The Deep Water Horizon Oil Spill
On April 20, 2010, a blowout on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig owned by British Petroleum (BP), led to about 4.1 billion barrels of oil being spilled into the Gulf of Mexico over 87 days. Leakage was not fully sealed until September 19, 2010 and reports suggest the well was still leaking as late as 2013. Oil dispersants with additional harmful effects were also added to the water in a questionable clean-up effort by BP that turned Gulf Coast waters into a soup of toxins. The result was an environmental catastrophe causing immediate deaths in the many marine species in the Gulf coast. Long lasting effects including heart defects in developing fish, devastation of bird habitat, sea turtle stranding, mass stranding and mortality in dolphins, coral destruction, harm to plankton and imbalance in the whole marine food web are still being felt to this day. Furthermore, the loss of environmental capital decimated the commercial and recreational fisheries as well as the tourism industry.
Coast guard and other organizations attempting
cleanup of the spill during the crisis (NOAA, 2015).
The Punishment Fits The Crime
Government sought punishment after finding that BP and its affiliates displayed gross negligence and the catastrophe was easily preventable. The hope was that the punishment held the responsible parties accountable to cover the damages caused by this disaster and to deter anyone from making the same mistakes that led to this tragedy. I am delighted to report that after five years of negotiation, the largest offshore oil spill in US history will face an apt punishment. BP will receive the largest environmental fine in US history at $20.8 billion under various laws ensuring compensation.
Good but not Great
However, I am disappointed with the subtleties of this settlement. It is true that $5.9 billion will go to state and local governments to compensate for economic damage that communities suffered and around $12 billion in natural resource damages and the clean water act is allocated to restoration of the region. This gives Gulf Coast ecosystems a fighting chance. However, Alabama and the Pointe-au-Chien first nations believe they have not received enough to regain what they lost and the settlement has not even taken effect yet. Furthermore, Louisiana is fighting for leftover money from restoration funds to go to infrastructure projects. This may encourage governments to cut corners in restoration for infrastructure that may further harm the gulf ecosystem. I find it appalling that some are treating the settlement like found money and not as an obligation to fix the damage to the Gulf Coast region that so many rely on.
Will It Happen Again?
The most overlooked issue is the effectiveness in deterring further atrocities. This may discourage bad practices in the Gulf and the US but now, companies may just look elsewhere to get away with poor standards. For example, BP is now planning offshore drilling located in the Great Australian Bight, a critical habitat for Australian marine species. The plan is being criticized for poor risk assessment and possibility of another disaster of similar magnitude. With this information, I can’t help but worry that we will soon be hit with another environmental catastrophe.
A coastal region along the crucial Great Australian Bight that could be heavily impacted
by new proposed drilling by BP (Smith, 2015).
Click here to see the full extent of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill
Satellite images of the developing oil spill
References
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Conathan, M., and Lomax, A. 2015. Where will bp’s $18.7 billion deepwater horizon settlement go? The Center for American Progress. Retrieved from https://www.americanprogress.org.
Incardona, J.P., Gardiner, L.D., Linbo, T.L., Brown, T.L., Esbaugh, A.J., Mager, E.M., et al. 2014. Deepwater horizon crude oil impacts the developing hearts of large, predatory pelagic fish. PNAS 111(15): 1510-1518. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1320950111.
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