BP OIL SPILL
The catastrophic oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico caused by the April 20, 2010 explosion of an offshore oil rig has put local economies, wildlife and the Gulf's delicate coastal ecosystem at risk. This could be one of the worst environmental disasters in our nation's history.
Already, the oil spill has covered several thousand square miles and is still spreading! The affected area is home to more than 400 species including whales, egrets, herons, otters, American alligators, bottlenose dolphins and millions of migratory birds. This is also a critical location and time for nesting and spawning of many species, including bluefin tuna, sea turtles and brown pelicans.
Resources:
NEW REPORT: ASSAULT ON AMERICA: A Decade of Petroleum Company Disaster, Pollution, and Profit (pdf)
Maps
Images from the Gulf
On the ground videos
Overall:
 This could be one of the worst environmental disasters in our nation’s history. Our immediate task is clear: all resources of British Petroleum (BP) and its contractors, federal and state government and even the U.S. military must be deployed to cap the well, contain the spill and minimize the damage to one of our nation’s crown jewels: the Mississippi Delta.
The disasters in the deep waters of the Gulf and the deep mines of West Virginia highlight the urgent need to jumpstart our clean energy economy. The future can be more offshore wind and less offshore drilling and spilling. It can involve cutting edge new technologies that strengthen our energy security, lead to millions of new American jobs and less pollution. Congress should act now.
What’s At Stake:
- Natural resources along the Gulf Coast, and potentially up the East Coast, are at risk.
- Louisiana’s Sportsman’s Paradise may soon become an oil slick.
- Home to millions of migratory birds, one of the richest fisheries in the world and a braided tapestry of fragile coastal wetlands, lagoons and barrier islands, the Mississippi Delta and coast of Louisiana were already under siege before the spill – losing a football field of land every 38 minutes. At stake is not only the fate of the region’s abundant wildlife but the culture of livelihood of those still recovering from Hurricane Katrina.
- Louisiana’s fragile coastline – beaches, wetlands, refuges - could be devastated by the pollution.
- The affected area is a prime spawning ground for fish, shrimp, crabs, and is full of oyster beds. Louisiana’s Gulf Coast houses some of the most productive fisheries in the world.
- Louisiana produces 50 percent of the U.S. shrimp crop, 35 percent of the nation’s blue claw crabs, and 40 percent of its oysters.
- 90 percent of all the marine species in the Gulf depend on coastal estuaries at some point in their lives, and most of these estuaries are in Louisiana and are threatened by an oil spill that could last months.
- Coastal Louisiana provides a vital wintering refuge to more than 10 million ducks and geese every year.
- Louisiana’s coastal wetlands are the largest expanse of wetlands in North America, and make up about 40% of the coastal wetlands in the contiguous U.S.
Wildlife Impacts & Louisiana specific info:
- The affected area is home to more than 400 species, ranging from neo-tropical songbirds to whales to a huge fish and seafood population. This includes several rare, endangered or threatened species.
- Critical location and time for nesting and spawning of many species—including bluefin tuna, sea turtles, brown pelicans, and Wilson’s plover.
- The Louisiana coastline is made up of 3.4 million acres of marsh, swamp, forests, and barrier islands.
Some 20 years after the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill:
- Two species (Pacific herring and pigeon guillemots) are still not recovering.
- Some resources are still recovering (Barrow’s goldeneyes, black oystercatchers, harlequin ducks, killer whales, sea otters, clams, mussels, sediments).
- Some resources are recovered (bald eagles, common loons, common murres, cormorants, harbor seals, pink salmon, sockeye salmon, dolly varden, river otters).
- Due to incomplete recovery, commercial fishing, recreation and tourism, subsistence use, and public perception of the aesthetic and intrinsic values of the area are still recovering to pre spill levels.
Costs of America’s Oil Addiction & Reckless Energy Development:
- This isn’t just about making oil platforms safer -- this is about moving to a new energy platform.
- Oil companies have deployed 700 lobbyists in Washington and spent tens of millions of dollars on advertising to persuade us that their drilling operations were completely safe. They have successfully stalled congressional action on clean energy alternatives and persuaded politicians to put oil company profits ahead of real energy reform. Now the bill is coming due. The hidden costs of our oil dependency are no longer invisible.
- It costs both lives and treasure: 11 people were killed in the Deepwater Horizon disaster.
Safeguarding People and Economy from Spills:
- Drilling isn’t as safe as we’ve been lead to believe – witness the inability to stem the flow of oil from the Deepwater Horizon and BP’s call for US government help.
- That’s why a portion of those drilling profits need to flow back to protect the communities/habitats that are damaged. Billions of dollars from the tourism, hunting and fishing, and seafood industries hang in the balance.
Big Picture: Clean Energy Is the Answer:
- Clean energy and energy efficiency are the right answers to ending America’s oil addiction while reducing the growing effects of climate change.
- In contrast to drilling, offshore wind power will mean more jobs, increased energy independence and reduced carbon pollution.
- America has limited oil reserves but unlimited capacity to innovate and pursue cleaner alternatives.
- A national clean energy plan for America is urgently needed from Congress that delivers less pollution, more jobs and more security.
- Passing a comprehensive climate and energy bill will put America back in control of its energy future as it reduces our dangerous addiction to oil, creates new American jobs, and cuts carbon pollution.
Big Picture: Drilling Is NOT the Answer:
- America cannot drill its way to energy independence.
- There isn’t enough oil available off of our coasts to satisfy America's fossil oil addiction – that means drilling alone can’t come close to meeting our long-term energy needs.
- Just as important, the risks to our coasts and wildlife do not outweigh the benefits.
America’s Oil Addiction Compromises Our National Security:
- Our continued reliance on oil puts our security at risk. That status quo is unacceptable.
- We need action now that will cut our dependence on oil and fossil fuels and increase our energy independence.
- Each day we export $1 billion in exchange for oil, and provide Iran with $100 million in oil revenue.
What you can do:
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