasoline_prices/index.htm?section=money_latest |title=No pain at the pump this Memorial Day - May. 28, 2010 |publisher=CNN |date=2010-05-28 |accessdate=2010-06-01}}</ref> | |||
{{Main|United States offshore drilling debate|2010 United States deepwater drilling moratorium}} | |||
{{See also|Hornbeck Offshore Services LLC v. Salazar}} | |||
] | |||
===Effect on tourism=== | |||
On 30 April 2010, President ] ordered the federal government to hold the issuing of new offshore drilling leases and authorized the investigation of 29 oil rigs in the Gulf in an effort to determine the cause of the disaster.<ref name="bloomberg010510"/><ref name="CBS/AP"/> Later a six-month offshore drilling (below {{cvt|500|ft}} of water) moratorium was enforced by the ].<ref name=upstream240610/> The moratorium suspended work on 33 rigs,<ref name=upstream240610/> and a group of affected companies formed the ].<ref name="KATC web">{{cite web |last=Durio |first=Katie |title=Back to Work Coalition Established to Address Federal Permitting Issues |url=http://www.katc.com/news/back-to-work-coalition-established-to-address-federal-permitting-issues/#_ |publisher=KATC.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110929001142/http://www.katc.com/news/back-to-work-coalition-established-to-address-federal-permitting-issues/ |archive-date=29 September 2011 }}</ref> On 22 June, a ] on the ] ] when ruling in the case '']'', lifted the moratorium finding it too broad, arbitrary and not adequately justified.<ref name=upstream240610/> The ban was lifted in October 2010.{{Citation needed|date=August 2021}} | |||
Although many people cancelled their vacations at first, hotels close to the coasts of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama reported dramatic increases in business from 2009 during the first half of May 2010. On May 25, BP gave Florida $25 million to promote its beaches, which the oil had not reached, and the company planned $15 million each for Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi. The ] bought ]s showing recent photos from the beaches as far north as ] and ]. Along with these and other assurances that the beaches are so far unaffected, hotels have cut rates and offered deals such as free ]. Also, cancellation policies have changed, and refunds have been promised to those where oil arrives. However, 2009 was a slow year, and those working to deal with the spill have rented rooms in the area. Revenues remain below 2009 levels due to the special deals.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.thesunnews.com/2010/05/27/1497705/spill-hasnt-yet-emptied-hotels.html|title=Spill hasn't yet emptied hotels on Gulf Coast|last=Reed|first=Travis|work=]|agency=Associated Press|date=2010-05-27|accessdate=2010-05-27}}</ref> | |||
Prior to the oil spill, on 31 March 2010, Obama ended a ban on oil and gas drilling along the majority of the ] and along the coast of ] in an effort to win support for an energy and climate bill and to reduce foreign imports of oil and gas.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Neuman|first=Scott|date=31 March 2010|title=Obama Ends Ban On East Coast Offshore Drilling|language=en|work=NPR|url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=125378223|access-date=30 October 2021}}</ref> | |||
By June, many people were cancelling vacations while they could do so, fearing the arrival of oil on the beaches.<ref name=Anderson/> ] economist Abraham Pizam said the oil slick may become "the worst disaster in the history of Florida tourism."<ref>Sarasota Herald Tribune, First oil hits florida shores, Zac Anderson, June 54 2010, accessed June 5 2010, http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20100605/ARTICLE/6051061/-1/RSS02?p=1&tc=pg</ref> | |||
On 28 April 2010, the ] of Canada, which regulates offshore drilling in the ] and along the ], issued a letter to oil companies asking them to explain their argument against safety rules which require same-season relief wells.<ref name="canadian regulator response"/> On 3 May California Governor ] withdrew his support for a proposed plan to allow expanded ].<ref name="CSM20100503"/><ref name="BBC20100503"/> On 8 July, Florida Governor ] called for a special session of the state legislature to draft an amendment to the state constitution banning offshore drilling in state waters, which the legislature rejected on 20 July.<ref name="AutoBB-242"/><ref name="AutoBB-243"/> | |||
===Litigation=== | |||
In October 2011, the ]'s ] was dissolved after it was determined it had exercised poor oversight over the drilling industry. Three new agencies replaced it, separating the regulation, leasing, and revenue collection responsibilities respectively, among the ], the ], and ]. | |||
On April 22, the families of two missing workers filed lawsuits in federal and state court in Louisiana against BP and Transocean, alleging negligence and failure to meet federal regulations.<ref name=upstream220410/><ref>{{cite news | title=Deepwater Horizon Oil Drilling Rig Explosion Lawsuits Filed by Two Families | date=2010-04-23 | publisher= | url =http://www.aboutlawsuits.com/deepwater-horizon-explosion-lawsuit-filed-9852/ | work =aboutlawsuits.com | accessdate = 2010-05-01}}</ref> Since then, more than 130 lawsuits relating to the spill have been filed.<ref name=Timeslitigation>{{cite news|title=Lloyd’s syndicates launch legal action over BP insurance claim |first=Robin |last=Pagnamenta |url=http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/banking_and_finance/article7136623.ece | publisher=The Times |date=2010-05-26 |accessdate=2010-05-26}}</ref> According to Michael Stag, a lawyer for the Louisiana Environmental Action Network, the cases are likely to be combined into one court, as a ], for evidence gathering and pretrial decisions.<ref name="BP, Transocean Lawsuits Surge" /> BP, Transocean, Cameron International, and Halliburton Energy Services have all been named in one or more of the lawsuits.<ref name="BP, Transocean Lawsuits Surge">{{cite news | title=BP, Transocean Lawsuits Surge as Oil Spill Spreads in Gulf | date=2010-05-01 | publisher= ] | url =http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601072&sid=ax4MXMZVVp6w | work = | accessdate = 2010-05-01}}</ref> Because the spill has been largely lingering offshore, the plaintiffs who can claim damages so far are mostly out-of-work fishermen and tourist resorts that are receiving cancellations.<ref name=post170510/> The oil company says 23,000 individual claims have already been filed, of which 9,000 have so far been settled.<ref name=Timeslitigation/> BP and Transocean want the cases to be heard in ], seen as friendly to the oil business. Some plaintiffs want the case heard in Louisiana, while others prefer Mississippi or Florida.<ref name=post170510>{{cite news | first1=Steven | last1=Mufson | first2= Juliet | last2= Eilperin | title=Lawyers lining up for class-action suits over oil spill | date=2010-05-17 | publisher= The Washington Post Company | url = http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/05/16/AR2010051603254.html?sub=AR | page=A1| newspaper = ] | accessdate = 2010-05-25}}</ref> Five New Orleans judges have recused themselves from hearing oil spill cases because of stock ownership in companies involved or other conflicts of interest.<ref>{{cite news|url= http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-06-01/judges-quit-bp-gulf-oil-spill-lawsuits-over-conflicts-update1-.html |title=Judges Quit BP Gulf Oil-Spill Lawsuits Over Conflicts (Update1) first1=Laurel |last1=Calkins |first2=Jef |last2=Feeley |publisher=Businessweek |date=2010-06-01 |accessdate=2010-06-01}}</ref> BP has retained a major ], ], to defend most of the lawsuits arising from the oil spill.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2010-05-18/business/ct-biz-0518-chicago-law--20100518_1_bp-plc-spill-lawsuits-oil-spill |title=Tide of oil spill lawsuits begins to rise |first=Ameet |last=Sachdev |publisher=Chicago Tribune |date=2010-05-18 |accessdate=2010-05-26 }}</ref> | |||
In March 2014, BP was again allowed to bid for oil and gas leases.<ref name="Robertson and Schwartz">{{cite news |title=BP shifts its position on Gulf payouts |last1=Robertson |first1=Campbell |last2=Schwartz |first2=John |work=] |agency=] |date=27 April 2014 |page=4A}}</ref> | |||
===Public relations=== | |||
== Reactions == | |||
Some statements and actions by BP have generated a great deal of public and congressional anger. Initially BP downplayed the incident; CEO ] called the amount of oil and dispersant "relatively tiny" in comparison with the "very big ocean."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/may/13/bp-boss-admits-mistakes-gulf-oil-spill|title=BP Boss Admits Job on the Line over Gulf oil spill|publisher=guardian.co.uk |date=2010-05-13|accessdate=2010-06-05 | location=London | first=Tim | last=Webb}}</ref> Hayward also stated that the environmental impact of the Gulf spill would likely be "very very modest." <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-05-18/bp-doubles-estimate-for-oil-captured-in-gulf-spill-update3-.html |title=BP Doubles Estimate for Oil Captured in Gulf Spill (Update3) |author=Brian Swint |publisher=Bloomberg Business Week"> |date=2010-05-180|accessdate=2010-06-05}}</ref>. Later, he said that the spill was a disruption to Gulf Coast residents and himself adding, “You know, I’d like my life back.” He later apologized for his statements.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/04/us/04image.html |title=Another Torrent BP Works to Stem: Its C.E.O. |publisher=New York Times |date=2010-06-03 |accessdate=2010-06-05}}</ref> | |||
{{Main|Reactions to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill}} | |||
The company has required oil spill cleanup workers, including many fishermen, to sign non-disclosure agreements and not publicly talk about the spill.<ref> http://www.democracynow.org/2010/6/2/democracy_now_travels_across_bayous_and</ref> BP contractors and Coast Guard officials threatened to arrest CBS reporters investigating an oily beach in South Pass, Louisiana, citing “BP’s rules.”<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.fastcompany.com/1652275/why-is-bp-investing-in-a-bloated-ineffective-oil-spill-pr-coverup |title=Why Is BP Investing in a Bloated, Ineffective Oil Spill PR Coverup? |publisher=Fast Company |author=Ariel Schwartz |date=2010-05-25 |accessdate=2010-06-05}}</ref> Representative Ed Markey, chairman of a House energy committee investigating the oil spill, suggested that the oil company has misled the public about the magnitude of the spill, and advised people to not trust what the company is saying.<ref> | |||
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/05/30/ed-markey-bp-lying-or-inc_n_594800.html</ref> | |||
=== U.S. reactions === | |||
On May 30 BP hired Anne Kolton, former head of public affairs at the ] and former spokesperson for ] as head of U.S. media relations. <ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN3022354920100531 |title=BP Hires ex-Energy Dept Official for US Media Effort |date=2010-05-30 |accessdate=23010-06-05 }}</ref><ref> {{cite news |url=http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20006498-503544.html |title=Former Dick Cheney Spokesperson Begins Job at BP |publisher=CBS |date=2010-06-01 |accessdate=2010-06-05}}</ref> Furthermore, BP established a new division, headed by board member and managing director Bob Dudley, an American citizen and former CEO of ], to handle the company's response. <ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.dailymail.co.uk/money/article-1284087/BP-oil-spill-Bob-Dudley-handle-fallout-oil-firm-spins-division-head-clean-up.html/ |title=Troubleshooter Dudley to handle fallout from BP spill |publisher=Daily Mail |date=2010-06-05 |accessdate=2010-06-05}}</ref> | |||
] | |||
On 30 April, President Obama dispatched the Secretaries of the ] and ], as well as the ] and NOAA to the Gulf Coast to assess the disaster.<ref name="AutoBB-278"/> In his 15 June speech, Obama said, "This oil spill is the worst environmental disaster America has ever faced... Make no mistake: we will fight this spill with everything we've got for as long as it takes. We will make BP pay for the damage their company has caused. And we will do whatever's necessary to help the Gulf Coast and its people recover from this tragedy."<ref name="reuters.com"/> Interior Secretary ] stated, "Our job basically is to keep the boot on the neck of British Petroleum."<ref name="Rand Paul"/> Some observers suggested that the Obama administration was being overly aggressive in its criticisms, which some BP investors saw as an attempt to deflect criticism of his own handling of the crisis.<ref name="AutoBB-287"/> ] accused President Obama of being anti-business and "un-American".<ref name="Rand Paul"/> | |||
On June 4 BP began running TV ads featuring CEO Tony Hayward as he apologized for the disaster, also adding, "We've helped organize the largest environmental response in this country's history." The company also ran print ads in newspapers including The New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, USA Today and The Washington Post. The cost for this PR campaign was about $50 million, according to Jon Bond, co-founder of the Kirshenbaum Bond Senecal agency. The TV ads, which appeared on national cable and broadcast networks, had the same tag line as the newspaper ads: "We will get this done. We will make this right." <ref>{{cite news |url=http://money.cnn.com/2010/06/03/news/companies/bp_hayward_ad/?postversion=2010060321 |title=BP's television ad blitz |publisher=CNN Money |author=Aaron Smith |date=2010-06-04 |accessdate=2010-06-05}}</ref> President Obama responded to this development later that day on his third trip to the Gulf region, saying, "My understanding is that BP has contracted for $50 million worth of TV advertising to manage their image during the course of this disaster... what I don't want to hear is when they're spending that kind of money on TV advertising, that they're nickel-and-diming fishermen or small businesses here in the Gulf who are having a hard time." <ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/environment/jan-june10/oil_06-04.html |title=Obama Surveys Gulf Oil Damage Again as BP Secures Well Cap |publisher=PBS NEWSHOUR |author=Ray Suarez |date=2010-06-04 |accessdate=2010-06-05}}</ref> | |||
Public opinion polls in the U.S. were generally critical of the way President Obama and the federal government handled the disaster and they were extremely critical of BPs response. Across the US, thousands participated in dozens of protests at BP gas stations and other locations,<ref name="AutoBB-279"/><ref name="AutoBB-280"/><ref name="AutoBB-281"/> reducing sales at some stations by 10% to 40%.<ref name="AutoBB-282"/> | |||
===Public reaction=== | |||
Within several weeks after the spill began, the amount of public anger and protests against BP for its role in the oil spill had risen considerably in the US and worldwide. By June 5, a ] page called “Boycott BP” had obtained 384,000 fans and generated media stories.<ref>Boycott BP page on Facebook, http://www.facebook.com/pages/Boycott-BP/119101198107726, accessed June 2 2019,</ref><ref>Protestors gather at BP stations, June 2 2010, accesed June 5 2010, http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/03/us/03boycott.html</ref>The ] consumer advocacy group has had more than 15,500 people sign an online petition pledging not to buy any BP products for three months.<ref>Public Citizen website, accessed June 3, 2010, http://www.citizen.org/page.aspx?pid=3311</ref> Across the US, thousands of people participated in dozens of protests at BP gas stations and other locations.<ref>WFLA TV, News Channel 8, Tampa, May 31, 2010, http://www2.tbo.com/content/2010/may/31/memorial-day-protest-bp-held-clearwater-station/news-metro/, accessed June 2, 2010</ref><ref>WCCO TV, Minneapolis, Protest held near BP gas station in Bloomington, May 31, 2010, http://wcco.com/consumer/bp.protest.bloomington.2.1725132.html</ref><ref>WGNO TV, New Orleans, More than a thousand attend rally against BP, May 30, 2010, http://www.neworleans.com/news/local-news/404880.html</ref> While BP does not own any gas stations in the US, it does sell gasoline to BP, ] and other gas stations in the US and internationally.<ref>MSNBC, Boycott BP Protestors want to hurt oil giant in the pocketbook, May 31, 2010, accessed June 2, 2010, http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/37338310/</ref> In ], where BP is headquartered, in late May, ] activists scaled the St. James Square company offices and unfurled mock BP logo banners imprinted with oil stains reading "British Polluters".<ref>The Guardian, May 20, 2010, Greenpeace activists, scale BP’s London headquarters in oil protest.</ref> | |||
The petroleum industry claimed that disasters are infrequent and that this spill was an isolated incident and rejected claims of a loss of industry credibility.<ref name="AutoBB-284"/> The ] (API) stated that the offshore drilling industry is important to job creation and economic growth.<ref name="AutoBB-284"/><ref name="AutoBB-283"/> CEOs from the top five oil companies all agreed to work harder at improving safety. API announced the creation of an offshore safety institute, separate from API's lobbying operation.<ref name="AutoBB-285"/> | |||
====Public opinion==== | |||
] on ] en route to Louisiana in early May 2010]] | |||
Regarding the handling of the situation, 53 percent of Americans rate President Obama's performance as poor or very poor while 43 percent consider it good or very good, according to a '']''/] poll taken on May 24–25. Some 60 percent said the federal government has done a poor or very poor job while 35 percent rate it good or very good. A ] poll conducted May 20–24 also found a negative evaluation of Obama, with 45 percent disapproving compared to 35 percent who approved, and 20 percent undecided. | |||
], presumably associating BP with the United Kingdom]] | |||
BP had worse polling numbers, with 73 percent in the Gallup poll describing its response as poor or very poor, while 24 percent say it has been good or very good. In the CBS survey, 70 percent disapproved of BP's response compared to 18 percent who approved, with 12 percent undecided.<ref>{{cite web| last =Drake| first =Bruce| title =Public Pans Obama's Response to Oil Spill, But Gives Worse Marks to BP| publisher =]| date =2010-05-27| url =http://www.politicsdaily.com/2010/05/27/public-pans-obamas-response-to-oil-spill-but-gives-worse-marks/| accessdate =2010-05-27 }}</ref> | |||
The ], a ]-based advocate for overseas investment in the United States, warned that the heated rhetoric was potentially damaging the reputation of British companies with operations in the United States and could spark a wave of U.S. protectionism that would restrict British firms from government contracts, political donations and lobbying.<ref name="guardian140710"/><ref name="AutoBB-286"/> | |||
In July 2010, President Obama issued an executive order, specifically citing the ''Deepwater Horizon'' oil spill, that adopted recommendations from the Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force and established the National Ocean Council.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/executive-order-stewardship-ocean-our-coasts-and-great-lakes |title=Executive Order 13547 --Stewardship of the Ocean, Our Coasts, and the Great Lakes |date=19 July 2010 |publisher=The White House Office of the Press Secretary| access-date=18 July 2018}}</ref> The council called together a number of federal committees and departments engaged in ocean issues to work with a newly established committee for conservation and resource management.<ref name=bglobe>{{cite news |url=https://bostonglobe.com/metro/2018/06/21/trump-rescinds-obama-ocean-policy/8CLXSSGh9ZDu16k9MWkE5J/story.html |title=Trump rescinds Obama-era ocean policy |author=David Abel |date=22 June 2018 |newspaper=Boston Globe |access-date=18 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180719054241/https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2018/06/21/trump-rescinds-obama-ocean-policy/8CLXSSGh9ZDu16k9MWkE5J/story.html |archive-date=19 July 2018 |url-status=dead }}</ref> In June 2018, the executive order establishing the National Ocean Council was revoked by then-U.S. president Donald Trump in an effort to roll back bureaucracy and benefit "ocean industries employ millions of Americans".<ref name=bglobe/><ref>{{cite news |url=https://theguardian.com/environment/2018/jun/28/bp-deepwater-horizon-oil-spill-report |title=Deepwater Horizon disaster altered building blocks of ocean life |author=Oliver Milman |date=28 June 2018 |newspaper=The Guardian| access-date=18 July 2018}}</ref> | |||
===U.S. and Canadian offshore drilling policy=== | |||
{{Main|United States offshore drilling debate}} | |||
Secretary of the Interior ] stated that the disaster would have huge ramifications for energy development in the oceans all around the world.<ref name="oilgas" /> Salazar ordered immediate inspections of all deep-water operations in the Gulf of Mexico. An Outer Continental Shelf safety review board within the Department of the Interior will provide recommendations for conducting drilling activities in the Gulf.<ref name="CITEREFupstream2010a"/> The United States President issued an order so that the federal government will not be issuing new offshore drilling leases until a thorough review determines whether more safety systems are needed.<ref name="bloomberg010510">{{cite news | url = http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aZEcAyXrkGGQ&pos=8 | title = Obama Orders Review, Says New Oil Leases Must Have Safeguards | publisher = ] | author = Nicholas Johnston; Hans Nichols | date = 2010-05-01 | accessdate = 2010-05-01}}</ref> | |||
=== United Kingdom reactions === | |||
On April 28, the National Energy Board of Canada, which regulates offshore drilling in the Canadian Arctic and along the ], issued a letter to oil companies asking them to explain their argument against safety rules which require same-season relief wells.<ref name="canadian regulator response">{{cite news | author = VanderKlippe, Nathan | title = Arctic drilling faces tougher scrutiny | work = The Globe and Mail | date = 2010-04-30 | pages = B1, B8 | url = http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/industry-news/energy-and-resources/arctic-drilling-faces-tougher-scrutiny/article1551603/ | accessdate = 2010-05-02}}</ref> Five days later, the Canadian ] ] said the government would not approve a decision to relax safety or environment regulations for large energy projects.<ref name="prentice">{{cite news | author = Robertson, Grant | author2 = Galloway, Gloria | title = Ottawa talks tough on offshore drilling | work = The Globe and Mail | date = 2010-05-05 | pages = A1, A13 | url = http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/ottawa-will-take-tough-stand-on-offshore-drilling/article1557095/ | accessdate = 2010-05-05}}</ref> On May 3, Governor of California ] withdrew his support for a proposed plan to allow expanded ].<ref name="CSM20100503">{{cite news | url = http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/2010/0504/Citing-BP-oil-spill-Schwarzenegger-drops-offshore-drilling-plan | title = Citing BP oil spill, Schwarzenegger drops offshore drilling plan | publisher = ] | author = Daniel B. Wood | date = 2010-05-04 | accessdate = 2010-05-06}}</ref><ref name="BBC20100503">{{cite news |url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8658825.stm |title = California's Schwarzenegger turns against oil drilling | publisher = BBC News | author = Rajesh Mirchandani| date = 2010-05-03 | accessdate = 2010-05-06}}</ref> | |||
In the UK, there was anger at the American press and news outlets for the misuse of the term "British Petroleum" for the company – a name which has not been used since British Petroleum merged with the American company ] in 1998 to form BP ]. It was said that the U.S. was "dumping" the blame onto the British people and there were calls for British Prime Minister ] to protect British interests in the United States. British pension fund managers (who have large holdings of BP shares and rely upon its dividends) accepted that while BP had to pay compensation for the spill and the environmental damage, they argued that the cost to the company's market value from President Obama's criticism was far outweighing the direct clean-up costs.<ref name="AutoBB-287"/> | |||
Initially, BP downplayed the incident; its CEO ] called the amount of oil and dispersant "relatively tiny" in comparison with the "very big ocean."<ref name="AutoBB-288"/> Later, he drew an outpouring of criticism when he said that the spill was a disruption to Gulf Coast residents and himself adding, "You know, I'd like my life back."<ref name="AutoBB-289"/> BP's chief operating officer ] contradicted the underwater plume discussion noting, "It may be down to how you define what a plume is here… The oil that has been found is in very minute quantities."<ref name="AutoBB-290"/> In June, BP launched a PR campaign and successfully bid for several search terms related to the spill on Google and other search engines so that the first sponsored search result linked directly to the company's website.<ref name="AutoBB-291"/><ref name="AutoBB-292"/> On 26 July 2010, it was announced that CEO Tony Hayward was to resign and would be replaced by ], who is an American citizen and previously worked for Amoco.<ref name="AutoBB-293"/><ref name="AutoBB-294"/> | |||
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), offshore drilling, just in the Gulf of Mexico, accounts for 23.5% of ].<ref>"". BBC News. May 27, 2010.</ref> The chief argument in the U.S. offshore drilling debate has been to make the United States less dependent on imported oil.<ref>"". Scientific American. September 12, 2008.</ref><ref>"". ]. May 27, 2010.</ref> American dependence on imports grew from 24% in 1970<ref>"". Denver Business Journal. July 10, 2008.</ref> to 66% in 2008.<ref>"". ] (EIA).</ref> Former U.S. President ] identified dependence on imported oil as an urgent ''"national security concern".''<ref>"", Bloomberg.com.</ref> | |||
Hayward's involvement in ''Deepwater Horizon'' has left him a highly controversial public figure. In May 2013, he was honored as a "distinguished leader" by the University of Birmingham, but his award ceremony was stopped on multiple occasions by jeers and walk-outs and the focus of a protest from ] members.<ref>{{cite web |last=Wragg |first=Tom |url=http://brightgreenscotland.org/index.php/2013/03/why-we-disrupted-tony-haywood-at-the-university-of-birmingham/ |title=Why we disrupted Tony Hayward's award at the University of Birmingham |publisher=Bright Green |date=21 March 2013 |access-date=21 March 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130329001725/http://brightgreenscotland.org/index.php/2013/03/why-we-disrupted-tony-haywood-at-the-university-of-birmingham/ |archive-date=29 March 2013 }}</ref> | |||
==Investigations== | |||
On April 22, 2010, the ] and the ] launched an investigation of the possible causes of the explosion.<ref name="upstream220410" /> On May 11, 2010, the Obama administration requested the ] conduct an independent technical investigation to determine the root causes of the disaster so that corrective steps could be taken to address the mechanical failures underlying the accident.<ref>{{Cite document |url=http://www.doi.gov/news/pressreleases/Salazar-Launches-Safety-and-Environmental-Protection-Reforms-to-Toughen-Oversight-of-Offshore-Oil-and-Gas-Operations.cfm|title=Salazar Launches Safety and Environmental Protection Reforms to Toughen Oversight of Offshore Oil and Gas Operations|publisher=US department of Interior|date=May 11, 2010|accessdate=2010-05-13 |postscript=<!--None-->}}</ref> The ] asked Halliburton to brief it as well as provide any documents it might have related to its work on the Macondo well.<ref name="CITEREFupstream2010a"/> | |||
