BP’s Gulf Oil Spill

1861 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Deepwater horizon oil spill

The April 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico will forever change the way Americans view deepwater oil drilling. No one could have foreseen that BP’s well would spew into the Gulf waters for over 80 days before it was successfully capped. Over the years, many articles have been written about the disaster, and many different viewpoints given in the articles. This essay discusses the oil spill’s effect on Gulf coast animal and plant life, plus whether the government is implementing effective legislation regarding the spill.

Naomi Klein’s article “After the Spill” in the January 2011 edition of Nation magazine discusses a scientific excursion by boat in the northern section of the Gulf of Mexico. According to David Hollander, the marine geochemist from the University of South Florida, the trip’s purpose was to go “fishing for oil” and, if oil was present, to assess its effect on the water and marine life in the Gulf of Mexico (Klein 12).

Klein’s assertions in the article are that the water in the Gulf of Mexico still contains oil, that Gulf marine life is being exterminated, that BP is paying off coastal colleges to prevent negative publicity, and that the government is not doing enough to protect the environment (Klein 12-17). Klein’s argument that oil was found in the Gulf waters is plausible. Scientists did find “black gunk” in the water that testing confirmed was petroleum hydrocarbons, but no proof exists that it came from BP’s well (Klein 17). It is also true that some of the marine life in the Gulf is dying. However, Hollander ruined his case for blaming BP when he stated that “Something caused an environmental and community change,” but the change may have been the result of a tremendous amount of items falling down to t...

... middle of paper ...

...entSet=IAC-Documents&type=retrieve&tabID=T003&prodId=IPS&docId=A247449531&source=gale&userGroupName=avlr&version=1.0&contentSet=IAC-Documents&retrieveFormat=PDF>.

Leboeuf, Eugene A. and Kaskela, Alicia. “BASH risk: What will the oil spill mean for bird migration?” Wingman. 4.1 (2011): 30-32. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Alabama Virtual Library. 18 Apr. 2011 .

"National Oil Spill Commission Report Released. (Cover story)." Oil Spill Intelligence Report 34.4 (2011): 1-2. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Alabama Virtual Library. 3 Apr. 2011 .

Show More
Related

  • BP Oil Spill

    966 Words  | 2 Pages

    April 20, 2010, a tragic disaster struck the Gulf Coast. British Petroleum deepwater Horizon oil rig cracked from three places and raw oil leaking into the sea. .it was considered that over 60,000 barrels of oil a day are mixing with Gulf water and Oil spread over 70 miles to 130 miles into the sea and can be seen from space.

    Read More

  • Pros And Cons Of Oil Drilling

    1062 Words  | 3 Pages

    There is an abundance of oil underneath earth’s crust on land and in the water but getting to that oil can be proven as a challenge and a negative impact on the earth. Many of these oil reservoirs lie in federally protected land or water to minimize the negative impact on the earth. But should those restrictions be removed? Removing the restrictions can allow the US to tap into domestic reserves rather than rely on imported oil from the Middle East and Asia but tapping these reservoirs can also leave behind an impact that is harmful to this planet. “Critics oppose this move for fear that it will cause irreparable harm environmental harm. They point to the April 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico as evidence of the risks associated with offshore drilling” (SIRS).

    Read More

  • Overview of Green Washing Perpetrated by BP

    2378 Words  | 5 Pages

    Smith Jr., Lawrence C., L. Murphy Smith, and Paul A. Ashcroft. "Analysis Of Environmental And Economic Damages From British Petroleum's Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill." Albany Law Review 74.1 (2011): 563-585.Academic Search Complete. Web. 17 Feb. 2014.

    Read More

  • BP Oil Spill Synopsis

    769 Words  | 2 Pages

    In 2010, there was a huge oil spill near the Gulf of Mexico that we now know as the BP Oil Spill today. The Spill sent about 170 million barrels of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico. The spill killed 11 men aboard the deep-water Horizon. The BP Oil Spill impacted the environment very negatively. There were different types of environmental impact as a result of the Oil Spill, but the two that grabbed my attention the most are the Polluted Air and the Contaminated Food Chain. The first impact that grabbed my attention was the Polluted Air. Because of the Oil Spill, the air around the surroundings neighborhoods was polluted. All the lightest chemicals in the oil that had spill evaporated within hours of the incidence forming air pollution particles. These particles that are in the air poses significant threats to the human health from being inhaled. The chemical found in the particles that was formed is known as Volatile, which has been known to cause respiratory irritation and central nervous system depression (Solomon & Janssen, 2010). The second impact that grabbed my attention was the contamination of the food chain, specifically the food chain of sea animals that lives near the Gulf of Mexico. Scientists found traces of oil in zooplanktons; this could only mean that the sea creature has had contact with the spilled oil. According to the Staff at Houston Business Journal (2012), “Baby fish and shrimp feed on the tiny, drifting zooplankton, and then introduce contamination and pollution to the larger sea creatures in the food web.” With these findings, it isn’t going to take long before the baby fishes become grown and caught by fishermen and before we know it, it’s on our dinner plate. And here we are eating fishes w...

    Read More

  • The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill

    1467 Words  | 3 Pages

    Many businesses that sell seafood had to cut back on it for the past few months. It has been since April that businesses are now selling shellfish back on the menu for a somewhat reasonable price. A major incident occurred just two days before Earth Day. The incident is well known as the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, or as many others call it, the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. The Deepwater Horizon drilling rig along the Gulf of Mexico is an oil-spill that resulted from an explosion that is under contract with BP, leading up to over million barrels of oil spilling into the Gulf of Mexico. This incident has led to many controversies. Arguments in discussion are whether or not we should continue to drill offshore, what exactly went wrong, and why none of the safeties were unable to activate.

