Caleb Dowdy

6/8/2010

What factors are the factors leading up to, cause, and repercussions of the deepwater

horizon spill? There are various areas to examine when looking at the Gulf of Mexico crisis;

economic, environmental, and political aspects of the oil spill.

Why is Oil so important? Understanding this is key when trying to understanding why

this accident happened. The answer is not that simple; today’s society has been built on and

revolves around oil. Oil is used to make plastic goods; oil is used to fuel the vehicles that

transport the plastic goods all over the nation (Cambell 1). Fluctuating oil prices and a strong

dependence on imported sources create economic vulnerabilities (Sissine 5). “U.S. oil use

accounts for 25% (2003) of the world’s oil consumption and about 40% (2003) of total U.S.

energy use,” (Sissine 5). “The nation uses (2003) about 20.1 million barrels of oil per day

(mb/d), of which about 13.2 mb/d is used for transportation, including about 5.0 mb/d for cars

and 3.7 mb/d for light trucks (includes pickups, minivans, and sport utility vehicles),” (Sissine

5).

What caused this Oil spill? “Down near the seabed is the blowout preventer, or BOP. It's

used to seal the well shut in order to test the pressure and integrity of the well, and, in case of a

blowout, it's the crew's only hope. A key component is a rubber gasket at the top called an

"annular," which can close tightly around the drill pipe. Williams says, during a test, they closed

the gasket. But while it was shut tight, a crewman on deck accidentally nudged a joystick,

applying hundreds of thousands of pounds of force, and moving 15 feet of drill pipe through the

closed blowout preventer. Later, a man monitoring drilling fluid rising to the top made a

troubling find. "He discovered chunks of rubber in the drilling fluid. He thought it was

important enough to gather this double handful of chunks of rubber and bring them into the

driller shack. I recall asking the supervisor if this was out of the ordinary. And he says, 'Oh, it's
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6/8/2010

no big deal.' And I thought, 'How can it be not a big deal? There's chunks of our seal is now

missing,'" Williams told Pelley,” (Granatstein 2).

What is going to happen now that the oil is in the water? “With BP finally gaining some

control over the amount of oil spewing into the Gulf of Mexico, scientists are increasingly

worried that huge plumes of crude already spilled could get caught in a current that would carry

the mess all the way to the Florida Keys and beyond, damaging coral reefs and killing wildlife,”

(Staff 1). “Pollutants can smother and kill corals-living creatures that excrete a hard exterior

skeleton- or can hinder their ability to reproduce and grow. That, in turn, could harm thousands

of species of exotic and colorful fish and other marine life that live in and around reefs,”

(Pittman 2). If it hasn’t happened already the oil will enter the loop current soon if it hasn’t

already according to scientists. 10 days after the oil enters the loop it could reach the Florida

Keys (Pittman 1). In the month following the explosion of the offshore drilling platform killing

11 workers, BP is still struggling to stop the leak. They tried with no success to engage the

emergency valves and lowering a 100 ton box that became clogged with ice crystals (Pittman 1).

“The loop current is a ribbon of warm water that begins in the Gulf of Mexico and wraps around

Florida. Some scientists project that the current will draw the crude through the Keys and then up

Florida’s Atlantic Coast,” (Pittman 1). Coral reefs, marine animals, and birds can all be

endangered when they come into contact with Marine debris of any sort (Ramseur 2). With oil

gushing into the marine environment at such an alarming rate marine life is inevitably put in

harm’s way. Oil is especially dangerous to fish as they ingest the oil through their gills and

accumulates in the filtration organs. These contaminated fish cause problems for scavenging

marine life (Mattson 1). “The risk of crude oil exposure to the early life stages of fish is difficult

to assess,” says Colin Winston (Khan 1). Starvation, poisoning, drowning, can all happen to a
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6/8/2010

bird caught in the oil spill. The bird’s feathers can be damaged by the oil hampering the bird’s

ability to fly breaking down the natural waterproofing and insulation. Whales, dolphin, seals,

and sea otters, are severely affected by the oil. Dolphins must surface through an oil slick to

breathe and as a result ingest oil into their lungs (Mattson 1). Three times the usual number of

sea turtles have washed ashore dead in the month of May 2010. Out of these dead turtles most

were Kemp’s ridley juveniles. Kemp’s ridley is the rarest of all the sea turtles (Staff 2). “The

Pollution could endanger Florida’s shoreline mangroves, seagrass beds and the third-longest

barrier reef in the world, the 221-milelong Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, which helps

draw millions of snorkelers, fisher and other tourists whose dollars are vital to the state’s

economy,” (Pittman 2). Another large portion of the Gulf of Mexico was closed for fishing

Tuesday, May 18, 2010 fearful that oil from the deepwater horizon disaster had already entered

the loop current (Staff 1). “If the oil has entered the gulf’s loop current it could show up as tar

balls in the Florida Keys in eight to 10 days.” (Staff 1). The ecosystem isn’t the only thing at

risk with the oil spill; some analysts say we need to be worried about the economic repercussions

following the oil spill. The economy is in just as much danger as the wildlife as a result of the

oil spill. The spill could simulate a double dip to the economy in a state already struggling to

recover from one of the country’s worst recessions. Due to the Florida Panhandle’s heavy

reliance on tourism and sales tax from this region the oil spill may have a profound effect if it

reaches coastal communities (Staff 2). This spells bad news for Florida economically and

environmentally.

How have politics been affected as a result of the oil spill?

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6/8/2010

Works Cited

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Research Service (CRS) Reports and Issue Briefs. Congressional Research Service (CRS)

Reports and Issue Briefs, 2009. Academic OneFile. Web. 24 May 2010.

Sissine, Fred. "Energy efficiency: budget, oil conservation, and electricity conservation issues."

Congressional Research Service (CRS) Reports and Issue Briefs. Congressional Research

Service (CRS) Reports and Issue Briefs, 2006. Academic OneFile. Web. 24 May 2010.

Kankara, R.S., and B.R. Subramanian. "Oil spill sensitivity analysis and risk assessment for Gulf

of Kachchh, India, using integrated modeling." Journal of Coastal Research 23.5 (2007):

1251+. Academic OneFile. Web. 24 May 2010.

Khan, Colin Winston. "Identification of compounds in crude oil that are chronically toxic to the

early life stages of fish." Zebrafish 5.3 (2008): 230. Academic OneFile. Web. 24 May 2010.

Pittman, Craig. "Oil Edges toward Florida." St. Petersburg Times [St. Petersburg] 18 May 2010:
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Mattson, Gini. "MARPOL 73/78 and Annex I: an assessment of its effectiveness." Journal of

International Wildlife Law & Policy 9.2 (2006): 175+. Academic OneFile. Web. 24 May

2010.

Staff. "Oil May Crush Recovery." St. Petersburg Times [St. Petersburg] 19 May 2010, National
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"Gulf of Mexico Response." BP Global | BP. Web. 08 June 2010.

<http://www.bp.com/bodycopyarticle.do?categoryId=1&contentId=7052055>.

Cambell, Jim. "ANWR Feature - Products Made From Oil." Arctic Power - Arctic National
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<http://www.anwr.org/features/oiluses.htm>.

Granatstein, Solly, and Graham Messick. "Blowout: The Deepwater Horizon Disaster - 60
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Schneider, Bill. "An Oil Spill Backlash From The Left." National Journal (2010). Academic
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