A crude summer
The oil spill that began in April
when the Deepwater Horizon
exploded off of the coast of
Louisiana is at last under control.
Though there is still work to be done, August approached with welcome positive progress; BP managed at last to stop the flow with a tight-fitting cap on the well, and experts had cautious optimism about cleanup efforts, observing the oil dissipated more rapidly than expected.
The spill, caused by an explosion on April 20 that killed 11 people, long ago became the second worst oil spill in history, spilling anywhere from 154 to 348 million gallons of oil, the equivalent of some five million to almost nine million barrels.
Scientists in dialogue with The Globe And Mail point out that the Gulf of Mexico has a great natural ability to break down oil — the area, rich in natural oil seeps underwater, is fortunately lush with bacteria capable of eating oil. Many also credit the warm surface waters with the capacity to dissolve surface slicks.
By Saturday, August 15, all Gulf Coast beaches were clean and once again open for business. The Obama family traveled down to the Florida Panhandle to demonstrate to Americans that the region was safe to enjoy once again, and to assure residents that his administration would be as vigilant as ever in enforcing the efforts to clean up, as well as the task of paying out claims to residents affected by the spill.
Afterwards, President Obama went swimming in the Gulf waters off of Alligator Point at Panama City Beach with his daughter, Sasha. First Lady Michelle Obama then joined the pair for some miniature golf in Panama City.
The full extent of the damage, and how great an effect the spill will have on the region's ecosystem, remains unknown. Though government reports have indicated the concentration of toxic elements in the water is low, there has also been a decrease in the oxygen levels.
While there is contention when it comes to the amount of oil that actually spilled, attention is turning to other figures — like the total cost of cleanup. BP announced recently of their work to set aside $32 billion to go to potential cleanup costs, after having confirmed a loss of $17 billion last quarter.
To wit, analysts at American firm Oppenheimer & Co. estimate that the final bill for BP will lie somewhere between $24 to $48 billion, once damages, clean-up, fines and costs incurred in litigation are all totaled. They continued to indicate that the company should consider a complete rebranding in light of all events.
“As a result of the massive clean up operation that's already taken place, a recent report by our top scientists found that the majority of oil has now evaporated or dispersed,” said President Obama. “Or it's been burned, skimmed, or recovered from the well head. The dispersed oil is in the process of degrading, but I will not be satisfied until the environment has been restored, no matter how long it takes.”
Though there is still work to be done, August approached with welcome positive progress; BP managed at last to stop the flow with a tight-fitting cap on the well, and experts had cautious optimism about cleanup efforts, observing the oil dissipated more rapidly than expected.
The spill, caused by an explosion on April 20 that killed 11 people, long ago became the second worst oil spill in history, spilling anywhere from 154 to 348 million gallons of oil, the equivalent of some five million to almost nine million barrels.
Scientists in dialogue with The Globe And Mail point out that the Gulf of Mexico has a great natural ability to break down oil — the area, rich in natural oil seeps underwater, is fortunately lush with bacteria capable of eating oil. Many also credit the warm surface waters with the capacity to dissolve surface slicks.
By Saturday, August 15, all Gulf Coast beaches were clean and once again open for business. The Obama family traveled down to the Florida Panhandle to demonstrate to Americans that the region was safe to enjoy once again, and to assure residents that his administration would be as vigilant as ever in enforcing the efforts to clean up, as well as the task of paying out claims to residents affected by the spill.
Afterwards, President Obama went swimming in the Gulf waters off of Alligator Point at Panama City Beach with his daughter, Sasha. First Lady Michelle Obama then joined the pair for some miniature golf in Panama City.
The full extent of the damage, and how great an effect the spill will have on the region's ecosystem, remains unknown. Though government reports have indicated the concentration of toxic elements in the water is low, there has also been a decrease in the oxygen levels.
While there is contention when it comes to the amount of oil that actually spilled, attention is turning to other figures — like the total cost of cleanup. BP announced recently of their work to set aside $32 billion to go to potential cleanup costs, after having confirmed a loss of $17 billion last quarter.
To wit, analysts at American firm Oppenheimer & Co. estimate that the final bill for BP will lie somewhere between $24 to $48 billion, once damages, clean-up, fines and costs incurred in litigation are all totaled. They continued to indicate that the company should consider a complete rebranding in light of all events.
“As a result of the massive clean up operation that's already taken place, a recent report by our top scientists found that the majority of oil has now evaporated or dispersed,” said President Obama. “Or it's been burned, skimmed, or recovered from the well head. The dispersed oil is in the process of degrading, but I will not be satisfied until the environment has been restored, no matter how long it takes.”
