BP Oil Spill

Issues:
In the BP Oil Spill, more than 200 million gallons of crude oil was pumped into the Gulf of Mexico for a total of 87 days, making it the biggest oil spill in U.S. history.16,000 total miles of coastline have been affected, including the coasts of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida. Of the 400 miles of Louisiana coast, approximately 125 miles have been polluted by the oil spill. Over 8,000 animals (birds, turtles, mammals) were reported dead just 6 months after the spill, including many that are already on the endangered species list. Immediate impact on the wildlife includes oil-coated birds and sea turtles, mammal ingestion of oil, and dead or dying deep sea coral .The initial oil rig explosion killed 11 people and injured 17 others.
Solutions:
BP used 3 methods to remove the oil from the water: combustion, offshore filtration, and collection for later processing. USCG said 33 million US gallons (120,000 m3) of tainted water was recovered, including 5 million US gallons (19,000 m3) of oil. BP said 826,800 barrels (131,450 m3) had been recovered or flared. It is calculated that about 5% of leaked oil was burned at the surface and 3% was skimmed. On the most demanding day 47,849 people were assigned on the response works.Since May 2010, more than 200 work plans have been developed to study resources and habitat by state and federal trustees and BP, and by the end of 2012, BP had paid $973 million to support the assessment process, including cooperative and independent studies. Scientists are studying a range of species, including marine mammals, birds, fish and plants to understand how wildlife populations may have been affected by the accident. Teams of experts are also studying habitats such as wetlands and beaches, with the goal of returning these resources to their baseline condition – the condition they would be in if the Deep-water Horizon accident had not occurred. In addition, experts are looking at how recreational uses of natural resources may have been affected so that lost opportunities to enjoy those activities can be addressed through restoration. BP is working with state and federal agencies in the US to implement restoration plans near the Gulf Coast as part of our effort to help environmental restoration efforts following the Deep-water Horizon accident. In addition to a set of emergency restoration projects, BP is funding up to $1 billion in early restoration projects to accelerate efforts to restore natural resources injured as a result of the accident. While BP is providing the funding, the trustees identify and implement the projects. In 2012, work began on eight initial early restoration projects.