2010 BP Oil Spill Essay

BP Oil Disaster Impact and Lessons Learned

On April 20, 2010, the BP Deepwater Horizon spill dumped more than 4.1 million barrels of crude into the Gulf region over 87 days (Walsh et al., On the Edge). The oil and gas industry developed new technologies in pursuit of valuable energy supplies, venturing into deeper waters farther from the coastline (National Commission, 85). Regulators, however, failed to keep up with the industrial expansion and new technology -- often because of industry's resistance to more effective oversight (Juhas 11). This led to a major shortfall in the supervision of offshore drilling. Companies cited for negligence included well owner BP, Switzerland-based rig owner Transocean and cement contractor Halliburton. A major blowout -- a high-pressure ball of gas, mud and oil that shot up from the oil reservoir -- killed eleven crewmembers and seriously injured several others (Klein 12). In the end, fire engulfed and destroyed the oil rig. The media sent the world daily images of the uncontrolled spill. It has been classified by environmental groups, politicians, everyday citizens and civic leaders as a major failure in corporate governance and social responsibility (National Commission 89).

Probable causes for the horrific accident are many. The companies involved were immediately criticized for failing to operate in a "safe and workmanlike manner" and failing to take necessary precautions to keep the well "under control at all times" (Schooner 13). It is believe that BP's management process did not adequately identify or address risks created by late changes to well design and procedures or ensure that cement was adequately tested (National Commission 90). There is also evidence that BP, Transocean, and Halliburton failed to communicate effectively amongst themselves regarding lessons learned from an earlier near-miss disaster to crew members. As cited in the 2011 National Commission Report to the President:

"The well blew out because a number of separate risk factors, oversights, and outright mistakes combined to overwhelm the safeguards meant to prevent just such an event from happening. But most of the mistakes and oversights at Macondo can be traced back to a single overarching failure -- a failure of management. Better management by BP, Halliburton, and Transocean would almost certainly have prevented the blowout by improving the ability of individuals involved to identify the risks they faced, and to properly evaluate, communicate, and address them. A blowout in deepwater was not a statistical inevitability." (90)

There are also speculations that certain time and money-saving decisions resulted in increased safety risks that personnel had not fully considered. One cost cutting decision was to install a continuous set of threaded casing pipes from the wellhead down to the bottom of its well (Smith 28). This can be problematic in deep, high-pressure wells because it seals off the space between the casing and the bore hole, leaving workers blind to leaks that can sneak up around the casing pipe (as the BP Deepwater blowout is suspected to have done). In addition, the long string gives gas more time to percolate into the well (Klein, 13). A preferred alternative in high-pressure deepwater is a "liner" design in which drillers install and then cement in place a short string of casing in the lower reaches of the well before casing the rest of the well (National Commission 93). This design enables the driller to watch for leaks while the cement is setting. It takes a more time and is more expensive, but it is considered a much safer method.

The BP Deepwater Horizon spill is considered unique from other oil catastrophes because of its magnitude, duration, emission source and unprecedented use of dispersants and controlled burns (Schooner 15). It devastated the $3 billion fishing industry in the Gulf, which provides one-third of all seafood consumed in the U.S. (Smith 26). There have also been massive impacts to neighboring communities, businesses, and wildlife. Local residents experienced breathing difficulties, headaches, burning eyes and throats, vomiting, abdominal pains, chest pains, skin sensitization, and cardiovascular issues (National Commission 95). Children, the poor, and the elderly continue to appear to be disproportionately affected by such medical issues since the spill (Juhas 13). Complaints of ailments two years later range from persistent fatigue to headaches and chronic coughs. Experts have expressed concern over the human exposure to the crude oil, vapors, contaminated seafood and the chemical dispersants used to break the oil apart (National Commission, 91). BP and the U.S.government used a number of mitigation techniques to stop the spread of the spill -- corexit, controlled burns, booms around vulnerable wetlands, skimming -- but the scale and geographical scope of the spill proved too much (Sisson, 20).

BP excavated nine miles of already fragile shoreline with earth-moving equipment and altered erosion patterns with sandbag dams and sheet-metal pilings to try to keep oil out of the marshes (Schooner 15). This was detrimental because the coastal ecosystem is both a marine-life nursery and critical physical barrier protecting the local area from hurricane storm surges (Juhas 14). BP also removed hundreds of thousands of cubic yards of oil-soaked sand, hastening erosion that may weaken Louisiana's storm defenses (Sisson 20). Giant "tar balls" and oil deposits more than 100 feet long continue to wash ashore and Tropical Storm Lee later uncovered buried oil deposits more than 18 inches thick (Smith 23).

Environment impact was substantial and overwhelming. Scientists are still assessing the effects of the estimated 170 million gallons of oil that flooded into the Gulf. More than 8,000 birds, sea turtles, and marine mammals were found injured or dead in the six months after the spill (Weeks 682). Wildlife managers, rescue crews, scientists and researchers documented many immediate impacts of the oil to wildlife. The oil coated birds' feathers making it impossible for them to regulate body temperature and remain buoyant on the water. Area mammals ingested oil which caused ulcers and internal bleeding. Many sea turtles were coated in oil and dead and dying deep sea corals were discovered miles from the well.

The oil disaster also contributed to an unbalanced food web, hitting at the peak breeding season for many species of fish and wildlife (Weeks 683). The oil's toxicity is believed to have impacted egg and larval organisms immediately, diminishing or even wiping out those age classes (National Commission 97). Without these generations, population dips are sure to occur and affect food webs in the years ahead. Scientists will continue to watch fluctuations in wildlife populations for years to come. Experts cite that four years after the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil disaster the herring population collapsed. Twenty years later, it is still had not recovered (Australian National Research Center, 2011).

Sea life has exhibited frightening deformities and decreased populations since the oil spill (Smith 28). Shrimp have been reported as having tumors on their heads, defects on their gills, and missing eyes. According to various fishermen, brown shrimp catch have dropped by two-thirds, white shrimp have been wiped out and overall catches are ten percent of what they normally are (Weeks, 683). In addition, there have been reports of fish without eye sockets, gill covers, and fish with large pink masses hanging off their bodies. Many blue crabs have misshapen or missing claws and holes in their shells. Tests of the oysters have revealed elevated levels of nickel and vanadium. Arsenic, cadmium, lead and mercury levels also continue to be high. Prior to the spill, only one tenth of one percent of Gulf fish had lesions or sores on them. After the spill many locations showed 20% of fish having lesions with as much as 50% in other areas (Juhas 14).

Fishermen, scientists, and seafood processors blame the 2010 BP oil disaster. The solvents used to clean up the spill were powerful enough to dissolve oil, grease and rubber (Guarino, BP Oil Settlement). They were effective at clearing oil, but detrimental to the environment and humans. Prior research indicated that the dispersants had the potential to create mutations and contained chemicals called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons known to alter the chromosomes/genome of sea life (Smith 27). They were used anyway to try to cut and stem the uncontrollable spill (Weeks 683). Scientists have found significant amounts of oil on the Gulf floor, and the oil that has already washed into wetlands and beaches will likely remain for years (Juhas 15). Full environmental impact may not be seen for quite some time.

The oil spill caused a decline in commercial fishing and outdoor recreation, both of which sustained local economies (Weeks 682). Over 3 million people took recreational fishing trips in the Gulf in 2008 (National Commission 101). At the peak of the disaster, 40% of Gulf waters were closed to commercial and recreational fishing, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Schnoor 17). Many.....