[105], In October 2012, BP reported that they had found and plugged leaking oil from the failed containment dome, now abandoned about 1,500ft (460m) from the main well. The oil well was capped three months later, after 24/7 news coverage. Fortunately, unl It was based on our thorough assessment of impacts to the Gulf's natural resources and the services they provide. [176] The Coast Guard and BP denied having a policy of restricting journalists; they noted that members of the media had been embedded with the authorities and allowed to cover response efforts since the beginning of the effort, with more than 400 embeds aboard boats and aircraft to date. Another possibility is that it is formation oil escaping from the subsurface, using the Macondo well casing as flow conduit, possibly intersecting a naturally occurring fault, and then following that to escape at the surface some distance from the wellhead. "[237] In July, after testing the blood of BP cleanup workers and residents in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida for volatile organic compounds, environmental scientist Wilma Subra said she was "finding amounts 5 to 10 times in excess of the 95th percentile"; she said that "the presence of these chemicals in the blood indicates exposure. Connect With ASM. assessedinjuries to natural resourcessuch as fish, bottom-dwelling organisms, nearshore ecosystems, birds, sea turtles, and marine mammalsand lost recreation resulting from the spill. Bioaugmentation is the inoculation of a relatively small amount of oil-degrading microbes into an affected area. Bacterial community structures were evaluated in oil samples using culture-independent pyrosequencing, including oil mousses collected on sea surface and salt marshes during the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and oil deposited in sediments adjacent to the wellhead 1 year after the spill. Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill: Coastal Wetland and Wildlife Impacts and Response - M. Lynne Corn - Google Books Search Images Maps Play YouTube News Gmail Drive More Calendar Translate Mobile Books. The rig's sinking on April 22 began the discharge of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. The United States Government report, published in September 2011, pointed to defective cement on the well, faulting mostly BP, but also rig operator Transocean and contractor Halliburton. [270] The ban was lifted in October 2010. "[297] In June, BP launched a PR campaign and successfully bid for several search terms related to the spill on Google and other search engines so that the first sponsored search result linked directly to the company's website. [303] The student body president expressed that students would be "very disappointed. Cleaning efforts were implemented soon after that using surfactants to disperse the oil to create more surface area for decomposition by microorganisms and other forms of bioremediation . On December 15, 2010, the United States filed a complaint in District Court against BP Exploration & Production and several other defendants alleged to be responsible for the spill. When did the Deepwater Horizon oil spill happen? But it left the region reeling from a disrupted coastal economy; a devastated ecosystem; the deaths of as many as 105,400 sea birds, 7,600 adult and 160,000 juvenile sea turtles; and up to a 51-percent decrease in dolphins in Louisianas Barataria Bay. Secondly, increasing the bioavailability (by micelle formation or decreasing interfacial tension and increasing solubility) of hydrophobic water insoluble substrates (14). [38][39] Ninety-four crew members were rescued by lifeboat or helicopter, 17 of whom were treated for injuries. [198][212][213] By 2013, over 650 dolphins had been found stranded in the oil spill area, a four-fold increase over the historical average. An official website of the United States government. [36] On 11 May the United States administration requested the National Academy of Engineering conduct an independent technical investigation. We will make BP pay for the damage their company has caused. The plaintiffs included the U.S. Justice Department, Gulf states and private individuals. [356][357] The second phase scheduled in September 2013 focused on the flow rate of the oil and the third phase scheduled in 2014 was to consider damages. On April 4, 2016, the court approved a settlement with BP for natural resource injuries stemming from the spill. [80] On 16 June, a second containment system connected directly to the blowout preventer began carrying oil and gas to service vessels, where it was consumed in a clean-burning system. On 20 April, 2010, an explosion at the Deepwater Horizon rig unleashed the largest oil spill in US history. [13] Subsea injection had never previously been tried but due to the spill's unprecedented nature BP together with USCG and EPA decided to use it. The settlement includes: Up to an additional $700 million to respond to natural resource damages unknown at the time of the agreement, and for adaptive management. BP said 826,800bbl (131,450m3) had been recovered or flared. [11][111], The fundamental strategies for