BP Oil Spill Fouls Gulf of Mexico

In April a drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico owned by the British oil company BP exploded. Eleven workers were killed, and oil began spewing into the Gulf from the ruptured wellhead on the ocean floor. The drilling platform burned and sank, and containment systems failed. As the true extent of the leak became known, estimates of how much oil was spilling into the Gulf were revised upward, to more than 40,000 barrels per day, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. In less than two weeks, a thick, brown sludge began contaminating Louisiana’s fragile coastal wetlands. The BP oil spill has inflicted devastating damage on beaches, vegetation, wildlife, and people from Louisiana to Florida.

BP’s engineers attempted several methods of plugging the leaking well, only to fail repeatedly. In early June, a cap placed on the wellhead allowed the recovery of significant amounts of oil and gas to ships on the surface. but oil continued leaking until the second week in July, when the well was finally capped. The company continued to work on measures to permanently block the damaged well.

Years of intensive cleanup efforts will be needed to recover from what is the worst ecological catastrophe in U.S. history. The fishing and tourism industries may take decades to recover, and some water and bird species and fringes of coastland may never recover. BP has paid for efforts to cap the well, contain the spreading oil, and clean up the coastal wetlands and beaches. The company set aside $20 billion to pay cleanup costs and compensation to victims for their economic losses.
Image © Julie Dermansky/Corbis

Related Links

• Timeline: BP Oil Spill
  This BBC Web page includes a time line beginning with the April 20 explosion on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig through the recent successful capping of the well.
  (Source: BBC News, July 23, 2010)
• BP Says Oil Has Stopped Leaking
  This BBC article provides an up-to-date account of the oil spill, its effects, and the measures being taken to control it.
  (Source: BBC News, July 16, 2010)
• Deepwater Horizon/BP Oil Spill Response
  The Web site of NOAA, the nation’s leading scientific resource for oil spills, provides coordinated weather and biological response services to federal, state, and local organizations.
  (Source: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA); accessed August 1, 2010)
• Gulf of Mexico Oil Disaster
  The Web site of the WWF includes links to numerous environmental organizations assisting in the cleanup from the BP oil spill on the Gulf Coast.
  (Source: World Wildlife Fund; accessed August 1, 2010)
• Bringing the Oil Slick Home
  This interactive map lets you compare the size of the oil slick in the Gulf of Mexico to your state or region.
  (Source: Maps.com, InCarto blog; accessed August 1, 2010)

Critical Thinking Questions

1. Summarize What are the consequences of the BP oil spill for the Gulf Coast region’s environment and economy?
2. Compare In what ways is the BP oil spill similar to and different from the disaster of Hurricane Katrina in 2005?
3. Form and Support Opinions Given the level of U.S. consumption of oil and of energy in general, what role do you think offshore drilling should have in future energy policy?