As was previously reported, there has been a massive oil spill disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. An oil rig named the Deepwater Horizon, owned by BP, had an explosion and subsequently sank in the middle of April. This accident has caused hundreds upon hundreds of barrels of oil to leak in the Gulf of Mexico each day. Earlier reports indicated that the leak was causing 1,000 barrels of oil to leak into the Gulf each day, or 42,000 gallons.
However, crews working with the oil spill have indicated that this number could be upwards of five or more times larger. This would mean that at least 5,000 barrels, or 210,000 gallons of oil, is being spewed into the Gulf of Mexico each day. This has led many to predict that this spill may easily surpass the infamous Exxon Valdez spill of 1989. This is especially concerning since the leak may not be able to be fixed for upwards of three months.
Just a few days ago the spill was reported to be nearing the size of Rhode Island, the smallest state in the nation, however, it is now reported that the spill is at least the size of Delaware and growing. In further disturbing news, the spill is able to be seen from space.
Current reports indicate that the spill may already be lapping up onto the shores of Louisiana. The spill is also threatening the shores of the other Gulf states, including those with important areas for wildlife, such as Florida. Experts agree that the spill will have and is already having devastating and potentially permanent impacts on the surrounding ecosystems and wildlife.
A major issue with the spill, unlike with the Exxon Valdez, is the type of shoreline near the spill source. In the Alaskan area where the Exxon Valdez spilled, it was possible to remove much of the oil from the rocky shoreline. That shoreline was also capable of rebounding more quickly than the shoreline of Louisiana and other Gulf states.
Louisiana has immense coastal marshes which will act as a sponge and potentially destroy the species that rely on them. An oil spill on the marshes could also devastate the grass population which would then cause further erosion of the shoreline.
Many species may be able to avoid the spill, such as some fish, dolphins, whales and seabirds. However, there are species of seabirds, oysters, crabs, coral etcetera that will be unable to outrun the spill. Many environmentalists fear the consequences for all species in the area, especially those coming to nest–such as dozens of seabird species and sea turtles. Reports also indicate that the first bird affected by the spill has been found, it is expected that soon there will be thousands of such reports.
During the first couple days of this oil disaster, I heard on CBC (in Canada) that the company who built the rig had neglected to install a $115,000 automatic shuf-off valve.
Does anyone know if the well did have such an automatic shut-off device installed? Is it true that the company that built the rig is owned by Haliburton?
Why aren’t the ”experts” talking about this?
Isn’t it a standard practice around the world?