The BP Oil Spill
Last updated June 7th
Congressional Update!
On May 11th, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, and the House Energy and Commerce Committee began hearings with top executives from BP, Transocean Ltd., and Haliburton, the rig operator, and oil industry experts to attend hearings on the spill. To watch video of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, click here. To download video of the House Energy and Commerce hearing, click here.
Introduction
On Saturday May 1st, the BP Oil Spill 
overtook the 1989 Exxon Valdez Oil Spill as the worst spill in US waters (1). From initial claims that no oil leaked at all to recent reports that the spill is leaking over 25,000 barrels of oil a day, the situation has become increasingly serious. Texas Impact has compiled information on the spill including: the basics, a timeline of the spill, potential consequences of the spill, volunteer opportunities and links for further reading.
Basics
The Deepwater Horizon rig, owned by Transocean LTd. and under lease to gas giant BP, was drilling for “deep oil” off the Gulf Coast (about 52 miles southeast of Venice, LA). Deep oil drilling occurs when the ocean is about 5,000 feet deep and they drill another 30,000 feet into the crust of the earth.
In this particular drill, a methane bubble created from heat from the setting concrete shot up the drill column through several barriers and seals up to the drilling rig and exploded causing the rig to sink (2).
Timeline
Tuesday, April 20th – The rig caught fire and was reported around 10 pm. Eleven workers were killed during the fire. Initially, both the Coast Guard and officials did not report a possibility of an oil spill.
April 22nd – The rig collapses into the gulf and begins leaking. Media focuses on missing workers until AFP notes how the rig had been drilling 8,000 barrels of oil per day, and had 700,000 gallons of diesel fuel on board. BP’s executive, Tony Hayward, commits to doing everything in our power to contain this oil spill and sends a team to resolve the spillage from the original blast.
April 24th – The Coast Guard reverses its earlier statement about no oil leaking. The Coast Guard estimates that 1,000 barrels (or 42,000 gallons) of oil per day are leaking on the ocean floor about 5,000 feet underwater. Coast Guard Rear Adm. Mary Landry says that oil may actually have been pouring out since the rig sank on April 22nd.
April 26th – BP announces that good weather and “light, thin oil” gives Hayward confidence that they can “tackle this spill offshore.”
April 27th – Underwater robots are unable to activate the blowout preventer which would cap the well. The Coast Guard begins discussing setting portions of the spill on fire. BP announces that it will begin drilling a new relief well near the spill site later in the week, a process that could take months. In the House of Representatives, Henry Waxman (D-CA), chair of the Energy and Commerce committee, sets off an investigation about “what the companies knew about the risks of drilling at the site and the adequacy of the companies' response plans." He is concerned that BP had no adequate plan to mitigate possible environmental damage. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and Interior Security Ken Salazar also announce their own investigation. 
April 28th – The Coast Guard again revises its statement and announces that 5,000 barrels (or 210,000 gallons) of oil a day are spilling after National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration makes its own estimate. A 3rd leak along the 5,000 miles of pipe is detected. From 5 pm to 6pm Eastern time, the Coast Guard caused a controlled burn which burned a few thousand gallons of oil (3).
April 29th –In a Rose Garden statement, Obama says that his Administration will use “every single available resource” to address the spill, including the military. He also says BP will have to pay the costs. The Department of Homeland Security announces that it is a spill of “great national significance” which allows the Department to finally request a more robust response from the Department of Defense (4).
May 2nd – Estimates are now placing the spillage at 25,000 barrels (or 1 million gallons) a day and NOAA estimates it could increase to 50,000 (5). The government ordered a halt to all commercial and recreational fishing for at least 10 days (6).
May 5th - One of three leaks has been capped.
May 6th - The concrete-and-steel container is on a ship to the well and being lowered. The Coast Guard completes its second controlled burn. The oil slick officially reached Louisiana's Chandeleur Islands, in the form of a thin sheen (7).
May 7th – The massive containment dome is lowered but fails due to frozen hydrocarbons clogging the pipe through the dome.
May 9th - The containment dome fails because of clogged pipes.
May 11th - BP plans on building another, smaller dome. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and the House Energy and Commerce Committee had hearings with top executives from BP, Transocean Ltd., and Haliburton, the rig operator, and oil industry experts to attend hearings on the spill. To watch video of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, click here. To download video of the House Energy and Commerce hearing, click here.
May 26th – May 29th – The “top kill” pumps heavy liquids and other materials into the well shaft but also fails. June 1st – A new plan for a new containment dome is created.
June 2nd – A saw gets stuck in the well preventing any efforts until later in the week.
June 4th - The containment dome begins to funnel oil to a ship above the well.
Solutions to containing the oil spill
Blowout preventer – underwater robots are trying to turn on the blowout preventer that should have capped the well after the disaster. These preventers have failed and so robots are being remotely controlled to manually turn them on. So far this has not been successful.
Pollution containment chamber – In the Port Fourchon, Louisiana, workyard, engineers are currently completing a four-story metal container that will be lowered onto the leaking pipe to suck in the flowing oil and allow it to flow out of pipes connected to the container. This method has only worked in shallow waters and would be an “engineering marvel” if it works. Workers are expected to finish this container by the end of the week where it will still have to be transported by boat to the well. A second chamber is being completed for the second leak and a shutoff valve is supposed to be activated for the third leak (8).