In July 2013, Hayward was awarded an honorary degree from ]. This was described as a "sick joke" and "a very serious error of judgement" by Friends of the Earth Scotland.<ref>{{cite press release |author=<!--Not stated--> |title=Honorary degree for ex-BP Gulf of Mexico boss is a sick joke |url=https://foe.scot/press-release/honorary-degree-for-ex-bp-gulf-of-mexico-boss-is-a-sick-joke/ |location=Scotland |publisher=Friends of the Earth Scotland |date=12 July 2013 |access-date=21 July 2022}}</ref> The student body president expressed that students would be "very disappointed."<ref>{{cite news |last=Cheyne |first=James |title=University defends degree for Deepwater Horizon boss Tony Hayward |url=http://news.stv.tv/scotland/232676-robert-gordon-university-gives-degree-to-former-bp-boss-tony-hayward/ |publisher=STV |date=12 July 2013 |access-date=15 August 2013 |archive-date=4 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304035020/http://news.stv.tv/scotland/232676-robert-gordon-university-gives-degree-to-former-bp-boss-tony-hayward/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> | |||
Attention has focused on the cementing procedure and the ], which failed to fully engage.<ref name=nyt0510/> A number of significant problems have been identified with the blowout preventer: There was a leak in the ] system that provides power to the ]. The underwater control panel had been disconnected from the bore ram, and instead connected to a test ]. The blowout preventer schematic drawings, provided by Transocean to BP, do not correspond to the structure that is on the ocean bottom. The shear rams are not designed to function on the joints where the drill pipes are screwed together or on tools that are passed through the blowout preventer during well construction. The explosion may have severed the communication line between the rig and the sub-surface blowout preventer control unit such that the blowout preventer would have never received the instruction to engage. Before the backup ] could engage, communications, power and hydraulic lines must all be severed, but it is possible hydraulic lines were intact after the explosion. Of the two control pods for the deadman switch, the one that has been inspected so far had a dead battery.<ref>{{Cite document |url=http://energycommerce.house.gov/Press_111/20100512/Stupak.Opening.05.12.2010.pdf|title=Opening Statement, "Inquiry into the Deepwater Horizon Gulf Coast Oil Spill"|date=2010-05-12|author=Bart Stupak, Chairman|publisher=U.S. House Committee on Commerce and Energy, Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations|accessdate=2010-05-12 |postscript=<!--None-->}}</ref> | |||
=== International reactions === | |||
Just hours before the explosion, a BP representative overruled Transocean employees and insisted on displacing protective drilling mud with seawater.<ref>{{cite article |url=http://www.nola.com/news/gulf-oil-spill/index.ssf/2010/05/hearings_bp_representative_ove.html |title=Hearings: BP representative overruled drillers, insisted on displacing mud with seawater |Publisher=Times-Picayune |author=David Hammer |date=2010-05-26 |accessdate=2010-05-26}}</ref> One of the BP representatives on the board responsible for making the final decision, Robert Kaluza, refused to testify on the ] grounds that he might incriminate himself; Donald Vidrine, another BP representative, cited medical reasons for his inability to testify, as did James Mansfield, Transocean's assistant marine engineer on board.<ref>{{cite article |url=http://www.nola.com/news/gulf-oil-spill/index.ssf/2010/05/oil_spill_hearings_bp_man_on_d.html |title=Oil spill hearings: BP man on Deepwater Horizon rig refuses to testify, says he will take the Fifth |publisher=Times-Picayune |author=David Hammer |date=2010-05-26 |accessdate=2010-05-27}}</ref><ref>{{cite article |url=http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2010/05/26/94884/bp-could-be-held-criminally-liable.html#storylink=omni_popular#ixzz0p81cchtN |title=BP worker takes 5th, making prosecution a possibility |author=Erika Bolstad, Joseph Goodman and Marisa Taylor |date=2010-05-26 |accessdate=2010-05-27}}</ref><ref>{{cite article |url=http://www.nola.com/news/gulf-oil-spill/index.ssf/2010/05/joint_hearings_resume_in_kenne.html |title=Joint hearings resume in Kenner with a reduced witness list |author=David Hammer |publisher=Times-Picayune |date=2010-05-27 |accessdate=2010-05-27}}</ref> | |||
The U.S. government rejected offers of cleanup help from Canada, Croatia, France, Germany, Ireland, Mexico, the Netherlands, Norway, Romania, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United Nations. The U.S. State Department listed 70 assistance offers from 23 countries, all being initially declined, but later, 8 had been accepted.<ref name="stpdf"/><ref name="AutoBB-295"/> The USCG actively requested skimming boats and equipment from several countries.<ref name="csmhelp"/> | |||
== Legal aspects and settlements == | |||
On June 1, 2010 ] ] announced that he has opened a criminal investigation of the BP oil spill. "There are a wide range of possible violations, and we will closely examine the actions of those involved in this spill," Holder said.<ref></ref> | |||
=== Investigations === | |||
{{Main|Deepwater Horizon investigation}} | |||
In the United States the ''Deepwater Horizon'' investigation included several investigations and commissions, including reports by the USCG National Incident Commander, Admiral ], the ], ] (BOEMRE), ], ], ], National Oil Spill Commission, and ].<ref name=Ramseur/> The Republic of the Marshall Islands Maritime Administrator conducted a separate investigation on the marine casualty.<ref name=MHL/> BP conducted its internal investigation. | |||
An investigation of the possible causes of the explosion was launched on 22 April 2010 by the USCG and the ].<ref name=upstream220410/> On 11 May the United States administration requested the National Academy of Engineering conduct an independent technical investigation.<ref name=doi110510/> The National Commission on the BP ''Deepwater Horizon'' Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling was established on 22 May to "consider the root causes of the disaster and offer options on safety and environmental precautions."<ref name=wh220510/> The investigation by ] ] was announced on 1 June 2010.<ref name="Holder-06-01"/> Also the ] conducted a number of hearings, including hearings of Tony Hayward and heads of Anadarko and Mitsui's exploration unit.<ref name=upstream170610/><ref name=upstream090710a/> According to the US Congressional investigation, the rig's ], built by ], had a hydraulic leak and a failed battery, and therefore failed.<ref name="BBC 13/5"/> | |||
===National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill=== | |||
On May 22, 2010 President Obama announced that he has signed an executive order establishing the bipartisan National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling, with former ] Governor and Senator ] and former Environmental Protection Agency Administrator ] serving as co-chairs. The purpose of the commission is to "consider the root causes of the disaster and offer options on safety and environmental precautions."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/weekly-address-president-obama-establishes-bipartisan-national-commission-bp-deepwa |title=Weekly Address: President Obama Establishes Bipartisan National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling (White House Office of the Press Secretary, May 22, 2010) |publisher=Whitehouse.gov |date=2010-05-22 |accessdate=2010-06-01}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/executive-order-national-commission-bp-deepwater-horizon-oil-spill-and-offshore-dri |title=Executive Order- National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling (White House, May 22, 2010) |publisher=Whitehouse.gov |date=2010-05-22 |accessdate=2010-06-01}}</ref> | |||
On 8 September 2010, BP released a 193-page report on its web site. The report places some of the blame for the accident on BP but also on ] and ].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.oilspillnews.net/bp-oil-spill-news/all-eyes-on-bp-report-on-gulf-oil-spill-disaster-%C2%AB-artesia-news/ |title=All eyes on BP report on Gulf |last1=Weber |first1=Harry R. |last2=Kunzelman |first2=Michael |last3=Cappiello |first3=Dina |work=Oil Spill News/Artesia News |agency=] |date=8 September 2010 |access-date=20 May 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110723113948/http://www.oilspillnews.net/bp-oil-spill-news/all-eyes-on-bp-report-on-gulf-oil-spill-disaster-%C2%AB-artesia-news/ |archive-date=23 July 2011 }}</ref> The report found that on 20 April 2010, managers misread pressure data and gave their approval for rig workers to replace drilling fluid in the well with seawater, which was not heavy enough to prevent gas that had been leaking into the well from firing up the pipe to the rig, causing the explosion. The conclusion was that BP was partly to blame, as was Transocean, which owned the rig. Responding to the report, Transocean and Halliburton placed all blame on BP.<ref>Mark Clayton for the Christian Science Monitor. 8 September 2010 </ref> | |||
===Atlantis Oil Field safety practices=== | |||
{{Main|Atlantis Oil Field}} | |||
The ''Deepwater Horizon'' disaster has given new impetus to a number of Congressional Representatives to pressure the ] to investigate safety practices on BP's '']'' offshore platform in the ]. A whistleblower report to the Minerals Management Service in March 2009 stated that "over 85 percent of the Atlantis Project's Piping and Instrument drawings lacked final engineer-approval," as legally required.<ref name=commondreams/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://grijalva.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=13&itemid=519|title=Grijalva Calls For Investigation of Oil Drilling Safety Records as Whistleblower Suggests BP Is Operating Illegally|date=2010-05-02|author=Raúl M. Grijalva|publisher=U.S. House of Representatives}}</ref> Furthermore, the report suggested "the project be immediately shut down until those documents could be accounted for and independently verified."<ref name=commondreams>{{cite web|url=https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2010/04/22-10|title=Deepwater Horizon Accident Foreshadows a Potential Disaster Waiting to Happen in the Gulf|date=2010-05-02|publisher=Commondreams.org}}</ref> BP and other oil industry groups wrote letters objecting to a proposed Minerals Management Service rule last year that would have required stricter safety measures.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704471204575209331720726738.html|title=Documents Show BP Opposed New, Stricter Safety Rules|author=Guy Chazan and Ben Casselman|publisher=Wall Street Journal|date=2010-04-28}}</ref> The Minerals Management Service changed rules in April 2008 to exempt certain projects in the central Gulf region, allowing BP to operate in the Macondo Prospect without filing a blowout plan.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.pnj.com/article/20100506/NEWS01/100506008|title=Oil spill: BP had no 'blowout' plan|author=Michael Kunzelmann|date=2010-05-06|agency=Associated Press}}</ref> | |||
On 9 November 2010, a report by the Oil Spill Commission said that there had been "a rush to completion" on the well and criticised poor management decisions. "There was not a culture of safety on that rig," the co-chair said.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-11720907 |title=Gulf oil spill: President's panel says firms complacent |publisher=BBC |date=9 November 2010 |access-date=12 November 2010}}</ref> | |||
==Cultural impact== | |||
The cultural impact has been widespread. In the U.S., the local and national news, in May and June, has concerned blaming government officials and the oil company partners for the ever-growing disaster, as it unfolds.<ref name="ibt"> | |||
"BP oil spill worse than Exxon Valdez, could cost $12 billion", | |||
ibtimes.com, 4 May 2010, webpage: | |||
.</ref> The daily TV news, in many cities near the Gulf Coast, is permeated with oil-spill news, from a daily lead story about latest efforts to stop and contain the oil spill, to economic impact of fishing jobs lost and cleanup crews hired,<ref name="Huf26"> | |||
"Gulf Oil Spill Jobs: Cleanup Efforts Create Mini Job Boom", | |||
The Huffington Post, 26 May 2010, webpage: | |||
. | |||
</ref> to stock market prices,<ref name=ibt/> to regional stories of protests and responses by BP officials, to the daily "] Oil Forecast"<ref name="OBeach"> | |||
"Oil Spill Forecast Maps" (NOAA Oil Forecast map for 72 hours), | |||
Orange Beach, AL, 13 May 2010, webpage: | |||
.</ref> showing a chart of the Gulf, with gigantic areas of oil floating along the "line of uncertainty" as to where oil might suddenly surface the next day. Each TV weatherman is tasked to explain the predicted oil flow, for the general viewers. The sports news has included the lastest fishing bans in each region. The news has also noted ]s and other birds, rescued by calling hotline phones, when contacting official personnel who retrieve the animals for resting (and cleaning) after the shock of oil saturation. | |||
The National Commission on the BP ''Deepwater Horizon'' Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling released a final report on 5 January 2011.<ref name="telegraph-finalreport"/><ref name="osc-final-report"/> The panel found that BP, Halliburton, and Transocean had attempted to work more cheaply and thus helped to trigger the explosion and ensuing leakage.<ref name="msnbc-finalreport"/> The report stated that "whether purposeful or not, many of the decisions that BP, Halliburton, and Transocean made that increased the risk of the Macondo blowout clearly saved those companies significant time (and money)."<ref name="msnbc-finalreport"/> BP released a statement in response to this, saying, that "even prior to the conclusion of the commission's investigation, BP instituted significant changes designed to further strengthen safety and risk management."<ref name="nyt-finalreport"/> Transocean, however, blamed BP for making the decisions before the actual explosion occurred and government officials for permitting those decisions.<ref name="wpost-finalreport"/> Halliburton stated that it was acting only upon the orders of BP when it injected the cement into the wall of the well.<ref name="nyt-finalreport"/><ref name="startribune-finalreport"/> It criticized BP for its failure to run a ] test.<ref name="wpost-finalreport"/> In the report, BP was accused of nine faults.<ref name="nyt-finalreport"/><ref name="startribune-finalreport"/> One was that it had not used a diagnostic tool to test the strength of the cement.<ref name="msnbc-finalreport"/> Another was ignoring a pressure test that had failed.<ref name="nyt-finalreport"/> Still another was for not plugging the pipe with cement.<ref name="msnbc-finalreport"/> The study did not, however, place the blame on any one of these events. Rather, it concluded that "notwithstanding these inherent risks, the accident of April 20 was avoidable" and that "it resulted from clear mistakes made in the first instance by BP, Halliburton and Transocean, and by government officials who, relying too much on industry's assertions of the safety of their operations, failed to create and apply a program of regulatory oversight that would have properly minimized the risk of deepwater drilling."<ref name="nyt-finalreport"/><ref name="startribune-finalreport"/> The panel also noted that the government regulators did not have sufficient knowledge or authority to notice these cost-cutting decisions.<ref name="msnbc-finalreport"/> | |||
As more oil comes ashore, and more beaches are closed for swimming, and more fishing is banned, the discussion has shifted from if the disaster will expand, to rather, ''when:'' with talk of oil circling the Florida shoreline and travelling up the Atlantic seaboard, past ] to ]. Various amounts of oil have stained beaches in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida, causing cancellation of TV commericials to advertise clean beaches. The state of Mississippi has continued advertising its inner beaches and related tourist activities, but Alabama suspended plans to advertise Gulf beaches, holding the US$15 million given by BP, to consider other forms of commercials, because Alabama's inland bays and rivers are still safe to fish and swim. Although many beaches in all states generally appear clean (from a distance), there are some tarballs or splotches of viscous oil at various points along the shoreline. When ocean breezes come ashore, there is sometimes a faint smell of fuel oil in the air (similar to a ship harbor). Consequently, tourists have still visited the beaches in May/June, and been able to swim and fish, but only within limited areas. | |||
On 23 March 2011, BOEMRE (former ]) and the ] published a forensic examination report on the blowout preventer, prepared by {{lang|no|]}}.<ref name=dnv230311/> The report concluded that the primary cause of failure was that the blind shear rams failed to fully close and seal due to a portion of drill pipe buckling between the shearing blocks. | |||
==See also== | |||
*] | |||
The US government report issued in September 2011 stated that BP is ultimately responsible for the spill, and that Halliburton and Transocean share some of the blame.<ref name="BOERMEPR"/><ref name="AutoBB-296"/> The report states that the main cause was the defective cement job, and Halliburton, BP and Transocean were, in different ways, responsible for the accident.<ref name="BOERMEPR"/> The report stated that, although the events leading to the sinking of ''Deepwater Horizon'' were set into motion by the failure to prevent a well blowout, the investigation revealed numerous systems deficiencies, and acts and omissions by Transocean and its ''Deepwater Horizon'' crew, that had an adverse impact on the ability to prevent or limit the magnitude of the disaster. The report also states that a central cause of the blowout was failure of a cement barrier allowing hydrocarbons to flow up the wellbore, through the riser and onto the rig, resulting in the blowout. The loss of life and the subsequent pollution of the Gulf of Mexico were the result of poor risk management, last‐minute changes to plans, failure to observe and respond to critical indicators, inadequate well control response, and insufficient emergency bridge response training by companies and individuals responsible for drilling at the Macondo well and for the operation of the drilling platform.<ref name="BOERMEPR"/> | |||
=== Spill response fund === | |||
] | |||
{{main|Gulf Coast Claims Facility}} | |||
{{see also|Kenneth Feinberg}} | |||
On 16 June 2010, after BP executives met with President Obama, BP announced and established the Gulf Coast Claims Facility (GCCF), a $20 billion fund to settle claims arising from the ''Deepwater Horizon'' spill.<ref name=upstream170610/><ref name="McDonell"/> This fund was set aside for natural resource damages, state and local response costs, and individual compensation, but could not be used for fines or penalties.<ref name=upstream170610/> Prior to establishing the GCCF, emergency compensation was paid by BP from an initial facility.<ref name=bdo/> | |||
The GCCF was administrated by attorney ]. The facility began accepting claims on 23 August 2010.<ref name="McDonell"/> On 8 March 2012, after BP and a team of plaintiffs' attorneys agreed to a class-action settlement, a court-supervised administrator Patrick Juneau took over administration.<ref name="AutoBB-277"/><ref name=ap250412/> Until this more than one million claims of 220,000 individual and business claimants were processed and more than $6.2 billion was paid out from the fund. 97% of payments were made to claimants in the ].<ref name=bdo/> In June 2012, the settlement of claims through the GCCF was replaced by the court-supervised settlement program. During this transition period additional $404 million in claims were paid.<ref name=ap100113/> | |||
The GCCF and its administrator Feinberg had been criticized about the amount and speed of payments as well as a lack of transparency.<ref name="AutoBB-274"/> An independent audit of the GCCF, announced by Attorney General Eric Holder, was approved by Senate on 21 October 2011.<ref name="AutoBB-275"/> An auditor ] found that 7,300 claimants were wrongly denied or underpaid. As a result, about $64 million of additional payments was made.<ref name="AutoBB-277"/> The Mississippi Center for Justice provided pro bono assistance to 10,000 people to help them "navigate the complex claims process." In a ''New York Times'' opinion piece, Stephen Teague, staff attorney at the Mississippi Center for Justice, argued that BP had become "increasingly brazen" in "stonewalling payments." "But tens of thousands of gulf residents still haven't been fully compensated for their losses, and many are struggling to make ends meet. Many low-wage workers in the fishing and service industries, for example, have been seeking compensation for lost wages and jobs for three years."<ref name="NYTTeague30jul2013">{{cite news |title=Shirking Responsibility in the Gulf |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/31/opinion/shirking-responsibility-in-the-gulf.html |author=Stephen Teague |date=31 July 2013 |location=Biloxi, Miss |newspaper=The New York Times}}</ref> | |||
In July 2013, BP made a motion in court to freeze payments on tens of thousands of claims, arguing inter alia that a staff attorney from the ''Deepwater Horizon'' Court-Supervised Settlement Program, the program responsible for evaluating compensation claims, had improperly profited from claims filed by a New Orleans law firm. The attorney is said to have received portions of settlement claims for clients he referred to the firm.<ref name="NYTTeague30jul2013"/> The federal judge assigned to the case, Judge Barbier, refused to halt the settlement program, saying he had not seen evidence of widespread fraud, adding that he was "offended by what he saw as attempts to smear the lawyer administering the claims."<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/19/bp-oil-spill-payments_n_3623940.html |work=Huffington Post |first=Jessica |last=Leader |title=Judge Rules Against BP Over Settlement Payout Request |date=19 July 2013}}</ref> | |||
=== Civil litigation and settlements === | |||
{{Main|Deepwater Horizon litigation}} | |||
{{See also|Hornbeck Offshore Services LLC v. Salazar}} | |||
By 26 May 2010, over 130 lawsuits relating to the spill had been filed<ref name="Timeslitigation"/> against one or more of BP, Transocean, ], and ],<ref name="BP, Transocean Lawsuits Surge"/> although it was considered likely by observers that these would be combined into one court as a ].<ref name="BP, Transocean Lawsuits Surge" /> On 21 April 2011, BP issued $40 billion worth of lawsuits against rig owner Transocean, cementer Halliburton and ] manufacturer Cameron. The oil firm alleged failed safety systems and irresponsible behaviour of contractors had led to the explosion, including claims that Halliburton failed to properly use modelling software to analyze safe drilling conditions.<ref name="AutoBB-297"/> The firms deny the allegations. | |||
On 2 March 2012, BP and plaintiffs agreed to settle their lawsuits. The deal would settle roughly 100,000 claims filed by individuals and businesses affected by the spill.<ref name=settleAP>{{cite news |title=BP begins to put spill behind it with settlement |first1=Jonathan |last1=Fahey |first2=Chris |last2=Kahn |date=3 March 2012 |work=Boston.com |agency=] |url=http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2012/03/03/bp_begins_to_put_spill_behind_it_with_settlement/ |access-date=18 January 2014}}</ref><ref name="nyt030312"/> On 13 August, BP asked US District Judge ] to approve the settlement, saying its actions "did not constitute ] or willful misconduct".<ref name="autogenerated2"/> On 13 January 2013, Judge Barbier approved a medical-benefits portion of BP's proposed $7.8 billion partial settlement. People living for at least 60 days along oil-impacted shores or involved in the clean-up who can document one or more specific health conditions caused by the oil or dispersants are eligible for benefits, as are those injured during clean-up.<ref name="AutoBB-298"/> BP also agreed to spend $105 million over five years to set up a Gulf Coast health outreach program and pay for medical examinations.<ref name=ap110113/> According to a group presenting the plaintiffs, the deal has no specific cap.<ref name="AutoBB-299"/> BP says that it has $9.5 billion in assets set aside in a trust to pay the claims, and the settlement will not increase the $37.2 billion the company budgeted for spill-related expenses.<ref name=settleAP /> BP originally expected to spend $7.8 billion. By October 2013 it had increased its projection to $9.2 billion, saying it could be "significantly higher."<ref name="2014 appeal fail"/> | |||
On 31 August 2012, the US ] (DOJ) filed papers in federal court in New Orleans blaming BP for the Gulf oil spill, describing the spill as an example of "gross negligence and willful misconduct." In their statement the DOJ said that some of BP's arguments were "plainly misleading" and that the court should ignore BP's | |||
argument that the Gulf region is "undergoing a robust recovery". BP rejected the charges saying "BP believes it was not grossly negligent and looks forward to presenting evidence on this issue at trial in January."<ref name=cnn050912/><ref name="guardian-9-12">{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/2012/sep/05/deepwater-horizon-us-bp-oil-spill |title=Sorry – this page has been removed. |via=The Guardian}}</ref> The DOJ also said Transocean, the owner and operator of the ''Deepwater Horizon'' rig, was guilty of gross negligence as well.<ref name=cnn050912>{{cite web |url=https://money.cnn.com/2012/09/05/news/companies/bp-oil-spill/index.html |title=DOJ accuses BP of 'gross negligence' in Gulf oil spill |date=5 September 2012 |publisher=CNN}}</ref><ref name=stuartsmith>{{Cite web|url=http://www.stuarthsmith.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/7229-2.pdf|title=UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT EASTERN DISTRICT OF LOUISIANA IN RE: OIL SPILL BY THE OIL RIG : MDL NO. 2179 "DEEPWATER HORIZON" IN THE GULF : OF MEXICO, ON APRIL 20, 2010|access-date=13 April 2013|archive-date=25 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210225052320/http://www.stuarthsmith.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/7229-2.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> | |||
On 14 November 2012, BP and the US Department of Justice reached a settlement. BP will pay $4.5 billion in fines and other payments, the largest of its kind in US history. In addition, the U.S. government temporarily banned BP from new federal contracts over its "lack of business integrity".<ref name=ct281112/><ref name=cnn281112/> The plea was accepted by Judge ] of the ] on 31 January 2013.<ref name=upstream310113/> The settlement includes payments of $2.394 billion to the ], $1.15 billion to the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund, $350 million to the ] for oil spill prevention and response research, $100 million to the North America Wetland Conservation Fund, $6 million to General Treasury and $525 million to the Securities and Exchange Commission.<ref name=nyt151112/><ref name=Ramseur/> Oil sector analysts at London-based investment bank Canaccord Genuity noted that a settlement along the lines disclosed would only be a partial resolution of the many claims against BP.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.rigzone.com/news/oil_gas/a/122140/BP_Will_Pay_45B_in_Plea_Deal_over_Macondo |title=BP Will Pay $4.5B in Plea Deal over Macondo |website=www.rigzone.com|access-date=5 July 2018}}</ref> | |||
