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Essay On The Gulf Of Mexico Oil Spill

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The worst environmental disaster in the US history took place on April, 20, 2010 when the Deep-water Horizon oil drilling rig was destroyed, and all the oil was released into the Gulf of Mexico, killing and injuring the workers. Countless liters of crude oil discharged into the Gulf of Mexico, and this affected the waters and surrounding lands, marshes and beaches. Also, many fish and wildlife were damaged, and it had a negative impact on many of the residents and communities in the Gulf region. Oil spill clean-up operations are rarely capable of recovering or treating more than a small portion of the oil spilled. The Gulf of Mexico oil spill has negatively impacted the people and environment, and those who were responsible for it have not been punished enough. Deep-water Horizon oil disaster has …show more content…

Firstly, many people were affected by the effects of the oil spill. There are a list of harmful chemicals and conditions associated with the oil spill which put those who took the effort to clean it up, and those in the surroundings at great risk. More than anyone, the workers that helped to clean up the mess were most affected. With the giant oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico now in its sixth week, reports of clean-up workers falling ill are on the rise. This statement was made shortly after the incident took place. They were exposed to a lot of different chemicals which were extremely bad for their health. Many of them were hospitalized for this reason. Most of the workers blamed the cleaning agent they used to fix the mess which was called dispersants, and this is mainly used to clean up oil spills. Fishers were also hugely impacted by this. Doctors claimed that they dealt with many patients, and received multiple phone calls from clean-up workers

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On April 20, 2010 the oil rig, Deepwater Horizon, exploded and started the world's worst accidental aquatic oil spill. It all started when the rig owned by Transocean and leased by British Petroleum exploded while drilling in the gulf of mexico. When the rig exploded it started a fire that burned until it sank and caused the pipes to rupture effectively starting the worlds worst accidental oil catastrophe. The Deepwater Horizon was priced at about $600 million dollars and was leased to BP for $500 thousand a day (site #1). The explosion killed eleven rig workers making it a huge financial and emotional loss even without the fact that it caused oil to start spewing into the gulf of mexico.

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The results of their tests proved that there was not a good seal to contain the oil (Crandall, et al., 2014). Ultimately, they ran the tests three separate times, achieving the same results each time, and finally decided the results were incorrect and there was a good seal. They deemed Deepwater Horizon safe and properly functioning.

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The region became one of the most important sources of oil in the world, with major companies investing billions of dollars in exploration and production. However, this growth was not without its risks. In 2010, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill resulted in the largest offshore oil spill in history, causing significant environmental damage and highlighting the dangers of deep water drilling. In response to the Deepwater Horizon disaster, the industry has taken steps to improve safety and environmental protection in the Gulf of Mexico. New regulations and safety standards have been introduced, and companies have invested in new technologies and training to prevent future disasters.

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Many were excited about the new heights the company was taking however, BP took a big height without knowing the risks. Again, the company lived up to its mediocre reputation and a terrible explosion occurred at the Deepwater Horizon in the Gulf. The explosion spread and caused barrels of oil and gas into a well shaft, which eventually passed through various routes that ultimately failed in preventing the oil and gas to spill. This spill became the largest in U.S. History and claimed the lives of 11 BP workers. This spill also sent 4.9 million gallons of oil into the Gulf.

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Another effect caused by the oil spill, were the contaminated coastlines of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida. The coastlines were filled of raw oil and dying sea animals and more than 30,000 people showed up to help clean up the beaches, collect oil, and help take care of animals (DoSomething.org). Since many beaches and sea animals were contaminated by the oil the tourism and fishing industry decrease a lot in sales. Many tourists weren’t willing to vacation near the spill and many seafood eaters weren’t willing to buy fish from the Gulf of Mexico. All of the states near the oil spill had a decrease in revenues since it’s obvious that tourism and seafood are

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At this time, we know and accept responsibility for our part in the Deepwater Horizon disaster. The oilrig was the source of many technical issues. These technical issues led to an explosion killing 11 people and a devastating oil spill contributing to catastrophic environmental, economical, and financial effects. We are working with the Energy and Commerce Committee Investigation, the United States Coast Guard, and the Bureau of Ocean Energy and other governmental agencies concerning the technical faults that will later be described in the report. As a result of this disaster, several unconsidered consequences occurred.

