Daily News - As One-Year Anniversary of Gulf Oil Spill Nears, Future Recovery is Still Uncertain (ContributorNetwork) Daily Business News
A year ago Wednesday, the U.S. was hit with what was to be the worst oil spill in American history. On April 20, 2010, at about 10 p.m. CDT, British Petroleum's (BP) Deepwater Horizon drilling rig located in the Gulf of Mexico off of Louisiana exploded and began gushing crude oil into the Gulf's warm waters and continued to do so until it was capped on July 15 and officially sealed on Sept. 19. Over the span of the spill it poured up to 4.9 million barrels into the water, making it the second worst oil spill in the world and the worst in U.S. history.
But now that the one year anniversary looms, scientists, policy makers, and Gulf residents are looking at what the future holds for the oil spill-stricken areas of the Gulf and the impact it will have years to come on industry, the well-being of residents, and the environment.
The Gulf of Mexico, spanning from coastal areas to the ocean floor, has long been an area rich in biodiversity. But oil from last year's spill has plagued the Gulf region, where the ground is still saturated with oil, suffocating and killing once-standing plant and animal life. Even in the deep waters, BP's oil still sits as a thick blanket on the ocean floor. Researchers that have taken ocean core samples conclude that oil-eating microbes are not consuming the oil quickly enough and even back in February, only about 10 percent of the oil had been consumed and that the ocean floor was covered in dead and decaying organisms, including starfish, crabs, and aquatic worms, that had suffocated by filtering oil through their bodies. Similarly, large numbers of adult and stillborn dolphin carcasses have been washing up on beaches with oil residue.
Industry and the economy have also been hit hard too. Before the oil spill, fishing had been extremely profitable in the Gulf of Mexico. But with marine life, especially once-viable fish populations, suffering the immense impacts of the oil spill, it's taken its toll on fishing businesses. Tourism has been down as well. Charter boat companies, stores, and other businesses that thrive from tourism have been hit due to the lack of tourists, who believe the oil-clogged waters are unsafe and ultimately decide to vacation elsewhere.
As for the future of the Gulf region, it's still up in the air. Operations are still taking place on the shorelines to help sift out wads of oil and clean up oil-suffocated wildlife. BP has also set up a $20 billion fund to pay claims filed by states, businesses, and residents. However, the fund and the claims process have received intense criticism from residents and state officials who claim that payments are being made too slowly and for too little and that the future of the Gulf lies entirely on BP's shoulders. Even in the case of the Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1989, there is still $100 million in cleanup left. What's for certain is the uncertainty of the future that lies ahead for the Gulf and its recovery, even one year after the BP Deepwater Horizon spill rocked the globe.
Rachel Krech provides an in-depth look at current environmental issues and local Chicago news stories. As a college student from the Chicago suburbs pursuing two science degrees, she applies her knowledge and passion to both topics to garner further public awareness.
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