On 3 January 2013, the US Justice Department announced "Transocean Deepwater Inc. has agreed to plead guilty to violating the ] and to pay a total of $1.4 billion in civil and criminal fines and penalties".<ref name="AutoBB-302"/> $800 million goes to Gulf Coast restoration Trust Fund, $300 million to the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund, $150 million to the ] and $150 million to the National Academy of Sciences. ] agreed to pay $45 million to the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund, $25 million to five Gulf state and $20 million to supplemental environmental projects.<ref name=Ramseur/> | |||
On 25 July 2013, Halliburton pleaded guilty to destruction of critical evidence after the oil spill and said it would pay the maximum allowable fine of $200,000 and will be subject to three years of probation.<ref>{{cite news |title=Halliburton Pleads Guilty to Destroying Evidence After Gulf Spill |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/26/business/halliburton-pleads-guilty-to-destroying-evidence-after-gulf-spill.html |work=The New York Times |access-date=27 September 2013 |first=Clifford |last=Krauss |date=25 July 2013}}</ref> | |||
In January 2014, a panel of the ] rejected an effort by BP to curb payment of what it described as "fictitious" and "absurd" claims to a settlement fund for businesses and persons affected by the oil spill. BP said administration of the 2012 settlement was marred by the fact that people without actual damages could file a claim. The court ruled that BP had not explained "how this court or the district court should identify or even discern the existence of 'claimants that have suffered no cognizable injury.'"<ref name="2014 appeal fail">{{cite news |url=https://finance.yahoo.com/news/u-appeals-court-affirms-bp-033211520.html |title=BP appeal to stop 'fictitious' U.S. oil spill claims fails |work=Yahoo Finance |date=11 January 2014 |agency=Reuters |access-date=18 January 2014}}</ref> The Court then went further, calling BP's position "nonsensical."<ref>{{cite news |last1=Young |first1=Tom |title=Judges Call BP's Arguments "Nonsensical" |url=http://neworleans.legalexaminer.com/toxic-substances/judges-call-bps-arguments-nonsensical/ |access-date=29 March 2016 |work=The Legal Examiner |date=15 January 2014 |archive-date=7 February 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180207123225/http://neworleans.legalexaminer.com/toxic-substances/judges-call-bps-arguments-nonsensical/ |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Lahav |first1=Alexandra |title=The ideas that underly BP's cert petition don't make sense |url=http://neworleans.legalexaminer.com/toxic-substances/professor-lahav-the-ideas-that-underly-bps-cert-petition-dont-make-sense/ |access-date=29 March 2016 |work=The Legal Examiner |date=15 October 2014 |archive-date=11 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180611015907/http://neworleans.legalexaminer.com/toxic-substances/professor-lahav-the-ideas-that-underly-bps-cert-petition-dont-make-sense/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> The ] later refused to hear BP's appeal after victims and claimants, along with numerous Gulf coast area chambers of commerce, objected to the oil major's efforts to renege on the Settlement Agreement.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Young |first1=Tom |title=BP's Appeal Fails to Interest Supreme Court, Cert Denied |url=http://tampa.legalexaminer.com/toxic-substances/bps-appeal-fails-to-interest-supreme-court-cert-denied/ |access-date=29 March 2016 |work=The Legal Examiner |date=8 December 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160322093654/http://tampa.legalexaminer.com/toxic-substances/bps-appeal-fails-to-interest-supreme-court-cert-denied/ |archive-date=22 March 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref> | |||
In September 2014, Halliburton agreed to settle a large percentage of legal claims against it by paying $1.1 billion into a trust by way of three installments over two years.<ref name="HalliburtonDeepwater">{{cite news |title=Halliburton to pay around $1.1 bn for US oil spill claims |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-halliburton-settlement-macondo-idUSKBN0GX1DT20140902 |date=2 September 2014 |access-date=3 September 2014 |work=Reuters}}</ref> | |||
===Justice Department lawsuit=== | |||
BP and its partners in the oil well, Transocean and Halliburton, went on trial on 25 February 2013 in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana in New Orleans to determine payouts and fines under the Clean Water Act and the Natural Resources Damage Assessment. The plaintiffs included the U.S. Justice Department, Gulf states and private individuals. Tens of billions of dollars in liability and fines were at stake. A finding of gross negligence would result in a four-fold increase in the fines BP would have to pay for violating the federal Clean Water Act, and leave the company liable for punitive damages for private claims.<ref name=Thompson>{{cite news |last=Thompson |first=Richard |title=BP to begin presenting its defense Monday in Gulf oil spill trial |url=http://www.nola.com/news/gulf-oil-spill/index.ssf/2013/04/bp_to_begin_presenting_its_def.html |access-date=13 April 2013 |newspaper=The Times-Picayune |date=5 April 2013}}</ref> | |||
The trial's first phase was to determine the liability of BP, Transocean, Halliburton, and other companies, and if they acted with gross negligence and willful misconduct.<ref name=upstream250213/><ref name=bloomberg260213/> The second phase scheduled in September 2013 focused on the flow rate of the oil and the third phase scheduled in 2014 was to consider damages.<ref name=upstream260213/> According to the plaintiffs' lawyers the major cause of an explosion was the mishandling of a rig safety test, while inadequate training of the staff, poor maintenance of the equipment and substandard cement were also mentioned as things leading to the disaster.<ref name=bloomberg260213/><ref name=upstream260213/> According to '']'' the U.S. government and Gulf Coast states had prepared an offer to BP for a $16 billion settlement. However, it was not clear if this deal had been officially proposed to BP and if BP has accepted it.<ref name=reuters230213/> | |||
On 4 September 2014, U.S. District Judge ] ruled BP was guilty of gross negligence and willful misconduct. He described BP's actions as "reckless." He said Transocean's and Halliburton's actions were "negligent." He apportioned 67% of the blame for the spill to BP, 30% to Transocean, and 3% to Halliburton. Fines would be apportioned commensurate with the degree of negligence of the parties, measured against the number of barrels of oil spilled. Under the Clean Water Act fines can be based on a cost per barrel of up to $4,300, at the discretion of the judge. The number of barrels was in dispute at the conclusion of the trial with BP arguing 2.5 million barrels were spilled over the 87 days the spill lasted, while the court contends 4.2 million barrels were spilled. BP issued a statement strongly disagreeing with the finding, and saying the court's decision would be appealed.<ref name="BPverdict">{{cite news |title=BP found "grossly negligent' in Gulf of Mexico oil spill |url=http://www.neworleanssun.com/index.php/sid/225407625 |date=4 September 2014 |access-date=5 September 2014 |publisher=New Orleans Sun}}</ref> | |||
Barbier ruled that BP had acted with "conscious disregard of known risks" and rejected BP's assertion that other parties were equally responsible for the oil spill. His ruling stated that BP "employees took risks that led to the largest environmental disaster in U.S. history", that the company was "reckless", and determined that several crucial BP decisions were "primarily driven by a desire to save time and money, rather than ensuring that the well was secure." BP strongly disagreed with the ruling and filed an immediate appeal.<ref name="Times - barbier - 18 billion">{{cite news |last1=Robertson |first1=Campbell |last2=Krauss |first2=Clifford |title=BP May Be Fined Up to $18 Billion for Spill in Gulf |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/05/business/bp-negligent-in-2010-oil-spill-us-judge-rules.html |access-date=6 September 2014 |work=The New York Times |date=4 September 2014}}</ref><ref name="Bloomberg-sept-5-14">{{cite news |last1=Fisk |first1=Margaret Cronin |last2=Calkins |first2=Lauren Brubaker |last3=Feeley |first3=Jef |title='Worst Case' BP Ruling on Gulf Spill Means Billions More in Penalties |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-09-04/bp-found-grossly-negligent-in-2010-gulf-of-mexico-spill.html |access-date=5 September 2014 |agency=Bloomberg LLP |date=4 September 2014}}</ref> | |||
On 2 July 2015, BP, the U.S. Justice Department and five gulf states announced that the company agreed to pay a record settlement of $18.7 billion.<ref name=pracale01>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/jul/02/bp-will-pay-largest-environmental-fine-in-us-history-for-gulf-oil-spill |work=The Guardian |first=Dominic |last=Rushe |title=BP set to pay largest environmental fine in US history for Gulf oil spill |date=2 July 2015}}</ref> To date BP's cost for the clean-up, environmental and economic damages and penalties has reached $54 billion.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Ed Crooks |first1=Christopher Adams |title=BP: Into uncharted waters |url=http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/0a71ce8c-24b9-11e5-9c4e-a775d2b173ca.html |newspaper=Financial Times |date=9 July 2015 |access-date=10 August 2015}}</ref> | |||
=== Criminal charges === | |||
{{Main|Deepwater Horizon litigation}} | |||
In addition to the private lawsuits and civil governmental actions, the federal government charged multiple companies and five individuals with federal crimes. | |||
In the November 2012 resolution of the federal charges against it, BP agreed to plead guilty to 11 felony counts related to the deaths of the 11 workers and paid a $4 billion fine.<ref name=nyt151112/> Transocean pled guilty to a misdemeanor charge as part of its $1.4 billion fine. | |||
In April 2012, the Justice Department filed the first criminal charge against Kurt Mix, a BP engineer, for obstructing justice by deleting messages showing that BP knew the flow rate was three times higher than initial claims by the company, and knew that "Top Kill" was unlikely to succeed, but claimed otherwise.<ref name=huffington240412/><ref name="ProPublica201204"/><ref name=WSJ201204/> Three more BP employees were charged in November 2012. Site managers Donald Vidrine and Robert Kaluza were charged with manslaughter for acting negligently in their supervision of key safety tests performed on the rig prior to the explosion, and failure to alert onshore engineers of problems in the drilling operation.<ref name=guardian151112/> David Rainey, BP's former vice-president for exploration in the Gulf of Mexico, was charged with obstructing Congress by misrepresenting the rate that oil was flowing out of the well.<ref name=bloomberg281112/> Lastly, Anthony Badalamenti, a Halliburton manager, was charged with instructing two employees to delete data related to Halliburton's cementing job on the oil well.<ref name="cbshalliburtonmanager">{{cite web |title=Halliburton manager gets 1 year probation in Gulf oil spill. |url=http://www.cbsnews.com/news/halliburton-manager-gets-1-year-probation-in-gulf-oil-spill/ |website=CBS News|date=21 January 2014 }}</ref> | |||
None of the charges against individuals resulted in any prison time, and no charges were levied against upper level executives. Anthony Badalementi was sentenced to one year probation,<ref name="cbshalliburtonmanager"/> Donald Vidrine paid a $50,000 fine and received 10 months probation,<ref name="txmonthlykaluza">{{cite web |title=Blowout: Four years after his indictment, one of the only people prosecuted for the Deepwater Horizon explosion tells his side of the story. |url=http://www.texasmonthly.com/articles/deepwater-horizon-prosecution/ |website=Texas Monthly |date=21 September 2016}}</ref> Kurt Mix received 6 months' probation,<ref name=neworleansadvocateprosecutionresults>{{cite web|last=Gill|first=James|title=Disaster prosecution is, well, a disaster.|url=http://www.theadvocate.com/new_orleans/opinion/james_gill/article_16117cbb-81ae-5afd-9f02-df64fea8f8e3.html|website=The New Orleans Advocate|date=12 March 2016 }}</ref> and David Rainey and Robert Kaluza were acquitted.<ref name=txmonthlykaluza/><ref name=neworleansadvocateprosecutionresults/> | |||
== In popular culture == | |||
=== Documentary === | |||
* On 28 March 2011, ] aired a documentary by ], ''BP: In Deep Water'', about the oil company, BP, covering oil spills in the gulf of Mexico and other incidents and its relationship with Governments.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/510b6fa2ec25a|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200729042923/https://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/510b6fa2ec25a|url-status=dead|archive-date=29 July 2020|title=BP – In Deep Water (2011)|website=BFI|access-date=11 February 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1902023/|title=BP: In Deep Water|access-date=11 February 2020|via=www.imdb.com}}</ref> | |||
* In April 2012, the ]'s documentary series '']'' featured the accident in an episode titled "The Deepwater Horizon"<ref>{{Citation|title=The Deepwater Horizon|date=15 April 2012|url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2364227/|access-date=1 January 2020}}</ref> | |||
* In 2012, ''Beyond Pollution'' 2012<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.amazon.com/dp/B009VH0ALW/|title=Beyond Pollution|date=15 January 2013|via=Amazon}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cLeS5vz9Oz4| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211028/cLeS5vz9Oz4| archive-date=28 October 2021|title=Beyond Pollution (2012) Trailer| date=7 August 2012|access-date=11 February 2020|via=www.youtube.com}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.beyondpollutionthefilm.com/|title=Beyond Pollution|website=www.beyondpollutionthefilm.com|access-date=11 February 2020}}</ref> traveled across the gulf coast interviewing environmental experts, government authorities, fishermen, scientists, drilling engineers, and key BP contractors, examining economic and health effects. | |||
* In 2012, '']'', documented the April 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico following the sinking of the ''Deepwater Horizon'' oil rig | |||
* In 2014, '']'', by ] chose to focus on the social impacts on people whose lives have been affected by this tragedy.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/2014/10/30/358578854/the-great-invisible-views-an-environmental-catastrophe-from-many-sides|title='The Great Invisible' Views An Environmental Catastrophe From Many Sides|website=NPR.org|date=30 October 2014 |access-date=11 February 2020|last1=Hachard |first1=Tomas }}</ref><ref>{{IMDb title|qid=Q123536848|title=The Great Invisible}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.texasmonthly.com/articles/going-deep/|title=Going Deep|date=24 December 2014|website=texasmonthly.com|access-date=9 July 2017}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/great-energy-challenge/2014/the-great-invisible-wins-full-frames-best-environmental-film/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200304161135/https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/great-energy-challenge/2014/the-great-invisible-wins-full-frames-best-environmental-film/|url-status=dead|archive-date=4 March 2020|title='The Great Invisible' Wins Full Frame's Best Environmental Film|date=9 April 2014|website=National Geographic|access-date=11 February 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=piub_x0XJvs| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211028/piub_x0XJvs| archive-date=28 October 2021|title=The Great Invisible, Margaret Brown|last=DP/30: The Oral History Of Hollywood|date=30 October 2014|access-date=9 July 2017|via=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/29/movies/the-great-invisible-on-the-deepwater-horizon-oil-spill.html|title=Disaster's Toll on the Gulf and Its People|first=Stephen|last=Holden|newspaper=The New York Times|date=28 October 2014|access-date=11 February 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ixO_Ydx3MQ| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211028/6ixO_Ydx3MQ| archive-date=28 October 2021|title=The Great Invisible (Post-Screening Discussion)|last=The Aspen Institute|date=5 September 2014|access-date=9 July 2017|via=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Later airing 19 April 2015 as the season 16, episode 14 of ''Independent Lens''.<ref>{{IMDb title|qid=Q57960403|title=The Great Invisible}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/films/great-invisible/|title=The Great Invisible | Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill | Independent Lens | PBS|website=]|access-date=11 February 2020}}</ref> | |||
* In 2014, ''Vanishing Pearls: The Oystermen of Pointe a la Hache, Louisiana'', documented the town of nearly 300 struggling to survive following the BP Oil Spill that left their crop dead and finances in ruin.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2281591/reference|title=Vanishing Pearls: The Oystermen of Pointe a la Hache (2014) – IMDb|via=www.imdb.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kv_fSdu_tI8| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211028/kv_fSdu_tI8| archive-date=28 October 2021|title=Vanishing Pearls: The Oystermen of Pointe a la Hache Official Trailer 1 (2014) HD| date=22 March 2014|via=www.youtube.com}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://variety.com/2014/film/reviews/slamdance-film-review-vanishing-pearls-the-oystermen-of-pointe-a-la-hache-1201075658/|title=Slamdance Film Review: 'Vanishing Pearls: The Oystermen of Pointe a la Hache'|first=Ronnie|last=Scheib|date=29 January 2014}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/moviesnow/la-et-mn-vanishing-pearls-review-20140418-story.html|title=Review: 'Vanishing Pearls' shows fallout after Gulf disasters|date=17 April 2014|website=Los Angeles Times}}</ref> | |||
* In 2016, ''Pretty Slick'', documented the cleanup effort and locals across four Gulf states about the largest man-made environmental disaster in U.S. history.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt7266954/reference|title=Pretty Slick (2016) – IMDb|via=www.imdb.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7El5PWBJJQY| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211028/7El5PWBJJQY| archive-date=28 October 2021|title=Pretty Slick Trailer| date=6 May 2014|via=www.youtube.com}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref> | |||
{{cite web | |||
|url=https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01GSZAI20 | |||
|title=Pretty Slick 2014 | |||
|trans-title=55min | |||
|last= Fox | |||
|first= James | |||
|publisher= Janson Media | |||
}} | |||
</ref><ref> | |||
{{cite web | |||
|url=https://www.amazon.com/Pretty-Slick-Deepwater-Expanded-Directors/dp/B01MSVZXDE | |||
|title=Pretty Slick: The BP Deepwater Horizon Exposed – Updated and Expanded Directors Cut | |||
|trans-title= 1h 11min | |||
|last= Fox | |||
|first= James | |||
|publisher=UFOTV | |||
}} | |||
</ref> | |||
* In 2016, ''After the Spill'',<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5075328/|title=After the Spill|access-date=11 February 2020|via=www.imdb.com}}</ref> ] investigates how the disaster affected local economies and the health of humans, animals, and food sources, and with ], where all the oil went, as a follow-up to the pre-spill ''SoLa, Louisiana Water Stories'', in post-production when the ''Deepwater Horizon'' exploded.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.pace.edu/mypace/focus-on-nature-film-series-plv|title=Focus on Nature: Film Series (PLV) | Current Students | October 15, 2015 | PACE UNIVERSITY|website=www.pace.edu|access-date=11 February 2020|archive-date=2 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160902205356/http://www.pace.edu/mypace/focus-on-nature-film-series-plv|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2015/02/new-film-focuses-on-the-demise-of-louisianas-coast-1.html|title=New Film Focuses on the Demise of Louisiana's Coast|date=3 February 2015|website=pastemagazine.com|access-date=11 February 2020|archive-date=8 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308202157/https://www.pastemagazine.com/travel|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.oceans8films.com/after-the-spill/|title=After the Spill: Louisiana Water Stories, Part II|access-date=11 February 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://vimeo.com/oceans8|title=Oceans 8 Films|website=Vimeo|access-date=11 February 2020}}</ref> | |||
* In 2016, ''Dispatches From The Gulf'',<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.amazon.com/Journey-Planet-Earth-Dispatches-Gulf/dp/B0835QD7J3|title=Amazon.com: Journey to Planet Earth: Dispatches from the Gulf 1 : Matt Damon, Hal Weiner, Hal Weiner, Marilyn Weiner: Prime Video|website=www.amazon.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0g9Yty_DUQsVRsjquRgqog|title=Dispatches from the Gulf|website=YouTube|access-date=11 February 2020}}</ref> Hal Weiner<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.journeytoplanetearth.com/dispatches.html|title=Dispatches from the Gulf – Screenscope – Journey to Planet Earth|website=www.journeytoplanetearth.com|access-date=11 February 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://feeds.soundcloud.com/users/soundcloud:users:254138835/sounds.rss|title=GulfCast: Dispatches from the Gulf|website=feeds.soundcloud.com|access-date=11 February 2020|archive-date=7 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210307035413/http://feeds.soundcloud.com/users/soundcloud:users:254138835/sounds.rss|url-status=dead}}</ref> follows scientists<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhYzLCxhmjU| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211028/hhYzLCxhmjU| archive-date=28 October 2021|title=Meet David Murphy: The Next Generation of Scientists (Gulf Dispatches)| date=21 June 2016|access-date=11 February 2020|via=www.youtube.com}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.murphyfluidslab.com/press-outreach|title=Press & Outreach|website=murphyfluidslab|access-date=11 February 2020}}</ref> investigating the oil spill's effect on the Gulf.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5469654/|title=Dispatches from the Gulf|date=25 March 2016|access-date=11 February 2020|via=www.imdb.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://dispatchesfromthegulf.com/dispatches-from-the-gulf-a-new-documentary/|title=Dispatches from the Gulf: A New Documentary|date=29 January 2016|website=Dispatches from the Gulf|access-date=11 February 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://dispatchesfromthegulf.com/dispatches-from-the-gulf-2-selected-by-the-16th-annual-international-ocean-film-festival/|title='Dispatches from the Gulf 2' Selected by the 16th Annual International Ocean Film Festival|date=26 January 2019|website=Dispatches from the Gulf|access-date=11 February 2020}}</ref> | |||
=== Drama === | |||
*In 2012, "]", the pilot of the ] TV series '']'', featured its characters covering the ''Deepwater Horizon'' story.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.avclub.com/the-newsroom-we-just-decided-to-1798173264 |title=The Newsroom: "We Just Decided To" |author=Scott Tobias |date=22 June 2012 |newspaper=AV Club| access-date=1 August 2018}}</ref> | |||
*The 2015 film '']'', directed by ] and starring ], is a fictional story of a politician and his family set in the aftermath of the ''Deepwater Horizon'' disaster.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://voices.nationalgeographic.com/2015/08/04/the-movie-bp-probably-doesnt-want-you-to-see/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151104192231/http://voices.nationalgeographic.com/2015/08/04/the-movie-bp-probably-doesnt-want-you-to-see/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=4 November 2015 |title=The Movie BP (Probably) Doesn't Want You To See |first=Andrew |last=Kornblatt |publisher=] |date=4 August 2015 |access-date=2 November 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://filmschoolrejects.com/nicolas-cage-gets-serious-about-the-bp-oil-spill-in-the-the-runner-trailer-6208f9a50995 |title=Nicolas Cage Gets Serious About the BP Oil Spill In The Runner Trailer |first=Christopher |last=Campbell |publisher=] |date=17 June 2015 |access-date=2 November 2016 |archive-date=11 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181211061755/https://filmschoolrejects.com/nicolas-cage-gets-serious-about-the-bp-oil-spill-in-the-the-runner-trailer-6208f9a50995/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> | |||
*In 2016, '']'', a film based on the explosion, directed by ] and starring ] was released.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2016/film/reviews/deepwater-horizon-review-mark-wahlberg-1201859869/|title=Film Review: 'Deepwater Horizon'|first1=Peter|last1=Debruge|date=14 September 2016|access-date=1 February 2019}}</ref> | |||
=== Music === | |||
*In June 2010, Steve Goodie,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://stevegoodie.com/|title=Home|website=Steve Goodie, Nashville Comedy Show}}</ref>{{self-published source|date=September 2021}} a comedy musician, wrote parody lyrics to The Doobie Brothers' hit song "Black Water" related to the BP oil spill. "Black Water " also had a ] video.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5Z9W59Z5ZY| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211028/n5Z9W59Z5ZY| archive-date=28 October 2021|title=Black Water (BP Version) – Gulf Oil Spill Doobie Brothers Parody| date=9 June 2010|via=www.youtube.com}}{{cbignore}}</ref>{{better source needed|date=September 2021}} | |||
*In 2011, ], then host of '']'', created a protest song about how there were still ] floating around the Gulf of Mexico called "Balls In Your Mouth." He performed it a number of times on the show with different guest singers, including ],<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Eddie Vedder and Jimmy Fallon 'Balls in Your Mouth'|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/eddie-vedder-and-jimmy-fallon-balls-in-your-mouth-241884/|magazine=]|date=9 September 2011|access-date=22 September 2021|archive-date=10 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211010023120/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/eddie-vedder-and-jimmy-fallon-balls-in-your-mouth-241884/|url-status=dead}}</ref> ],<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Russell Crowe and Jimmy Fallon sing 'Balls in Your Mouth'|url=https://ew.com/article/2015/04/23/russell-crowe-jimmy-fallon-balls-in-your-mouth/|magazine=]|date=23 April 2015|access-date=22 September 2021}}</ref> ],<ref>{{cite web|title=Jimmy Fallon & Brad Paisley Sing "Balls In Your Mouth" (Late Night with Jimmy Fallon)|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TvBwpIsrSOw|website=]|date=30 July 2013|access-date=22 September 2021}}</ref> and ].<ref>{{cite web|title=Audience Suggestion Box: Jimmy Fallon & Florence Welch Sing "Balls In Your Mouth"|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cy2PHZvDD8A| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211028/Cy2PHZvDD8A| archive-date=28 October 2021|website=]|date=13 September 2012|access-date=22 September 2021}}{{cbignore}}</ref> The live recording of the song featuring Eddie Vedder was included in Fallon's Grammy-award winning comedy album "]". | |||
*In 2011, ] released a song titled "]" on their album ]. The song is about the slow response time for aid to disaster-stricken areas, with lyrics that allude to the Macondo spill and ].<ref>{{cite web|last=Grischow|first=Chad|title=Rise Against: Endgame Review|url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2011/03/14/rise-against-endgame-review|website=]|date=14 March 2011|access-date=14 March 2011}}</ref> | |||
