By McKinzie Mangers and Malory Groen, Reporters
The investigation of the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has led to questions about British Petroleum’s drilling practices and ethics.
Initial reports of the spill, which began on April 20 with an accident on an oil rig southeast of the Louisiana coast, indicated it was leaking about 210,000 gallons of oil a day into the ocean, with the leaking pipe gushing from 5,000 feet underwater.
“It’s just so sad,” Sally Wilson, science teacher, said.
BP, the company leasing the Deepwater Horizon rig, is responsible for both the spill and the cleanup. Recent reports by the New York Times and others have raised questions about whether BP accurately reported the amount of oil leaking per day–which is now estimated to be much higher, perhaps as high as 19,000 barrels a day–and whether the company chose to use less expensive, but more environmentally risky, techniques and equipment.
Engineers are still working frantically to plug the leak, which began with a blowout preventer that apparently failed to function properly, and which is continuing to be the most significant obstacle to stopping the spill. Several attempts to stem the tide of oil have failed thus far.
Initial attempts focused on trying to fix the blowout preventer, which sits on the sea floor. BP engineers then tried to build a massive box to contain the oil and siphon it off, which failed because ice crystals kept forming in the pipe that would have siphoned the oil away. When that failed, engineers tried a “top kill” method that involved injecting mud into the pipe in an attempt to block it, then seal it with concrete, which also failed. Continuing efforts have focused on drilling a relief well, which will be a permanent fix, but will not be complete until August.
Scientists are also working on dispersing and cleaning up the oil. The Navy has used more than 50 contractors, seven skimming systems and 66,000 feet of inflatable containment in order to contain oil on the surface of the water, and aircraft have dropped nearly 100,000 gallons of dispersants on the water’s surface to break down the oil. The thicker oil is further away from shore. The waves also help to stop of the oil because it washes over booms struck.
“It’s not good for the environment, it’s bad for plants and animals, and it pollutes the ocean’s water,” sophomore Zach Douglas said.
It’s already looking like this could be the worst oil spill since the Exxon Valdez. The oil slick threatens wildlife and is the one of the nation’s worst environmental disasters.
“The whole ecosystem can be affected,” Wilson said.
“I didn’t know it happened, but I know it isn’t good for our environment and will kill a lot of animals,” freshman Lyndi Scholl said.
Congress recently ordered BP to broadcast <A HREF=”http://www.bp.com/liveassets/bp_internet/globalbp/globalbp_uk_english/homepage/STAGING/local_assets/bp_homepage/html/rov_stream.html” TARGET=”_new”>live video</A> of the gushing oil. The growth of the spill is mapped by <A HREF=”http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/oil-spill-map.htm” TARGET=”_new”>USA Today</A>.