And now, we go to KBOO’s Jenka Soderberg for the latest on the oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, and grassroots efforts to hold British Petroleum—and others—responsible.
One month ago today, an oil drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico experienced an explosion of unknown origin which killed eleven workers and then sank the rig in the bottom of the Gulf.
We were told at the time that there was little chance of an oil spill. But just days after the rig sank, it became clear that oil was leaking into the Gulf – at first, just a little bit was noticed by the Coast Guard.
Here’s a clip of a Coast Guard official speaking on KBOO on April 21st, after oil was first noticed on the surface.
At the time, the Coast Guard thought that the oil was leaking from a broken pontoon on the rig, and not from the tapped oil well itself.
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But the oil kept coming, and all attempts to cap it have failed.
As it continues pouring oil into the Gulf of Mexico, the Deepwater Horizon spill is on track to surpass the second largest oil spill in history, by the end of this month.
Since it’s unknown just how much oil is in this particular oil well, it could just keep venting until it empties out – possibly even surpassing the ten million gallons of oil released in the Persian Gulf by Saddam Hussein in 1991.
That spill was the largest in world history.
British Petroleum has continually played down the size of the oil leak, and the amount of potential damage.
Here’s BP CEO Tony Hayward just yesterday on Reuters News:
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But today, British Petroleum had to admit that the spill is much larger and more disastrous than they have previously admitted.
One Stanford university scientist has estimated that the amount of oil leaking on a daily basis could be nineteen times greater than the five thousand barrels a day estimated by British Petroleum.
Tyson Slocum of Public Citizen says that BP has been about as transparent as oil when it comes to sharing information on the spill:
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Some New Orleans residents have rallied together to challenge Barack Obama’s connections to British Petroleum, which they believe may be behind his decision NOT to declare this disaster a national emergency.
Mike Howell is a housing activist in New Orleans:
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The oil spill has the potential to destroy huge swaths of wetlands in Louisiana, which serve as a buffer zone against hurricanes coming in off the Gulf of Mexico.
Michael Carlos is a biologist with the Louisiana Department of Fish and Wildlife:
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Due to the severity of the disaster, some people have called for the nationalization of British Petroleum, including New Orleans housing activist Mike Howell:
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The people of New Orleans and Louisiana have braced themselves for the worst, but they may not be the only ones affected by the oil spill. As it continues to drift eastward, tar balls have been found on the Florida Keys, and the US government has contacted the government of Cuba to warn them – the oil may be coming their way.
For KBOO News, I’m Jenka Soderberg reporting.
- KBOO