*In June 2011, Canadian musician ] released a song titled "At the Bird's Foot" on his album ]. The song is about the event and the greed of those involved.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://exclaim.ca/music/article/city_colour_remembers_bp_oil_spill_with_new_charity_track | title=City and Colour Remembers BP Oil Spill with New Charity Track | Exclaim! }}</ref> | |||
*In 2012, the Dutch band ] wrote a song titled "Deep Water Horizon" on their album '']'' which highlighted humanity's effect on global warming inspired by the events of the oil spill.{{citation needed|date=September 2021}} | |||
*On Election Day, 6 November 2012, ] and Lorre Wyatt released the music video and single "]", which they recorded and filmed live aboard the '']'' in 2010 immediately after the ''Deepwater Horizon'' oil spill. The song references the spill.<ref>Seeger, Pete. , YouTube, accessed 5 December 2012</ref> | |||
*In 2012, American singer-songwriter ] released the song "Hole in the Ocean Floor" referencing the Deepwater Horizon oil spill as his inspiration.<ref>{{Cite web |date=7 March 2012 |title=Andrew Bird |url=https://www.avclub.com/andrew-bird-1798230238 |access-date=18 May 2023 |website=The A.V. Club |language=en}}</ref> | |||
* The oil spill inspired ]'s song "Gulf of Mexico".{{citation needed|date=September 2021}} | |||
=== Television === | |||
* The Deepwater Horizon oil spill is referenced in a 2010 episode of '']'', "]". When a BP drilling vessel drills a new hole in the Gulf, it accidentally causes an oil spill in a protected zone, prompting one of the crewmen to exclaim "Oh, don't tell me we did it again?". Later on in the episode, BP drilled again and opened up a portal to another dimension, causing the gulf to be attacked by its creatures. Then they drilled on the ] hoping to change the gravitational pull on the Earth and quell the swells on the ocean, allowing them to place a cap on the portal. Unfortunately, in doing this, ] emerged from the portal. Each time they drilled, Tony Hayward released a "we're sorry" campaign. The hole in the Gulf wasn't shut until ]. | |||
* The ] season 8 episode, "Spill," takes place at the Gulf when their teacher, Mr. Van Driessen, organizes a trip to help clean baby birds affected by the oil spill. The boys mistakingly believe they will be having sex with "filthy chicks" and volunteer to go. | |||
== See also == | |||
{{Portal|United States|Environment}} | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | * ] | ||
* ] | |||
* ] (1989) | |||
* ] |
* ] | ||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | * ] | ||
== References == | == References == | ||
{{reflist|refs= | |||
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}} | |||
<ref name="AutoBB-1">{{cite web |url=https://incidentnews.noaa.gov/incident/8220 |title = Deepwater Horizon | publisher = ] |access-date= 28 June 2019}}</ref> | |||
<ref name="Yahoo7-20100715">{{cite news |url=http://www.aljazeera.com/news/americas/2010/07/20107150283268524.html |title=BP begins testing new oil well cap | work =] |access-date=3 March 2013 |date=15 July 2010}}</ref> | |||
==External links== | |||
{{Commons category|Deepwater Horizon drilling rig explosion}} | |||
<ref name="AutoBB-7">{{cite news |url=http://www.nwf.org/News-and-Magazines/National-Wildlife/Birds/Archives/2010/Oil-Spill-Birds.aspx |title=Bird Habitats Threatened by Oil Spill |work=National Wildlife |last=Tangley |first=Laura |publisher=National Wildlife Federation |date=30 April 2010 |access-date=3 May 2010}}</ref> | |||
<!--ref name=zuijdgeest>{{cite journal |title=Dispersants as Used in Response to the MC252-Spill Lead to Higher Mobility of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Oil-Contaminated Gulf of Mexico Sand |first1=Alissa |last1=Zuijdgeest |first2=Markus |last2=Huettel |journal=] |url=http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0050549 |date=November 2012 |volume=7 |issue=11 |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0050549 |pmid=23209777 |id=e50549 |pages=1–13 |access-date=3 February 2013 |bibcode=2012PLoSO...750549Z |pmc=3507788}}</ref--> | |||
<!--ref name="plumsundergulf">{{cite news |first1=Justin |last1=Gillis |title=Giant Plumes of Oil Forming Under the Gulf |newspaper=The New York Times |date=18 May 2010 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/16/us/16oil.html |access-date=18 May 2010}}</ref--> | |||
<ref name=abc031210>{{cite news |url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/exclusive-submarine-dive-finds-oil-dead-sea-life/story?id=12305709 |title=Submarine Dive Finds Oil, Dead Sea Life at Bottom of Gulf of Mexico |first1=Matt |last1=Gutman |first2=Sarah |last2=Netter |work=ABS News |date=3 December 2010 |access-date=26 February 2011}}</ref> | |||
<ref name="AutoBB-10">{{cite news |url=http://edition.cnn.com/2011/OPINION/01/13/beinecke.gulf.oil.commission/ |publisher=CNN |title=Foul waters, hard lessons from BP oil spill |date=13 January 2011}}</ref> | |||
<ref name="AutoBB-12">{{cite news |last=Polson |first=Jim |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-07-15/bp-oil-still-washing-ashore-one-year-after-end-of-gulf-spill.html |title=BP Oil Still Ashore One Year After End of Gulf Spill |publisher=Bloomberg |date=15 July 2011 |access-date=5 November 2011}}</ref> | |||
<ref name="AutoBB-13">{{cite web |url=http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/health/mmume/cetacean_gulfofmexico2010.htm#map |title=2010–2011 Cetacean Unusual Mortality Event in Northern Gulf of Mexico – Office of Protected Resources – NOAA Fisheries |publisher=Nmfs.noaa.gov |date=1 November 2011 |access-date=5 November 2011}}</ref> | |||
<ref name="aljazeera2">{{cite web |author=Dahr Jamail |url=http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2012/04/201241682318260912.html |title=Gulf seafood deformities alarm scientists – Features |publisher=Al Jazeera |access-date=1 June 2012}}</ref> | |||
<ref name="AutoBB-14">{{cite web |url=http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/energy/2012/03/120322-gulf-oil-spill-tar-balls-wash-up-on-beaches/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120322231227/http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/energy/2012/03/120322-gulf-oil-spill-tar-balls-wash-up-on-beaches/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=22 March 2012 |title=Tar Balls from BP Oil Spill Wash Up on Gulf Beaches |work=National Geographic |date=22 March 2012 |access-date=1 June 2012}}</ref> | |||
<ref name="AutoBB-15">{{cite news |first=Mark |last=Schleifstein |newspaper=] |url=http://www.nola.com/news/gulf-oil-spill/index.ssf/2012/04/spilled_bp_oil_lingers_on_loui.html |date=20 April 2012 |title=Spilled BP oil lingers on Louisiana coast |access-date=1 June 2012}}</ref> | |||
<ref name="AutoBB-16">{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/energy/oilandgas/8242557/Obama-oil-spill-commissions-final-report-blames-disaster-on-cost-cutting-by-BP-and-partners.html |title=Obama oil spill commission's final report blames disaster on cost-cutting by BP and partners |work=The Daily Telegraph |date=5 January 2011 |access-date=5 November 2011 |location=London}}</ref> | |||
<ref name="BOERMEPR">{{cite press release |url=http://www.boemre.gov/ooc/press/2011/press0914.htm |title=Deepwater Horizon Joint Investigation Team Releases Final Report |author=Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE)/U.S. Coast Guard Joint Investigation Team |publisher=U.S. Government |date=14 September 2011 |access-date=6 October 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110924075744/http://www.boemre.gov/ooc/press/2011/press0914.htm |archive-date=24 September 2011}}</ref> | |||
<ref name="AutoBB-17">{{cite web |url=http://www.theatlanticwire.com/national/2011/09/bp-mostly-not-entirely-blame-gulf-spill/42470/ |title=BP Mostly, But Not Entirely, to Blame for Gulf Spill – National |publisher=The Atlantic Wire |date=14 September 2011 |access-date=1 June 2012 |archive-date=2 August 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130802093130/http://www.theatlanticwire.com/national/2011/09/bp-mostly-not-entirely-blame-gulf-spill/42470/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> | |||
<ref name=huffington240412>{{Cite news |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/24/kurt-mix-bp-engineer-oil-spill_n_1449316.html |title=Kurt Mix, BP Engineer, Faces First Oil Spill Charges |first=John |last=Rudolf |date=24 April 2012 |work=] |access-date=17 November 2012}}</ref> | |||
<ref name="ProPublica201204">{{cite web |url=https://www.propublica.org/article/feds-file-first-criminal-charges-related-to-bp-gulf-spill |title=Feds File First Criminal Charges Related to BP Gulf Spill |publisher=ProPublica |date=24 April 2012 |access-date=1 June 2012}}</ref> | |||
<ref name="AutoBB-21">{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2012/nov/28/epa-suspends-bp-oil-spill |title=BP suspended from new US federal contracts over Deepwater disaster |first1=Suzanne |last1=Goldenberg |first2=US environment |last2=correspondent |first3=and Terry |last3=Macalister |date=28 November 2012 |newspaper=The Guardian}}</ref> | |||
<ref name="AutoBB-22">{{cite web |url=http://www.deepwater.com/fw/main/IDeepwater-Horizon-i-Drills-Worlds-Deepest-Oil-and-Gas-Well-419C151.html |title=Transocean :: Deepwater Horizon Drills World's Deepest Oil & Gas Well |publisher=deepwater.com |year=2012 |access-date=20 November 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100426171257/http://www.deepwater.com/fw/main/IDeepwater-Horizon-i-Drills-Worlds-Deepest-Oil-and-Gas-Well-419C151.html |archive-date=26 April 2010 }}</ref> | |||
<ref name="AutoBB-23">{{cite news |url=http://www.rigzone.com/news/article.asp?a_id=91509 |title=Deepwater Horizon Sinks Offshore Louisiana |date=22 April 2010 |newspaper=RIGZONE Industry News, Stories, Analysis and Editorial}}</ref> | |||
<ref name=USA>{{cite news |url=http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/nation/2010-04-21-louisiana-oil-rig_N.htm |title=At least 11 workers missing after La. oil rig explosion |first=Rick |last=Jervis |agency=Associated Press |newspaper=] |date=21 April 2010 |access-date=21 April 2010}}</ref> | |||
<ref name=BP>{{Cite press release |title=BP confirms that Transocean Ltd issued the following statement today |publisher=BP |date=21 April 2010 |url=http://www.bp.com/genericarticle.do?categoryId=2012968&contentId=7061443 |access-date=21 April 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100425040406/http://www.bp.com/genericarticle.do?categoryId=2012968&contentId=7061443 |archive-date=25 April 2010 }}</ref> | |||
<ref name=subsea>{{cite web |url=http://www.subseaiq.com/Data/Project.aspx?project_Id=562 |title=Offshore Field Development Projects: Macondo |publisher=Subsea.Org |access-date=18 May 2010}}</ref> | |||
<ref name=upstream220410>{{cite news |url=http://www.upstreamonline.com/live/article212769.ece |title=Coast Guard confirms Horizon sinks |newspaper=Upstream Online |publisher=NHST Media Group |first1=Noah |last1=Brenner |first2=Anthony |last2=Guegel |first3=Tan |last3=Hwee Hwee |first4=Anthea |last4=Pitt |date=22 April 2010 |access-date=22 April 2010}}</ref> | |||
<ref name=yahoo1>{{cite news |url=http://www.scpr.org/news/2010/05/08/14902/bubble-methane-triggered-rig-blast/ |title=Bubble of methane triggered rig blast |publisher=Southern California Public Radio |agency=Associated Press |first1=Naoki |last1=Schwartz |first2=Harry R. |last2=Weber |date=1 May 2010 |access-date=29 June 2010 |archive-date=27 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210227191636/https://www.scpr.org/news/2010/05/08/14902/bubble-methane-triggered-rig-blast/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> | |||
<ref name="nola 0422">{{cite news |url=http://www.nola.com/news/index.ssf/2010/04/rescued_oil_rig_workers_arrive.html |newspaper=] |title=Rescued oil rig explosion workers arrive to meet families at Kenner hotel |first=Chris |last=Kirkham |date=22 April 2010 |access-date=22 April 2010}}</ref> | |||
<ref name="Times search end">{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/24/us/24spill.html |title=Search Ends for Missing Oil Rig Workers |last=Kaufman |first=Leslie |date=24 April 2010 |access-date=24 April 2010 |newspaper=The New York Times |page=A8}}</ref> | |||
<ref name="AutoBB-24">{{cite news |title=Coast Guard: Oil rig that exploded has sunk |date=22 April 2010 |url=http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2010/04/22/coast-guard-oil-rig-that-exploded-has-sunk/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100425071200/http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2010/04/22/coast-guard-oil-rig-that-exploded-has-sunk/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=25 April 2010 |publisher=CNN |access-date=30 April 2010}}</ref> | |||
<ref name=ap110113>{{cite news |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/12/bp-seeks-judges-ruling-o_n_2459184.html |title=BP Seeks Gulf Oil Spill Size Ruling From Judge |first=Michael |last=Kunzelman |newspaper=] |agency=Associated Press |date=11 January 2013 |access-date=20 January 2013}}</ref> | |||
<ref name="BBC 29/4">{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8651624.stm |title=US military joins Gulf of Mexico oil spill effort |date=29 April 2010 |work=BBC News |access-date=29 April 2010}}</ref> | |||
<ref name="AutoBB-28">{{cite news |title=White House Struggles as Criticism on Leak Mounts |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/31/us/31spill.html |newspaper=The New York Times |date=30 May 2010 |first1=Clifford |last1=Krauss |first2=John |last2=Broder |first3=Jackie |last3=Calmes |access-date=1 June 2010}}</ref> | |||
<ref name="AP 60k barrels">{{cite news |last=Henry |first=Ray |title=Scientists up estimate of leaking Gulf oil |url=http://www.nbcnews.com/id/37717335/#slice-2 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130704060100/http://www.nbcnews.com/id/37717335#slice-2 |url-status=dead |archive-date=4 July 2013 |access-date=15 June 2010 |publisher=MSNBC |date=15 June 2010 |agency=Associated Press}}</ref> | |||
<ref name=leakfix>{{cite news |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/robot-subs-trying-to-stop-gulf-oil-leak-1.865745 |title=Robot subs trying to stop Gulf oil leak |publisher=CBC News |date=25 April 2010 |access-date=25 April 2010}}</ref> | |||
<ref name="GillisRobertson">{{cite news |last1=Gillis |first1=Justin |last2=Robertson |first2=Campbell |title=Gulf Surface Oil Vanishing Quickly |work=The New York Times |date=28 July 2010 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/28/us/28spill.html}}</ref> | |||
<ref name=Talev>{{cite news |url=http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/2010/08/05/1620679/doubts-follow-rosy-oil-report.html |title=Doubts follow rosy oil report |last1=Bolsatd |first1=Erika |last2=Schoof |first2=Renee |last3=Talev |first3=Margaret |work=] |date=5 August 2010 |access-date=5 August 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120403033047/http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/2010/08/05/1620679/doubts-follow-rosy-oil-report.html |archive-date=3 April 2012 }}</ref> | |||
<ref name="AutoBB-43">{{cite news |last=Zabarenko |first=Deborah |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-oil-spill-risk-idUSTRE6730IJ20100804 |title=Nearly 3/4 of BP spill oil gone from Gulf |work=Reuters |date=4 August 2010 |access-date=15 August 2010}}</ref> | |||
<ref name="AutoBB-44">{{cite news |url=http://news.oneindia.in/2010/08/06/scientistscall-new-gulf-spill-reportludicrous.html |title=Scientists call new gulf spill report 'ludicrous' – Oneindia News |publisher=News.oneindia.in |access-date=15 August 2010}}</ref> | |||
<ref name="AutoBB-50">{{cite news |title=BP has another setback as oil slick threatens Florida |url=http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2010/06/bp_frees_saw_from_pipe_oil_thr.html |access-date=26 February 2011 |first=Greg |last=Bluestein |date=3 June 2010 |work=The Plain Dealer |agency=Associated Press}}</ref> | |||
<ref name=Kunzelman>{{cite news |url=http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/2010/06/24/1550150/oil-spewing-once-again-in-the.html |title=Oil spewing once again in the Gulf |last=Kunzelman |first=Michael |work=The Sun News |agency=Associated Press |date=24 June 2010 |access-date=24 June 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120320070710/http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/2010/06/24/1550150/oil-spewing-once-again-in-the.html |archive-date=20 March 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref> | |||
<ref name=McConnaughey>{{cite news |url=http://oilspilldisasters.com/admiral-gulf-coast-spill-976407a |title=Admiral back on the Gulf Coast for spill |last1=McConnaughey |first1=Janet |last2=Stacy |first2=Mitch |work=The Sun News |agency=Associated Press |date=27 June 2010 |access-date=1 July 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120322111136/http://oilspilldisasters.com/admiral-gulf-coast-spill-976407a |archive-date=22 March 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref> | |||
<ref name=Lozano>{{cite news |url=http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/2010/07/06/1571890/bp-spill-spreads-to-texas.html |title=BP spill spreads to Texas |last=Lozano |first=Juan A. |work=The Sun News |agency=Associated Press |date=6 July 2010 |access-date=6 July 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120403033053/http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/2010/07/06/1571890/bp-spill-spreads-to-texas.html |archive-date=3 April 2012 }}</ref> | |||
<ref name="AutoBB-51">{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/07/06/AR2010070605045.html |title=Oil in Lake Pontchartrain stokes worries in New Orleans |last1=Mui |first1=Ylan Q. |last2=Fahrenthold |first2=David A. |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=7 July 2010 |access-date=8 July 2010}}</ref> | |||
<ref name="AutoBB-52">{{cite web |url=http://www.nola.com/outdoors/index.ssf/2010/09/new_wave_of_oil_comes_ashore_w.html |title=New wave of oil comes ashore west of Mississippi River |first=Bob |last=Marshall |date=12 September 2010 |newspaper=The Times-Picayune |access-date=14 September 2010}}</ref> | |||
<ref name="BBC 02/5">{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8656627.stm |title=US oil spill 'threatens way of life', governor warns |date=2 May 2010 |work=BBC News |access-date=2 May 2010}}</ref> | |||
<ref name=thestar1405>{{cite news |url=https://www.thestar.com/news/world/2010/05/14/engineers_work_to_place_siphon_tube_at_oil_spill_site.html |title=Engineers work to place siphon tube at oil spill site |first1=Erika |last1=Bolstad |first2=Lesley |last2=Clark |first3=Daniel |last3=Chang |publisher=McClatchy Newspapers |newspaper=] |date=14 May 2010 |access-date=14 May 2010}}</ref> | |||
<ref name="AutoBB-80">{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10191622 |title='Top kill' BP operation to half US oil leak fails |date=29 May 2010 |access-date=29 May 2010 |work=BBC News}}</ref> | |||
<ref name="AutoBB-81">{{cite news |url=http://www.upstreamonline.com/live/article216214.ece |title=Top kill fails |newspaper=] |publisher=] |date=28 May 2010 |access-date=1 June 2010}}</ref> | |||
<ref name=upstream150510>{{cite news |url=http://www.upstreamonline.com/live/article215093.ece |title=BP misses on first tube try |first1=Noah |last1=Brenner |first2=Anthony |last2=Guegel |first3=Anthea |last3=Pitt |newspaper=] |publisher=] |date=15 May 2010 |access-date=30 June 2010}}</ref> | |||
<ref name=bp240510>{{cite press release |url=http://www.bp.com/genericarticle.do?categoryId=2012968&contentId=7062283 |title=Update on Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill Response – May 24 |publisher=BP |date=24 May 2010 |access-date=24 May 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100524113229/http://www.bp.com/genericarticle.do?categoryId=2012968&contentId=7062283 |archive-date=24 May 2010 }}</ref> | |||
<ref name="AutoBB-82">{{cite news |url=http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2010/may/27/gulf-awaits-word-latest-bid-plug-oil-leak/ |title=Gulf awaits word on latest bid to plug oil leak |first1=Ben |last1=Nuckols |first2=Greg |last2=Bluestein |agency=Associated Press |newspaper=Knoxville News |date=27 May 2010 |access-date=29 June 2010}}</ref> | |||
<ref name="AutoBB-83">{{cite news |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2010/06/05/oil-stains-beaches-and-tourists-as-slick-spreads.html |title=Oil stains beaches and tourists as slick spreads |last1=Nelson |first1=Melissa |last2=Mohr |first2=Holbrook |publisher=] |agency=Associated Press |date=5 June 2010 |access-date=29 June 2010 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110430004459/https://www.cnbc.com/id/37527612/Oil_Stains_Beaches_and_Tourists_as_Slick_Spreads |archive-date=30 April 2011 }}</ref> | |||
<ref name=upstream170610>{{cite news |url=http://www.upstreamonline.com/live/article218091.ece |title=Hayward says spill 'never should have happened' |last1=Brenner |first1=Noah |newspaper=] |publisher=] |date=17 June 2010 |access-date=17 June 2010}}</ref> | |||
<ref name="AutoBB-84">{{cite news |url=http://www.bostonherald.com/news/national/south/view.bg?articleid=1267053 |title=Robots begin work to remove cap from gushing well |last=Breen |first=Tom |newspaper=] |agency=Associated Press |date=9 July 2010 |access-date=26 February 2011 }}{{dead link|date=February 2019|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> | |||
<ref name="AutoBB-85">{{cite web |last=Wells |first=Kent |title=Sealing Cap Installation Animation |url=http://bp.concerts.com/gom/sealingcapinstallationanimationwithkentwells070910.htm |publisher=BP |access-date=18 July 2010 |archive-date=14 July 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100714170917/http://bp.concerts.com/gom/sealingcapinstallationanimationwithkentwells070910.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> | |||
<ref name="relief_map">{{cite web |url=http://www.bp.com/liveassets/bp_internet/globalbp/globalbp_uk_english/incident_response/STAGING/local_assets/images/relief_well_diagram.jpg |title=Relief wells and Subsea containment illustration |publisher=BP |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100720122111/http://www.bp.com/liveassets/bp_internet/globalbp/globalbp_uk_english/incident_response/STAGING/local_assets/images/relief_well_diagram.jpg |archive-date=20 July 2010 }}</ref> | |||
<ref name=upstream170510>{{cite news |url=http://www.upstreamonline.com/live/article215111.ece |title=Second Macondo relief well under way |newspaper=Upstream Online |publisher=NHST Media Group |date=17 May 2010 |access-date=25 May 2010}}</ref> | |||
<ref name="AutoBB-90">{{cite news |url=http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/nation/2010-06-14-oil-relief-well_N.htm |title=Relief wells aim at pipe 18,000 feet deep |work=USA Today |date=14 June 2010 |access-date=15 June 2010 |first=Dan |last=Vergano}}</ref> | |||
<ref name="AutoBB-91">{{cite web |author=The Oil Drum |url=http://www.theoildrum.com/node/6810 |title=BP's Deepwater Oil Spill – Tests End and the Kill Begins, Well Reaches Static Condition |publisher=Theoildrum.com |date=4 August 2010 |access-date=27 December 2011}}</ref> | |||
<ref name="AutoBB-92">{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/08/05/AR2010080503076.html |title=BP begins pumping cement in next stage of 'static kill' |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=5 August 2010 |access-date=27 December 2011 |first1=Joel |last1=Achenbach |first2=Steven |last2=Mufson |first3=William |last3=Branigin}}</ref> | |||
<ref name="20100903BlowoutPreventerRemoved">{{cite news |url=https://www.foxnews.com/us/bp-raises-blowout-preventer-key-evidence-in-probe |title=BP: Blowout preventer that failed to stop Gulf of Mexico oil leak removed from well |publisher=Fox News Channel |agency=Associated Press |date=3 September 2010 |access-date=3 September 2010}}</ref> | |||
<ref name="20100904BlowoutPreventerOnBoat">{{cite news |url=https://www.foxnews.com/us/failed-blowout-preventer-a-key-piece-of-evidence-in-gulf-oil-spill-probe-brought-to-surface |title=Failed blowout preventer, a key piece of evidence in Gulf oil spill probe, secure on boat |publisher=Fox News Channel |agency=Associated Press |date=4 September 2010 |access-date=5 September 2010}}</ref> | |||
<ref name="AutoBB-93">{{cite news |url=https://www.foxnews.com/us/bp-cement-being-pumped-in-to-permanently-seal-companys-blown-out-well-in-gulf-of-mexico |title=BP: Cement being pumped in to permanently seal the company's blown-out well in Gulf of Mexico |publisher=Fox News Channel |date=16 September 2010 |access-date=18 September 2010}}</ref> | |||
<ref name=Aspress>{{cite news |url=http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2010/09/19/blown_out_bp_well_finally_killed_at_bottom_of_gulf/ |title=Blown-out BP well finally killed at bottom of Gulf |first=Harry R. |last=Weber |newspaper=] |agency=Associated Press |date=19 September 2010 |access-date=26 February 2011}}</ref> | |||
<ref name="aljazeera3">{{cite news |first=Dahr |last=Jamail |url=http://www.aljazeera.com/news/americas/2011/09/201191163236563698.html |title=The return of the BP disaster? |date=1 September 2011 |publisher=Al Jazeera |access-date=5 November 2011}}</ref> | |||
<ref name="AutoBB-94">{{cite web |author=Ben Raines, Press-Register |url=http://blog.al.com/live/2011/08/scientists_oil_fouling_gulf_co.html |title=Scientists: Oil fouling Gulf matches Deepwater Horizon well (photo gallery, video) | al.com |date=26 August 2011 |publisher=Blog.al.com |access-date=5 November 2011}}</ref> | |||
<ref name="AutoBB-95">{{cite news |first=Mark |last=Schleifstein |newspaper=The Times-Picayune |url=http://www.nola.com/news/gulf-oil-spill/index.ssf/2011/08/bp_coast_guard_bp_investigatin.html |title=Coast Guard, BP investigating reports of oil at Deepwater Horizon site |date=26 November 2012 |access-date=5 November 2011}}</ref> | |||
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<ref name="AutoBB-290">{{cite video |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna37588890 |title=BP downplays government claim on oil plumes |format=Flash video |publisher=MSNBC |date=9 June 2010 |access-date=10 June 2010 |time=3:42}}</ref> | |||
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<ref name=stpdf>{{cite press release |url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2010/06/143771.htm |publisher=] |title=Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill: International Offers of Assistance |date=29 June 2010 |access-date=19 January 2013}}</ref> | |||
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<ref name="telegraph-finalreport">{{cite news |title=Obama oil spill commission's final report blames disaster on cost-cutting by BP and partners |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/energy/oilandgas/8242557/Obama-oil-spill-commissions-final-report-blames-disaster-on-cost-cutting-by-BP-and-partners.html |access-date=6 January 2011 |newspaper=The Telegraph |date=5 January 2011 |agency=Reuters |location=London}}</ref> | |||
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<ref name="nyt-finalreport">{{cite news |last=Broder |first=John M. |title=Blunders Abounded Before Gulf Spill, Panel Says |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/06/science/earth/06spill.html |access-date=6 January 2011 |newspaper=The New York Times |date=5 January 2011}}</ref> | |||
<ref name="wpost-finalreport">{{cite news |last=Mufson |first=Steven |title=BP, Transocean, Halliburton blamed by presidential Gulf oil spill commission |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/01/05/AR2011010504631.html |access-date=6 January 2011 |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=5 January 2011}}</ref> | |||
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<ref name=nyt030312>{{cite news |title=Accord Reached Settling Lawsuit Over BP Oil Spill |first1=John |last1=Schwartz |date=3 March 2012 |newspaper=] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/03/us/accord-reached-settling-lawsuit-over-bp-oil-spill.html |access-date=20 January 2013}}</ref> | |||