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Offshore drilling is a very big risk taken when comes to the environment. During the recent BP oil spill and the Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1989 off the coast of Alaska. 250,000 seabirds died , over 2,800 sea otters and thousands of other animals did to. A massive impact on local wildlife was leading to a ban on all offshore drilling in america , until George Bush

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1. Introduction In 2010, the Deepwater Horizon oil platform spit nearly five million barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico, making it the largest oil spill in history. The 1989 oil spill surpassed Exxon Valdez's oil spill in 1989 as the largest oil spill ever seen in US-controlled waters and the Ixtoc I oil spill of 1979 as the largest oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. On April 20, 2010, Deepwater Horizon, an ultra-deepwater offshore rig, exploded in the Gulf of Mexico about 41 miles off the coast of Louisiana, killing 11 riggers and injuring 17 others.

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It ruined businesses and people’s daily lives. It also affected people’s health. The demand for seafood decreased dramatically following the oil spill which put a lot of businesses out of business (Morgan, 2016). There was a big concern that oil would get into the food chain and that it would have negative effects on people health, as a result, all Louisiana oyster harvest areas were closed (Morgan, 2016). People’s emotions, relationships and way of life has been disrupted by the oil spill, "Fragmented families, failed marriages, community residents who no longer speak to each other or collaborate in community activities,” (Knox).

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It also affected the fishing and tourism industries. According to some news resources the news was that the company ignored the safety measures over profits. Considering coss cultures it has affected the businesses across boundaries like fishing, tourism and killed more than 8000 animals (bird, turtles, mammals) out of which many were already on the endangered species list. BP is responsible for close to $40 Billion as fine, cleanup costs, and settlement as a result of the oil spill in 2010. Company paid additional $16 billion to the clean water.

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The deadliest marine oil spill in history happened in 2010 on the 10th of April when an explosion caused the Deepwater Horizon oil rig to sink and about 4,900,000 barrels of oil to leak into the gulf. The spill happened when a public comment period on President Obama’s administration plan to add ten new offshore leases in the Gulf of Mexico. Studies that were done on the BP disaster showed that the spill affected the corals in the deep, dolphins, whales, tuna, and whale sharks. Scott Eustis, a coastal wetlands specialist with Gulf Restoration Network thinks that the environmental impact is being underestimated and that only three of the seven available skimmer vessels were even deployed to vacuum the oil off the surface. A skimmer vessel is a device that separates

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On Tuesday April 20, 2010, the United States experienced one of its largest oil spills in history. An exploratory oil rig, identified as the Deepwater Horizon, was in the process of sealing off a pipe they had drilled about three miles into the ocean’s floor. Due to shortcuts taken, and in order to save time and money, standard procedures were not adhered to which caused highly flammable gases to discharge out of the pipe and onto the oil rig (Eley, 2010). Eleven workers lost their lives and over 4.9 million barrels of oil would eventually leak into the Gulf of Mexico. This would be the beginning of a very complex response and recovery mission as well as a political firestorm.

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The BP oil spill, at an estimated 4.9 million barrels discharged, is the largest oil spill in the history of the petroleum industry (On scene coordinator report: Deepwater Horizon oil spill, 2011, pg. 33). In addition to the damage done to the environment, the spill also had severe impacts on minority communities in the areas affected. BP’s irresponsible actions lead to the closing of fishing waters, beaches and oil rigs overnight. The result of this was an end to the livelihoods of many in the affected area including fishermen and other local industries reliant on seafood. The closing of the beaches negatively affected business that rely on tourism and the moratorium on oil drill put in place after the spill put the people working on the remaining oil rigs out of a job, as well.

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Within days of the explosion and sinking of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico that killed eleven people, underwater cameras revealed the BP pipe was leaking oil and gas on the ocean floor about forty-two miles off the coast of Louisiana. By the time the well was capped on July 15, 2010 (eighty-seven days later), an estimated 3.19 million barrels of oil had leaked from the Macondo wellhead into the Gulf.. The well was located over five thousand feet beneath the water’s surface in the vast frontier of the deep sea. Making the spill the largest accidental ocean spill in history. Once the oil left the well, it spread throughout the water column.

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