BP Deepwater Horizon Louisiana Oil Spill

Overview

Following an explosion, fire and sinking of the Transocean Deepwater Horizon drilling rig 130 miles southeast of New Orleans, Louisiana faces an oil spill with potential for serious damage to the environment and much of the Gulf of Mexico seafood industry.

According to government reports, by April 30, 2010 nearly 2,000 personnel were involved in the response effort. The federal government has been engaged in the response since the incident occurred April 20.

126 people were on the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig when the incident occurred. 11 were lost.

In response to the BP oil spill, the Secretary of Defense is authorizing under Title 32 the mobilization of the Louisiana National Guard to help in the ongoing efforts to assist local communities in the cleanup and removal of oil and to protect critical habitats from contamination.

As the responsible party in this incident, the government claims it will hold BP accountable for the costs of the deployment.

To report oiled or injured wildlife, please call 1-800-557-1401.

To report spill related damage claims, please call 1-800-440-0858.

To report oil on land, or for general Community and Volunteer Information, please call 1-866-448-5816.

In May, BP established a new claims office in Foley, AL. The office hours are from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. each day. The address is 1506 N. McKenzie, Suite 104, Foley, AL. The toll-free number for claims continues to be 1-800-440-0858.

A volunteer program has been established and a toll-free number-(866)-448-5816-set up for people to call to learn about volunteer opportunities in all areas and what training is required.

How to Volunteer for Oil Spill Cleanup

The Galveston Bay Foundation remains on standby to provide volunteer help in the case of any local impacts from the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. For more information, visit http://galvbay.org/volunteer_oil_signup.html

Donate Food to Area Food Banks

The Louisiana Department of Social Services is encouraging Louisianians to donate canned and non-perishable food items to area food banks, who will help distribute the items to fishermen, families and others who find themselves in need.

"For many Louisiana citizens who earn their living from the Gulf and coastal waters, this tragedy comes at the worst time," said DSS Secretary Kristy Nichols. "Many fishermen, shrimpers and oystermen earn the bulk of their incomes during short seasons of the year and are unable to work because of the current situation."

To quickly respond to the needs of individuals and families along the coastline, DSS is partnering with Second Harvest Food Bank of Greater New Orleans and Acadiana to collect and distribute goods to those in need. Second Harvest accepts donations of canned and non-perishable food at 700 Edwards Avenue in New Orleans.

Suggested food donations include:

* peanut butter
* soups / stews
* canned fruits / vegetables
* canned meats (chicken, beef, ham)
* tuna fish
* chili
* cereal
* hot cereals (grits, oatmeal)
* beans
* juice
* rice
* pasta
* shelf stable milk

Additionally, Second Harvest accepts monetary donations. You can give securely on the Second Harvest website, no-hunger.org, by phone at (504) 729-2858, or by mail at Second Harvest Food Bank, Greater New Orleans & Acadiana, 700 Edwards Avenue, New Orleans, LA 70123.

Annually, Second Harvest feeds approximately 262,800 people across 23 south Louisiana parishes.

Steve Wereley, a professor of mechanical engineering at Purdue University, told CNN's "American Morning" that the spill could be as big as 20,000 to 100,000 barrels a day.

In May of 2010 Rep. Ed Markey, who leads a House subcommittee investigating the disaster, told reporters, "I think now we are beginning to understand that we cannot trust BP."

"People do not trust the experts any longer,"

"BP has lost all credibility. Now the decisions will have to be made by others, because it is clear that they have been hiding the actual consequences of this spill."

In a May 12 press release, he stated "As a result of the BP Deepwater Horizon disaster, lives have been lost, livelihoods have been threatened, and a huge ocean and coastal ecosystem has been endangered. We have a duty and obligation to find out what happened here, why it happened, who was responsible, and how we can ensure that it never happens again."

On May 20, 2010, the Obama administration announced that it was ordering BP to release all data related to the massive spill, including environmental sampling analyses, internal investigation reports and details of the cleanup effort. A letter to BP from the Homeland Security Secretary and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator told BP to post information on a website and update it daily.

On June 15, 2010, President Obama addressed the nation from the Oval Office. During his speech, he called BP's actions "reckless" and promised a national effort to clean up the spill, restore the environment and reform oil regulations.

"I've talked to shrimpers and fishermen who don't know how they're going to support their families this year," Obama recounted. "The sadness and anger they feel is not just about the money they've lost. It's about a wrenching anxiety that their way of life may be lost."

Oil spilled at sea begins to move and spread into very thin layers. The main purpose of booms is to protect shores or to corral the oil on the water to enhance recovery effectiveness of skimmers or other response techniques.

There are several types of boom, including hard boom, sorbent boom, and fire boom.

* Hard boom is used to contain, deflect or exclude oil from shorelines. Hard boom is typically made of a durable PVC type material and comes in various sizes.

* Hard boom can be towed behind boats and concentrate oil in the apex of the boom to allow for skimmers to recover it.

* Hard boom can also be anchored offshore of sensitive areas and exclude oil from reaching those locations. In this scenario, no oil is collected and oil is deflected to other locations.

* Sorbent booms are made of materials that attracts oil but repel water. These materials are placed in fabric socks and look like a long sausage. Sorbent booms don't have the "skirt" that hard booms have; once saturated, the sorbents need to be removed.

* Fire booms are similar to hard boom, but designed to withstand the heat of the burning that can exceed 2,000 degrees F.

source: NOAA boom fact sheet

According to government documents, the U.S. Department of Interior exempted BP's Gulf of Mexico drilling operation from a detailed environmental impact analysis in 2009, after three reviews of the area concluded that a massive oil spill was unlikely.

The decision by the Department of Interior's Minerals Management Service (MMS) to give BP's lease at Deepwater Horizon a "categorical exclusion" from the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) on 6 April 2009 has fueled suggestions that neither federal regulators nor the company anticipated an accident of the scale of the one now unfolding in the Gulf of Mexico.

In May, 2010, President Obama acknowledged that his administration was not aggressive enough making reforms in the Minerals Management Service.

In a press conference, the President noted the agency "had been plagued by corruption for years," while simultaneously carrying on a "scandalously close relationship" with the oil companies.

On December 29, 2010, NOAA announced its web archive of the maps, wildlife reports, scientific reports and other previously released public information used by emergency responders, fishermen, mariners and local officials during the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The NOAA Deepwater Horizon Library can be accessed via http://www.noaa.gov/deepwaterhorizon.

The website contains previously released public information related to the response, including:

* 450 nearshore, offshore and cumulative oil trajectory forecasts

* 33 fishery closure area and 9 fishery reopening maps

* 129 wildlife reports for animals including sea turtles and marine mammals

* 58 nautical chart updates

* 38 Gulf loop current location maps

* More than 4,000 "spot" weather forecasts requested by responders

The archive also contains image and video galleries, fact sheets and publications, press releases and transcripts, educational resources, and mission logs by crew members on board several of the eight NOAA ships responding to the spill and the damage assessment. NOAA will continue to update the website with information products in the weeks and months ahead.

source: NOAA press release