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<ref name="AutoBB-299"> ], 3 March 2012</ref> | |||
<ref name=nyt151112>{{cite news |title=BP Will Plead Guilty and Pay Over $4 Billion |first1=Clifford |last1=Krauss |first2=John |last2=Schwartz |date=15 November 2012 |newspaper=] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/16/business/global/16iht-bp16.html |access-date=3 February 2013}}</ref> | |||
<ref name=latimes290113>{{cite news |title=BP pleads guilty to manslaughter in 2010 gulf oil spill |first1=Michael |last1=Muskal |date=29 January 2013 |newspaper=] |url=http://www.latimes.com/news/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-bp-pleads-guilty-to-manslaughter-in-2010-gulf-oil-spill-20130129,0,2609286.story |access-date=3 February 2013}}</ref> | |||
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<ref name=nation180412>{{cite news |title=Investigation: Two Years After the BP Spill, A Hidden Health Crisis Festers |date=18 April 2012 |newspaper=] |url=http://www.thenation.com/article/167461/investigation-two-years-after-bp-spill-hidden-health-crisis-festers# |first=Antonia |last=Juhasz |access-date=3 February 2013}}</ref> | |||
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<ref name=doi110510>{{Cite press release |url=http://www.doi.gov/news/pressreleases/Salazar-Launches-Safety-and-Environmental-Protection-Reforms-to-Toughen-Oversight-of-Offshore-Oil-and-Gas-Operations.cfm |title=Salazar Launches Safety and Environmental Protection Reforms to Toughen Oversight of Offshore Oil and Gas Operations |publisher=US department of Interior |date=11 May 2010 |access-date=13 May 2010}}</ref> | |||
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<ref name=upstream090710a>{{cite news |url=http://www.upstreamonline.com/live/article221198.ece |title=Anadarko and Mitsui executives set to testify |newspaper=Upstream Online |publisher=NHST Media Group |date=9 July 2010 |access-date=10 July 2010}}</ref> | |||
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<ref name=dnv230311>{{cite press release |url=http://www.dnv.com/press_area/press_releases/2011/dnvreportondeepwaterhorizonbopconcluded.asp |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130121143502/http://www.dnv.com/press_area/press_releases/2011/dnvreportondeepwaterhorizonbopconcluded.asp |url-status=dead |archive-date=21 January 2013 |title=DNV report on Deepwater Horizon BOP concluded |date=23 March 2011 |access-date=3 February 2013}}</ref> | |||
<ref name=upstream310113>{{cite news |url=http://www.upstreamonline.com/hardcopy/news/article1315668.ece |first=Anthony |last=Guegel |title=US court accepts BP's Macondo guilty plea |newspaper=Upstream Online |publisher=NHST Media Group |date=31 January 2013 |access-date=3 February 2013 |url-access=subscription }}</ref> | |||
<ref name=guardian151112>{{Cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2012/nov/15/bp-deepwater-horizon-gulf-oil-spill |title=BP to pay $4.5bn penalty over Deepwater Horizon disaster |first1=Suzanne |last1=Goldenberg |first2=Dominic |last2=Rushe |date=15 November 2012 |newspaper=] |access-date=17 November 2012 |location=London}}</ref> | |||
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<ref name=ortmann>{{cite journal |title=Dispersed Oil Disrupts Microbial Pathways in Pelagic Food Webs |first1=Alice C. |last1=Ortmann |first2=Jennifer |last2=Anders |first3=Naomi |last3=Shelton |first4=Limin |last4=Gong |first5=Anthony G. |last5=Moss |first6=Robert H. |last6=Condon |journal=] |date=July 2012 |volume=7 |issue=7 |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0042548 |pmid=22860136 |id=e42548 |pages=e42548 |bibcode=2012PLoSO...742548O |pmc=3409195|doi-access=free }}</ref> | |||
<ref name=nola0911>{{cite web |url=http://www.nola.com/news/gulf-oil-spill/index.ssf/2011/09/tropical_storm_lee_surge_revea.html |title=Tropical Storm Lee surge reveals tar mats on Fourchon Beach |publisher=NOLA}}</ref> | |||
<ref name=wdsu040912>{{cite web |url=http://www.wdsu.com/weather/hurricanes/Discovery-of-tar-mat-prompts-Gulf-closure/-/12848220/16480956/-/aonomq/-/index.html |title=Discovery of 'tar mat' prompts Gulf closure |publisher=WDSU |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130616003233/http://www.wdsu.com/weather/hurricanes/Discovery-of-tar-mat-prompts-Gulf-closure/-/12848220/16480956/-/aonomq/-/index.html |archive-date=16 June 2013 }}</ref> | |||
<ref name=nola1012>{{cite web |url=http://www.nola.com/news/gulf-oil-spill/index.ssf/2012/10/about_565000_lbs_of_oiled_mate.html |title=About 565,000 pounds of oiled material from Deepwater Horizon stirred up by Hurricane Isaac |publisher=NOLA}}</ref> | |||
<ref name="BP costs for oil spill response pass $3 billion">{{cite news |agency=Associated Press |title=BP costs for oil spill response pass $3 billion |last=Breen |first=Tom |date=5 July 2010 |access-date=5 July 2010 |url=http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/jul/5/bp-costs-oil-spill-response-pass-3-billion/}}</ref> | |||
<ref name="AutoBB-224">{{cite news |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna38493212 |title=Time to scrap BP brand? Gas-station owners divided |last=Weber |first=Harry |agency=Associated Press |date=19 December 2010 |access-date=30 July 2010}}</ref> | |||
<ref name="AutoBB-202">{{cite news |url=http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov/bulletins/pdfs/2010/FB10-055_BP_Oil_Spill_Closure_062110.pdf |title=FB10-055: BP Oil Spill: NOAA Modifies Commercial and Recreational Fishing Closure in the Oil-Affected Portions of the Gulf of Mexico |date=21 June 2010 |publisher=NOAA, National Marine Fisheries Service, Southeast Regional Office, Southeast Fishery Bulletin |access-date=22 June 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100705094139/http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov/bulletins/pdfs/2010/FB10-055_BP_Oil_Spill_Closure_062110.pdf |archive-date=5 July 2010}}</ref> | |||
<ref name="AutoBB-203">{{cite news |url=http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov/ClosureSizeandPercentCoverage.htm |title=Deepwater Horizon/BP Oil Spill: Size and Percent Coverage of Fishing Area Closures Due to BP Oil Spill |date=21 June 2010 |publisher=NOAA, National Marine Fisheries Service, Southeast Regional Office |access-date=22 June 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100618133909/http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov/ClosureSizeandPercentCoverage.htm |archive-date=18 June 2010}}</ref> | |||
<ref name=fishing1>{{cite news |url=http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1986323,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100503045805/http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1986323,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=3 May 2010 |title=Bryan Walsh. (1 May 2010). Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill: No End in Sight for Eco-Disaster. ''Time''. Retrieved 1 May 2010 |work=Yahoo! News |access-date=3 May 2010 |date=1 May 2010}}</ref> | |||
<ref name="AutoBB-219">{{cite news |url=http://www.nivac.info/?p=824 |title=Big price tag for recovery of Gulf Coast |last=Proctor |first=Carleton |work=Pensacola News Journal |date=1 August 2010 |access-date=1 August 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110427044922/http://www.nivac.info/?p=824 |archive-date=27 April 2011}}</ref> | |||
<ref name="AutoBB-220">{{cite news |url=http://www.ustravel.org/sites/default/files/page/2009/11/Gulf_Oil_Spill_Analysis_Oxford_Economics_710.pdf |title=Potential Impact of the Gulf Oil Spill on Tourism |work=Oxford Economics |date=21 July 2010 |access-date=1 August 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120507030043/http://www.ustravel.org/sites/default/files/page/2009/11/Gulf_Oil_Spill_Analysis_Oxford_Economics_710.pdf |archive-date=7 May 2012 }}</ref> | |||
<ref name="AutoBB-49">{{cite press release |url=http://www.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Incidents&id=5117 |title=Response To Oil on Gulf Island Beaches Continues |publisher=] |date=4 June 2010 |access-date=13 June 2010}}</ref> | |||
<ref name="AutoBB-53">{{cite web |url=http://www.nola.com/news/gulf-oil-spill/index.ssf/2010/10/massive_stretches_of_weathered.html |title=Massive stretches of weathered oil spotted in Gulf of Mexico |date=23 October 2010 |work=The Times-Picayune |publisher=Nola.com |access-date=23 October 2010}}</ref> | |||
<ref name="AutoBB-62">{{cite journal |author1=Adcroft, A. |author2=R. Hallberg |author3=J. P. Dunne |author4=B. L. Samuels |author5=J. A. Galt |author6=C. H. Barker |author7=D. Payton |name-list-style=amp |year=2010 |title=Simulations of underwater plumes of dissolved oil in the Gulf of Mexico |journal=] |volume=37 |issue=18 |page=L18605 |doi=10.1029/2010GL044689 |url=http://www.gfdl.noaa.gov/cms-filesystem-action?file=user_files/aja/2010gl044689-combined.pdf |bibcode=2010GeoRL..3718605A|doi-access=free }}</ref> | |||
<ref name=Ramseur>{{Cite report |url=https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R42942.pdf |title=Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill: Recent Activities and Ongoing Developments |first1=Jonathan L. |last1=Ramseur |first2=Curry L. |last2=Hagerty |publisher=] |date=31 January 2013 |access-date=13 February 2013 |series=CRS Report for Congress |id=R42942}}</ref> | |||
<ref name=valentine>{{cite journal |title=Dynamic autoinoculation and the microbial ecology of a deep water hydrocarbon irruption |author=Valentine, David L. |journal=] |url=http://www.netl.doe.gov/technologies/oil-gas/publications/Hydrates/2012reports/nt0005667-nas-valentine.pdf |year=2011 |volume=109 |issue=50 |doi=10.1073/pnas.1108820109 |pages=20286–20291 |access-date=13 February 2013 |bibcode=2012PNAS..10920286V |display-authors=etal |pmid=22233808 |pmc=3528554|doi-access=free }}</ref> | |||
<ref name=cbc171212>{{cite news |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/bp-finishes-latest-search-for-gulf-oil-leaks/ |title=BP finishes latest search for Gulf oil leaks |date=17 December 2012 |work=] |first=Sharyl |last=Attkisson |access-date=13 February 2013}}</ref> | |||
<ref name=cbc131212>{{cite news |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/oil-may-be-seeping-from-deepwater-horizon-site/ |title=Oil may be seeping from Deepwater Horizon site |date=13 December 2012 |work=] |first=Sharyl |last=Attkisson |access-date=13 February 2013}}</ref> | |||
<ref name=nola281212>{{cite news |url=http://www.nola.com/environment/index.ssf/2012/12/coast_guard_releases_videos_of.html |title=BP Macondo well, Deepwater Horizon wreckage videos released by Coast Guard |first=Mark |last=Schleifstein |date=28 December 2012 |work=] |access-date=13 February 2013}}</ref> | |||
<ref name=nola251012>{{cite news |url=http://www.nola.com/news/gulf-oil-spill/index.ssf/2012/10/plan_to_cap_and_plug_containme.html |title=Source of new oil sheen near Deepwater Horizon site has been plugged, BP says |date=25 October 2012 |first=Mark |last=Schleifstein |work=] |access-date=13 February 2013}}</ref> | |||
<ref name=cbs310113>{{cite news |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/unknown-substance-leaking-from-deepwater-horizon-site/ |title=Unknown substance leaking from Deepwater Horizon site |date=31 January 2013 |work=] |first=Sharyl |last=Attkisson |access-date=18 August 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240818152115/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/unknown-substance-leaking-from-deepwater-horizon-site/ |archive-date=2024-08-18 }}</ref> | |||
<ref name=autogenerated5>{{cite web |url=http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2011/09/2011912175412109550.html |title=No end in sight for oil in the Gulf of Mexico |first=Dahr |last=Jamail |publisher=Al Jazeera}}</ref> | |||
<ref name=oilprice>{{cite news |url=http://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/The-Cover-Up-E-mails-Show-BP-Lied-to-Authorities-on-The-Deepwater-Horizon-Spill.html |title=The Cover Up: E-mails Show BP Lied to Authorities on The Deepwater Horizon Spill |date=10 December 2012 |publisher=OilPrice.com |first=Charles Kennedy |last=Kennedy |access-date=14 February 2013}}</ref> | |||
<ref name=autogenerated4>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/05/30/AR2010053002195_pf.html |title=Oil could spew until August, officials say |date=31 May 2010 |first1=Steven |last1=Mufson |first2=David S. |last2=Hilzenrath |newspaper=] |access-date=14 February 2013}}</ref> | |||
<ref name=msnbc220311>{{cite video |url=http://www.nbcnews.com/video/nightly-news/42220680 |title=Fresh oil hits Louisiana coast |date=22 March 2011 |publisher=] |access-date=14 February 2013}}</ref> | |||
<ref name=nola010911>{{cite web |url=http://www.nola.com/news/gulf-oil-spill/index.ssf/2011/09/coast_guard_says_oil_sheen_16.html |title=Coast Guard says oil sheen 16 miles northeast of BP well too dispersed to be recovered |publisher=NOLA}}</ref> | |||
<ref name=nola101012>{{cite web |url=http://www.nola.com/news/gulf-oil-spill/index.ssf/2012/10/sheen_at_deepwater_horizon_dis.html |title=Sheen at Deepwater Horizon disaster site is BP oil, Coast Guard says |publisher=NOLA}}</ref> | |||
<ref name=nola220113>{{cite web |url=http://www.nola.com/news/gulf-oil-spill/index.ssf/2013/01/bp_deepwater_horizon_spill_sci.html |title=BP Deepwater Horizon spill: Scientists say seafood safe, but health effects being measured |publisher=NOLA}}</ref> | |||
<ref name=bw111012>{{cite news |url=http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-10-11/coast-guard-says-sheen-near-macondo-site-matches-2010-bp-spill |title=Coast Guard Says Sheen Near Macondo Matches 2010 BP Spill |work=] |date=11 October 2012 |access-date=16 February 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121016084502/http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-10-11/coast-guard-says-sheen-near-macondo-site-matches-2010-bp-spill |archive-date=16 October 2012 }}</ref> | |||
<ref name=onwingsofcare>{{cite web |url=http://www.onwingsofcare.org/protection-a-preservation/gulf-of-mexico-oil-spill-2010/gulf-2013/359-20130127-calm-seas-troubled-waters.html |title=20130127-Calm seas but troubled waters |publisher=Onwingsofcare.org |access-date=16 February 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130204195851/http://onwingsofcare.org/protection-a-preservation/gulf-of-mexico-oil-spill-2010/gulf-2013/359-20130127-calm-seas-troubled-waters.html |archive-date=4 February 2013 }}</ref> | |||
<ref name=guardian190610>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/theguardian/2010/jun/19/naomi-klein-gulf-oil-spill |location=London |work=The Guardian |first=Naomi |last=Klein |title=BP oil spill Deepwater Horizon, BP (Business), Oil spills (Environment), Oil and gas companies (Business), Oil (environment), Oil (business), US news, Conservation (Environment), Pollution (Environment), World news, Environment, Business |date=19 June 2010}}</ref> | |||
<ref name=mnn090610>{{Cite web|url=http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/wilderness-resources/stories/bp-spill-response-plans-severely-flawed|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130517012006/http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/wilderness-resources/stories/bp-spill-response-plans-severely-flawed|url-status=dead|title=BP spill response plans severely flawed | MNN – Mother Nature Network|archivedate=17 May 2013}}</ref> | |||
<ref name=sa080610> David Biello in '']'' 8 June 2010. Retrieved 19 July 2010</ref> | |||
<ref name=pm220610>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/engineering/infrastructure/sand-berm-oil-cleanup-bp-spill |title=Are the Sand Berms Really Stopping Oil? |date=22 July 2010 |magazine=Popular Mechanics}}</ref> | |||
<ref name=advocate110710> article by Amy Wold in '']'' 11 July 2010. Retrieved 19 July 2010 {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100712221629/http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/98183534.html |date=12 July 2010 }}</ref> | |||
<ref name=ap090910>{{Cite web|url=http://www.wwltv.com/news/gulf-oil-spill/EPA-slams-Jindals-sand-berm-plan-102590289.html|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140726225738/http://www.wwltv.com/news/gulf-oil-spill/EPA-slams-Jindals-sand-berm-plan-102590289.html|url-status=dead|title=EPA slams Jindal's sand berm plan | wwltv.com New Orleans|archivedate=26 July 2014}}</ref> | |||
<ref name=butler>{{cite conference |url=http://www.energyclaims.net/assets/Macondo-well-PC&R.pdf |title=BP Macondo Well Incident. U.S. Gulf of Mexico. Pollution Containment and Remediation Efforts |first=J. Steven |last=Butler |conference=Lillehammer Energy Claims Conference |publisher=] |date=3 March 2011 |access-date=17 February 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140821001051/http://www.energyclaims.net/assets/Macondo-well-PC%26R.pdf |archive-date=21 August 2014 }}</ref> | |||
<ref name=staff4>{{cite report |url=http://media.mcclatchydc.com/smedia/2010/10/06/18/_Staff_Report_No._4.source.prod_affiliate.91.pdf |title=The Use of Surface and Subsea Dispersants During the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill. Draft |publisher=] |date=6 October 2010 |access-date=17 February 2013 |archive-date=24 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210224055811/http://media.mcclatchydc.com/smedia/2010/10/06/18/_Staff_Report_No._4.source.prod_affiliate.91.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> | |||
<ref name=ng220312>{{cite magazine |url=http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/energy/2012/03/120322-gulf-oil-spill-tar-balls-wash-up-on-beaches/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120322231227/http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/energy/2012/03/120322-gulf-oil-spill-tar-balls-wash-up-on-beaches/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=22 March 2012 |title=Tar Balls from BP Oil Spill Wash Up on Gulf Beaches |date=22 March 2012 |magazine=National Geographic}}</ref> | |||
<ref name=ap121110>{{cite web |url=http://blog.al.com/wire/2010/11/bp_oil_burn_health_risk.html |title=Burning off oil from BP spill in Gulf posed little health risk, feds say in new report (video) |date=12 November 2010 }}</ref> | |||
<ref name=bloomberg281112>{{cite news |first1=Margaret |last1=Cronin Fisk |first2=Allen Jr. |last2=Johnson |title=BP Managers Plead Not Guilty to Deepwater Horizon Criminal Charges |date=28 November 2012 |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-11-28/three-bp-managers-appear-in-court-to-answer-spill-charges-1-.html |agency=] |access-date=19 February 2013}}</ref> | |||
<ref name="reuters230213">{{cite news |last=Plume |first=Karl |url=http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-bp-spill-offer-idUKBRE91M0AG20130223 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160130231924/http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-bp-spill-offer-idUKBRE91M0AG20130223 |url-status=dead |archive-date=30 January 2016 |title=U.S. Justice, Gulf states crafting BP spill settlement |work=Reuters |date=23 February 2013 |access-date=24 February 2013}}</ref> | |||
<ref name=MHL>{{cite report |title=Deepwater Horizon Marine Casualty Investigation Report |date=17 August 2011 |url=http://www.register-iri.com/forms/upload/Republic_of_the_Marshall_Islands_DEEPWATER_HORIZON_Marine_Casualty_Investigation_Report-Low_Resolution.pdf |publisher=Office of the Maritime Administrator |access-date=25 February 2013}}</ref> | |||
<ref name=upstream250213>{{cite news |url=http://www.upstreamonline.com/live/article1318253.ece |title=Macondo trial gets under way |newspaper=] |publisher=] |first1=Kathrine |last1=Schmidt |date=25 February 2013 |access-date=26 February 2013}}</ref> | |||
<ref name=upstream260213>{{cite news |url=http://www.upstreamonline.com/live/article1318281.ece |title=Blame game kicks off in Macondo trial |newspaper=] |publisher=] |date=26 February 2013 |access-date=26 February 2013}}</ref> | |||
<ref name=bloomberg260213>{{cite news |url=http://www.businessweek.com/news/2013-02-25/bp-oil-spill-errors-trial-begins-in-new-orleans-court |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130228191345/http://www.businessweek.com/news/2013-02-25/bp-oil-spill-errors-trial-begins-in-new-orleans-court |url-status=dead |archive-date=28 February 2013 |title=BP, Transocean Accused of 'Reckless' Actions in Spill |first1=Jef |last1=Feeley |first2=Allen Jr. |last2=Johnson |agency=] |date=26 February 2013 |access-date=26 February 2013}}</ref> | |||
<ref name=pqarchiver>{{cite news |url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/pnj/access/2468189491.html?FMT=ABS&date=Sep+26%2C+2011 |work=Pensacola News Journal |first=Kimberly |last=Blair |title=DISPERANTS: Chemicals BP used may cause cancer |date=26 September 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130728141637/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/pnj/access/2468189491.html?FMT=ABS&date=Sep+26%2C+2011 |archive-date=28 July 2013 }}</ref> | |||
<ref name=aljazeera170511>{{cite news |first=Erika |last=Blumenfeld |url=http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/interactive/2011/05/2011512141926468292.html |title=Exposing the human side of BP's oil spill |publisher=] |date=17 May 2011 |access-date=3 March 2013}}</ref> | |||
<ref name=autogenerated6>{{cite news |first=Dahr |last=Jamail |url=http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2011/03/201138152955897442.html |title=Gulf spill sickness wrecking lives |publisher=] |date=9 March 2011 |access-date=27 March 2013}}</ref> | |||
<ref name=WSJ201204>{{cite news |first=Tom |last=Fowler |title=First Criminal Charges Filed in Deepwater Horizon Accident |date=4 April 2012 |url=https://blogs.wsj.com/law/2012/04/24/first-criminal-charges-filed-in-deepwater-horizon-accident/ |newspaper=The Wall Street Journal |access-date=19 February 2013}}</ref> | |||
<ref name=democracynow070710>{{cite news |title=BP Oil Spill Cleanup Workers Getting Sick, Exxon Valdez Survivor Warns of Long-Term Health Effects |date=7 July 2010 |url=http://www.democracynow.org/2010/7/7/bp_oil_spill_cleanup_workers_getting |work=] |access-date=1 June 2013}}</ref> | |||
<ref name=report2011>{{cite report |url=https://homeport.uscg.mil/Lists/Content/Attachments/119/DeepwaterHorizonReport%20-31Aug2011%20-CD_2.pdf |title=On Scene Coordinator Report on Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill |date=September 2011 |access-date=10 August 2018 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120915094912/http://www.uscg.mil/foia/docs/dwh/fosc_dwh_report.pdf |archive-date= 15 September 2012 |url-status= live}}</ref> | |||
}} | |||
== Further reading == | |||
*{{cite magazine |last=Khatchadourian |first=Raffi |date=11 March 2011 |title=A Reporter at Large: The Gulf war |magazine=] |volume=87 |issue=4 |pages=36–59 |url=http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2011/03/14/110314fa_fact_khatchadourian |access-date=15 December 2013|ref=none}} | |||
*{{cite journal |last1=Liu |first1=Yonggang |last2=MacFadyen |first2=Amy |last3=Ji |first3=Zhen-Gang |last4=Weisberg |first4=Robert H. |date=2011 |title=Monitoring and Modeling the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill: A Record-Breaking Enterprise |journal=Geophysical Monograph Series |series=Washington DC American Geophysical Union Geophysical Monograph Series |volume=195 |url=http://www.agu.org/books/gm/v195/ |doi=10.1029/GM195 |bibcode=2011GMS...195.....L |isbn=978-0-87590-485-6 |ref=none |access-date=6 November 2014 |archive-date=6 November 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141106110617/http://www.agu.org/books/gm/v195/ |url-status=dead }} | |||
*{{cite journal |last=Marghany |first=Maged |date=15 December 2014 |title=Utilization of a genetic algorithm for the automatic detection of oil spill from RADARSAT-2 SAR satellite data |journal=] |volume=89 |issue=1–2 |pages=20–29 |doi=10.1016/j.marpolbul.2014.10.041 |pmid=25455367 |bibcode=2014MarPB..89...20M |ref=none}} | |||
*{{cite journal |author=Erik Stokstad |url=https://www.science.org/doi/abs/10.1126/science.339.6120.636?sid=afdc38fe-36d8-4607-b42e-d0ee805ba72a |title=BP Research Dollars Yield Signs of Cautious Hope |journal=Science |volume=339 |issue=6120 |pages=636–637 |date=8 February 2013 |access-date=25 February 2013 |doi=10.1126/science.339.6120.636 |pmid=23393236|bibcode = 2013Sci...339..636S |ref=none}} | |||
*{{cite web |author1=Daniel Kaniewski |author2=James Carafano |url=http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2010/08/critical-lessons-from-the-federal-response-to-the-gulf-oil-spill |title=Critical Lessons from the Federal Response to the Gulf Oil Spill |publisher=The Heritage Foundation |date=9 August 2010 |access-date=31 July 2015|author1-link=Daniel Kaniewski |ref=none}} | |||
== External links == | |||
{{Commons category|Deepwater Horizon oil spill}} | {{Commons category|Deepwater Horizon oil spill}} | ||
* {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/*/https://www.whitehouse.gov/issues/energy-and-environment/deepwater-bp-oil-spill|title=Deepwater BP Oil Spill}} – at ] | |||
{{wikinews4|Oil rig in Gulf of Mexico sinks after explosion; eleven missing|Gulf of Mexico oil spill expanding; submarines to try to stop leak|Oil spill in Gulf of Mexico reported to have reached coast; offshore drilling ban announced by Obama administration|Oil company BP to pay for Gulf of Mexico spill}} | |||
* from the ] (NOAA) | |||
* Live Feeds from remotely operated vehicles (BP website) | |||
* official U.S. Government Web site, taking over content and functions from Deepwater Horizon Response site | |||
* from the Deepwater Horizon Unified Command (U.S. Government/BP/Transocean) | |||
* | |||
* at ] | |||
* a multimedia presentation from ] | |||
* from the ] (NOAA) | |||
* | |||
* by the ] and ] | |||
* | |||
* from ], including live video feed of riser | |||
* | |||
* - ] | |||
;Directories | |||
*{{dmoz|Science/Environment/Energy/Petroleum_in_the_Environment/Oil_Spills/Deepwater_Horizon}} | |||
* online resources from ''The Gulf of Mexico Sea Grant Programs'' | |||
* links to government documents and resources from the ] | |||
* at ] Crisis Response | |||
;News media | |||
* on '']'' | |||
* on '']'' video library | |||
* on '']'' | |||
* on '']'' | |||
* from the '']'' | |||
* from the '']'' Greenspace | |||
* from '']'' | |||
* on '']'' | |||
* from ''] (New Orleans)'' | |||
* from the ''] (Mobile, Alabama)'' | |||
* from '']'' | |||
;Blogs | |||
* by Prof. Samantha Joye | |||
* video report by '']'' | |||
;Images | |||
* video at '']'' iReport | |||
* on the ] Satellite Blog | |||
* on beowulfe.com | |||
=== Lead state agency websites === | |||
<!-- Please do not add Category:Environmental disasters, which is the head category for both Category:Oil platform disasters and Category:Oil spills in the United States. --> | |||
* | |||
* {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100620074732/http://www.deq.state.ms.us/MDEQ.nsf/page/Main_OilSpillLinksandPublicInformation2010?OpenDocument |date=20 June 2010 }} | |||
* | |||
=== News media === | |||
{{DEFAULTSORT:Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill}} | |||
* from '']'' | |||
] | |||
* from ''] (New Orleans)'' | |||
* | |||
* {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150912025233/http://cnso.nova.edu/news/articles/-deepwater-horizon-oil-spill-caused-lasting-damage,-report-says.html |date=12 September 2015 }} | |||
* , NPR | |||
=== Interactive maps === | |||
* interactive map and form for citizen reporting (SkyTruth.org) | |||
* (''New York Times'') | |||
* (''New York Times'') | |||
=== Images === | |||
* , video at CNN iReport | |||
* on the ] Satellite Blog | |||
* | |||
* | |||
=== Animations and graphics === | |||
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Latest revision as of 21:49, 27 November 2024
Oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico This article is about the oil spill itself. For the initial explosion, see Deepwater Horizon explosion. For other related articles, see Deepwater Horizon (disambiguation).
