International Environmental Law Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill

What do you know about the Gulf Oil Spill of 2010

Over view April 20, 2010 and explosion took place on drilling rig killing 11 people and injuring 17. BP was engaged in Deepwater drilling, which is considered dangerous The Gulf Coast spill is one of the worst in history, it is estimated that the spill is releasing 60,000 barrels of oil each day, which is about 227,125 liters. Which equals to 151,417 1.5L Coke bottle Oil spill for 87 days until finally stopped

Lets review the time line to see if there was any negligence committed by BP and whether BP alone should be held responsible?

First who is BP? BP is one of the world's largest energy companies, providing its customers with fuel for transportation, energy for heat and light, retail services and petrochemicals products for everyday items London UK based company The core BP brands:

Time Line and Details 20 April-explosion destroys the drill and causes oil to follow into the ocean 28 April - BP's attempts to repair a hydraulic leak on the blowout preventer valve are unsuccessful. 30 April- Obama bans new drilling in the Gulf of Mexico

2 May- US officials close areas affected by the spill to fishing 5 May- BP attaches a valve to capture the spilling oil. Analysts put the cost of the spill for BP at £15bn. 26 May - BP pumps thousands of barrels of mud into the well in an attempt to plug the leak.

Underwater video showing the oil Spill http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O- rJH9xB7fk

1 June - US launches a criminal investigation into the oil spill. 2 June -Titanic director James Cameron assists the clean-up process. 16 June - BP agrees to a $20bn (£13.5bn) down payment towards compensation for victims of the oil spill. Actor Kevin Costner provides the clean-up operation with oil-water separation machines he developed with his brother. 20 June - Photographs of Hayward attending a yacht race on the Isle of Wight with his son cause anger in the US. 21 June - A Deepwater Horizon worker claims that the oil rig was leaking several weeks before it exploded.

7 July - There are more than 27,000 abandoned oil wells in the Gulf of Mexico from a host of companies including BP, according to an investigation by Associated Press, which describes the area as 'an environmental minefield that has been ignored for decades'. Some of them date back to the 1940s. State officials estimate that tens of thousands of them are badly sealed. 15 July - Hillary Clinton pledges to looks into claims BP lobbied for the release of the Lockerbie bomber. BP stops the flow of oil for the first time in 87 days, raising hopes that it could be sealed off for good. The company says it will have to monitor the cap for 48 hours before it can be sure it will hold.

1 August - BP offers one-off lump sum payments to claimants who waive their right to sue the company in an attempt to stem the tide of compensation claims arising from the Gulf oil spill. 15 August - it is revealed that BP has yet to update its oil spill emergency plan more than three months after the Deepwater Horizon rig exploded.

Effect of the Oil Spill http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=- OVNd6Fa9fg

Your Opinion Do you think BP was negligent or did they do everything possible to prevent this oil spill from happening and they did everything possible to stop it and clean up after…? Explain you answer Should the government be held responsible at all?

Lets watch this video-does it change your opinion? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89YuJRZ- Xmk

Assignment The oil spill caused a lot of damage! In groups of 4: you will Research and create a 10-15 class presentation on one of the topics below. You need to explain the impact of the oil spill on your chosen topic. Economic impact Impact on the wield life Impact on human health Law suits brought against BP and other firms responsible Any law and environmental regulation dealing with oil spills Progress and effectiveness of the clean up New polices and laws that were passed as a result of the oil spill