Crisis in the Gulf

This summer, BP created a problem that would and will affect us far into the future. What turned from being a routine oil rig installation went from good to bad. The oil rig Deepwater Horizon exploded due to a blowout, and sank to the bottom of the sea. The oil well that the rig was supporting was also destroyed by the rig when it sank (domino effect). The result of the catastrophe would set off a bigger problem for BP and the Gulf States.
The oil spill accident started when the well was detached from the sea floor. The Deepwater Horizon incident was merely a catalyst to the oil spill. The well was already a concern due to problems with its foundation. BP tried to save money by bypassing some of the protocols set in place to monitor construction of off shore drilling platforms. The concrete used to hold the well wasn’t up to code. The well was resettled many times before BP decided it was good enough. When the rig moved the well, the foundation came undone and let out tens of thousands of gallons of crude oil a day.
BP was found to be the main contributor to the oil extracting process and was blamed directly for the spill. The company would spend only a fraction of what it was making. BP didn’t start working on cleanup harder until the oil found its way to the Gulf coast. The mass of oil in the Gulf of Mexico was threatening the lives of many species of fish and also affecting many companies that rely on the waters as its main source of commerce. When asked, Brandon McGee, a senior at Mayo High School said that, “BP made some really dumb decisions. What they did upset the balance of jobs but most importantly, the ecosystem.”
Many weeks went by with the well pumping oil nonstop. BP made few efforts to contain the flow but was unsuccessful at stopping the flow. The company said that it will start a 20 billion dollar fund to help with efforts on the containment of oil in the water. Many were still outraged by the responses BP made to help clean up its mess. Brandon was one of the people who believe BP should be punished. He stated, “I believe that BP should receive a greater penalty and should give more to the clean-up effort.”
To this day much of the oil has been cleaned up, but still a lot remains. The impact this will have on the ecosystem and the economy of the Gulf coast will be scarred long after the oil is cleaned up. The Gulf States served as one of the best vacationing areas, but many will have to rethink their plans.


http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2010/10/gulf-oil-spill/bourne-text/1