Category: Oil Spill

The Kalamazoo River oil spill was the worst oil spill in Michigan’s history. Well over 800,000 gallons of crude oil were spilled from an Enbridge pipeline in a creek upriver, and subsequently flowed downriver, causing devastating effects to the surrounding areas and the river’s ecosystem itself. It is clear that Enbridge dropped the ball, and that the entire situation was avoidable. The spill received a quick response from governmental agencies. The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality partnered with the United States Environmental Protection Agency, as well as local agencies, to develop a plan to manage and restore the afflicted area, and to inform the community on the process. They released reports on the effects and the timeline of the effort.

As far as the spill goes, the cleanup management is straightforward: get every last drop of oil out of the river. The management of the aftereffects, however, is more complex. The questions that have to be answered include how the species of the river can rebound, and how the situation can be ultimately prevented from ever happening again. These are complicated questions and they have many different potential solutions.

This paper addresses the initial effects of the crude oil spill in the Kalamazoo River, in terms of the environment as well as the economy. From the perspective of different governmental agencies, it describes the timeline of the management process. Lastly, it explores potential management and restoration options to ensure this situation never happens in the future.

An interesting note, to start, is that the Kalamazoo River oil spill was the first ever tar sands oil (diluted bitumen) exposure in freshwater. This confused scientists, as they did not actually know what the short and long term effects of this would be. They turned to prior research on oceanic oil spills, as well as the ecological consequences of heavy metal in water (closest research to diluted bitumen) and their effects on the environment to accurately predict what would happen. The immediate effects they observed were essentially as expected. The surrounding residents were concerned about drinking water. They found that some of the groundwater supply was contaminated, but not to a dangerous level according to state standards. An immediate economical effect was the recreational value of the river, as it was immediately closed to boating, swimming, fishing, and other water activities that local residents previously enjoyed. It was opened a year later with the assurance that the oil is not toxic, and it was safe to be exposed to. Residents were wary, however, because the river was still dirty and not desirable for recreation[1]. Furthermore, one thing that scientists are sure of is that oil is eventually biodegradable, and does evaporate and break down into different chemicals. Evaporation of the oil put chemicals into the surrounding air, and showed devastating health effects on the residents immediately next to the river. The community reported headaches, dizziness, rashes, fatigue, and even more serious effects such as seizures Two health reports were released, one exploring the effects of oil vapor exposure, and the other examining the effects of being submerged in the oil. People were worried about longterm effects, however, and demanded a long term health study be conducted following their actual health issues through the next few years[2]. Scientists were unsure if this would be a long term consequence (luckily, it was not). There was some property damage, albeit not a huge scale, especially near Talmadge Creek (the initial starting point of the spill). Homes reeked of benzene, and yards were flooded with oil as it bubbled from the sediments up to the surface. The Calhoun County Department of Health reported an evacuation of 30-50 homes in the area[3]. A few years later, in 2013, the EPA released a report on the updated status of the river. They explained that the surface oil was completely removed, however, there was still an estimated over 100,000 gallons of oil trapped in the underlying sediment. This was problematic, because they could not easily remove it without adverse impacts to the ecosystem. Also, sediments move pretty quickly downriver as the river pushes them along. This caused concern for the sediments reaching Lake Michigan, where the river ultimately ends up[4]. The wildlife in the river was obviously affected heavily, as many fish and insects were killed by the lack of oxygen, as well as birds being covered in oil. It is clear, based on these studies and reports, that the immediate effects of the spill were detrimental, but the long-term effects are manageable and not extremely consequential.

The government response to the spill was quick, although it was a long process. The Michigan DEQ and the EPA immediately teamed up to solve the issue, as well as clean up the site. The day of the spill, July 26 2010, the EPA mobilized a team consisting of the MDEQ as well as local agencies. Meetings began discussing cleanup teams and methods of containment. They had to move fast as the oil quickly approached Lake Michigan, but they were able to contain it 80 miles from the tributary that flows into the lake. The EPA knew the public was confused and angry at the whole situation, and they did a good job at keeping the community informed. They held many public forums to update people on the status of the effort, as well as get their opinions on the matter. After declaring it a Superfund site, EPA heavily targeted Enbridge, the oil company responsible for the spill. They issued orders for them to help clean it up, as well as finance a majority of the expenses. By 2013, it was decided that the surface oil was mostly gone, but the oil in the sediments remained. The solution to this was dredging the soil. Dredging the soil meant using huge netlike mechanisms to disrupt the soil and allow the oil trapped beneath it to bubble to the surface of the water. Once on the surface, it gets cleaned just like it did initially. After the dredging project completed by the end of the year, the EPA discontinued its primary involvement with the site, and handed it over to the MDEQ[5]. The DEQ’s next steps after being handed the primary oversight position were simple: restore the Kalamazoo River back to its state pre-spill. They teamed up with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Governor Rick Snyder to facilitate this plan, which mainly consists of giving Enbridge orders on restoration[6]. The restoration efforts are continuing to this day.

The governmental response overall was up to standard. The EPA responded the day of and got a team together to sort the problem out before it got substantial. The trade-off here is that while a lot of wildlife was lost and ecosystems were heavily damaged, the impact on humans was relatively minimal. It definitely could have been a much worse situation, especially if the oil would have reached Lake Michigan. That would have caused exponentially worse effects than it did. The more important question to answer is what preventative measures can be taken to ensure that this never happens again. Oil spill occurrences have gone way down since the first pipelines and freighters began transporting it. However, there are still areas where pipes are old and fragile, as well as misinformed pipeline operators (the cause of this oil spill in particular; the workers thought it was a false alarm at first). The immediate solution to the old pipes problem is an infrastructure upgrading project. Although costly, replacing 50 plus year old pipes that are well past their expiration date would prove to exponentially reduce the chance of spills and ruptures. The arguably better, large-scale solution would be to start phasing out these old pipes and transition to renewable energy sources in the areas where the oil is ending up. This would ultimately reduce the risk of a spill to zero. The problem with this solution is that it is long term, and there is still the risk of spills occurring during the transition period. As far as the worker problem is concerned, automation is an option. The technology exists, and the alarms could be better monitored and understood this way as well. The trade-off is a loss of employment for current workers, however. Furthermore, the renewable energy idea can apply to kill two birds with one stone and get rid of the need for pipeline operators in the first place. This would, again, put them out of employment, but job opportunities in renewable energy would open up, and their skills would easily translate to this area. Through these prevention options, the risks of oil spills will continue to drop, and will reach zero in the near future. It is a matter of getting policy makers and interest groups on board, and then setting a plan going forward.