Deepwater Horizon oil spill | |
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As seen from space by the Terra satellite on 24 May 2010 | |
Location | Macondo Prospect (Mississippi Canyon Block 252), in the North-central Gulf of Mexico, United States (south of Louisiana) |
Coordinates | 28°44′17″N 88°21′58″W / 28.73806°N 88.36611°W / 28.73806; -88.36611 |
Date | 20 April – 19 September 2010 (4 months, 4 weeks and 2 days) |
Cause | |
Cause | Wellhead blowout |
Casualties | 11 people killed 17 people injured |
Operator | Transocean under contract for BP |
Spill characteristics | |
Volume | 4.9 MMbbl (210,000,000 U.S. gal; 780,000 m) ±10% |
Area | 2,500 to 68,000 sq mi (6,500 to 176,100 km) |
This article is part of a series about the |
Deepwater Horizon oil spill |
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External videos | |
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Frontline: The Spill (54:25), Frontline on PBS |
The Deepwater Horizon oil spill (also referred to as the "BP oil spill") was an environmental disaster which began on 20 April 2010, off the coast of the United States in the Gulf of Mexico on the BP-operated Macondo Prospect, considered the largest marine oil spill in the history of the petroleum industry and estimated to be 8 to 31 percent larger in volume than the previous largest, the Ixtoc I oil spill, also in the Gulf of Mexico. Caused in the aftermath of a blowout and explosion on the Deepwater Horizon oil platform, the United States federal government estimated the total discharge at 4.9 MMbbl (210,000,000 US gal; 780,000 m). After several failed efforts to contain the flow, the well was declared sealed on 19 September 2010. Reports in early 2012 indicated that the well site was still leaking. The Deepwater Horizon oil spill is regarded as one of the largest environmental disasters in world history.
A massive response ensued to protect beaches, wetlands and estuaries from the spreading oil utilizing skimmer ships, floating booms, controlled burns and 1,840,000 US gal (7,000 m) of oil dispersant. Due to the months-long spill, along with adverse effects from the response and cleanup activities, extensive damage to marine and wildlife habitats and fishing and tourism industries was reported. In Louisiana, oil cleanup crews worked four days a week on 55 mi (89 km) of Louisiana shoreline throughout 2013. 4,900,000 lb (2,200 t) of oily material was removed from the beaches in 2013, over double the amount collected in 2012. Oil continued to be found as far from the Macondo site as the waters off the Florida Panhandle and Tampa Bay, where scientists said the oil and dispersant mixture is embedded in the sand. In April 2013, it was reported that dolphins and other marine life continued to die in record numbers with infant dolphins dying at six times the normal rate. One study released in 2014 reported that tuna and amberjack exposed to oil from the spill developed deformities of the heart and other organs which would be expected to be fatal or at least life-shortening; another study found that cardiotoxicity might have been widespread in animal life exposed to the spill.
Numerous investigations explored the causes of the explosion and record-setting spill. The United States Government report, published in September 2011, pointed to defective cement on the well, faulting mostly BP, but also rig operator Transocean and contractor Halliburton. Earlier in 2011, a White House commission likewise blamed BP and its partners for a series of cost-cutting decisions and an inadequate safety system, but also concluded that the spill resulted from "systemic" root causes and "absent significant reform in both industry practices and government policies, might well recur".
In November 2012, BP and the United States Department of Justice settled federal criminal charges, with BP pleading guilty to 11 counts of manslaughter, two misdemeanors, and a felony count of lying to the United States Congress. BP also agreed to four years of government monitoring of its safety practices and ethics, and the Environmental Protection Agency announced that BP would be temporarily banned from new contracts with the United States government. BP and the Department of Justice agreed to a record-setting $4.525 billion in fines and other payments. As of 2018, cleanup costs, charges and penalties had cost the company more than $65 billion.
In September 2014, a United States District Court judge ruled that BP was primarily responsible for the oil spill because of its gross negligence and reckless conduct. In April 2016, BP agreed to pay $20.8 billion in fines, the largest environmental damage settlement in United States history.
Background
Deepwater Horizon drilling rig
Main article: Deepwater HorizonDeepwater Horizon was a 10-year-old semi-submersible, mobile, floating, dynamically positioned drilling rig that could operate in waters up to 10,000 ft (3,000 m) deep. Built by South Korean company Hyundai Heavy Industries and owned by Transocean, the rig operated under the Marshallese flag of convenience, and was chartered to BP from March 2008 to September 2013. It was drilling a deep exploratory well, 18,360 ft (5,600 m) below sea level, in approximately 5,100 ft (1,600 m) of water. The well is situated in the Macondo Prospect in Mississippi Canyon Block 253 (MC253) of the Gulf of Mexico, in the United States' exclusive economic zone. The Macondo well is found roughly 41 mi (66 km) off the Louisiana coast. BP was the operator and principal developer of the Macondo Prospect with a 65% share, while 25% was owned by Anadarko Petroleum, and 10% by MOEX Offshore 2007, a unit of Mitsui.
Explosion
Main article: Deepwater Horizon explosionAt approximately 7:45 pm CDT, on 20 April 2010, high-pressure methane gas from the well expanded into the marine riser and rose into the drilling rig, where it ignited and exploded, engulfing the platform. Eleven missing workers were never found despite a three-day U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) search operation and are believed to have died in the explosion. Ninety-four crew members were rescued by lifeboat or helicopter, 17 of whom were treated for injuries. The Deepwater Horizon sank on the morning of 22 April 2010.
Volume and extent of oil spill
Main article: Volume and extent of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill For a chronological guide, see Timeline of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.The oil leak was discovered on the afternoon of 22 April 2010 when a large oil slick began to spread at the former rig site. The oil flowed for 87 days. BP originally estimated a flow rate of 1,000 to 5,000 barrels per day (160 to 790 m/d). The Flow Rate Technical Group (FRTG) estimated the initial flow rate was 62,000 bbl/d (9,900 m/d). The total estimated volume of leaked oil approximated 4.9 MMbbl (210,000,000 US gal; 780,000 m) with plus or minus 10% uncertainty, including oil that was collected, making it the world's largest accidental spill. BP challenged the higher figure, saying that the government overestimated the prefaced volume. Internal emails released in 2013 showed that one BP employee had estimates that matched those of the FRTG, and shared the data with supervisors, but BP continued with their lower number. The company argued that government figures do not reflect over 810,000 bbl (34 million US gal; 129,000 m) of oil that was collected or burned before it could enter the Gulf waters.
According to the satellite images, the spill directly affected 70,000 sq mi (180,000 km) of ocean, comparable to the area of Oklahoma. By early June 2010, oil had washed up on 125 mi (201 km) of Louisiana's coast and along the Mississippi, Florida, and Alabama coastlines. Oil sludge appeared in the Intracoastal Waterway and on Pensacola Beach and the Gulf Islands National Seashore. In late June, oil reached Gulf Park Estates, its first appearance in Mississippi. In July, tarballs reached Grand Isle and the shores of Lake Pontchartrain. In September a new wave of oil suddenly coated 16 mi (26 km) of Louisiana coastline and marshes west of the Mississippi River in Plaquemines Parish. In October, weathered oil reached Texas. As of July 2011, about 491 mi (790 km) of coastline in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida were contaminated by oil and a total of 1,074 mi (1,728 km) had been oiled since the spill began. As of December 2012, 339 mi (546 km) of coastline remain subject to evaluation and/or cleanup operations. The reported 3.19 million barrels of spilled oil was not the only effect of this disaster. A report detailed the release of thousands of tons of hydrocarbon gases (HC) into the atmosphere.
Concerns were raised about the appearance of underwater, horizontally-extended plumes of dissolved oil. Researchers concluded that deep plumes of dissolved oil and gas would likely remain confined to the northern Gulf of Mexico and that the peak impact on dissolved oxygen would be delayed and long-lasting. Two weeks after the wellhead was capped on 15 July 2010, the surface oil appeared to have dissipated, while an unknown amount of subsurface oil remained. Estimates of the residual ranged from a 2010 NOAA report that claimed about half of the oil remained below the surface to independent estimates of up to 75%.
That means over 100×10^ US gal (380 Ml) (2.4 million barrels) remained in the Gulf. As of January 2011, tar balls, oil sheen trails, fouled wetlands marsh grass and coastal sands were still evident. Subsurface oil remained offshore and in fine silts. In April 2012, oil was still found along as much as 200 mi (320 km) of Louisiana coastline and tar balls continued to wash up on the barrier islands. In 2013, some scientists at the Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill and Ecosystem Science Conference said that as much as one-third of the oil may have mixed with deep ocean sediments, where it risks damage to ecosystems and commercial fisheries.
In 2013, more than 4,600,000 lb (2,100 t) of "oiled material" was removed from the Louisiana coast. Although only "minute" quantities of oil continued to wash up in 2013, patches of tar balls were still being reported almost every day from Alabama and Florida Panhandle beaches. Regular cleanup patrols were no longer considered justified but cleanup was being conducted on an as-needed basis, in response to public reports.
It was first thought that oil had not reached as far as Tampa Bay, Florida; however, a study done in 2013 found that one of the plumes of dispersant-treated oil had reached a shelf 80 mi (130 km) off the Tampa Bay region. According to researchers, there is "some evidence it may have caused lesions in fish caught in that area".
Efforts to stem the flow of oil
Main article: Efforts to stem the Deepwater Horizon oil spill See also: Offshore oil spill prevention and responseShort-term efforts
First, BP unsuccessfully attempted to close the blowout preventer valves on the wellhead with remotely operated underwater vehicles. Next, it placed a 125-tonne (280,000 lb) containment dome over the largest leak and piped the oil to a storage vessel. While this technique had worked in shallower water, it failed here when gas combined with cold water to form methane hydrate crystals that blocked the opening at the top of the dome. Pumping heavy drilling fluids into the blowout preventer to restrict the flow of oil before sealing it permanently with cement ("top kill") also failed.
BP then inserted a riser insertion tube into the pipe and a stopper-like washer around the tube plugged at the end of the riser and diverted the flow into the insertion tube. The collected gas was flared and oil stored on board the drillship Discoverer Enterprise. Before the tube was removed, it collected 924,000 US gal (22,000 bbl; 3,500 m) of oil. On 3 June 2010, BP removed the damaged drilling riser from the top of the blowout preventer and covered the pipe by the cap which connected it to another riser. On 16 June, a second containment system connected directly to the blowout preventer began carrying oil and gas to service vessels, where it was consumed in a clean-burning system. The United States government's estimates suggested the cap and other equipment were capturing less than half of the leaking oil. On 10 July, the containment cap was removed to replace it with a better-fitting cap ("Top Hat Number 10"). Mud and cement were later pumped in through the top of the well to reduce the pressure inside it (which did not work either). A final device was created to attach a chamber of larger diameter than the flowing pipe with a flange that bolted to the top of the blowout preventer and a manual valve set to close off the flow once attached. On 15 July, the device was secured and time was taken closing the valves to ensure the attachment under increasing pressure until the valves were closed completing the temporary measures.
Well declared "effectively dead"
Transocean's Development Driller III started drilling a first relief well on 2 May 2010. GSF Development Driller II started drilling a second relief on 16 May 2010. On 3 August 2010, first test oil and then drilling mud was pumped at a slow rate of approximately 2 bbl (320 L) per minute into the well-head. Pumping continued for eight hours, at the end of which the well was declared to be "in a static condition." On 4 August 2010, BP began pumping cement from the top, sealing that part of the flow channel permanently.
On 3 September 2010, the 300-ton failed blowout preventer was removed from the well and a replacement blowout preventer was installed. On 16 September 2010, the relief well reached its destination and pumping of cement to seal the well began. On 19 September 2010, National Incident Commander Thad Allen declared the well "effectively dead" and said that it posed no further threat to the Gulf.
Recurrent or continued leakage
In May 2010, BP admitted they had "discovered things that were broken in the sub-surface" during the "top kill" effort.
Oil slicks were reported in March and August 2011, in March and October 2012, and in January 2013. Repeated scientific analyses confirmed that the sheen was a chemical match for oil from the Macondo well.
The USCG initially said the oil was too dispersed to recover and posed no threat to the coastline, but later warned BP and Transocean that they might be held financially responsible for cleaning up the new oil. USGS director Marcia McNutt stated that the riser pipe could hold at most 1,000 bbl (160 m) because it is open on both ends, making it unlikely to hold the amount of oil being observed.
In October 2012, BP reported that they had found and plugged leaking oil from the failed containment dome, now abandoned about 1,500 ft (460 m) from the main well. In December 2012, the USCG conducted a subsea survey; no oil coming from the wells or the wreckage was found and its source remains unknown. In addition, a white, milky substance was observed seeping from the wreckage. According to BP and the USCG, it is "not oil and it's not harmful."
In January 2013, BP said that they were continuing to investigate possible sources of the oil sheen. Chemical data implied that the substance might be residual oil leaking from the wreckage. If that proves to be the case, the sheen can be expected to eventually disappear. Another possibility is that it is formation oil escaping from the subsurface, using the Macondo well casing as flow conduit, possibly intersecting a naturally occurring fault, and then following that to escape at the surface some distance from the wellhead. If it proves to be oil from the subsurface, then that could indicate the possibility of an indefinite release of oil. The oil slick was comparable in size to naturally occurring oil seeps and was not large enough to pose an immediate threat to wildlife.
Containment, collection and use of dispersants
Main article: Deepwater Horizon oil spill responseThe fundamental strategies for addressing the spill were containment, dispersal and removal. In summer 2010, approximately 47,000 people and 7,000 vessels were involved in the project. By 3 October 2012, federal response costs amounted to $850 million, mostly reimbursed by BP. As of January 2013, 935 personnel were still involved. By that time cleanup had cost BP over $14 billion.
It was estimated with plus-or-minus 10% uncertainty that 4.9 MMbbl (780,000 m) of oil was released from the well; 4.1 MMbbl (650,000 m) of oil went into the Gulf. The report led by the Department of the Interior and the NOAA said that "75% has been cleaned up by Man or Mother Nature"; however, only about 25% of released oil was collected or removed while about 75% of oil remained in the environment in one form or another. In 2012, Markus Huettel, a benthic ecologist at Florida State University, maintained that while much of BP's oil was degraded or evaporated, at least 60% remains unaccounted for.
In May 2010, a local native set up a network for people to volunteer their assistance in cleaning up beaches. Boat captains were given the opportunity to offer the use of their boats to help clean and prevent the oil from further spreading. To assist with the efforts the captains had to register their ships with the Vessels of Opportunity; however, an issue arose when more boats registered than actually participated in the clean-up efforts – only a third of the registered boats. Many local supporters were disappointed with BP's slow response, prompting the formation of The Florida Key Environmental Coalition. This coalition gained significant influence in the clean-up of the oil spill to try to gain some control over the situation.
Containment
Containment booms stretching over 4,200,000 ft (1,300 km) were deployed, either to corral the oil or as barriers to protect marshes, mangroves, shrimp/crab/oyster ranches or other ecologically sensitive areas. Booms extend 18–48 in (0.46–1.22 m) above and below the water surface and were effective only in relatively calm and slow-moving waters. Including one-time use sorbent booms, a total of 13,300,000 ft (4,100 km) of booms were deployed. Booms were criticized for washing up on the shore with the oil, allowing oil to escape above or below the boom, and for ineffectiveness in more than three- to four-foot (90–120 cm) waves.
The Louisiana barrier island plan was developed to construct barrier islands to protect the coast of Louisiana. The plan was criticised for its expense and poor results. Critics allege that the decision to pursue the project was political with little scientific input. The EPA expressed concern that the booms would threaten wildlife.
For a time, a group called Matter of Trust, citing insufficient availability of manufactured oil absorption booms, campaigned to encourage hair salons, dog groomers and sheep farmers to donate hair, fur and wool clippings, stuffed in pantyhose or tights, to help contain oil near impacted shores, a technique dating back to the Exxon Valdez disaster.
Use of Corexit dispersant
The spill was also notable for the volume of Corexit oil dispersant used and for application methods that were "purely experimental." Altogether, 1.84×10^ US gal (7,000 m) of dispersants were used; of this, 771,000 US gal (2,920 m) were released at the wellhead. Subsea injection had never previously been tried but, due to the spill's unprecedented nature, BP, together with USCG and EPA, decided to use it. Over 400 sorties were flown to release the product. Although usage of dispersants was described as "the most effective and fast moving tool for minimizing shoreline impact", the approach continues to be investigated.
A 2011 analysis conducted by Earthjustice and Toxipedia showed that the dispersant could contain cancer-causing agents, hazardous toxins and endocrine-disrupting chemicals. Environmental scientists expressed concerns that the dispersants add to the toxicity of a spill, increasing the threat to sea turtles and bluefin tuna. The dangers are even greater when poured into the source of a spill, because they are picked up by the current and wash through the Gulf. According to BP and federal officials, dispersant use stopped after the cap was in place; however, marine toxicologist Riki Ott wrote in an open letter to the EPA that Corexit use continued after that date and a GAP investigation stated that " majority of GAP witnesses cited indications that Corexit was used after ".
According to a NALCO manual obtained by GAP, Corexit 9527 is an "eye and skin irritant. Repeated or excessive exposure ... may cause injury to red blood cells (hemolysis), kidney or the liver". The manual adds: "Excessive exposure may cause central nervous system effects, nausea, vomiting, anesthetic or narcotic effects". It advises, "Do not get in eyes, on skin, on clothing", and "Wear suitable protective clothing". For Corexit 9500, the manual advised, "Do not get in eyes, on skin, on clothing", "Avoid breathing vapor", and "Wear suitable protective clothing". According to FOIA requests obtained by GAP, neither the protective gear nor the manual were distributed to Gulf oil spill cleanup workers.
