BP Oil Spill Crisis

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BP Oil Spill Crisis The Deepwater Horizon was a nine year old, ultra-deepwater, dynamically positioned, semi-submersible, offshore drilling rig built in South Korea. In 2008, British Petroleum (BP) leased it from Transocean to drill for oil in the Gulf Coast. In September 2009, the rig drilled the deepest oil well in history at a depth of 35,055-feet. On April 20, 2010 while drilling the rig exploded at 9:45PM (CST), killing eleven workers and injuring seventeen others. It was caused when methane gas from the well shot all the way up and out of the drill column, expanded onto the platform then ignited and exploded. The explosion then led the rig to burn, with the resulting fire unable to be extinguished 2 days later it sinked leaving the well gushing causing the largest oil spill in history (as seen in Fig. A in attachments). Some estimates placed it in late May or early June 2010 as the largest oil spill in history. Flow Rate Technical Group estimated the flowing of barrels of crude oil per day at 35,000 to 60,000. The oil now covers at least 2,500 square miles in the Gulf of Mexico, with estimated 73 to 126-million gallons released. Oil remains the world’s biggest business. Every aspect of our lives depend on the refinement of crude oil for energy, plastics, chemicals, and drugs. Due to the major oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, it has become one of the world’s most hazardous concerns. There are many effects of the BP oil spill: wildlife, fishing and shrimp industry, tourism, and health effects. I will discuss why I highly disagree with the main source of energy to be is oil. The Gulf of Mexico contains some of the most spectacular wildlife in the world include manatee, bottle-nose dolphins, and whooping cranes, jus... ... middle of paper ... ...esilience in the US Gulf Coast after the 2010 Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill.” Journal of Natural Resources Policy Research July 2010: 297-315. Print. Consolidated Fish and Wildlife Collection Report National Wildlife Federation, 26 July 2010 Web. 30 July 2010. Guillot, Craig. “Gulf Oil Spill Pictures: Ten Animals at Risk.” National Geographic Society. National Geographic Society, 6 May 2010. Web. 30 July 2010. Damon, Andre. BP oil spill to devastate Gulf fishing industry. World Socialist Web Site, 8 May 2010. Web. 30 July 2010 Bates, Daniel. “First BP suicide? Obama 'to blame' for death of man ruined by oil leak.” Daily Mail. Daily Mail, 25 June 2010. Web. 30 July 2010. Fahrenthold, David. “Oil spill threatens Gulf region's ecosystem and fishing, tourism and shipping industries.” Washington Post. Washington Post, 2 May 2010. Web. 30 June 2010.

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