Safety slighted before blow out was the conclusion of a new independent report by the National Academy of Engineering and National Research Council citing multiple flawed decisions from a deficient overall systems approach to safety among the corporations that ran the drilled of the Macondo well. The report says the petroleum industry and federal regulators focused more on exploration and production than safety in the years leading up to the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill, setting the stage for the worst offshore environmental disaster in US history.

Not only is this a shaming report but it raises urgent questions about what has changed that will force and enforce safety first.

The Deepwater Horizon oil spill will forever be a part of history, and has recently been a major driver for a change of protocol and regulation. One aspect of this disaster that is a direct consequence is how marine life has been impacted since April 20^th, 2010.

 Marine mammals have been greatly affected by the spill and populations may never fully recover. The three main species of marine mammals affected are already vulnerable populations. They are bottlenose dolphins, sperm whales, and Byrd’s whales. The physical damage of these species is critical, as the spill has caused oiling and inhalation of toxic fumes, but there is an equally critical and perhaps less known impact. The spill happened during the reproductive cycle for bottlenose dolphins, which will likely have a significant impact on the population. Many were found dead and many more were stranded and stillborn or neonates. However, this has not been officially linked to the spill even though many were covered in oil. Even a small number of calf deaths has a significant effect on the dolphin population. This holds true because the dolphins have made homes in many isolated areas of the Gulf. The effects on sperm and Byrd’s whales are not as known at this point, but with both species being endangered, the oil and toxics left behind cannot be good for the population.

The effects of Deepwater Horizon disaster are still being felt in the Gulf Coast region. However, there have been steps made to keep this from happening again, and not just in the Gulf. These types of disasters will be much less likely to happen off of U.S. waters everywhere, thanks to new enforcement announced by the government that it will regulate not only offshore rigs, but also the contractors who own and work on them. The Bureau of Safety Environmental Enforcement’s interim director Michael Bromwich announced these new regulations at an oil conference last week. 

With much of the gulf coast region still feeling the effects of the BP oil spill in April 2010, the question of who is to blame for this disaster is on many people’s minds. The issue may never be completely resolved, especially for those who lost family members and profits from the spill. However, there may be an answer to this question now, or at least a partial one. A report put out by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation, and Enforcement (BOEMRE), which is formerly known as the Minerals Management Service (MMS), and the Coast Guard, puts the blame on multiple companies. The report states that BP, Transocean, and other contractors such as Halliburton that were involved in the complete process and permitting of the Deepwater Horizon well are all to blame, according to the report. Cutting corners and changing plans last minute are mentioned as possible reasons for the blowout and explosion. There is one more critical aspect that must be examined, and it is the entire regulatory process that allowed many of these mistakes to happen in the first place.

April 20th, 2010 marks the day the worst oil spill in history occurred. This is the day the Deepwater Horizon offshore drilling rig exploded and spewed approximately 170 million gallons of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico. This is roughly fifteen times more oil than spilled during the Exxon-Valdez accident off the coast of Alaska in 1989.  The spill lasted for 87 days until BP was able to plug the leaky well and stop the spill of crude.

Over a year later, the Gulf Coast region is still devastated, with both people and animals feeling the effects. Fisherman have lost millions of dollars in Louisiana alone, and will continue to lose money over the next two years. 

After millions of gallons of oil spilled and billions of dollars spent, Mark Cohen figures the United States is ready to handle a spill like the deepwater blowout that fouled the Gulf of Mexico a year ago.

But it's probably not prepared for the one that happened in 1979.

Take Action for the Earth and our Communities April 20.

1 year anniversary of the BP Oil Spill

The BP oil spill was unfortunately just one of an endless string of disasters born of an economic system that must endlessly consume the Earth’s  resources.

Extraction is the act of taking without giving anything back. Extraction takes workers lives so  corporations can make a few more bucks. Extraction takes clean water and air and gives us blackened oceans and a climate in chaos. Extraction takes the natural wealth of communities and ecosystems and leaves behind poverty and ecological wastelands.

For a stable climate, clean air and water, we must stop the extraction of fossil fuels and other “resources.”  From the tar sands of Alberta to the Gulf Coast, people are fighting back against the extractiveindustries  that have declared war on our planet. Rising Tide is calling for a day of direct action against extraction on the 1 year anniversary of the BP oil spill.

On April 20th take it to the point of production.  Shut down a well site, occupy a mine, take over an office, blockade a bank. Nobody’s community should be a sacrifice  zone.

For climate justice and a livable planet,

Rising Tide North America

www.risingtidenorthamerica.org/extraction