The significance of this report is that it shows the observed impacts of a crude oil spill of this caliber (diluted bitumen) for further use in the event of a future tar sands oil spill. It also evaluates the successes of the governmental agencies in their responses, which provides a framework of how to handle situations like these in the future. The potential prevention solutions will be relevant in the very near future as the pipes get older and the oil supply gets closer and closer to complete depletion.

The oil spill leaking into the Mexico gulf is as a result of the British Petroleum drilling rig which exploded at a rate of five thousand barrels a day. It was reported that about eleven workers died in the explosion that took place on 20th of April (Jones, 2010). The likely cause of the disaster was a cementing operation when the drilling by BP contractor Deepwater Horizon was at the verge of completion. The oil spill is going to affect the lives of the people in the coastal region in one way or another and it also poses serious threats to the survival of the biodiversity along the shoreline of Gulf coast. The commercial fishing in the regions affected might be permanent or last for a long time (Rank, 2010).

The spill is also going to impact the economy negatively since all activities associated with coastline are going to be affected. The coastal area which is densely populated normally attract several recreation activities and related activities such as boating, snorkeling, fishing and scuba diving, swimming, beaches, nature parks and preserves among others which do not occur as a result of the oil spill and this has serious effect on local economy and the society as well. If the spill gets to the coast then Florida, Alabama, Gulf shores and Panama City will be affected by the disaster.

Despite the stability of the economy and growth of pipeline industry in the Gulf coast, the current oil spill spells doom for the industry. Most oil used in the region is produced in the Gulf coast and the coast according to Murray (2005) is also the hub for major producers of refined products which are produced by the power generated by natural gas whose source is still the Gulf Coast. The oil spill in the Gulf Coast is by all means going to affect the economy of the region which is also likely to trickle to other nations.

The oil spill is going to affect the production of petroleum in the region thereby reducing the supply of the oil which many industries depended upon for different reasons. Once the oil production comes down the demand of the product is going to go up thereby forcing the oil prices to go up as well. When the oil price goes up the prices of products that depend on it for their production is also going to increase. Refine products prices will increase because they are products of petroleum and the power that produces them is generated from the oil.

Other basic commodities prices are also going to up thereby exerting pressure on the consumers of the oil and its products which is going to impact the sector quite negatively. In addition the cost of transportation is going to increase because major means of transport in the region depend on the oil which is produced in the Gulf coast. The high transportation cost is going to be reflected on the fare in the public transport sector which will make movement of people to become more expensive. When the coast of living goes up in the region there will be demand for increase in wages and salaries and the pipeline sector is going to feel the heat which will affect is overall economy.

There are very many people who are employed in the pipeline sector in the Gulf coast. Jobs are going to be lost in the industry due to the loss and damages the sector has suffered (Achenbach & Fahrenthold, 2010). The loss and the damages that have resulted from the oil spill is going to be met by the companies that are directly or indirectly involve which will increase the expenses of the industry and thereby lowering profit margin. There are many other activities along the coastline that are going to come to a standstill because of the oil spill. Coastal regions all over the world are known to be tourist attraction centers and Gulf coast is one of them where the tourism sectors seriously booms.

All the tourist related activities are going to stop among other activities like fishing, harbor related activities, hotel and lodges related activities among many others. All these activities need fuel to operate consequently the pipeline is going to make a loss due to reduced consumption of its products along the Gulf coast. This is going to affect the sector immediately and in the long term.

Transportation by sea is also going to be stopped for some time and the effect is going to be even greater to the pipeline economy. Most oil and oil products are transported by sea and when the means of transport is interfered with then it means the supply of the product is going to be reduced greatly. Low supply of oil means low stock for the sector and the impact will be low profitability which is going to be realized in the short term.

The effect may also be long term since it will take pipeline considerable time to recover from such a loss and destabilization of the pipeline economy. Transportation and export of oil and its product is also going to be affected as a result of the oil spill. When this happens, there will be reduced production of the oil products and reduced export of the commodities. Both the pipeline’s economy and the general economy of the region are going to be negatively impacted in the short term and the long term. The industry is going to resort to other means of transport like air, road and rail which is more expensive. Here again we see a reason why the pipeline is going to spend more than they have been doing.

The international implication of the oil crisis on the five major transport modes is by all reasons going to be great. Firstly, in the sea transport mode, the crisis is going to affect the movement of people, goods and services in and out of the region. Most oil which is produced in the region is exported to other states and nations and due to the crisis the service is going to stop hence the states and countries that depend on the oil produced in the Gulf coast is going to suffer the consequences of the oil spill.

Therefore most transportation is going to be done by other modes such as trucking, pipeline, air and rail. Rail and air transportation is going to be used to transport people, goods and services that were transported by sea. This extra pressure will not be healthy for the sectors and transportation will not be as convenient as before due to congestion and limited transport. This means that the international community is also going to suffer the consequences due to the fact that transportation cost is going to be higher and less convenient. In the pipeline mode only countries and places that are connected by the pipelines are going to get services in a normal basis.

Trucking is also going to be used to transport oil and its products to neighboring states and nations but the implication is going to be great because trucking is more expensive than sea transport. The international community is also going to feel the negative impact of Gulf coast oil spill.

Its estimated that most oil spills occur because of daily operations, mostly in oil or port terminals. However, there are still occasions where oil spills occur due to oil exploration, extraction and production or through transporting oil by sea and these vessels crashing or running aground (Fingas, 2019). These tend to have great impacts on the local marine biodiversity. An example of an oil spill that occurred due to oil extraction is the BP Deepwater Horizon blowout in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010. An example of the latter occasion is the recent MV Wakashio oil spill near Mauritius. This essay aims to address the impacts of oil spills on marine biodiversity, in relation to goal 14, “Life Below Water”, of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Causes of Oil Spills

From 1970 to 2019, half of the large oil spills occurred in open seas, of which more than half were because a ship hit another vessel, ran aground or hit something in the water. These spills were even more frequent when the vessel was navigating inland waterways or ports and harbours. A small amount of these spills also occurred during loading and discharging of the vessel, hull or equipment failure, fire or explosions or any weather-related damage. The size of oil spills has been split into three categories: less than 7 tonnes, between 7 tonnes and 700 tonnes, and more than 700 tonnes. Since 2014, the number of spills greater than 7 tonnes due to collisions of some sorts has been greater than in previous decades at around 44% (Singh Khadka, 2020).

