BP Oil Disaster: Two Years Later

"We're not mad, just disappointed."

On the week of the BP Oil Disaster memorial, the former members of the President's Oil Spill Commission doled out report card-style grades to the President, Congress, and oil industry. Released only days before the two-year memorial of BP's Macondo Well blowout, the report delivers an extremely important message to those three stakeholders: try harder. 

To President Obama, the commission awarded an obligatory B (he did establish the group); to industry, a C+; and to congress, an all-but-shocking D.  Grades no college student would write home about, and yet we all expect more. 

The former commissioners were able to elaborate on some aspects of their grading system.  A general statement on their report notes indicated that they are "encouraged…but much more needs to be done."  While they laud the efforts to mitigate the damage associated with this nation’s worst environmental disaster on record, they remain discouraged by a dearth of momentum from federal legislators.  Former Florida Senator and commission co-chair Bob Graham explained: "Across the board we are disappointed with Congress' lack of action."  His remarks allude to the fact that in the near 24 months since the catastrophe not one piece of legislation has passed that instates comprehensive regulatory reform for the oil and gas industry or creates a funding source for the long term oversight of deep-water drilling.

Help Us Protect Berryessa Snow Mountain

The public lands of the Berryessa Snow Mountain region, just north of Sacramento, are rich in natural wonders and loaded with recreational opportunities. Occupying nearly 500,000 acres of California’s ecologically diverse inner Coastal Ranges, the region is home to a plethora of wildlife and an extensive variety of rare plants. The area provides critical habitat and long-term movement corridors for many species of wildlife such as the tule elk. The high level of plant diversity encompasses an unusually rich part of the California Floristic province, which is a geological hotspot on the planet, meaning that some of these plants are found nowhere else in the world.

This scenic treasure needs permanent protection so that future generations will be able to enjoy the vast wilderness and abundant recreational activities. Hiking is one of the most popular activities for visitors to Berryessa Snow Mountain with miles of maintained trails like the popular Blue Ridge Cross Country Trail. The views from the top are spectacular, and the vertical cliffs are home to prairie and peregrine falcons making it a favorite of visitors. Fishing, horseback riding, rafting, bird watching and skiing are other popular activities. Cache Creek and Putah Creek are the two major waterways within the region and are very popular for fishing and bird watching. Protection will provide well-managed recreation areas and user education. The area’s natural beauty, sensitive areas, wildlife and rare plants will also be safeguarded once under protection.

Your Newest National Monument: Ft. Ord

It's been a rough year for bi-partisan cooperation. There's something to be said about how the lack of unity at all levels of government has an effect on our ability to maintain a strong foreign policy for the defense of our nation. However, on Friday, in a small, but hopeful display of bi-partisanship, President Obama created the nation's newest national monument, Fort Ord National Monument in California.

Over the years more than 1.5 million soldiers have served at Fort Ord, training for American conflicts from the World War I to the end of the Cold War. It was a leading training center and staging ground for deployment to Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War and housed the last stand of U.S. Army war horses. The base officially closed in 1994 and has since become a major recreation destination, receiving nearly 100,000 visitors a year. Invoking the 1906 Antiquities Act, Obama has both preserved a large piece of our military heritage, while also securing 7,200 acres of public recreation space ensuring that there are amazing places for our service members to explore and enjoy the land they defend. The lands of Fort Ord represent some of the last remaining open space in the Monterey Bay Area and are home to miles to trails and many rare plants and wildlife. Why is this important?

Oil Spill: Deepwater Horizon Platform Spills Hundreds Of Millions Of Gallons Into The Gulf Of Mexico

Big Oil has a shameful history. That’s why in this series we are highlighting some of its most recent disastrous oil spills and raising awareness of the devastation that will occur if the industry is allowed to drill in the Arctic and off our coasts. Join us in the effort to protect our special places from drilling!

The Deepwater Horizon platform located off the coast of Louisiana experienced well failure and subsequently exploded, killing 11 crew members and injuring 17 others on April 20, 2010. This was the worst oil spill the United States has ever experienced. To put it in perspective, the Exxon Valdez tanker spilled 10.8 million gallons of crude oil into the Prince William Sound, while the Deepwater Horizon well released hundreds of millions of gallons into the Gulf of Mexico. The well gushed a staggering 62,000 barrels per day when the well first exploded, and was not capped until three months later on July 15th. The oil itself fanned out and covered an astounding 46,000 square miles of the Gulf of Mexico. The proximity to the coastline, and the underwater currents in the Gulf provided a vehicle for distributing the oil to all of the surrounding states with Gulf Coastlines.