Corexit EC9500A and Corexit EC9527A were the principal variants. The two formulations are neither the least toxic, nor the most effective, among EPA's approved dispersants, but BP said it chose to use Corexit because it was available the week of the rig explosion. On 19 May, the EPA gave BP 24 hours to choose less toxic alternatives to Corexit from the National Contingency Plan Product Schedule and begin applying them within 72 hours of EPA approval or provide a detailed reasoning why no approved products met the standards. On 20 May, BP determined that none of the alternative products met all three criteria of availability, non-toxicity and effectiveness. On 24 May, EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson ordered EPA to conduct its own evaluation of alternatives and ordered BP to reduce dispersant use by 75%. BP reduced Corexit use by 25,689 to 23,250 US gal (97,240 to 88,010 L) per day, a 9% decline. On 2 August 2010, the EPA said dispersants did no more harm to the environment than the oil and that they stopped a large amount of oil from reaching the coast by breaking it down faster. However, some independent scientists and EPA's own experts continue to voice concerns about the approach.
Underwater injection of Corexit into the leak may have created the oil plumes which were discovered below the surface. Because the dispersants were applied at depth, much of the oil never rose to the surface. One plume was 22 mi (35 km) long, more than 1 mi (1,600 m) wide and 650 ft (200 m) deep. In a major study on the plume, experts were most concerned about the slow pace at which the oil was breaking down in the cold, 40 °F (4 °C) water at depths of 3,000 ft (900 m).
In late 2012, a study from Georgia Tech and Universidad Autonoma de Aguascalientes in Environmental Pollution journal reported that Corexit used during the BP oil spill had increased the toxicity of the oil by 52 times. The scientists concluded that "Mixing oil with dispersant increased toxicity to ecosystems" and made the gulf oil spill worse.
Removal
The three basic approaches for removing the oil from the water were: combustion, offshore filtration, and collection for later processing. USCG said 33,000,000 US gal (120,000 m) of tainted water was recovered, including 5,000,000 US gal (19,000 m) of oil. BP said 826,800 bbl (131,450 m) had been recovered or flared. It is calculated that about 5% of leaked oil was burned at the surface and 3% was skimmed. On the most demanding day, 47,849 people were assigned on the response works and over 6,000 Marine vessels, 82 helicopters, and 20 fixed-wing aircraft were involved.
From April to mid-July 2010, 411 controlled in-situ fires remediated approximately 265,000 bbl (11.1 million US gal; 42,100 m). The fires released small amounts of toxins, including cancer-causing dioxins. According to EPA's report, the released amount is not enough to pose an added cancer risk to workers and coastal residents, while a second research team concluded that there was only a small added risk.
Oil was collected from water by using skimmers. In total, 2,063 various skimmers were used. For offshore, more than 60 open-water skimmers were deployed, including 12 purpose-built vehicles. EPA regulations prohibited skimmers that left more than 15 parts per million (ppm) of oil in the water. Many large-scale skimmers exceeded the limit. Due to use of Corexit, the oil was too dispersed to collect, according to a spokesperson for shipowner TMT. In mid-June 2010, BP ordered 32 machines that separate oil and water, with each machine capable of extracting up to 2,000 bbl/d (320 m/d). After one week of testing, BP began to proceed and, by 28 June, had removed 890,000 bbl (141,000 m).
After the well was capped, the cleanup of shore became the main task of the response works. Two main types of affected coast were sandy beaches and marshes. On beaches, the main techniques were sifting sand, removing tar balls, and digging out tar mats manually or by using mechanical devices. For marshes, techniques such as vacuum and pumping, low-pressure flush, vegetation cutting, and bioremediation were used.
Oil-eating microbes
Dispersants are said to facilitate the digestion of the oil by microbes but conflicting results have been reported on this in the context of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Mixing dispersants with oil at the wellhead would keep some oil below the surface and, in theory, allow microbes to digest the oil before it reached the surface. Various risks were identified and evaluated, in particular, that an increase in microbial activity might reduce subsea oxygen levels, threatening fish and other animals.
Several studies suggest that microbes successfully consumed part of the oil. By mid-September, other research claimed that microbes mainly digested natural gas rather than oil. David L. Valentine, a professor of microbial geochemistry at UC Santa Barbara, said that the capability of microbes to break down the leaked oil had been greatly exaggerated. However, biogeochemist Chris Reddy said natural microorganisms are a big reason why the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico was not far worse.
Genetically modified Alcanivorax borkumensis was added to the waters to speed digestion. The delivery method of microbes to oil patches was proposed by the Russian Research and Development Institute of Ecology and the Sustainable Use of Natural Resources.
Access restrictions
On 18 May 2010, BP was designated the lead "Responsible Party" under the Oil Pollution Act of 1990, which meant that BP had operational authority in coordinating the response.
The first video images were released on 12 May, and further video images were released by members of Congress who had been given access to them by BP.
During the spill response operations, at the request of the Coast Guard, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) implemented a 900 sq mi (2,300 km) temporary flight restriction zone over the operations area. Restrictions were to prevent civilian air traffic from interfering with aircraft assisting the response effort. All flights in the operations' area were prohibited except flight authorized by air traffic control; routine flights supporting offshore oil operations; federal, state, local and military flight operations supporting spill response; and air ambulance and law enforcement operations. Exceptions for these restrictions were granted on a case-by-case basis dependent on safety issues, operational requirements, weather conditions, and traffic volume. No flights, except aircraft conducting aerial chemical dispersing operations, or for landing and takeoff, were allowed below 1,000 m (3,300 ft). Notwithstanding restrictions, there were 800 to 1,000 flights per day during the operations.
Local and federal authorities citing BP's authority denied access to members of the press attempting to document the spill from the air, from boats, and on the ground, blocking access to areas that were open to the public. In some cases photographers were granted access only with BP officials escorting them on BP-contracted boats and aircraft. In one example, the U.S. Coast Guard stopped Jean-Michel Cousteau's boat and allowed it to proceed only after the Coast Guard was assured that no journalists were on board. In another example, a CBS News crew was denied access to the oil-covered beaches of the spill area. The CBS crew was told by the authorities, "This is BP's rules, not ours," when trying to film the area. Some members of Congress criticized the restrictions placed on access by journalists.
The FAA denied that BP employees or contractors made decisions on flights and access, saying those decisions were made by the FAA and Coast Guard. The FAA acknowledged that media access was limited to hired planes or helicopters, but was arranged through the Coast Guard. The Coast Guard and BP denied having a policy of restricting journalists; they noted that members of the media had been embedded with the authorities and allowed to cover response efforts since the beginning of the effort, with more than 400 embeds aboard boats and aircraft to date. They also said that they wanted to provide access to the information while maintaining safety.
Cleanup
On 15 April 2014, BP announced that cleanup along the coast was substantially complete, while the United States Coast Guard work continued using physical barriers such as floating booms, the cleanup workers' objective was to keep the oil from spreading any further. They used skimmer boats to remove a majority of the oil and they used sorbents to absorb any remnant of oil like a sponge. Although that method did not remove the oil completely, chemicals called dispersants were used to hasten the oil's degradation to prevent the oil from doing further damage to the marine habitats below the surface water. For the Deep Horizon oil spill, cleanup workers used 1,400,000 US gal (5,300,000 L; 1,200,000 imp gal) of various chemical dispersants to further breakdown the oil.
The state of Louisiana received funding by BP to do regular testing of fish, shellfish, water, and sand. Initial testing regularly showed detectable levels of dioctyl sodium sulfosuccinate, a chemical used in the clean up. Testing over 2019 reported by GulfSource.org, for the pollutants tested have not produced results.
Due to the Deepwater Horizon spill, marine life was suffering. Thousands of animals were visibly covered in oil. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, working with the Smithsonian's National Zoological Park, rescued animals to help with the spill cleanup, although there were many animals found dead.
Consequences
Environmental impact
Main article: Environmental impact of the Deepwater Horizon oil spillThe spill area hosts 8,332 species, including more than 1,270 fish, 604 polychaetes, 218 birds, 1,456 mollusks, 1,503 crustaceans, 4 sea turtles and 29 marine mammals. Between May and June 2010, the spill waters contained 40 times more polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) than before the spill. PAHs are often linked to oil spills and include carcinogens and chemicals that pose various health risks to humans and marine life. The PAHs were most concentrated near the Louisiana Coast, but levels also jumped 2–3 fold in areas off Alabama, Mississippi and Florida. PAHs can harm marine species directly and microbes used to consume the oil can reduce marine oxygen levels. The oil contained approximately 40% methane by weight, compared to about 5% found in typical oil deposits. Methane can potentially suffocate marine life and create "dead zones" where oxygen is depleted.
A 2014 study of the effects of the oil spill on bluefin tuna funded by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Stanford University, and the Monterey Bay Aquarium and published in the journal Science, found that the toxins from oil spills can cause irregular heartbeats leading to cardiac arrest. Calling the vicinity of the spill "one of the most productive ocean ecosystems in the world", the study found that even at very low concentrations "PAH cardiotoxicity was potentially a common form of injury among a broad range of species in the vicinity of the oil." Another peer-reviewed study, released in March 2014 and conducted by 17 scientists from the United States and Australia and published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, found that tuna and amberjack that were exposed to oil from the spill developed deformities of the heart and other organs that would be expected to be fatal or at least life-shortening. The scientists said that their findings would most likely apply to other large predator fish and "even to humans, whose developing hearts are in many ways similar." BP responded that the concentrations of oil in the study were a level rarely seen in the Gulf, but The New York Times reported that the BP statement was contradicted by the study.
The oil dispersant Corexit, previously only used as a surface application, was released underwater in unprecedented amounts, with the intent of making it more easily biodegraded by naturally occurring microbes. Thus, oil that would normally rise to the surface of the water was emulsified into tiny droplets and remained suspended in the water and on the sea floor. The oil and dispersant mixture permeated the food chain through zooplankton. Signs of an oil-and-dispersant mix were found under the shells of tiny blue crab larvae. A study of insect populations in the coastal marshes affected by the spill also found a significant impact. Chemicals from the spill were found in migratory birds as far away as Minnesota. Pelican eggs contained "petroleum compounds and Corexit". Dispersant and PAHs from oil are believed to have caused "disturbing numbers" of mutated fish that scientists and commercial fishers saw in 2012, including 50% of shrimp found lacking eyes and eye sockets. Fish with oozing sores and lesions were first noted by fishermen in November 2010. Prior to the spill, approximately 0.1% of Gulf fish had lesions or sores. A report from the University of Florida said that many locations showed 20% of fish with lesions, while later estimates reached 50%. In October 2013, Al Jazeera reported that the gulf ecosystem was "in crisis", citing a decline in seafood catches, as well as deformities and lesions found in fish. According to J. Christopher Haney, Harold Geiger, and Jeffrey Short, three researchers with extensive experience in environmental monitoring and post-spill mortality assessments, over one million coastal birds died as a direct result of the Deepwater Horizon spill. These numbers, coupled with the National Audubon Society scientists' observations of bird colonies and bird mortality well after the acute phase, have led scientists to conclude that more than one million birds ultimately succumbed to the lethal effects of the Gulf oil spill.
In July 2010, it was reported that the spill was "already having a 'devastating' effect on marine life in the Gulf". Damage to the ocean floor especially endangered the Louisiana pancake batfish whose range is entirely contained within the spill-affected area. In March 2012, a definitive link was found between the death of a Gulf coral community and the spill. According to NOAA, a cetacean Unusual Mortality Event (UME) has been recognized since before the spill began, NOAA is investigating possible contributing factors to the ongoing UME from the Deepwater Horizon spill, with the possibility of eventual criminal charges being filed if the spill is shown to be connected. Some estimates are that only 2% of the carcasses of killed mammals have been recovered.
In the first birthing season for dolphins after the spill, dead baby dolphins washed up along Mississippi and Alabama shorelines at about 10 times the normal number. A peer-reviewed NOAA/BP study disclosed that nearly half the bottlenose dolphins tested in mid-2011 in Barataria Bay, a heavily oiled area, were in "guarded or worse" condition, "including 17 percent that were not expected to survive". BP officials deny that the disease conditions are related to the spill, saying that dolphin deaths actually began being reported before the BP oil spill. By 2013, over 650 dolphins had been found stranded in the oil spill area, a four-fold increase over the historical average. The National Wildlife Federation (NWF) reports that sea turtles, mostly endangered Kemp's ridley sea turtles, have been stranding at a high rate. Before the spill there was an average of 100 strandings per year; since the spill the number has jumped to roughly 500. NWF senior scientist Doug Inkley notes that the marine death rates are unprecedented and occurring high in the food chain, strongly suggesting there is "something amiss with the Gulf ecosystem". In December 2013, the journal Environmental Science & Technology published a study finding that of 32 dolphins briefly captured from 24-km stretch near southeastern Louisiana, half were seriously ill or dying. BP said the report was "inconclusive as to any causation associated with the spill".
In 2012, tar balls continued to wash up along the Gulf coast and in 2013, tar balls could still be found in on the Mississippi and Louisiana coasts, along with oil sheens in marshes and signs of severe erosion of coastal islands, brought about by the death of trees and marsh grass from exposure to the oil. In 2013, former NASA physicist Bonny Schumaker noted a "dearth of marine life" in a radius 30 to 50 mi (48 to 80 km) around the well, after flying over the area numerous times since May 2010.
In 2013, researchers found that oil on the bottom of the seafloor did not seem to be degrading, and observed a phenomenon called a "dirty blizzard": oil in the water column began clumping around suspended sediments, and falling to the ocean floor in an "underwater rain of oily particles." The result could have long-term effects because oil could remain in the food chain for generations.
A 2014 bluefin tuna study in Science found that oil already broken down by wave action and chemical dispersants was more toxic than fresh oil. A 2015 study of the relative toxicity of oil and dispersants to coral also found that the dispersants were more toxic than the oil.
A 2015 study by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, published in PLOS ONE, links the sharp increase in dolphin deaths to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
On 12 April 2016, a research team reported that 88 percent of about 360 baby or stillborn dolphins within the spill area "had abnormal or under-developed lungs", compared to 15 percent in other areas. The study was published in the April 2016 Diseases of Aquatic Organisms.
Health consequences
Main article: Health consequences of the Deepwater Horizon oil spillBy June 2010, 143 spill-exposure cases had been reported to the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals; 108 of those involved workers in the clean-up efforts, while 35 were reported by residents. Chemicals from the oil and dispersant are believed to be the cause; it is believed that the addition of dispersants made the oil more toxic.
The United States Department of Health and Human Services set up the GuLF Study in June 2010 in response to these reports. The study is run by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, and will last at least five years.
Mike Robicheux, a Louisiana physician, described the situation as "the biggest public health crisis from a chemical poisoning in the history of this country." In July, after testing the blood of BP cleanup workers and residents in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida for volatile organic compounds, environmental scientist Wilma Subra said she was "finding amounts 5 to 10 times in excess of the 95th percentile"; she said that "the presence of these chemicals in the blood indicates exposure." Riki Ott, a marine toxicologist with experience of the Exxon Valdez oil spill, advised families to evacuate the Gulf. She said that workers from the Valdez spill had suffered long-term health consequences.
Following the 26 May 2010 hospitalization of seven fishermen that were working in the cleanup crew, BP requested that the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health perform a Health Hazard Evaluation. This was to cover all offshore cleanup activities; BP later requested a second NIOSH investigation of onshore cleanup operations. Tests for chemical exposure in the seven fishermen were negative; NIOSH concluded that the hospitalizations were most likely a result of heat, fatigue, and terpenes that were being used to clean the decks. Review of 10 later hospitalizations found that heat exposure and dehydration were consistent findings but could not establish chemical exposure. NIOSH personnel performed air monitoring around cleanup workers at sea, on land, and during the application of Corexit. Air concentrations of volatile organic compounds and PAHs never exceeded permissible exposure levels. A limitation of their methodology was that some VOCs may have already evaporated from the oil before they began their investigation. In their report, they suggest the possibility that respiratory symptoms might have been caused by high levels of ozone or reactive aldehydes in the air, possibly produced from photochemical reactions in the oil. NIOSH did note that many of the personnel involved were not donning personal protective equipment (gloves and impermeable coveralls) as they had been instructed to and emphasized that this was important protection against transdermal absorption of chemicals from the oil. Heat stress was found to be the most pressing safety concern.
Workers reported that they were not allowed to use respirators, and that their jobs were threatened if they did. OSHA said "cleanup workers are receiving "minimal" exposure to airborne toxins...OSHA will require that BP provide certain protective clothing, but not respirators." ProPublica reported that workers were being photographed while working with no protective clothing. An independent investigation for Newsweek showed that BP did not hand out the legally required safety manual for use with Corexit, and were not provided with safety training or protective gear.
A 2012 survey of the health effects of the spill on cleanup workers reported "eye, nose and throat irritation; respiratory problems; blood in urine, vomit and rectal bleeding; seizures; nausea and violent vomiting episodes that last for hours; skin irritation, burning and lesions; short-term memory loss and confusion; liver and kidney damage; central nervous system effects and nervous system damage; hypertension; and miscarriages". Dr. James Diaz, writing for the American Journal of Disaster Medicine, said these ailments appearing in the Gulf reflected those reported after previous oil spills, like the Exxon Valdez. Diaz warned that "chronic adverse health effects, including cancers, liver and kidney disease, mental health disorders, birth defects and developmental disorders should be anticipated among sensitive populations and those most heavily exposed". Diaz also believes neurological disorders should be expected.
Two years after the spill, a study initiated by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health found biomarkers matching the oil from the spill in the bodies of cleanup workers. Other studies have reported a variety of mental health issues, skin problems, breathing issues, coughing, and headaches. In 2013, during the three-day "Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill & Ecosystem Science Conference", findings discussed included a '"significant percentage" of Gulf residents reporting mental health problems like anxiety, depression and PTSD. These studies also showed that the bodies of former spill cleanup workers carry biomarkers of "many chemicals contained in the oil".
A study that investigated the health effects among children in Louisiana and Florida living less than 10 miles from the coast found that more than a third of the parents reported physical or mental health symptoms among their children. The parents reported "unexplained symptoms among their children, including bleeding ears, nose bleeds, and the early start of menstruation among girls," according to David Abramson, director of Columbia University's National Center for Disaster Preparedness.
A cohort study of almost 2,200 Louisiana women found "high physical/environmental exposure was significantly associated with all 13 of the physical health symptoms surveyed, with the strongest associations for burning in nose, throat or lungs; sore throat; dizziness and wheezing. Women who suffered a high degree of economic disruption as a result of spill were significantly more likely to report wheezing; headaches; watery, burning, itchy eyes and stuffy, itchy, runny nose.
Economy
Main article: Economic and political consequences of the Deepwater Horizon disasterThe spill had a strong economic impact to BP and also the Gulf Coast's economy sectors such as offshore drilling, fishing and tourism. Estimates of lost tourism dollars were projected to cost the Gulf coastal economy up to $22.7 billion through 2013. In addition, Louisiana reported that lost visitor spending through the end of 2010 totaled $32 million, and losses through 2013 were expected to total $153 million in this state alone. The Gulf of Mexico commercial fishing industry was estimated to have lost $247 million as a result of postspill fisheries closures. One study projects that the overall impact of lost or degraded commercial, recreational, and mariculture fisheries in the Gulf could be $8.7 billion by 2020, with a potential loss of 22,000 jobs over the same time frame. BP's expenditures on the spill included the cost of the spill response, containment, relief well drilling, grants to the Gulf states, claims paid, and federal costs, including fines and penalties. Due to the loss of the market value, BP had dropped from the second to the fourth largest of the four major oil companies by 2013. During the crisis, BP gas stations in the United States reported a sales drop of between 10 and 40% due to backlash against the company.
Local officials in Louisiana expressed concern that the offshore drilling moratorium imposed in response to the spill would further harm the economies of coastal communities as the oil industry directly or indirectly employs about 318,000 Louisiana residents (17% of all jobs in the state). NOAA had closed 86,985 sq mi (225,290 km), or approximately 36% of Federal waters in the Gulf of Mexico, for commercial fishing causing $2.5 billion cost for the fishing industry. The U.S. Travel Association estimated that the economic impact of the oil spill on tourism across the Gulf Coast over a three-year period could exceed approximately $23 billion, in a region that supports over 400,000 travel industry jobs generating $34 billion in revenue annually.
Offshore drilling policies
Main articles: United States offshore drilling debate and 2010 United States deepwater drilling moratorium See also: Hornbeck Offshore Services LLC v. SalazarOn 30 April 2010, President Barack Obama ordered the federal government to hold the issuing of new offshore drilling leases and authorized the investigation of 29 oil rigs in the Gulf in an effort to determine the cause of the disaster. Later a six-month offshore drilling (below 500 ft (150 m) of water) moratorium was enforced by the United States Department of the Interior. The moratorium suspended work on 33 rigs, and a group of affected companies formed the Back to Work Coalition. On 22 June, a United States federal judge on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana Martin Leach-Cross Feldman when ruling in the case Hornbeck Offshore Services LLC v. Salazar, lifted the moratorium finding it too broad, arbitrary and not adequately justified. The ban was lifted in October 2010.
Prior to the oil spill, on 31 March 2010, Obama ended a ban on oil and gas drilling along the majority of the East Coast of the United States and along the coast of northern Alaska in an effort to win support for an energy and climate bill and to reduce foreign imports of oil and gas.
On 28 April 2010, the National Energy Board of Canada, which regulates offshore drilling in the Canadian Arctic and along the British Columbia Coast, issued a letter to oil companies asking them to explain their argument against safety rules which require same-season relief wells. On 3 May California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger withdrew his support for a proposed plan to allow expanded offshore drilling projects in California. On 8 July, Florida Governor Charlie Crist called for a special session of the state legislature to draft an amendment to the state constitution banning offshore drilling in state waters, which the legislature rejected on 20 July.
In October 2011, the United States Department of the Interior's Minerals Management Service was dissolved after it was determined it had exercised poor oversight over the drilling industry. Three new agencies replaced it, separating the regulation, leasing, and revenue collection responsibilities respectively, among the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, and Office of Natural Resources Revenue.
In March 2014, BP was again allowed to bid for oil and gas leases.
Reactions
Main article: Reactions to the Deepwater Horizon oil spillU.S. reactions
On 30 April, President Obama dispatched the Secretaries of the Department of Interior and Homeland Security, as well as the EPA Administrator and NOAA to the Gulf Coast to assess the disaster. In his 15 June speech, Obama said, "This oil spill is the worst environmental disaster America has ever faced... Make no mistake: we will fight this spill with everything we've got for as long as it takes. We will make BP pay for the damage their company has caused. And we will do whatever's necessary to help the Gulf Coast and its people recover from this tragedy." Interior Secretary Ken Salazar stated, "Our job basically is to keep the boot on the neck of British Petroleum." Some observers suggested that the Obama administration was being overly aggressive in its criticisms, which some BP investors saw as an attempt to deflect criticism of his own handling of the crisis. Rand Paul accused President Obama of being anti-business and "un-American".
Public opinion polls in the U.S. were generally critical of the way President Obama and the federal government handled the disaster and they were extremely critical of BPs response. Across the US, thousands participated in dozens of protests at BP gas stations and other locations, reducing sales at some stations by 10% to 40%.
The petroleum industry claimed that disasters are infrequent and that this spill was an isolated incident and rejected claims of a loss of industry credibility. The American Petroleum Institute (API) stated that the offshore drilling industry is important to job creation and economic growth. CEOs from the top five oil companies all agreed to work harder at improving safety. API announced the creation of an offshore safety institute, separate from API's lobbying operation.
The Organization for International Investment, a Washington D.C.-based advocate for overseas investment in the United States, warned that the heated rhetoric was potentially damaging the reputation of British companies with operations in the United States and could spark a wave of U.S. protectionism that would restrict British firms from government contracts, political donations and lobbying.
In July 2010, President Obama issued an executive order, specifically citing the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, that adopted recommendations from the Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force and established the National Ocean Council. The council called together a number of federal committees and departments engaged in ocean issues to work with a newly established committee for conservation and resource management. In June 2018, the executive order establishing the National Ocean Council was revoked by then-U.S. president Donald Trump in an effort to roll back bureaucracy and benefit "ocean industries employ millions of Americans".
United Kingdom reactions
In the UK, there was anger at the American press and news outlets for the misuse of the term "British Petroleum" for the company – a name which has not been used since British Petroleum merged with the American company Amoco in 1998 to form BP Amoco. It was said that the U.S. was "dumping" the blame onto the British people and there were calls for British Prime Minister David Cameron to protect British interests in the United States. British pension fund managers (who have large holdings of BP shares and rely upon its dividends) accepted that while BP had to pay compensation for the spill and the environmental damage, they argued that the cost to the company's market value from President Obama's criticism was far outweighing the direct clean-up costs.