Damage from Oil Spills

The extent of the damage from an oil spill depends on various factors, including the location of the spill, the prevailing weather conditions, the response time to help with controlling the oil spill and the volume of the oil spilt (Fingas, 2013). Many of the impacts on marine life will depend on what species there are at the location as well as the amount of oil spilt. However, as oil is less dense than seawater, it will create a thin film on the water surface and float. The floating oil will stick to the fur and feathers of marine mammals and birds causing them to lose their insulating and water-repelling properties, exposing them to the cold. In addition, marine species will often ingest the oil residue, causing them to die or have health problems (Singh Khadka, 2020).

Oil Spill Occurrence

Fortunately, the number of oil spills occurring annually is decreasing (see figure 1). This may be due to tighter regulations and improvements in safety standards, for example the introduction of double hull vessels (ITOPF, 2020). The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) has also introduced a new fuel oil to be used from January 2020. This is a low sulphur oil to help reduce air pollution (Alfalaval, 2018).Deepwater Horizon

The BP Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded on the 20th April 2010, due to a failed blowout protector. This caused nearly 400,000 tonnes of oil to spill into the Gulf of Mexico, of which 800,000 barrels of oil were collected with booms (Kaiser et al., 2011), over 87 days and contaminate about 1,300 miles of coastline (Borunda, 2020).

Impacts of the oil spill

It killed thousands of species, ranging from plankton to dolphins. Fish absorbed some of the oil-sourced contaminants, while a recorded 1000 dolphins died in the following month due to ingesting toxins from the oil. The long-term impact of the oil on longer lived species like dolphins, whales and turtles is still unknown, but the dolphins who didn’t die due to toxin ingestion, have been ill ever since. Some of the hardest hit animals were birds, which may have led to a population explosion for fish of species like the Gulf Menhaden. However, many species, like deep-sea coral, common loons and spotted sea trout are still struggling, their populations being partly lower than they have been before (Meiners, 2020). Other severe impacts are impaired reproduction and reduced growth as well as disease and lesions. The Red Snapper was found to have skin lesions until 2012 when they became less severe and frequent (Borunda, 2020). The impacts on the local wildlife can still be seen today and recovery may take another few decades (Meiners, 2020).

MV Wakashio Oil Spill

On the 25th July 2020, the MV Wakashio, a large bulk carrier vessel, ran aground coral reef near Pointe d’Esny, on the southern coastline of Mauritius (Lewis, 2020). On the 6th August, the hull broke into two which was when the majority of the oil onboard leaked into the ocean. The vessel had around 4,000 tonnes of oil abroad – 200 tonnes of marine gas oil and 3,900 tonnes of fuel oil. Of the 4,000 tonnes of oil, only about 1,000 tonnes were spilt as the local government was able to pump the majority of the oil elsewhere (ITOPF, 2020). Due to the new IMO regulations, the vessel was carrying low sulphur fuel oil. This oil spill was the first of its kind under these regulations, and thus the long-term effects of the low-sulphur oil are unknown (Lewis, 2020).

Impacts of the Oil Spill

Although only 15 km of coastline was smeared with oil, Pointe d’esny is near wetlands that are designated as a site of international importance under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands and a known sanctuary for wildlife unique to Mauritius (Lewis, 2020). The area is home to about 1,700 different species including 786 types of fish, 17 marine mammals and two turtles (UN Convention on Biological Diversity). Because of the oil, these animals are at risk of drowning which has direct consequences on Mauritius’ already weakened economy (Greenpeace Africa, 2020). This decline is caused by the lack of tourism due to the ongoing pandemic. In addition, the toxic hydrocarbons released from the oil bleaches the coral which is bad as the coral become vulnerable which in turn affects other species that depend on them (Singh Khadka, 2020).

Conclusion

In conclusion, oil spills tend to have similar impacts on marine biodiversity, the extent of which depends on factors including location, prevailing weather conditions and response time. Usually, the spills end with health problems in marine species, possibly even death. Often the effects are still seen years later, as in the case of the Deepwater Horizon explosion. The long-term effects of the new low sulphur fuel oil that the MV Wakashio was carrying, are still unknown.

After the oil spill, the US government looked at the situation from a different angle, which is inclusive of cleaning the Gulf, compensation of the affected, and also the dividends of the shareholders. The issue is considered in three dimensions; positioning BP to the point of coming to terms with compensating those affected like the fishermen, small business owners, and oil workers. The United States president Barrack Obama after four trips to the Gulf’s coast analyzed the BP’s response as not fully satisfactory. This increased desperation among the politicians and the residents. Therefore the activity called for the release of a presidential command (Calmes 1).

In the midst of all the disappointment among the leaders, they blamed Barrack Obama’s administration for lack of involvement in the leadership of the BP because they have not well overseen the company. The Republicans have had a varied effort to those of the BP in limiting the oil gusher from the Gulf of Mexico. They have also majored in analyzing the failures of BP and also comparing BP with other rigs that operate at the Gulf. In their view, all the companies drilling oil in the Gulf ought to give very good plans on how they are going to implement.

In his speech, Obama never promised to offer real help to the people of the Gulf. He also never gave a specific plan of action, which people thought they were banality. President Barrack Obama, in his oval office address, looked at what was already done and what is in a plan to be done. Though this is claimed as a way of propelling his political agenda, it ought to be rebuked for taking an example of the war in Iraq to out-rule this motive.

It is unfortunate that the speech has been thought not to address the gusher spillage and those who are saying it won’t have an idea of how to deal with this disaster. There is absolutely now one with an idea of how to contain the spill. Putting in mind that the drills are in the sea or under the water, it is a complicated activity to think of. Though people are politically inclining the ideas that are offered by the government, they themselves have no idea of how to help the nation at large.