The oil invaded over 650 miles of shoreline, devastating coastal habitats, beaches, wildlife preserves, homes, tourist destinations and fisheries. Thirty two National Wildlife Refuges were impacted by this disastrous oil spill. Wildlife can be harmed through physical contact, ingestion, inhalation and absorption. One of the most prevalent images associated with oil spills are the thousands of marine and land animals totally covered with slimy oil. The worst part is that they have no way to clean themselves, and subsequently rely on people to save them from certain death by removing the oil through a rigorous cleaning procedure. However, there is only a 30% survival rate for marine wildlife that have been scrubbed clean of the slimy oil and returned to the ocean and their coastal habitats. Most of the animals will die due to liver or kidney failure as a result of ingesting the oil.

Oil Spill: 40,000 Gallons Leak From Ruptured Line Off The Coast Of Nigeria

Big Oil has a shameful history. That’s why in this series we are highlighting some of its most recent disastrous oil spills and raising awareness of the devastation that will occur if the industry is allowed to drill in the Arctic and off our coasts. Join us in the effort to protect our special places from drilling!

On December 20, 2011, three days after Shell received drilling rights in the Arctic, they announced a spill in the Bonga oil field, 120 km off the coast of Nigeria. A rupture in the export line which transports the oil from  the production vessel to the oil tanker is the suspected cause of the oil spill. An astonishing 40,000 barrels of crude oil leaked into the ocean. This is the worst spill for Nigeria in over a decade. While Shell reported that none of the oil reached the coastline, there have been numerous reports from at least 13 villages whose coastlines have in fact been impacted by the oil spill. Fishing has been suspended off the coast by Nigerian officials who have also reported that the oil did indeed reach the shoreline. Shells denial of this fact has angered coastal residents who demand more help in cleaning up their shores.

The oil is also harming the abundant wildlife and bird populations that nest along the coastline. Numerous bird species fly over these waters, dive for fish, and rest on the surface endangering their lives in the presence of oil which can coat their feathers and eventually lead to death. Other marine animals are susceptible to the harmful side effects of ingesting oil, which can poison them and wreak havoc on the underwater food chain. The 1.7 million gallons of oil will linger in the ocean, eventually forming sticky tar balls and washing up on distant shores. The total amount of oil spilled into the ocean can never be fully recovered.

Join us in telling President Obama to protect America’s Arctic from the dangers of drilling!

 

House Bill Would Gut Wilderness Act

The U.S. House of Representatives tomorrow will be voting on a bill that will fundamentally undermine the Wilderness Act.  H.R. 4089, the so-called Sportsmen’s Heritage Act of 2012, is at its heart a bill to help the oil, gas and timber industries, not hunters and anglers.

The bill would severely roll-back decades of federal law that protects our public lands. It would alter the Wilderness Act by allowing, for the first time, unfettered motorized use in protected areas as well as potentially allowing the permitting of new mining, oil and gas extraction, and logging. These uses are antithetical to the interests of sportsmen and are not consistent with the uses that Congress has chosen for those areas by designating them as wilderness. The legislation would also exempt certain land-use decisions from the National Environmental Policy Act including decisions that would restrict hunting and fishing in favor of energy development. Finally, the bill would hamper the ability Bureau of Land Management to protect national monuments from vandalism. 

Oil Spill: 83,000 Gallons Leak Into Bohai Bay, China

Big Oil has a shameful history. That’s why in this series we are highlighting some of its most recent disastrous oil spills and raising awareness of the devastation that will occur if the industry is allowed to drill in the Arctic and off our coasts. Join us in the effort to protect our special places from drilling!  

 

Two separate incidents occurred in the Peng-Lai 19-3 oil field in Bohai Bay, China on July 4th and 17th, 2011. The first incident of seepage occurred along a natural fault line near the ConocoPhillips platform B. A containment device was put in place to stop the seep, and although a few liters of oil still slip through each day, there are booms in place to collect it as it rises to the surface. The second incident occurred near platform C during drilling operations. Oil and gas bubbles were seen on the surface about 2 miles from the seabed seep near platform B. This was the result of a suspected well blowout, and was capped 48 hours after the initial release. The well was cemented and between both incidents, 83,000 gallons of oil were released into Bohai Bay.

