Subscribe to Blog ContentThe oil spill in Deepwater Horizon in the Gulf of Mexico has become a big enough disaster that President Obama went to Southern Louisiana to see the spill and reported that this has a potential to be "a massive and potentially unprecedented environmental disaster." Obama also said that BP will be financially responsible for covering all clean up costs including those involving the U.S. Coast Guard. Unexpectedly, the government has banned fishing and all new oil drilling off the U.S. coast.
The oil spill currently stands at 130-mile by 70-mile and heading north due to strong winds. The weather is preventing crews from doing an overflight to gauge the effects of the spill on wildlife and oil reaching the shoreline. As of early Monday morning, May 3, the spill appears nine miles away from the Louisiana coast.
BP manages the rig leased from Transocean Ltd. that exploded on April 20, sank on April 22 and has been leaking over 5,000 barrels (210,000 gallons) of oil daily since. The oil and gas company says it will take responsibility for cleanup costs and getting the rig to stop leaking. However, Federal and state officials believe BP has not done a thorough job or devoted enough resources to stop the leak.
The cause of the explosion remains a mystery. BP has a "blowout preventer" device that isn't responding attempts to remotely activate it. The cleanup team is dispersing floating booms to contain the oil and concentrates for skimming. They're also adding chemical dispersants on the spill to break up the slick. BP is also trying to drill a relief well, but it can take three months before it's ready for use. Over 2500 people and 100 vessels are involved in the cleanup. To date, the team has recovered over one million gallons of the oil-water mixture.
Unlike the 1989 Exxon Valdez spill where the boat held a limited amount of oil, Deepwater Horizon can go on for days. If the spill continues at its current rate, it'll surpass the Exxon Valdez' 11 million gallons spilled by the third week of June.
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