The oil spill has claimed a lot of aquatic life and also their residential areas. Replacing, in any case, may not be the solution but rescuing and also helping replenish the coastal plant cover. President Barrack urges the fishermen to patrol the shores and rescue the aquatic animals. Having found no other appropriate way of rescuing animal life in the Gulf of Mexico, the government can only work with the fishermen, the people who understand the Gulf better in terms of the aquatic life found. The disorientation of these fishermen means a big impact negatively on the economy of the nation and the people who draw their livelihood from the Gulf.

The idea from the president of first suspending the dividends is more practical for the company must first of all have to meet the expenses of handling the crisis before giving its shareholders the dividends. This is because we cannot first deal with those out of the disaster, adding them more comfort and money while those involved and part of the disaster are suffering (Crouere 1).

The oil spillage has been a sudden occurrence, no strategies were put in place in its regulation. This results in a trial and error way of fixing out the problem. Therefore this gives every individual an opportunity to give ideas that can be able to offer a solution. The fact that the president, with all the advice from experts in that area, may not be able to offer exactly what the citizens demand. This is because, considering the nature of the problem, it is huge and complicated. Having put effort and so far, no much achieved, makes the situation more difficult and may even move out of their hands. For example, imagine that after two months of cleanup, the spillage has increased 60 times calls for more qualified individuals to deal with the problem (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 1).

The president’s speech raised several issues that are diverse. The restoration plan for pay to most people amounted to nothing; hence was thought of as a way to gain political mileage. The government view through the president of looking for alternative sources of energy is important considering the risks involved with drilling of oil form the gulf. But to the government perpetuators it was not adding any value and it was only an ideology for political gain and this was well backed up by the BP.

The president gave few options which were incorporative of the whole plan of dealing with the situation like he handled the health care department. This made America and the whole world at large understand that he was in the pain and taking charge of the situation (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 1).

In contrast, he talked about the high taxes on energy and the energy bill that regulates the oil trade and the drilling of oil. The president’s speech did not more specifically handle the problems of the people at Louisiana instead it cost them their jobs. The moratorium issued by the president is detrimental in that if the oil drillers are going to loose approximately one hundred and fifty thousands well paying jobs. The president of Charlotte claims they are going to be put under unemployment which is in deed a plot to finish Louisiana completely. Therefore it portrays no good will of recovery of the economy of these people and their land it can be termed as total destruction.

Implementation of this ban means loss of very resourceful people in the nation. This is because the shallow water or onshore oil drilling has a lot of environmental regulations that are oppressive. This may cause the population that rely on the oil industry move on to more friendly nations to serve and work there. The resident of Louisiana feel that president Obama’s response was not satisfactory and they disapprove it. They were not also satisfied with foreign ship been allowed to clean they gulf hence felt there was an act that was been neglected (Crouere 2).

President Obama also never provided answers to the bureaucracies that have hindered the leaders from dealing with the threat of oil spillage. Only the leaders who have taken action despite the threat like the construction of the sand barriers through the Louisiana National Guard.

The residents now lose their confidence on relying on the government for help but they feel they ought to do it their own way. They claim depending on Obama’s administration that they step to total failure. The clean up process having been ongoing for almost two months now, it is unfortunate that the barrels of oil being released have rapidly increased to almost 60 times when it started. The residents therefore feel instead of the government denying them access to Gulf they should allow them to deal with the menace (Crouere 2).

Critics have it that lack of quick decision making has threatened the ability of the government to deal with the oil spillage crisis. The reluctance of the President to take decisive action has delayed the answer to the oil spill crisis. To date there is no demarcation of a clear plot of how to deal with the emergency. This has worsened the situation at the marshes which are dying and the residents are growing more and more desperate (Crouere 2).

The Deepwater Horizon oil spill is regarded as one of the largest environmental disasters in American history. On 20 April 2010, in the Gulf of Mexico, 205.8 million gallons of oil contaminated the gulf of Mexico. A total of 11 people killed and 17 injured. According to the Center for Biological Diversity “the spill likely harmed or killed about 82,000 birds of 102 species; about 6,165 sea turtles; as many as 25,900 marine mammals.” Even though oil spills can have some positive effects, they should be taken care of by oil companies because it causes environmental, social, and economic impacts to the world.

Oil spills can severely harm plants and animals in the ocean. Ph levels (Salinity) are distributed, air and water can be polluted, and more.This can be seen whenever oil rings or machinery malfunction, break, or are not treated properly, making the oil leak and spread into the environment.Marine life and coastal life can be harmed through poison by ingestion which sometimes is ingested through their gills. It’s also important to note that when there are oil spills in the ocean or freshwater, it does not help with the water. The oil floats and eventually it spreads out into a very thin layer across the surface of the water (called a slik).

In the same way that oil spills affect marine life, it can also affect people. The effects of oil spills on humans way be direct or indirect, it depends on the type of contact with the oil spill. Direct exposure can occur to people that live close to the spill and where they may come in contact with it. This can happen by breathing polluted air or by direct contact with the skin. Indirect exposure can happen to people that live farther from the spill but may still be affected by it. Whether its by bathing in contaminated water or by eating contaminated food. People who clean up the spill are the ones at more risk. Even though not much is known about the long-term effects, it is still dangerous since it can cause skin and eye irritation, and breathing problems.

Yet another reason as to why oil spills should be taken care of is how much oil spills cost the economy. For example, the cost incurred by clean up activities, serious economic losses happen to the oil industry itself, and also other businesses that also contribute to the economy, such as tourism and fisheries sectors. It would only be right for the oil company who caused the spill, clean it up. This however, sets back the company, making it loose money, and affecting the economy. As for tourism, holiday makers may decide to go somewhere else for vacation when they hear about the spill causing tour operators and potentially their suppliers to suffer losses. Oil spills cause serious damage to fisheries. Because of the contamination, stocks are affected and disrupted which, again, businesses and our economy.