An oil slick of 336 square miles covered the surrounding area, polluting the waters and fisheries that the community relies on for income. The oil is toxic to to marine life, and contains heavy metals. Once the crude oil mixes in with the ocean, the water becomes toxic and greatly impacts the growth of marine life that grow on the sea floor, such as clams, scallops and some species of crab. Another environmental impact of the oil spill can be seen in the long stretches of rotting fish and dead seaweed along the shore line, fanning out for miles from the point of origin.

Join us in telling President Obama to protect America’s Arctic from the dangers of drilling!

Oil Spill: Pipeline Explosion Releases 400,000 Gallons In Dalian Xingang Port, China

Big Oil has a shameful history. That’s why in this series we are highlighting some of its most recent disastrous oil spills and raising awareness of the devastation that will occur if the industry is allowed to drill in the Arctic and off our coasts. Join us in the effort to protect our special places from drilling!

In Dalian Xingang Port, China’s largest oil base, a pipeline explosion released 400,000 gallons of crude oil into the ocean. A pipe transporting crude oil from a ship to a storage tank blew up, resulting in a massive fire which caused another nearby pipeline to explode. The fire raged for 15 hours before crews were able to extinguish the blaze. While officials said the port was closed off as soon as the explosion happened, the oil still managed to seep out to sea and cover 165 square miles of the Yellow Sea.

Oil Spill: Oil Freighter Runs Aground Nightingale Island Spilling 800 Tons Of Oil

Big Oil has a shameful history. That’s why in this series we are highlighting some of its most recent disastrous oil spills and raising awareness of the devastation that will occur if the industry is allowed to drill in the Arctic and off our coasts. Join us in the effort to protect our special places from drilling!

The oil freighter M.S. Oliva ran aground on Nightingale Island, part of the Tristan de Cunha Archipelago in the South Atlantic. This island is located 1,700 miles away from the coast of Africa, the nearest land mass and source of help. The ship was carrying 800 tons of heavy crude oil, which spilled into the ocean when the ship split in half. The entire island was surrounded by the massive oil slick, further endangering the already endangered northern rockhopper penguins. It took days for the first cleanup vessel to reach the islands. In an early estimate, 20,000 penguins were said to be coated in the thick oil. The islands are a rich source of life and are home to 200,000 penguins, including half of the world’s population of rockhopper penguins. These crested penguins face a rough road as their population has plunged in recent decades.

 

The extreme remoteness of the island chain posed a very serious challenge for response teams trying to get to the oil spill. There is no airport, and 1,700 miles is a long journey for cleanup crews to travel in a timely fashion. The long response time greatly decreased the chances of survival for the oil covered penguins. There was also the problem of where to put them once they were cleaned. They could not be transported anywhere because there was a high concern for transmitting diseases to which they had no resistance.  There were several other bird species in grave danger which live on Nightingale Island and neighboring islands. These include the Tristan Bunting, of which only 50 nesting pairs remain in the world, and all of them live exclusively in these islands. The Great Shearwaters, Spectacled petrels, and other native species which live only on these islands all remain threatened by the oil that surrounded the island.

Join us in telling President Obama to protect America’s Arctic from the dangers of drilling!

By Jessie Tucker

Oil Spill: Booster Line Leaks 10,000 Gallons Of Oil And Drilling Fluids In Gulf Of Mexico

 

Big Oil has a shameful history. That’s why in this series we are highlighting some of its most recent disastrous oil spills and raising awareness of the devastation that will occur if the industry is allowed to drill in the Arctic and off our coasts. Join us in the effort to protect our special places from drilling!

Equipment failure on the Deepwater Nautilus Rig in the Gulf of Mexico  leaked 10,000 gallons of oil and drilling fluid into the ocean. Shell was leasing the rig from Transocean, the company associated with the BP Deepwater Horizon oil disaster.The leak was found in the booster line, a component of the well head that pumps in additional drilling fluids when needed, but is separate from the actual well itself. A mixture of drilling fluids and base oil leaked out of the cracked line for hours before operations on the rig were temporarily shut down. The 319 barrels produced a light sheen on the ocean, but the actual size remains unknown. Drilling fluids can be toxic to marine life, as well as people when ingested or if it comes into contact with skin.

 

Join us in telling President Obama to protect America’s Arctic from the dangers of drilling!