In April 2010,
a fire started and caused an explosion on an oil rig called Deepwater Horizon,
owned by the large gas company BP. It killed 11 people and injured 17, and
eventually the rig sank in 5,000 ft of water, causing a five-mile long oil
slick in the Gulf of Mexico. A spill emergency response system failed to
activate when it began, and the well was found to be leaking 1,000 barrels of
oil every day. Thtis spill caused not only billions of dollars in monetary
damage, but also massive environmental damage, including a large leap in turtle
deaths (all of the sea turtle species in the Gulf of Mexico are threatened or
endangered), disrupting breeding grounds for many species, coating many individuals
of various species living in that gulf with the oil, and created “dead zones” where
marine life cannot survive. The spill was expected to have long lasting effects
on the Gulf.
This week,
three years after this disaster, we are still dealing with this. BP has
returned to court and this trial is meant to determine whether the company
practiced “gross negligence” during the disaster. It must be determined whether
or not BP did everything they could to best respond to the disaster and to cap
the well from which the oil was spilling, as well as how much oil escaped into
the ocean. The plaintiffs are arguing that BP had “wasted time” trying to cap
the well and most of the plans they did try failed. They also say that before
the event, BP didn't even have a plan to respond to a potential disaster such
as this. The defendants say that that BP did their best, and tried every plan possible,
and that their strategy was agreed upon but other companies in their business.
Though this
environmental disaster occurred years ago, I think it is still important to
look at it today and discuss it within this blog. Even though the event is no lingering
occurring, we are still dealing with its consequences. It also shows how that
the true extent of the damages of a disaster may not be known until long after the
event. For example, it is just now being determined by the court hearings that
are occurring exactly how much oil was spilled, and who is to blame, and even
why it happened. Years later, we still need to explore how the disaster was (or
was not) prevented or even made worse. Another example of why it is still
important to look at this disaster and its follow-up is because it is was
almost solely due to human error. There were reports of a leak before the
actual disaster itself, showing BP’s negligence: they failed to act despite
warning signs, and I feel like this is a huge factor in how much damage occurs
in any disaster.
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