Even though oil spills can be harmful, they do bring some positive effects.According to Kinder Morgan ‘Pipeline spills can have both positive and negative effects on local and regional economies, both in the short- and long-term,’she continues by saying, ‘Spill response and cleanup creates business and employment opportunities for affected communities, regions, and cleanup service providers.’ By this reasoning, communities everywhere should hope for natural disasters to strike — since the rebuilding might create some temporary employment.

All in all, oil do have some positive affect, however, oil companies should be responsible and take care of them because of all the environmental, social, and economic impacts it has on the world.

Introduction

Oil spillage refers to the release of hydrocarbon petroleum liquid in the environment. This is mainly a result of human activities. It is one of the greatest forms and causes of pollution. It involves crude oil spillage from tankers, platforms, wells, and drilling rigs. Spillage could also be from petroleum products that are already refined, leakages from large ships, and waste oils directed to the waters. It should be noted that oil that seeps in its natural form can enter the marine and cause pollution to the marine environment. Most of the human-oriented spillages originate from activities that are undertaken on the land. Oil spillage is very dangerous because it takes a lot of time to clean it up which could range from months to years depending on the source of the spill. As a result of the difficulties involved in controlling an already occurring oil spillage as well as the environmental damage it causes, oil spillage should be prevented at all costs (Burger, p. 56).

The BP Oil Spill Disaster in the Gulf

One of the greatest environmental disasters that have ever hit the United States of America is the oil spillage in the Gulf region which originated from the British Petroleum Company. According to the reports that were given, the spillage occurred a month after another spillage which was caused by an explosion of a ship carrying coal near Australia. This particular spillage at the Gulf of Mexico occurred as a result of an explosion of an oil rig from BP Company. It is an explosion that took place at around 11 pm on Tuesday, the 20th of April 2010. It was estimated to have caused the deaths of approximately 200 people. The particular rig was said to be drilling at the time of the explosion. However, it was never on production at that particular time of the day. The deepwater horizon exposition of the oil rig caused a lot of oil spillage to the environment. The oil was in its crude form and it has caused a lot of environmental threats. In addition, many people who depend on the water from the wetland especially for their livelihood were seriously affected. Apart from the environmental pollution that has severely threatened the ecosystem around the gulf, there has also been a significant loss of revenue by the industries whose employees were affected. This has made the oil spill a national disaster for the North American continent.

Was the BP Oil Spill Disaster in the Gulf Avoidable?

Due to the known adverse effects of the oil spillage on the ecosystem and human beings, several measures must be put in place to prevent a similar spillage from occurring. Nevertheless, it should be noted that oil transportation cannot be done away with. This is because apart from being a very important commodity in the lives of human beings, oil is also an income-generating commodity for the countries that are involved in its production. This, therefore, has called for the need to implement effective measures to avoid future oil spillage. Following several comments and questions that have been put forth by so many people including scholars and policymakers who are following up on the event, one cannot help but ask whether the disaster was avoidable. This is a misery that only serious research can solve.

One of the interviewees interviewed by Waichman claimed that “the disaster is in violation of several environmental acts, including the Clean Water Act and the Oil Pollution Act and is among the worst offshore drilling disasters in recent U.S. history, and could be the deadliest” (1). This statement shows that the disaster could have been avoided if the company had fully complied with the environmental laws laid down by the country. It means that several measures were not implemented or taken into consideration by the company. It should be noted that any law that has been passed concerning a certain issue is based on very intense research to ensure it is applicable. Laws are also tested to ensure that all ways in which such laws are likely to be violated are identified. This means that oil spillage in the ocean in whatever means can be avoided and so the BP Company had a way in which they could have avoided it.

According to the news broadcast on the website by Waichman, it was stated that “the deepwater horizon oil rig that exploded last week was not outfitted with a safety device that might have prevented the massive oil spill now nearing the U.S. Gulf Coast known as an acoustic switch, a last-resort protection against underwater spills” (1). This statement is very important in showing the world that the disaster was preventable. This is because if the device spoken about was fitted on the rig, then it means that the disaster would not have occurred that day. It is a gesture that shows that such a big and advanced nation is lacking such an important device or that the company responsible was ignorant about implementing the protective device. Most importantly, the fact that the regulation on having such a safety device is not included anywhere in the laws is despicable. This shows a lack of responsibility on the part of the relevant organizations and agencies.

On the Waichman web page, it was stated that “speculation is that the explosion was the result of a blowout. Such an event occurs when a combination of well control systems – primarily drilling mud hydrostatics and blow-out preventers (BOPs) – fail” (1). This statement means that if the explosion was caused by a blow out then it is likely that the problem would have been detected during the servicing of the equipment before operation. This consequently implies that probably much attention was not paid to the equipment during the servicing process hence the failure of the systems. Another explanation could be that the device was not serviced for quite a long period and thus if such measures were taken, then the inevitable explosion would have been detected before it ever occurred.

Some of the preventive measures of oil spillage that have been in implementation at the Gulf are only meant to take care of the health and life of the people rather than to avoid spillage. A very good example is the training of the inspectors on seafood sensory. This is very important in that it helps the regulators and the inspectors to sense any seafood that has been tainted in the Gulf region. This is to ensure that the products that are reaching the customers are safe for consumption. Such a measure is only to ensure that the spillage does not hurt the health of the people rather than the spillage occurrence. In addition, the preventive measures do not cater to the ecosystem that includes marine life. The oil spillage at the Gulf of Mexico could therefore have been prevented if the same significance was attached to its prevention rather than its consequence. For instance, sea vessels carrying oil are supposed to have a double hulling to reduce any possible risk of spilling the oil product on transit.

Rogoff (6) states that:

“The disaster, however, poses a much deeper challenge to how modern societies deal with regulating complex technologies. The accelerating speed of innovation seems to be outstripping government regulators’ capacity to deal with risks, much less anticipate them. It is a huge embarrassment for US President Barrack Obama that he proposed – admittedly under pressure from the Republican opposition – to expand offshore oil drilling greatly just before the BP catastrophe struck.”

