The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Essay - 2353 Words

The e Deepwater Horizon oil spill at the Macondo well began on April 20, 2010, in the Gulf of Mexico on the BP-operated Macondo Prospect. An explosion on the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig on 20 April 2010 killed 11 people and caused almost 5 million barrels of oil to flow into the Gulf of Mexico. The spill covered 68,000 square miles of land and sea and triggered a response effort involving the use of nearly 2 million gallons of dispersant chemicals (Pallardy). Considered the largest accidental marine oil spill in history, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill (DHOS) resulted in widespread environmental and economic damage, the exact nature of which is only beginning to be understood (Shultz 59). This paper will address the causes of this unmitigated ecological disaster and discuss steps that need to be taken to prevent a similar disaster from occurring again. There were a number of causes for the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, most of which had more to do with the human element that with any technology itself. The four biggest ways that humans contributed to the disaster, as explained by journalist David Coburn, was the fact that British Petroleum’s (BP) past success built a sense of complacency, the shifting the burden of proof, the normalization of deviance and the fact that promoters for an industry also serve as that industry’s regulatory enforcers. One might ask themselves how being continuously successful can make a person or agency more likely to suffer a disaster. If theyShow MoreRelatedDeepwater Horizon Oil Spill1102 Words   |  5 PagesElizalde Exam Essay 1 The Deepwater Horizon oil spill was an oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico which flowed for three months in 2010. This spill had a catastrophic on the environment causing extensive damage to marine and wildlife habitats as well as killing 11 workers and injuring 17 others. This spill is the â€Å"worst environmental disaster the US has faced†, according to White House energy adviser Carol Browner. Why did this occur? The staff of the BP Deep Water Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore drillingRead MoreThe Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill1098 Words   |  5 PagesA major example of our failure to learn from the past was the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, which happened on 20 April 2010. The whole explosion which devastated the oil platform caused 11 deaths. These deaths could have been prevented if BP Oil, the operators of the platform, had only heeded the lessons of the past. â€Å"Learn from the mistakes of the past or you will be doomed to repeat them,† is a statement used by historical scholars. This statement holds true for many areas of life, from politicsRead MoreThe Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill1816 Words   |  8 PagesIntroduction The Deepwater Horizon oil spill (also referred to as the BP oil spill) occurred in the Gulf of Mexico in April of 2010. The spill had detrimental physical, chemical, and biological effects throughout ecosystems in the Gulf of Mexico. The Deepwater Horizon oil spill being the largest accidental marine oil spill in the history of the United States, makes it a very important event in US history. During the event many coastal areas along the Gulf of Mexico were coated with oil, including theRead MoreThe Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill2022 Words   |  9 PagesDeepwater Horizon Oil Spill The Context Before the occurrence of the Deepwater Horizon event, BP had already been labelled as having a horrible safety record. A 2009 report by the United States Department of Labour Occupational Safety and Health Administration (Todd Petterson , 2009), indicated that BP had 270 existing fines of a ‘failure to abate’ and 439 ‘wilful violations’ of various safety protocols. At the time of the disaster the regulators of the oil industry in the United States was theRead MoreThe Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill1886 Words   |  8 PagesProfessor Read November 2014 The Deepwater Horizon oil spill, also known as the BP oil spill was located in the Gulf of Mexico in April 2010. This was the largest due to the impact it had on the environment. The oil company British Petroleum, chartered a mobile drilling rig that was drilling a deep exploratory well thousands of feet below the sea level. The rig was located in the Macondo Prospect in the Mississippi Canyon. The spill was first discovered when large amounts of oil were starting to spread aroundRead MoreThe Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill2180 Words   |  9 PagesThe Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill occurred on April 20, 2010 in the Gulf of Mexico. This oil spill was the largest spill in history in front of the Exxon Valdez oil spill of 1989. This oil spill released about 4.9 million barrels of oil into the ocean. This spill not only wreck havoc on the marine life but also the economic players that depended on ocean such as fisherman, tourism, and offshore drilling located along the gulf coast. Along will the spill the oil rig which was named Deepwater HorizonRead MoreAnalyzing Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill4163 Words   |  17 Pageswater, fish, beaches, reefs, marshes, oil and gas-- are the financial engine of the area. USDC (2012) asserts that the Gulf of Mexico is similarly essential to the whole country as an abundant source of meals, energy and entertainment. The Gulf Coasts distinct culture and natural charm are world-renowned. There is no location like it anywhere else on Earth (USDC, 2012). USDC (2012) reports that on April 20, 2010 examinations of the world concentrated on an oil platform in the Gulf, around 50 milesRead MoreBp The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Of 2010758 Words   |  4 PagesPrior to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill of 2010, BP had a positive reputation for promoting corporate sustainability and creating sustainable energy. In the wake of the oil spill, however, BP proved that it was not on the right track despite the proclamation to its constituents of the exact opposite. There is a popular adage â€Å"almost doesn’t count.† BP’s investment in research directed toward minimizing negative environmental impact while conducting business and accomplishing major undertakingsRead More Impact of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill on the Environment1549 Words   |  7 PagesThe Deepwater Horizon spill occurred on 20 April 2010 and was caused by an explosion on the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig that killed 11 workers and injured 17 more. The drilling rig, located 66 kilometers southeast of the Louisiana coast, left an oil gusher that was finally capped on July 15, almost 2 months later. This was the largest accidental marine oil spill in history and the largest offshore environmental disaster in the United States (Telegraph, New York Times, BBC News). It is estimatedRead MoreDeepwater Horizon Oil Spill: the Bp Disaster2305 Words   |  10 PagesAP Environmental Science Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill: The BP Disaster The Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico was one of the most infamous industrial environmental disasters ever. On April 20, 2010, a marine oil-drilling dig called the Deepwater Horizon exploded, releasing hundreds of millions of gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. This explosion resulted in the loss of human life, massive environmental damage, and widespread damage to the livelihood of people living along the