The 2010 BP Oil Spill

For the majority of history, in the United States, crude oil has been the primary source of fuel and energy. Whether it is burning the oil or using it for gas, the product has been used at an excess amount. Even with great success in the search for a new source of energy, America will always be dependent on oil. Upon this realization, the Keystone XL Pipeline was started in 2010. Advancing from southern Canada, through multiple depots in the United States, to its final completion in the southern United States, the pipeline was a lengthy project.

Another misconception is that all of the oil the United States produces, now and in the future, is mostly exported. The truth is, “The United States consumes the vast majority of its refined products The claim that ‘much of this oil is for export’ is actually contrary to the facts, market analysis and what actual refiners and customers of Keystone XL have said. The fact is the U.S. consumes the vast majority of all the refined products it produces. In 2012, only about 9% of U.S. refined on-road motor fuel was exported – the other 91 per cent was consumed in the United States first.”

The environment is suffering days after days, there will a point where the green house won’t take it anymore and the earth will meltdown. The oil refineries are the main contributors to this issue, since they are the ones who produce the

In the magazine “The Amazing Penguin Rescue” Lauren Tarshis describes how a normal African penguin experiences the oil spill of June 2000. In the passage the author explains that a cargo ship called “Treasure” hit a reek and the boat split, in result of the wreck 1,300 tons of crude oil spread with in the waters of the African penguin’s largest breeding ground. Impact of the event is immediate effecting all bird, specifically African penguins spreading their feathers allowing the cold ocean waters to take action. The oil did not only affect the feathers of the penguin, the oil pursued to burn eyes and weigh down the penguins from swimming. Thankfully the writing goes on to explain how organizations helped save the penguins, proceeding to clean

The disaster caused much damage such as wiping out ocean life as result Exxon paid billions in fines for the crisis.

In “Does Fracking Cause Earthquakes?” Richard Bennett, from the Best Review, explains how once the rock is fractured, it releases shale gas or natural gas. This gas is then extracted through the same drilling well.

The technological advance of oil and natural gas extraction has advanced greatly in the last few decades. The method of propelling sand, chemicals, and water beneath the surface of the Earth in Shale rocks is known as hydraulic fracturing or fracking (Occupy Theory, 2014); while effective at extracting oil and natural gas, fracking remains a controversial method. Many factors such as water consumption and reduction of surface toxicity play major roles in the debate about the expansion of the fracking industry. With the high price of oil, new technologies were necessary for supply the energy demands and decrease prices. Fracking allows companies to access more oil and gas because they are able to horizontally drill through rocks thereby obtaining more product.

All in all, the accident also helped to create a new industry around environmental groups, scientific organizations, experts in the psychological trauma of oil spills. Today network of fishermen are trained and paid by the oil industry to respond to future

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.

“The spill also oiled more than a thousand miles of shoreline, including beaches and marshes, which took a substantial toll on the animals and plants found at the shoreline, including seagrass, beach mice, shorebirds and others,” (A Deadly Toll). The majority of people remember seeing photos and videos of volunteers cleaning up ducks, birds, and

The oil spill took a huge tool on alaskas fishing industry, forcing many Alaskan citizens which depended on the fish for their income to be pressured into some kind of a depression. In particular, the oil spill had affected trade of Alaska, particularly the industry of fishing in the region. According to surverys taken fishermen of Alaska have lost over three quarters of a billion. This is due to the oil spill because it ruined the Alaskan salmon in the region. The total damage done to the ecosystem and fish lost weighed in around six hundred million dollars (Fernando,

Estimates are 11 million barrels of oil were intentionally released into the Arabian Gulf from January to May 1991 The release of this much oil was described as being twenty times larger than the Exxon Valdez spill. The Saudi Arabian and Kuwaiti beaches were contaminated with oil for at least 800 miles. The oil devastated the marine and avian wildlife within the area. The birds were the group of wildlife that was most affected by the spills.

The Deepwater Horizon disaster had several health concerns other than claiming lives of eleven people. Reports by Solomon & Janssen (2010) show that over eight hundred thousand seabirds died after the incident and also many whales and dolphins died or were severely affected by the disaster. More than fifty thousand people who were involved in the clean-up activities were exposed to dangerous chemicals which would have adverse effects on their health. The effects of spillage could bring health problems to the fish consumers and also the reduction in fish consumption led to a decline in the fishing industry leading to loss of

The magnitude of the environmental consequences resulting from the disaster had never been considered. The oil will have a devastating effect on the environment for years to come. This will affect not only the wildlife in the area, but also the people who depend upon it for their livelihoods. Therefore, the magnitude of the economic aspect also was under-considered. It had never been considered by insurance companies that an oilrig could completely sink.

Offshore drilling: a technique to get oil from underneath the seafloor, has been one of the largest and most helpful breakthroughs in technology during the last few decades. Humans have even discovered many new methods that have been developed to financially help our economy from the abundance of oil underneath the ocean floor. The search for oil is vital for the economic future of many nations. However, risks and consequences often faced in coastal ecosystems and on the mainland are powerful, and could later lead to bigger problems humans have to face; such as less food from interruptions in the food chain, higher gas prices, and not being able to enjoy the oceans and coasts, like we do today.