According to the above statement, there were other cases of oil spillage in the Gulf region before the recent one occurred. This means that the region is prone to oil spillage cases. With that in mind, the government of the United States should have taken a keener interest in putting into place some mechanisms to prevent such an occurrence. However, it could be that the government was occupied in trying to come up with some strategies of counteracting the effects of the economic crisis in the country hence could not pay much attention to the issue of disaster management. There was a need to research what takes place in the ocean to be able to come up with ways of dealing with any future oil disaster in the region. Before the government considered expanding the oil drilling at the sea, it should have properly researched the issues of any disasters that could have taken place. Although an environmental impact assessment was done before the project was launched, the credibility of the research findings remains questionable.

Rogoff also stated that “financial crises are almost comforting by comparison. Speculative bubbles and banking crises have been a regular feature of the economic landscape for centuries. Awful as they are, societies survive them,” (12). According to this statement, the financial crisis that hit the U.S. should not be used as an excuse to escape the responsibility of what happened and cover up its failure. The fact that the government and BP took a risky and adventurous step to increase the oil drilling activities from the sea means that they should also have thought of the detrimental consequences which might have come up in the event of an explosion. By doing that, the oil spillage would have been prevented.

According to the article written by Rogoff, it is stated that “the advanced countries, which can best afford to restrain long-term growth, must lead by example. The balance of technology, complexity, and regulation is without doubt one of the greatest challenges that the world must face in the twenty-first century,” (p. 14). This statement is true in that the United States, being one of the most developed countries in the world, should be in a position to financially invest in disaster prevention mechanisms because it is economically stable to do so. By this, it means that there should have been better disaster mechanisms put in place to prevent the occurrence of oil spillage in the Gulf region. Technology advancement in the current industrial revolution era should consecutively be introduced together with a disaster prevention mechanism (Walker, p. 180).

Murphy argues that “the only even vaguely anti-US takeaway from his comment is that we, as a people, remain willfully ignorant to all these problems as long as we get out consumer fix” (p. 12). This statement means that the issue of economic gains earned from the oil drilling activities was more important than even the danger the activity was causing to the life of the people and the environment. In any case, according to the environmental laws, before the establishment of any project in the environment a very intensive and detailed environmental impact assessment must be carried out. This means that the findings or the process of the impact assessment was doubtful in the first place and hence the environmental disaster that occurred later on.

As it was stated by Graham “fossil fuels and the industry behind them, while certainly being responsible for advancing our civilization, have now become more of a liability than benefit” (p. 10). It is possible that the process of putting in place preventive measures at the oil drilling site was very expensive and so, as a way of avoiding such expenses, no good measures were implemented by the government. Instead, cheaper preventive systems could have been installed at the site to minimize costs and reap higher benefits. Graham also claims that “the rig was drilling, but not in production. It was under contract with BP. As of now, the cause of the blast is unknown. The priority is of course to make sure everybody is safe. Once that is done, the investigation will begin,” (p. 10). This means that since the cause was unknown it is impossible to tell whether the explosion was avoidable. This calls for in-depth research to be undertaken so that the real cause of the explosion can be determined. By doing this, it would be easy to know what preventive measures would have been put in place to avoid the explosion.

Graham (12) also stated that:

“Sensitive ecosystems at risk include the Delta National Wildlife Refuge and parts of eastern Louisiana. According to a statement from BP, more than 1,000 people are taking part in the oil spill response. However, it could be two weeks or more before the spill is contained. For now, the well is leaking as much as 42,000 gallons of oil every day”.

The above statement gives insight into the extent of the damage caused by the explosion. This shows that the rig and the systems at the oil drilling site were undergoing damages over the years which could have been rectified through regular maintenance by the BP Company. If such measures had been taken, the explosion and oil spill would have been prevented.

Conclusion

A lot has been written about the issue of oil spillage in the Gulf of Mexico. Most of the people feel that the government would have done something to avoid the disaster from happening. This calls for more research to find out what should have been done to prevent the occurrence of the spillage. The research would also help prevent similar occurrences from taking place in the future. Nevertheless, the Gulf oil disaster serves as an example to other oil-producing countries to implement preventive measures to avoid similar occurrences. In conclusion, the facts presented show that the Gulf oil spillage was indeed avoidable.

Oil spills seemingly happen quite often in large quantities I’ve often wondered what the cause is for these happening as well as the real effects of these massive spills. When the oil is spilled in the ocean it has happened in massive amounts and small amounts but in the end, it is never good the for the life of the ocean. Some of the biggest spills were even on purpose so determining the damages these caused is important and understanding what they can do to ecosystems in the ocean as well as how much they can harm ecosystems on the land as well. This will also lead to finding out the repercussions these parties involved with the spills were given. Starting from the top looking at the biggest spill in 1991.

In the Persian Gulf War Saddam Hussein used and oil to stop an amphibious invasion in the Kuwait sea from U.S. Marines and other western nations. “Iraqi forces released hundreds of millions of gallons of oil from Kuwait’s Sea Island terminal into the northern Persian Gulf before the end of hostilities” (Rafferty). It was estimated to be somewhere to 380 million and 520 million gallons that were released into the gulf by the Iraqis. The effects of the spill resulted in thousands of marine lives being destroyed and the coastline being uninhabitable. “Marine sediments are home to many sea creatures which have greatly suffered from the oil spills in the Persian Gulf. The effect oil spill will stay in the coastal and subsurface, and deep sediments for several years and persist in coastal sediments for several decades and have long-term effects on aquatic ecosystems” (Bejarano, Adriana C., and Jacqueline Michel 5). So, life in the gulf was essentially destroyed in the first dumping of oil and now the life will take decades to be able to return because of how it sunk into the sediment. As well as spreading from the gulf into the open ocean causing damage to other marine life and ecosystems. Iraq faced massive sanctions from the U.S. for the massive pollution they caused.