addressing the spill were containment, dispersal and removal. [61] Below is a summary of areas in which more research needs to be done. [2] It was drilling a deep exploratory well, 18,360ft (5,600m) below sea level, in approximately 5,100ft (1,600m) of water. ", EPA slams Jindal's sand berm plan | wwltv.com New Orleans, "How can human hair mop up the oil spill? On April 20, 2010, the oil drilling rig Deepwater Horizon, operating in the Macondo Prospect in the Gulf of Mexico, exploded and sank resulting in the death of 11 workers on the Deepwater Horizon and the largest spill of oil in the history of marine oil drilling operations. [70], It was first thought that oil had not reached as far as Tampa Bay, Florida; however, a study done in 2013 found that one of the plumes of dispersant-treated oil had reached a shelf 80mi (130km) off the Tampa Bay region. Brown pelicans and laughing gulls were among the species most affected. Many organizations, businesses, and private citizens filed lawsuits for economic, health, and other damages over the spill, and the final $20.8 billion settlement does not cover those. [72][73] Next, it placed a 125-tonne (280,000lb) containment dome over the largest leak and piped the oil to a storage vessel. [115], Containment booms stretching over 4,200,000ft (1,300km) were deployed, either to corral the oil or as barriers to protect marshes, mangroves, shrimp/crab/oyster ranches or other ecologically sensitive areas. "[341], On 31 August 2012, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) filed papers in federal court in New Orleans blaming BP for the Gulf oil spill, describing the spill as an example of "gross negligence and willful misconduct." Without any opposing force, oil began to discharge into the gulf. The Deepwater Horizon accident has brought oil contamination of deep-sea environments to worldwide attention. [334] On 21 April 2011, BP issued $40billion worth of lawsuits against rig owner Transocean, cementer Halliburton and blowout preventer manufacturer Cameron. It fouled the coasts of Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas and launched a six-year long environmental and legal battle. [278], On 30 April, President Obama dispatched the Secretaries of the Department of Interior and Homeland Security, as well as the EPA Administrator and NOAA to the Gulf Coast to assess the disaster. [205][206][207][208] According to NOAA, a cetacean Unusual Mortality Event (UME) has been recognized since before the spill began, NOAA is investigating possible contributing factors to the ongoing UME from the Deepwater Horizon spill, with the possibility of eventual criminal charges being filed if the spill is shown to be connected. [359], On 4 September 2014, U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier ruled BP was guilty of gross negligence and willful misconduct. The time an ecosystem takes to recover from an oil spill depends on its size. [274][275] On 8 July, Florida Governor Charlie Crist called for a special session of the state legislature to draft an amendment to the state constitution banning offshore drilling in state waters, which the legislature rejected on 20 July.[276][277]. Two days later, following a series of pressure tests, it was announced that the well was completely sealed. Being hydrophobic compounds that are less dense than seawater, a large amount of such substances will form sheens on the ocean surface. were used to cleanup after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Anthony Badalementi was sentenced to one year probation,[369] Donald Vidrine paid a $50,000 fine and received 10 months probation,[370] Kurt Mix received 6 months' probation,[371] and David Rainey and Robert Kaluza were acquitted. BP was also faced with growing private claim payments estimated at $14.8 billion in October 2016. In the Deepwater Horizon disaster (2010, Gulf of Mexico), where an oil rig exploded that produced the worst spill in history, bioremediation techniques were applied when it was verified that the spilled oil had bacterial activity. The spill occurred in the Gulf of Mexico, off the coast of Louisiana, and resulted in a massive release of oil into the ocean. Oil plumes as large as 17 kilometers in diameter were detected just beneath the surface [11] . "Bryan Walsh. [166][167], Genetically modified Alcanivorax borkumensis was added to the waters to speed digestion. [355], The trial's first phase was to determine the liability of BP, Transocean, Halliburton, and other companies, and if they acted with gross negligence and willful misconduct. The PAHs were most concentrated near the Louisiana Coast, but levels also jumped 23 fold in areas off Alabama, Mississippi and Florida. Many local supporters were disappointed with BP's slow response, prompting the formation of The Florida Key Environmental Coalition. [300][301], Hayward's involvement in Deepwater Horizon has left him a highly controversial public figure. The paper is titled "Oil biodegradation and bioremediation: A tale of the two worst spills in U. S. history." . [116] Booms were criticized for washing up on the shore with the oil, allowing oil to escape above or below the boom, and