At-a-Glance: Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill

In light of yet another oil drilling related incident I have decided to write a brief summary of the disaster we are sure to see effects of for years to come. I am astounded at the lack of discretion present when working with such a potentially disastrous facility, with incidents popping up across the world. There is no excuse seeing as the effects of our oil-driven society on the environment have been known for quite sometime. We are encroaching upon the environment`s stability simply because we have yet to find a more lucrative and easily accessible form of energy. Soon we will reach a point where we will not have the option to look for alternatives because we will have damaged the earth beyond repair and life will cease to exist as we know it.

Dramatic, well maybe a little, but true nonetheless. I would personally like to know that in my lifetime drastic changes have been made in terms of how we operate as a society, grossly limiting the effects we have on the environment. At this point I am extremely worried about how much longer incidences such as this can keep occurring before we see a response back from mother earth, sure to be an unpleasant and wide-spread one at that.

So if you havn`t been tuning into the news and would like a cliff`s notes version of the disaster sure to be mentionned in history books for years to come, take a quick read....

The BP oil spill also known as the Deepwater Horizon oil spill is the largest marine oil spill in the history of the petroleum industry, with 13 casualties (11 rig-workers & 2 oil-related deaths.) The spill originated from the explosion and subsequent sinking of BP`s offshore drilling unit dubbed Deepwater Horizon. The rig exploded on April 20th, sinking two days later.

Initially there were no leaks present and damage was reported to be minimal but by Saturday initial predictions were blown out of the water when it was reported three leaks were rapidly feeding crude oil into the Gulf. After 3 months without a successful solution it is estimated that approximately 53,000 barrels of crude oil per day were escaping from the uncapped well totalling an astounding 4.9 million barrels!!!

Not only were gallons upon gallons being dumped into the Gulf, but the Coast Guard stupidly and against EPA regulations approved the use of chemical dispersants (Corexit) on numerous occasions. In total approximately 2 million gallons of the chemical dispersant Corexit were utilized. Studies have linked Corexit to health concerns such as respiratory and blood problems.

On July 15th (my Birthday ironically) the leak was stopped by capping the wellhead. August 5th saw the completion of cementing operations, with pressure tests proving the plug was in fact successful. Shortly thereafter the wellhead cap was removed on September 2nd and construction was underway to restore the rig to fully-operational status.


The U.S. Government has named BP responsible for the disaster with the company formally accepting responsibility for the largest spill in history. Investigations revealed that the company may have ignored signs of potential danger in favor of saving time or money. Early reports indicate that BP failed to repair a leak in the rig’s hydraulics system. The hydraulic leak was discovered weeks before the explosion, and email documentation disclose chronological information that BP was informed of the leak.

Due to the neglect and lack or responsibility on BP`s part more than 400 species of wildlife, including whales and dolphins, face a dire threat from the spill, along with Louisiana’s barrier islands and marshlands. In the national refuges most at risk, about 34,000 birds have been counted, including gulls, pelicans, roseate spoonbills, egrets, shore birds, terns and blue herons. As of August 13, 4,768 dead animals had been collected, including 4,080 birds, 525 sea turtles, 72 dolphins and other mammals, and 1 reptile.

Sources: 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deepwater_Horizon_oil_spill

http://www.rttnews.com/Content/QuickFacts.aspx?Node=B1&Id=1409408