    Read More

  • The Wreck Of The Kulluk Analysis

    1552 Words  | 4 Pages

    In the story,“The Wreck of the Kulluk” (2014) written by McKenzie Funk, Funk revealed that Shell was eager to pursue more oil in what are called proved reserves due to their Arctic leases nearing expiration date. These proved reserves are otherwise known as “a petroleum company’s most sacred promise about the future” (Funk, 2014, pg. 1). Oil companies have no hesitation when going to extreme limits to find this precious resource, and we can no longer continue to sustain the methods used for obtaining fuel due it affects all aspects of our society. Our selfishness and ignorance are destroying the very elements humans need to survive, and will only lead to the end of life on planet Earth. Had different decisions been made by fuels companies

    Read More

  • The Hazards of Ocean Pollution

    798 Words  | 2 Pages

    In 1995, an important event marked a victory for the national GreenPeace organization, and for humans alike. The Brent Spar oil installation was not allowed to be dumped into the ocean. The importance of this decision lied in the fact that there were over 600 oil installations that would someday expire just as the Brent Spar had. When the decision was made to not allow the dumping, it set a precident that the other installations would not be allowed to be dumped, either.

    Read More

  • Cut Off Argument Essay

    503 Words  | 2 Pages

    Twenty miles inshore and surrounded by water, Cut Off is a sport fishing capital of the south. I remember crossing Little Lake early one morning in mid May 2010. It was a sunny day perfect for fishing. The water was unusually clear and I noticed pieces of debris suspended a few inches below the surface. After closer inspection, I had no idea what this substance was. At this point the BP oil spill had not yet become the epic disaster that would eventually be realized. But it was coming like it or not. And it was sooner than expected as I

    Read More

  • BP Oil Spill VS. Exxon Valdez Oil Spill

    863 Words  | 2 Pages

    Most people believe that one man-made natural disaster would teach us to be better, but we have learned that history repeats itself. The Exxon Valdez oil spill (in 1989) and the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, or BP oil spill, (in 2010) were both devastating oil spills that shocked the nation. The Exxon Valdez oil spill occurred due to a tanker grounding. The BP oil spill was caused by an explosion on the Deepwater Horizon oil platform. These two oil spills were both disasters and had greater effects in certain categories. In this essay, I will be comparing the cause of both oil spills, the damage/effect of both oil spills, and the cleanup of each oil spill.

    Read More

  • Wetlands In Louisiana Essay

    804 Words  | 2 Pages

    In John Grisham’s novel, The Pelican Brief, lawsuits were made against big oil companies regarding the destruction and loss of the brown pelican and its habitat, the wetlands (Grisham). Although the novel was not based on a true story, the events described relating to the wetlands in Louisiana are, however, accurate. The dredging of canals by oil companies and large oil spills in Louisiana have permanently changed the

    Read More

  • Oil Spill Response

    5767 Words  | 12 Pages

    Swift, W.H, . C.J. Touhill, W.L. Templeton, and D.P. Roseman. 1969. Oil spillage prevention, control, and restoration—state of the art and research needs. Washington, D.C.: The Bureau of National Affairs, Inc.

    Read More

  • The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill

    1202 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the three months that it took to finally put a stop to the leak, 4.9 million barrels of oil were released into the ocean. The spill caused considerable damage to marine and wildlife habitats and the Gulf’s fishing and tourism industries. The White House energy advisor, Carol Browner, goes as far as to say that the Deepwater oil spill is the “worst environmental disaster the US has faced”. The Gulf of Mexico oil spill has had an extremely negative effect on the surrounding wildlife and ecosystem. Oil spreads across the gulf, contaminating any living organism that comes into direct or indirect contact with it.

    Read More

  • An Assessment of BP's Risk Management Issues and Poor Response to the Oil Spill

    3188 Words  | 7 Pages

    Winston A, 2010, Five Lessons from the BP Oil Spill, Harvard Business Review, accessed 1 April 2014,

    Read More

  • The Effects of Ocean Pollution on the Environment

    1635 Words  | 4 Pages

    “ Effects of Oil Spills on Marine and Coastal Wildlife” Holly K. Ober. WEB. 19 May 2014

    Read More

  • Analysis Of The Movie ' Deepwater Horizon '

    1164 Words  | 3 Pages

    On a Monday afternoon, A couple of friends and I drove about forty-five minutes to El Dorado to see a movie. A movie in which we didn’t know anything about. None of us had even seen the trailer. I sent my friend a link to the movies that were showing at the cinema in El Dorado, and she had chosen Deepwater Horizon solely on the fact she liked the actors that had been cast for the movie. A few of these actors included Mark Wahlberg and Kate Hudson. Deepwater Horizon, as I came to find out on the car ride there, is about the most devastating oil spill in United States history. Since this event occurred only roughly six years ago, I recognized it after my friend called it the BP oil spill. Growing up in south Arkansas, I know many people that work on oil rigs so the spill was something that came close to home. The movie portrays the events leading up to the rig explosion and the aftermath concerning the people aboard the rig.

    Read More

More about BP’s Gulf Oil Spill

Open Document