The next Oil spill was the largest accidental spill which is far more well-known because it was more recent than the Iraqi spill. The BP oil spill occurred on April 20th, 2010 the Deepwater Horizon oil drilling rig exploded killing 11 workers. This set off a chain reaction which caused the oil to spill out from the oil rig. “4 million barrels of oil flowed from the damaged Macondo well over an 87-day period, before it was finally capped on July 15, 2010” (EPA). This spill was known by almost everyone since the media covered it so much. BP was the center of attention for a long time throughout the process of the spill and the cleanup after. Many people were involved in the cleanup trying to save the marine wildlife. Thousands of birds and fish were killed in the result of the spill. Ecosystems were heavily damaged because of this and to this day the effects are impacting wildlife. BP was held accountable for the damages and faced fines for 5.5 billion dollars and 8.8 billion dollars. As well BP participated in the cleanup. There were many methods to the cleanup that involved manual labor such as just getting rid of the oil by hand. Other methods involved burning the oil off the surface of the water though creating more pollution into the atmosphere. Tar and oil had reached multiple other states such as Texas, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida all had polluted shorelines. Another way that they got rid of the oil was through the use of dispersants that allowed bacteria to easily consume the oil for an easier cleanup. Tourism and the economy of these affected states fell because of this spill causing unemployment and many other negative impacts on land. Beaches everywhere were covered in the black oil and tar. It may have been the biggest spill in the Gulf, but it wasn’t the first

In 1979 Mexico’s Ixtoc 1 oil drilling rig exploded when oil and gas couldn’t recirculate in the pipe. Because of the uncertainty of how much exact oil came out of BPs oil spill Ixtocs could actually be the second biggest. “Ixtoc spilled out 140 million gallons of crude oil into the Bay of Campeche from June to March 1980. For nearly ten months, the well-poured oil into the Gulf at a rate initially estimated to be 30,000 barrels per day.” (Ixtoc). With so much time passing before the well-being capped, it is clear that the amount of damage to the ecosystems and wildlife were massive. Oil was able to seep into sediment and remained for many years. The Gulf of Mexico did not get much of a break when it came to oil spills. The economy of the towns along the Gulf was heavily impacted as well. Many residents said that the amount of fish they can catch is never and will never be the same after the spills. Fisherman lost their jobs being unable to fish since they had either died or left the gulf being unable to survive with so much oil being present in the water. In total it took 9 months for the cleanup to be deemed done.

In the most recent oil spills off the coast of Louisianan, an oil well that was uncapped has been spilling out about 700 gallons of oil a year since 2004. It is apparently very unknown except in Louisiana that this has been happening. “On average, 330,000 gallons of crude are spilled each year in Louisiana from offshore platforms and onshore oil tanks, according to a state agency that monitors them” (Fears). This kind of negligence is what is destroying the oceans marine life. Taylor Energy is the owner of the platform and claims to have no idea about the spill and denied its existence. It is becoming clear that marine life in the Gulf. is headed in a bad direction with so much oil spilling out into it each year and spills becoming more frequent and common they are not being picked up by the media as often.

With so much of our oceans being polluted by oil stronger regulations are needed. No matter the amount of oil being spilled it is important that people work hard that it doesn’t happen. With how much damage the oil can cause to the marine wildlife. This is something that not only effects fish, but it effects the livelihoods of citizens around the world. Jobs and lives can be lost because of the negligence shown by corporations not protecting their oil rigs properly. Those responsible for spills need to be held accountable every time they spill for how much damage they can cause to the world from their mistakes.

Offshore drilling requires the construction of significant onshore infrastructure such as new roads, pipelines, and processing facilities, which are often built on formerly pristine beaches. Thanks in part to drilling operations, Louisiana is losing roughly 24 square miles of coastal wetlands each year, eating away at natural storm barriers and increasing the risks of storm damage, including damage from oil spills. When companies dredged canals, they dumped the soil they removed alongside, creating “spoil levees” that could rise higher than 10 feet and twice as wide. The weight of the spoil on the soft, moist delta caused the adjacent marshes to sink. In locations of intense dredging, spoil levees impounded acres of wetlands. The levees also impede the flow of water and sediments over wetlands during storm tides.If there were 10,000 miles of canals, there were 20,000 miles of levees. Researchers estimate that canals and levees eliminated or covered 8 million acres of wetlands.

Oil has the potential to persist in the environment long after a spill event and has been detected in sediment 30 years after a spill, especially in areas sheltered from weathering processes, such as the subsurface sediments under gravel shorelines, and in some soft substrates. Oil spills may cause shifts in population structure, species abundance and diversity, and distribution. Habitat loss and the loss of prey items also have the potential to affect fish and wildlife populations. Different animal classifications are affected in different ways by oil. Oil can be directly toxic to marine invertebrates or impact them through physical smothering, altering metabolic and feeding rates, and altering shell formation. Fish can be impacted directly through uptake by the gills, ingestion of oil or oiled prey, effects on eggs and larval survival, or changes in the ecosystem that support the fish. Physical contact with oil destroys the insulation value of fur and feathers, causing birds and fur-bearing mammals to die of hypothermia.

Oil causes harm to wildlife through physical contact, ingestion, inhalation and absorption. Floating oil can contaminate plankton, which includes algae, fish eggs, and the larvae of various invertebrates. Fish that feed on these organisms can subsequently become contaminated. Larger animals in the food chain, including bigger fish, birds, terrestrial mammals, and even humans may then consume contaminated organisms.

Initially, oil has the greatest impacts on species that utilize the water surface, such as waterfowl and sea otters, and species that inhabit the nearshore environment. Although oil causes immediate effects throughout the entire spill site, it is the external effects of oil on larger wildlife species that are often immediately apparent. Marine algae and seaweed responds variably to oil, and oil spills may result in die-offs for some species.

Environmental impact

The area where the oil spilled from the Deepwater Horizon rig includes 8,332 species(Biello,2010). This means that the oil spill put every one of these species at risk. The dolphin species are one of these species that have suffered dearly from the oil spill. During 2010, nearly 90 dead dolphins were reported to be found at the Gulf. This number did not decrease either as a further 200 dead dolphins were found, during January to late March of 2011, in the Gulf (Coleman,2013). Due to this, NOAA conducted a study in 2011 that stated the health complications that arise when dolphins that came into contact with petroleum. These dolphins suffered a drastic decrease in body mass, low blood sugar as well as many either suffering from liver or lung cancer(Kaufman,2012) .The deaths of dolphins even an entire year after the notorious oil spill indicates the long term impact that this event had on marine life.

Dolphins weren’t the only species that died from the oil spill. The oil that was spilled into the Gulf contained a methane content of 40%. Methane reduces oxygen levels significantly and hence the oil spill lead to many species not having enough oxygen to survive and hence suffocating to death. The oil spill not only resulted in the deaths of several species but it also led to the mutation of marine life. (NBC News, 2010) Such mutations include eyeless and/or clawless crabs as well as half the shrimp in the Gulf being found with no eyes or eye sockets. (Dahr,2012) These are just a few examples of why and how the Deepwater Horizon tragedy was considered the worst environmental disaster in history.