for ineffectiveness in more than three- to four-foot (90120cm) waves. In July 2010, it was reported that the spill was "already having a 'devastating' effect on marine life in the Gulf". These numbers, coupled with the National Audubon Society scientists' observations of bird colonies and bird mortality well after the acute phase, have led scientists to conclude that more than one million birds ultimately succumbed to the lethal effects of the Gulf oil spill. The dangers are even greater when poured into the source of a spill, because they are picked up by the current and wash through the Gulf. [74] Pumping heavy drilling fluids into the blowout preventer to restrict the flow of oil before sealing it permanently with cement ("top kill") also failed. The Coast Guard said on Oct. 3 that over 5,300 feet of floating barriers, known as booms, had been deployed and that approximately 3,150 gallons of oil had been recovered from the water. '"[341] The Court then went further, calling BP's position "nonsensical. [68], In 2013, more than 4,600,000lb (2,100t) of "oiled material" was removed from the Louisiana coast. "But tens of thousands of gulf residents still haven't been fully compensated for their losses, and many are struggling to make ends meet. A finding of gross negligence would result in a four-fold increase in the fines BP would have to pay for violating the federal Clean Water Act, and leave the company liable for punitive damages for private claims. In the United States the Deepwater Horizon investigation included several investigations and commissions, including reports by the USCG National Incident Commander, Admiral Thad Allen, the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE), National Academy of Engineering, National Research Council, Government Accountability Office, National Oil Spill Commission, and Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board. Dr. James Diaz, writing for the American Journal of Disaster Medicine, said these ailments appearing in the Gulf reflected those reported after previous oil spills, like the Exxon Valdez. Once released, the natural gas traveled up a riser to the platform of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig that was over the well, where it ignited, killing 11 workers and injuring 17. The loss of life and the subsequent pollution of the Gulf of Mexico were the result of poor risk management, lastminute changes to plans, failure to observe and respond to critical indicators, inadequate well control response, and insufficient emergency bridge response training by companies and individuals responsible for drilling at the Macondo well and for the operation of the drilling platform. It uses microorganisms or biological agents to treat oil spills, and soils contaminated 4. [citation needed], Prior to the oil spill, on March 31, 2010, Obama ended a ban on oil and gas drilling along the majority of the East Coast of the United States and along the coast of northern Alaska in an effort to win support for an energy and climate bill and to reduce foreign imports of oil and gas. [90][91] On 16 September 2010, the relief well reached its destination and pumping of cement to seal the well began. At approximately 7:45pm CDT, on 20 April 2010, high-pressure methane gas from the well expanded into the marine riser and rose into the drilling rig, where it ignited and exploded, engulfing the platform. The genes code for ring-hydroxylating dioxygenases, which are necessary to cleave the aromatic rings of PAH [4]. The Deepwater Horizon rig, owned and operated by offshore-oil-drilling company Transocean and leased by oil company BP, was situated in the Macondo oil prospect in the Mississippi Canyon, a valley in the continental shelf. [179] In another example, a CBS News crew was denied access to the oil-covered beaches of the spill area. The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana has established the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill website for this purpose. On 23 March 2011, BOEMRE (former MMS) and the USCG published a forensic examination report on the blowout preventer, prepared by Det Norske Veritas. Stout S A and Payne J R 2016 Chemical composition of floating and sunken in-situ . [214] The National Wildlife Federation (NWF) reports that sea turtles, mostly endangered Kemps ridley sea turtles, have been stranding at a high rate. The microbial ecosystem in the Gulf of Mexico may have been primed for oil bioremediation before DWH because of persistent oil seepage in the waters from drilling. While the Deepwater Horizon oil spill occurred at a depth of greater than 5,000 feet, deep oil drilling continues in the Gulf of Mexico. [339] BP also agreed to spend $105million over five years to set up a Gulf Coast health outreach program and pay for medical examinations. [203] Damage to the ocean floor especially endangered the Louisiana pancake batfish whose range is entirely contained within the spill-affected area. The discharge of oil into the Gulf of Mexico began to discharge into Gulf. In 2013, more than 4,600,000lb ( 2,100t ) of `` oiled material was! 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