Initially, BP downplayed the incident; its CEO Tony Hayward called the amount of oil and dispersant "relatively tiny" in comparison with the "very big ocean." Later, he drew an outpouring of criticism when he said that the spill was a disruption to Gulf Coast residents and himself adding, "You know, I'd like my life back." BP's chief operating officer Doug Suttles contradicted the underwater plume discussion noting, "It may be down to how you define what a plume is here… The oil that has been found is in very minute quantities." In June, BP launched a PR campaign and successfully bid for several search terms related to the spill on Google and other search engines so that the first sponsored search result linked directly to the company's website. On 26 July 2010, it was announced that CEO Tony Hayward was to resign and would be replaced by Bob Dudley, who is an American citizen and previously worked for Amoco.
Hayward's involvement in Deepwater Horizon has left him a highly controversial public figure. In May 2013, he was honored as a "distinguished leader" by the University of Birmingham, but his award ceremony was stopped on multiple occasions by jeers and walk-outs and the focus of a protest from People & Planet members.
In July 2013, Hayward was awarded an honorary degree from Robert Gordon University. This was described as a "sick joke" and "a very serious error of judgement" by Friends of the Earth Scotland. The student body president expressed that students would be "very disappointed."
International reactions
The U.S. government rejected offers of cleanup help from Canada, Croatia, France, Germany, Ireland, Mexico, the Netherlands, Norway, Romania, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United Nations. The U.S. State Department listed 70 assistance offers from 23 countries, all being initially declined, but later, 8 had been accepted. The USCG actively requested skimming boats and equipment from several countries.
Legal aspects and settlements
Investigations
Main article: Deepwater Horizon investigationIn the United States the Deepwater Horizon investigation included several investigations and commissions, including reports by the USCG National Incident Commander, Admiral Thad Allen, the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE), National Academy of Engineering, National Research Council, Government Accountability Office, National Oil Spill Commission, and Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board. The Republic of the Marshall Islands Maritime Administrator conducted a separate investigation on the marine casualty. BP conducted its internal investigation.
An investigation of the possible causes of the explosion was launched on 22 April 2010 by the USCG and the Minerals Management Service. On 11 May the United States administration requested the National Academy of Engineering conduct an independent technical investigation. The National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling was established on 22 May to "consider the root causes of the disaster and offer options on safety and environmental precautions." The investigation by United States Attorney General Eric Holder was announced on 1 June 2010. Also the United States House Committee on Energy and Commerce conducted a number of hearings, including hearings of Tony Hayward and heads of Anadarko and Mitsui's exploration unit. According to the US Congressional investigation, the rig's blowout preventer, built by Cameron International Corporation, had a hydraulic leak and a failed battery, and therefore failed.
On 8 September 2010, BP released a 193-page report on its web site. The report places some of the blame for the accident on BP but also on Halliburton and Transocean. The report found that on 20 April 2010, managers misread pressure data and gave their approval for rig workers to replace drilling fluid in the well with seawater, which was not heavy enough to prevent gas that had been leaking into the well from firing up the pipe to the rig, causing the explosion. The conclusion was that BP was partly to blame, as was Transocean, which owned the rig. Responding to the report, Transocean and Halliburton placed all blame on BP.
On 9 November 2010, a report by the Oil Spill Commission said that there had been "a rush to completion" on the well and criticised poor management decisions. "There was not a culture of safety on that rig," the co-chair said.
The National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling released a final report on 5 January 2011. The panel found that BP, Halliburton, and Transocean had attempted to work more cheaply and thus helped to trigger the explosion and ensuing leakage. The report stated that "whether purposeful or not, many of the decisions that BP, Halliburton, and Transocean made that increased the risk of the Macondo blowout clearly saved those companies significant time (and money)." BP released a statement in response to this, saying, that "even prior to the conclusion of the commission's investigation, BP instituted significant changes designed to further strengthen safety and risk management." Transocean, however, blamed BP for making the decisions before the actual explosion occurred and government officials for permitting those decisions. Halliburton stated that it was acting only upon the orders of BP when it injected the cement into the wall of the well. It criticized BP for its failure to run a cement bond log test. In the report, BP was accused of nine faults. One was that it had not used a diagnostic tool to test the strength of the cement. Another was ignoring a pressure test that had failed. Still another was for not plugging the pipe with cement. The study did not, however, place the blame on any one of these events. Rather, it concluded that "notwithstanding these inherent risks, the accident of April 20 was avoidable" and that "it resulted from clear mistakes made in the first instance by BP, Halliburton and Transocean, and by government officials who, relying too much on industry's assertions of the safety of their operations, failed to create and apply a program of regulatory oversight that would have properly minimized the risk of deepwater drilling." The panel also noted that the government regulators did not have sufficient knowledge or authority to notice these cost-cutting decisions.
On 23 March 2011, BOEMRE (former MMS) and the USCG published a forensic examination report on the blowout preventer, prepared by Det Norske Veritas. The report concluded that the primary cause of failure was that the blind shear rams failed to fully close and seal due to a portion of drill pipe buckling between the shearing blocks.
The US government report issued in September 2011 stated that BP is ultimately responsible for the spill, and that Halliburton and Transocean share some of the blame. The report states that the main cause was the defective cement job, and Halliburton, BP and Transocean were, in different ways, responsible for the accident. The report stated that, although the events leading to the sinking of Deepwater Horizon were set into motion by the failure to prevent a well blowout, the investigation revealed numerous systems deficiencies, and acts and omissions by Transocean and its Deepwater Horizon crew, that had an adverse impact on the ability to prevent or limit the magnitude of the disaster. The report also states that a central cause of the blowout was failure of a cement barrier allowing hydrocarbons to flow up the wellbore, through the riser and onto the rig, resulting in the blowout. The loss of life and the subsequent pollution of the Gulf of Mexico were the result of poor risk management, last‐minute changes to plans, failure to observe and respond to critical indicators, inadequate well control response, and insufficient emergency bridge response training by companies and individuals responsible for drilling at the Macondo well and for the operation of the drilling platform.
Spill response fund
Main article: Gulf Coast Claims Facility See also: Kenneth FeinbergOn 16 June 2010, after BP executives met with President Obama, BP announced and established the Gulf Coast Claims Facility (GCCF), a $20 billion fund to settle claims arising from the Deepwater Horizon spill. This fund was set aside for natural resource damages, state and local response costs, and individual compensation, but could not be used for fines or penalties. Prior to establishing the GCCF, emergency compensation was paid by BP from an initial facility.
The GCCF was administrated by attorney Kenneth Feinberg. The facility began accepting claims on 23 August 2010. On 8 March 2012, after BP and a team of plaintiffs' attorneys agreed to a class-action settlement, a court-supervised administrator Patrick Juneau took over administration. Until this more than one million claims of 220,000 individual and business claimants were processed and more than $6.2 billion was paid out from the fund. 97% of payments were made to claimants in the Gulf States. In June 2012, the settlement of claims through the GCCF was replaced by the court-supervised settlement program. During this transition period additional $404 million in claims were paid.
The GCCF and its administrator Feinberg had been criticized about the amount and speed of payments as well as a lack of transparency. An independent audit of the GCCF, announced by Attorney General Eric Holder, was approved by Senate on 21 October 2011. An auditor BDO Consulting found that 7,300 claimants were wrongly denied or underpaid. As a result, about $64 million of additional payments was made. The Mississippi Center for Justice provided pro bono assistance to 10,000 people to help them "navigate the complex claims process." In a New York Times opinion piece, Stephen Teague, staff attorney at the Mississippi Center for Justice, argued that BP had become "increasingly brazen" in "stonewalling payments." "But tens of thousands of gulf residents still haven't been fully compensated for their losses, and many are struggling to make ends meet. Many low-wage workers in the fishing and service industries, for example, have been seeking compensation for lost wages and jobs for three years."
In July 2013, BP made a motion in court to freeze payments on tens of thousands of claims, arguing inter alia that a staff attorney from the Deepwater Horizon Court-Supervised Settlement Program, the program responsible for evaluating compensation claims, had improperly profited from claims filed by a New Orleans law firm. The attorney is said to have received portions of settlement claims for clients he referred to the firm. The federal judge assigned to the case, Judge Barbier, refused to halt the settlement program, saying he had not seen evidence of widespread fraud, adding that he was "offended by what he saw as attempts to smear the lawyer administering the claims."
Civil litigation and settlements
Main article: Deepwater Horizon litigation See also: Hornbeck Offshore Services LLC v. SalazarBy 26 May 2010, over 130 lawsuits relating to the spill had been filed against one or more of BP, Transocean, Cameron International Corporation, and Halliburton Energy Services, although it was considered likely by observers that these would be combined into one court as a multidistrict litigation. On 21 April 2011, BP issued $40 billion worth of lawsuits against rig owner Transocean, cementer Halliburton and blowout preventer manufacturer Cameron. The oil firm alleged failed safety systems and irresponsible behaviour of contractors had led to the explosion, including claims that Halliburton failed to properly use modelling software to analyze safe drilling conditions. The firms deny the allegations.
On 2 March 2012, BP and plaintiffs agreed to settle their lawsuits. The deal would settle roughly 100,000 claims filed by individuals and businesses affected by the spill. On 13 August, BP asked US District Judge Carl Barbier to approve the settlement, saying its actions "did not constitute gross negligence or willful misconduct". On 13 January 2013, Judge Barbier approved a medical-benefits portion of BP's proposed $7.8 billion partial settlement. People living for at least 60 days along oil-impacted shores or involved in the clean-up who can document one or more specific health conditions caused by the oil or dispersants are eligible for benefits, as are those injured during clean-up. BP also agreed to spend $105 million over five years to set up a Gulf Coast health outreach program and pay for medical examinations. According to a group presenting the plaintiffs, the deal has no specific cap. BP says that it has $9.5 billion in assets set aside in a trust to pay the claims, and the settlement will not increase the $37.2 billion the company budgeted for spill-related expenses. BP originally expected to spend $7.8 billion. By October 2013 it had increased its projection to $9.2 billion, saying it could be "significantly higher."
On 31 August 2012, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) filed papers in federal court in New Orleans blaming BP for the Gulf oil spill, describing the spill as an example of "gross negligence and willful misconduct." In their statement the DOJ said that some of BP's arguments were "plainly misleading" and that the court should ignore BP's argument that the Gulf region is "undergoing a robust recovery". BP rejected the charges saying "BP believes it was not grossly negligent and looks forward to presenting evidence on this issue at trial in January." The DOJ also said Transocean, the owner and operator of the Deepwater Horizon rig, was guilty of gross negligence as well.
On 14 November 2012, BP and the US Department of Justice reached a settlement. BP will pay $4.5 billion in fines and other payments, the largest of its kind in US history. In addition, the U.S. government temporarily banned BP from new federal contracts over its "lack of business integrity". The plea was accepted by Judge Sarah Vance of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana on 31 January 2013. The settlement includes payments of $2.394 billion to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, $1.15 billion to the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund, $350 million to the National Academy of Sciences for oil spill prevention and response research, $100 million to the North America Wetland Conservation Fund, $6 million to General Treasury and $525 million to the Securities and Exchange Commission. Oil sector analysts at London-based investment bank Canaccord Genuity noted that a settlement along the lines disclosed would only be a partial resolution of the many claims against BP.
On 3 January 2013, the US Justice Department announced "Transocean Deepwater Inc. has agreed to plead guilty to violating the Clean Water Act and to pay a total of $1.4 billion in civil and criminal fines and penalties". $800 million goes to Gulf Coast restoration Trust Fund, $300 million to the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund, $150 million to the National Wild Turkey Federation and $150 million to the National Academy of Sciences. MOEX Offshore 2007 agreed to pay $45 million to the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund, $25 million to five Gulf state and $20 million to supplemental environmental projects.
On 25 July 2013, Halliburton pleaded guilty to destruction of critical evidence after the oil spill and said it would pay the maximum allowable fine of $200,000 and will be subject to three years of probation.
In January 2014, a panel of the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals rejected an effort by BP to curb payment of what it described as "fictitious" and "absurd" claims to a settlement fund for businesses and persons affected by the oil spill. BP said administration of the 2012 settlement was marred by the fact that people without actual damages could file a claim. The court ruled that BP had not explained "how this court or the district court should identify or even discern the existence of 'claimants that have suffered no cognizable injury.'" The Court then went further, calling BP's position "nonsensical." The Supreme Court of the United States later refused to hear BP's appeal after victims and claimants, along with numerous Gulf coast area chambers of commerce, objected to the oil major's efforts to renege on the Settlement Agreement.
In September 2014, Halliburton agreed to settle a large percentage of legal claims against it by paying $1.1 billion into a trust by way of three installments over two years.
Justice Department lawsuit
BP and its partners in the oil well, Transocean and Halliburton, went on trial on 25 February 2013 in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana in New Orleans to determine payouts and fines under the Clean Water Act and the Natural Resources Damage Assessment. The plaintiffs included the U.S. Justice Department, Gulf states and private individuals. Tens of billions of dollars in liability and fines were at stake. A finding of gross negligence would result in a four-fold increase in the fines BP would have to pay for violating the federal Clean Water Act, and leave the company liable for punitive damages for private claims.
The trial's first phase was to determine the liability of BP, Transocean, Halliburton, and other companies, and if they acted with gross negligence and willful misconduct. The second phase scheduled in September 2013 focused on the flow rate of the oil and the third phase scheduled in 2014 was to consider damages. According to the plaintiffs' lawyers the major cause of an explosion was the mishandling of a rig safety test, while inadequate training of the staff, poor maintenance of the equipment and substandard cement were also mentioned as things leading to the disaster. According to The Wall Street Journal the U.S. government and Gulf Coast states had prepared an offer to BP for a $16 billion settlement. However, it was not clear if this deal had been officially proposed to BP and if BP has accepted it.
On 4 September 2014, U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier ruled BP was guilty of gross negligence and willful misconduct. He described BP's actions as "reckless." He said Transocean's and Halliburton's actions were "negligent." He apportioned 67% of the blame for the spill to BP, 30% to Transocean, and 3% to Halliburton. Fines would be apportioned commensurate with the degree of negligence of the parties, measured against the number of barrels of oil spilled. Under the Clean Water Act fines can be based on a cost per barrel of up to $4,300, at the discretion of the judge. The number of barrels was in dispute at the conclusion of the trial with BP arguing 2.5 million barrels were spilled over the 87 days the spill lasted, while the court contends 4.2 million barrels were spilled. BP issued a statement strongly disagreeing with the finding, and saying the court's decision would be appealed.
Barbier ruled that BP had acted with "conscious disregard of known risks" and rejected BP's assertion that other parties were equally responsible for the oil spill. His ruling stated that BP "employees took risks that led to the largest environmental disaster in U.S. history", that the company was "reckless", and determined that several crucial BP decisions were "primarily driven by a desire to save time and money, rather than ensuring that the well was secure." BP strongly disagreed with the ruling and filed an immediate appeal.
On 2 July 2015, BP, the U.S. Justice Department and five gulf states announced that the company agreed to pay a record settlement of $18.7 billion. To date BP's cost for the clean-up, environmental and economic damages and penalties has reached $54 billion.
Criminal charges
Main article: Deepwater Horizon litigationIn addition to the private lawsuits and civil governmental actions, the federal government charged multiple companies and five individuals with federal crimes.
In the November 2012 resolution of the federal charges against it, BP agreed to plead guilty to 11 felony counts related to the deaths of the 11 workers and paid a $4 billion fine. Transocean pled guilty to a misdemeanor charge as part of its $1.4 billion fine.
In April 2012, the Justice Department filed the first criminal charge against Kurt Mix, a BP engineer, for obstructing justice by deleting messages showing that BP knew the flow rate was three times higher than initial claims by the company, and knew that "Top Kill" was unlikely to succeed, but claimed otherwise. Three more BP employees were charged in November 2012. Site managers Donald Vidrine and Robert Kaluza were charged with manslaughter for acting negligently in their supervision of key safety tests performed on the rig prior to the explosion, and failure to alert onshore engineers of problems in the drilling operation. David Rainey, BP's former vice-president for exploration in the Gulf of Mexico, was charged with obstructing Congress by misrepresenting the rate that oil was flowing out of the well. Lastly, Anthony Badalamenti, a Halliburton manager, was charged with instructing two employees to delete data related to Halliburton's cementing job on the oil well.
None of the charges against individuals resulted in any prison time, and no charges were levied against upper level executives. Anthony Badalementi was sentenced to one year probation, Donald Vidrine paid a $50,000 fine and received 10 months probation, Kurt Mix received 6 months' probation, and David Rainey and Robert Kaluza were acquitted.
In popular culture
Documentary
- On 28 March 2011, Dispatches aired a documentary by James Brabazon, BP: In Deep Water, about the oil company, BP, covering oil spills in the gulf of Mexico and other incidents and its relationship with Governments.
- In April 2012, the National Geographic Channel's documentary series Seconds From Disaster featured the accident in an episode titled "The Deepwater Horizon"
- In 2012, Beyond Pollution 2012 traveled across the gulf coast interviewing environmental experts, government authorities, fishermen, scientists, drilling engineers, and key BP contractors, examining economic and health effects.
- In 2012, The Big Fix, documented the April 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico following the sinking of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig
- In 2014, The Great Invisible, by Margaret Brown chose to focus on the social impacts on people whose lives have been affected by this tragedy. Later airing 19 April 2015 as the season 16, episode 14 of Independent Lens.
- In 2014, Vanishing Pearls: The Oystermen of Pointe a la Hache, Louisiana, documented the town of nearly 300 struggling to survive following the BP Oil Spill that left their crop dead and finances in ruin.
- In 2016, Pretty Slick, documented the cleanup effort and locals across four Gulf states about the largest man-made environmental disaster in U.S. history.
- In 2016, After the Spill, Jon Bowermaster investigates how the disaster affected local economies and the health of humans, animals, and food sources, and with Corexit, where all the oil went, as a follow-up to the pre-spill SoLa, Louisiana Water Stories, in post-production when the Deepwater Horizon exploded.
- In 2016, Dispatches From The Gulf, Hal Weiner follows scientists investigating the oil spill's effect on the Gulf.
Drama
- In 2012, "We Just Decided To", the pilot of the HBO TV series The Newsroom, featured its characters covering the Deepwater Horizon story.
- The 2015 film The Runner, directed by Austin Stark and starring Nicolas Cage, is a fictional story of a politician and his family set in the aftermath of the Deepwater Horizon disaster.
- In 2016, Deepwater Horizon, a film based on the explosion, directed by Peter Berg and starring Mark Wahlberg was released.
Music
- In June 2010, Steve Goodie, a comedy musician, wrote parody lyrics to The Doobie Brothers' hit song "Black Water" related to the BP oil spill. "Black Water " also had a YouTube video.
- In 2011, Jimmy Fallon, then host of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, created a protest song about how there were still tarballs floating around the Gulf of Mexico called "Balls In Your Mouth." He performed it a number of times on the show with different guest singers, including Eddie Vedder, Russell Crowe, Brad Paisley, and Florence Welch. The live recording of the song featuring Eddie Vedder was included in Fallon's Grammy-award winning comedy album "Blow Your Pants Off".
- In 2011, Rise Against released a song titled "Help Is on the Way" on their album Endgame. The song is about the slow response time for aid to disaster-stricken areas, with lyrics that allude to the Macondo spill and Hurricane Katrina.
- In June 2011, Canadian musician City and Colour released a song titled "At the Bird's Foot" on his album Little Hell. The song is about the event and the greed of those involved.
- In 2012, the Dutch band Epica wrote a song titled "Deep Water Horizon" on their album Requiem for the Indifferent which highlighted humanity's effect on global warming inspired by the events of the oil spill.
- On Election Day, 6 November 2012, Pete Seeger and Lorre Wyatt released the music video and single "God's Counting on Me, God's Counting on You", which they recorded and filmed live aboard the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater in 2010 immediately after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The song references the spill.
- In 2012, American singer-songwriter Andrew Bird released the song "Hole in the Ocean Floor" referencing the Deepwater Horizon oil spill as his inspiration.
- The oil spill inspired Steve Earle's song "Gulf of Mexico".
Television
- The Deepwater Horizon oil spill is referenced in a 2010 episode of South Park, "Coon 2: Hindsight". When a BP drilling vessel drills a new hole in the Gulf, it accidentally causes an oil spill in a protected zone, prompting one of the crewmen to exclaim "Oh, don't tell me we did it again?". Later on in the episode, BP drilled again and opened up a portal to another dimension, causing the gulf to be attacked by its creatures. Then they drilled on the Moon hoping to change the gravitational pull on the Earth and quell the swells on the ocean, allowing them to place a cap on the portal. Unfortunately, in doing this, Cthulhu emerged from the portal. Each time they drilled, Tony Hayward released a "we're sorry" campaign. The hole in the Gulf wasn't shut until two episodes later.
- The Beavis and Butt-head season 8 episode, "Spill," takes place at the Gulf when their teacher, Mr. Van Driessen, organizes a trip to help clean baby birds affected by the oil spill. The boys mistakingly believe they will be having sex with "filthy chicks" and volunteer to go.
See also
- Exxon Valdez oil spill
- List of industrial disasters
- List of oil spills
- Offshore oil and gas in the Gulf of Mexico (United States)
- Taylor oil spill
- Timeline of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill
- Two barrier rule
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{{cite web}}
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Further reading
- Khatchadourian, Raffi (11 March 2011). "A Reporter at Large: The Gulf war". The New Yorker. Vol. 87, no. 4. pp. 36–59. Retrieved 15 December 2013.
- Liu, Yonggang; MacFadyen, Amy; Ji, Zhen-Gang; Weisberg, Robert H. (2011). "Monitoring and Modeling the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill: A Record-Breaking Enterprise". Geophysical Monograph Series. Washington DC American Geophysical Union Geophysical Monograph Series. 195. Bibcode:2011GMS...195.....L. doi:10.1029/GM195. ISBN 978-0-87590-485-6. Archived from the original on 6 November 2014. Retrieved 6 November 2014.
- Marghany, Maged (15 December 2014). "Utilization of a genetic algorithm for the automatic detection of oil spill from RADARSAT-2 SAR satellite data". Marine Pollution Bulletin. 89 (1–2): 20–29. Bibcode:2014MarPB..89...20M. doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2014.10.041. PMID 25455367.
- Erik Stokstad (8 February 2013). "BP Research Dollars Yield Signs of Cautious Hope". Science. 339 (6120): 636–637. Bibcode:2013Sci...339..636S. doi:10.1126/science.339.6120.636. PMID 23393236. Retrieved 25 February 2013.
- Daniel Kaniewski; James Carafano (9 August 2010). "Critical Lessons from the Federal Response to the Gulf Oil Spill". The Heritage Foundation. Retrieved 31 July 2015.
External links
- Deepwater BP Oil Spill at the Wayback Machine (archive index) – at Whitehouse.gov
- Deepwater Horizon Incident, Gulf of Mexico from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
- RestoreTheGulf.gov official U.S. Government Web site, taking over content and functions from Deepwater Horizon Response site
- Smithsonian's Ocean Portal
- Science in a Time of Crisis: WHOI's response to the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill a multimedia presentation from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
- "Approaches for Ecosystem Services Valuation for the Gulf of Mexico After the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill: Interim Report by the National Academy of Sciences"
- CDC – Oil Spill Response Resources – NIOSH Workplace Safety and Health Topic
- The Role of BP in the Deepwater Horizon Explosion and Oil Spill: Hearing before the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations of the Committee on Energy and Commerce, House of Representatives, One Hundred Eleventh Congress, Second Session, June 17, 2010
Lead state agency websites
- Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP)
- Mississippi DEQ Archived 20 June 2010 at the Wayback Machine
- State of Florida Oil Spill Academic Task Force
News media
- Full coverage from The New York Times
- Full coverage from The Times-Picayune (New Orleans)
- ScientificAmerican.com 2015-04020 BP Gulf Oil Spill: 5 Years Later Indepth Report
- Deepwater Horizon oil spill caused lasting damage, report says Archived 12 September 2015 at the Wayback Machine
- BP Oil Spill, NPR
Interactive maps
- Gulf Oil Spill Tracker interactive map and form for citizen reporting (SkyTruth.org)
- Map and Estimates of the Oil Spilled (New York Times)
- Where Oil Has Made Landfall (New York Times)
Images
- Rig fire at Deepwater Horizon 4/21/10, video at CNN iReport
- GOES-13 satellite images on the CIMSS Satellite Blog
- Underwater Video Examines Multiple Leak Points Causing BP Oil Spill
- The Big Fix. Documentary about the oil spill
Animations and graphics
- Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill Interactive: Smithsonian Ocean Portal
- BBC News – interactive animation to the disaster and blocking efforts
- New York Times exploded view diagrams on the methods used to stop the oil spill
- Graphic: Where the oil and gas went Archived 12 August 2014 at the Wayback Machine
- CSB produced blowout animation and technical explanation of cause of disaster
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