The impact on BP

Due to BP taking majority of responsibility for this disaster, BP lost a lot of market value which meant that by 2013 they dropped from the second to the fourth largest of the major oil companies.(Tourism Economics, 2011) In order to afford expenses such as grants to the Gulf States, fines, penalties as well as compensation, BP had to sell $75 Billion worth of their assets. (Breen,2010) This impacted their profitability terribly as BP faced billions in losses. BP’s reputation also became tarnished as they were “found guilty of gross negligence and wilful misconduct under the Clean Water Act”. Due to this, consumers gravitated towards supporting BP’s competitors and this lead to BP’s sales dropping between 10% and 40% in the United States during the time this crisis.(Weber,2010) An oil analyst at Oppenheimer & Co notes how drastic BP’s downfall was after the oil spill by explaining [that] before the accident, BP had a market capitalization of $180 billion. The accident actually shaved off one-third of the market capitalization of the company. It’s a miracle that the company is still in business. It is evident how BP’s company faced major repercussions for their decisions that contributed to the oil spill.

Social Impact

The oil spill released various toxins in the air that harmed those residing in surrounding areas of the Gulf. Two months after the incident, 103 spill-exposure cases of workers involved in the clean-up of the spill as well 35 spill-exposure cases of residents were reported already. (Louisiana DHH,2010)The cause of these cases were supposedly from dispersants (which were used to break down the oil after the spill) as dispersants made the oil more toxic. Those who were exposed had a high presence of chemicals in their blood notes environmental scientist, Wilma Subra. The spill caused long-term health consequences for many. Dr James Diaz who writes for the American Journal of Disaster Medicine stated that these consequences include mental health disorders, birth defects, developmental disorders, various forms of cancer. In addition, many involved in the clean up efforts post this disaster became hospitalised for heat stress as they were working in heat-intensive conditions for an extended amount of time. The fact that this oil-spill put strain on the health of many emphasises how much turmoil this disaster brought about and how those 11 who died on the day of the oil spill are not the only ones who would have died as a result of the oil spill.

Economic Impact

Fisheries in Louisiana were impacted negatively in the United States. The seafood industry in Louisiana makes up for 40% of the supply of seafood in the United States. After the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, the NOAA closed a large area of the Gulf of Mexico and because the Gulf of Mexico borders Louisana, this meant that Louisiana could no longer supply as much seafood to the United States.(The Sun News, 2010) Not only did this mean a decreased supply of seafood throughout the country but it also meant many risked losing their jobs or facing salary decreases. Louisiana’s seafood industry employed over 27000 people (Reuters, 2010)at the time of the crisis meaning that this oil spill impacted many on a larger scale.

Tourism was impacted negatively and positively during the time of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the United States. The negative impact was the fact that many cancelled their vacations due to the spill. Due to this many hotels cut their prices and an increase in promotional deals such as free golf was observed. However, the hotel industry was not losing much profits as they became filled up with those who had come to the Gulf of Mexico to assist with the oil removal efforts. (Reed,2010)

Despite such efforts, the tourism industry’s revenues in 2010 were much less than they were in 2009. Hence it is evident how negatively the tourism industry was impacted by this disaster.

The cost of real estate depreciated for properties on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. People were not buying or renting properties within that vicinity. From April 2010 to June 2010 one real estate agent was not able to sell a single house in the areas surrounding the oil spill. This impact was felt the most on those who depended on rental income to fund things like their retirement according to ABC News, further emphasising the economic impact of this disaster.

As explosion burst and oil leaked into the ocean. Billions of dollars rushed to the surface and water seemed to be on fire, but only oil burned. The uncontrollable fire burned up the derrick of Deepwater Horizon ,48 miles off the coast of Louisiana. British Productions (BP) leased Deepwater Horizon from Transocean, an oil rig company, which had the largest oil spill in U.S. history. The blowout, a large release of crude oil from the formation of oil, is more devastating offshore. It is more dangerous because you cannot run to safety. The water pushes harder on the already compressed formation so even more oil is released. BP’s blowout had a large political, environmental, and economical effect.Offshore oil rigs have many parts the run it.

Deepwater Horizon had a derrick used to insert piping into the hole using the catwalk. It was a semi submersible and was not connected to the ocean floor, so it had a propulsion operating system for it to stay in place and to keep the pipe from bending. Deepwater Horizon was a MODU designed with a platform-type deck that contains drilling equipment and other machinery supported by pontoon-type columns. Deepwater Horizon was a fifth-generation, RBS-8D design , deepwater, dynamically positioned, column-stabilized,semi-submersible mobile offshore drilling unit, designed to drill subsea wells for oil exploration and production using an 18.75 in, 15,000 psi blowout preventer, and a 21 in outside diameter marine riser.

At 9:45 P.M. on 20 April 2010, during the final phases of drilling the exploratory well at Macondo, a geyser of seawater erupted from the marine reservoir on the rig, shooting 240 ft into the air. This was soon followed by the eruption of a slushy combination of drilling mud, methane gas, and water. The gas component of the slushy material quickly transitioned into a fully gaseous state and then ignited into a series of explosions and then a firestorm. An attempt was made to activate the blowout preventer, but it failed. The final defense to prevent an oil spill, a device known as a blind shear ram, was activated but failed to plug the well.

At the time of the explosion, there were 126 crew on board; seven were employees of BP, 79 of Transocean, there were also employees of various other companies involved in the operation of the rig, including Anadarko, Halliburton and M-I SWACO. Eleven workers were presumed killed in the initial explosion. The rig was evacuated, with injured workers airlifted to medical facilities. After approximately 36 hours, Deepwater Horizon sank on 22 April 2010. The remains of the rig were located resting on the seafloor approximately 5,000 ft deep at that location, and about 1,300 ft northwest of the well.The resultant oil spill continued until 15 July when it was closed by a cap.Relief wells were used to permanently seal the well, which was declared “Effectively dead” on 19 September 2010.