Fueling a disaster

by Marc DeRoberts

The collapse of a BP Gulf Coast oil rig on April 20 claimed 11 lives and is currently reeking havoc on the environment and coastline economies.

"The oil spill seems to be pretty catastrophic," said Michael Terribilini, Biology Professor at Elon University. "The impact it's going to have on the eco-system is unknown. The area it's going to have the greatest impact on are the wetlands and the marshes in to Louisiana coast area, which is an important stop-over point for several migratory bird species. It's potentially going to devastate their habitat, not to mention all the marine life that is being affected."

The recent spill poses a major threat to the local economy, which coincides with nearby habitats. The slick will not only ruin oyster beds, but also disrupt Bluefin Tuna from mating. The Gulf is one of two locations in the world where they mate.

Louisiana houses 40 percent of coastal wetlands in the lower 48 states.

"The people of the Gulf Coast are gonna be severely impacted," said Jimmy Huffines, Elon community member. "Hurricane Katrina is gonna be a drop in the bucket compared to this."

BP employees and the U.S. government are not the only ones working around-the-clock to clean up the oil spill in order to prevent the slick from hitting the shoreline. "Fishermen are signing release forms for the government to use their boats and their services to help in the clean up process," said Sean Smith, iMedia Graduate Student at Elon University. "That makes a lot of sense, it's an important issue for the fishermen. They're vitally concerned, obviously, and definitely want to put as much effort into the clean up as possible."

Clean up crews are trying to contain the oil in a variety of ways, using powerful hoses, controlled burns, chemicals and most recently a dome being lowered approximately a mile down to the ocean floor.

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CNN released a video which describes their latest effort with the containment unit, and the challenges that will be faced over the next couple of days to make this a successful operation.




The Coast Guard has estimated that the well is leaking approximately 6,000 barrels per day and has already leaked over one million gallons of crude oil. BP Chairman Tony Hayward, told members of Congress that the well could potentially reach more than 60,000 barrels per day, 10 times more than the current estimate.

BP was already denied financial assistance from the U.S. government, and said that they would take full responsibility. However, on Tuesday, Hayward said that the clean up would cost more than $75 million, which is the current cap on liability for drilling accidents. Senators Bill Nelson (D - Florida), Frank R. Lautenberg (D - New Jersey) and Robert Menendez (D - New Jersey) are putting forth new legislation to raise the cap to $10 billion, and apply it to BP's current situation.

The recent spill prompts a push for electric cars, as seen in an article by the Oakland Press.

Photos courtesy of the Associated Press and Getty Images, respectfully. More pictures of the Gulf Coast here.