Relief well(s) – BP is planning on drilling a relief well half a mile out from the original site and pump concrete and other heavy materials to the original well site to block oil from being released through the original well site. This process will take roughly three months to complete. In situ burning – Cleanup crews corrals concentrated parts of the spill into a 500-foot-long fireproof boom, moving it to another location and burning it. The oil must be at a certain thickness and will not work for most of the spill (9). The environmental hazards of the ash are considered to be less harmful for the environment than allowing the oil to advance to the shore.
Chemical dispersion – Dispersants are released on the oil which breaks up the oil and decreases the buoyancy of the oil to either sink the oil or keep it at the bottom. The problem with chemical dispersion are that the chemicals must be added to the ocean floor so it will mix better with the high concentration of oil there preventing the oil from reaching the surface. These dispersants also pose their own environmental hazards as well, by creating harmful by products (10).
Booms – Booms are large collections of hair and other material that absorb oil and have been placed close to coasts to absorb some of the oil, but they have been failing due to weather and the sheer amount of oil reaching the shore.
Environmental consequences
The extent of environmental degradation depends many variables including on how long it will take to seal the leaks. Regardless, the environmental effects will likely be severe. The most obvious effects will be the loss of animal life and the potential destruction of the marshes. Already, thirty one turtles have been found dead along the coast. There is no external evidence of oil but tissue samples are being analyzed. Many of these turtles are of the five endangered species of sea turtle found in the area (11). Additionally, the timing for birds cannot be worse. They are breeding and nesting in areas (some of these areas designated “Important Bird Areas” by the Audubon Society) that are likely to be affected. Moreover, the inshore Gulf of Mexico is home to many threatened and endangered birds, fish, and other marine animals which could all be affected (12).
Just as importantly, the oil slick is likely to damage the marshes along the coast. The oil can coat the grasses in the marshes and prevent photosynthesis from occurring, killing off the plants. Coastal wetlands help to dissipate the force of storm surges and can therefore lessen the impact of these storms on areas farther inland. While healthy marshes are able to withstand oil, the marshes along the coast are still fragile from Hurricane Katrina. The vegetation in the marshes also hold together the islands off the coast of Louisiana, but if they die, it becomes mud which can easily be washed away (13).
Economic consequences
While it is too early to know, the spill will likely affect the fishing industry, tourist industry, and oil prices. The fishing industry will be affected through the Menhaden fishery (which produces Menhaden fish which is a common source of fish oil and fish meat), Atlantic Bluefin Tuna, shrimp and oysters (roughly two-thirds of the shrimp and oysters come from the Gulf of Mexico).
In dollars, the Washington Post notes that "annual commercial seafood harvest in the gulf is $661 million, recreational fishing contributes $757 million and nearly 8,000 jobs, and tourism related to wildlife adds $517 million, according to the Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies" (14).
Along the coast, there are also major recreational fisheries that will likely be affected. Moreover, if the spill follows the currents within the Gulf, the oil spill could reach the Florida Keys and wrap around Florida potentially hurting the tourist economy in Florida.
Oil prices increased over the weekend after the spill, but have decreased in the following days and the market appears to be stable in the short term. In the long term, the market is expecting higher oil prices as the future of off shore drilling becomes more unclear (15).
Political consequences
The oil spill is forcing senators (including Robert Menendez [D-NJ] and other coastal-state senators) to rethink the climate change legislation that has been on the table and the place for offshore drilling. Offshore drilling was a compromise between the Republicans and Democrats to bring Republicans on board. But now these senators, troubled by the accident, might not support broad climate and energy legislation if it contains expanding drilling without adequate safeguards (16).
The Interior Department plans on reorganizing the Management Service "into two divisions, one focusing on gathering royalties from oil and gas companies and another focused on safety inspections" (17).
Get involved
* General volunteer opportunities
* Opportunities in each of the states along the coast
*If you do not live on the coast, traveling to the coast is not recommended, but US News has compiled ten things you can do
* Crisis Commons has hackers all over the internet working for the response effort
* Work opportunities
Links
Deep Water Horizon Response has a comprehensive set of resources regarding the response. Follow them on Twitter at Oil_Spill_2010 or on Facebook at Deepwater Horizon Response.
Timeline adapted from the TPMuckracker’s timeline.
Federal government’s response to the oil spill.
EPA continues to monitor the air, water, and sediment and releases updates.
Former Vice President Al Gore comments on the effects of the spill.
Citations
- http://blog.skytruth.org/2010/05/gulf-oil-spill-new-spill-rate.html
- http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gIXWYBTpLtSayJtg41LKXpxSxVPAD9FIEG103
- http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/04/us/04burn.html?th&emc=th
- http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/02/us/02gulf.html?fta=y
- http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article7114015.ece
- http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/03/us/03fishing.html?fta=y
- http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704370704575227812615975390.html
- http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/05/03/oil.spill.desperate.measure/index.html?hpt=C1
- http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/29/us/29spill.html
- http://www.propublica.org/article/bp-gulf-oil-spill-dispersants-0430
- http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/may/03/deepwater-horizon-oil-spill-turtle-deaths-soar
- http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/04/28/us/20100428-spill-map.html?ref=us http://www.birdlife.org/news/news/2010/04/gulf-oil-spill.html
- http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/02/us/02spill.html
- http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/05/03/AR2010050301669_pf.html
- http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=126502485&f=1001&sc=tw&utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter
- http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/28/us/politics/28drill.html?ref=us
- http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704250104575237981485045538.html?mod=WSJ_latestheadlines
