BP Oil Spill By: Hayley Baughman

What does bp stand for? BP goes 'beyond petroleum' Then in 2000 BP, now a group of companies that included Amoco, ARCO and Castrol, unveiled a new global brand with a new mark, a sunburst of green, yellow and white symbolizing dynamic energy in all its forms. It was called the Helios after the sun god of ancient Greece. www.bp.com/en/global/corporate/...bp/...bp/.../bp-brand-and-logo.html

What is happening today? "As much as one million barrels of oil from the disaster remains unaccounted for, and tar mats and tar balls from the spill continue to wash up on the coast," said David White. Cleanup work has ended in three of the states affected by BP PLC's massive 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, the company said Monday. BP said it will take responsibility for removing any oil that came from its blown-out Macondo well. http://www.csmonitor.com/Business/Latest-News-Wires/2013/0610/14-billion-dollars- later-BP-s-oil-spill-is-cleaned-from-3-of-4-affected-states

Useful information  Even though the gushing well was capped in July 2010, oil is still washing up on shores, which might cause long-term damages to people living in the area.  In the BP Oil Spill, more than 200 million gallons of crude oil was pumped into the Gulf of Mexico for a total of 87 days, making it the biggest oil spill in U.S. history. The initial oil rig explosion killed 11 people and injured 17 others.  16,000 total miles of coastline have been affected, including the coasts of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida. https://www.dosomething.org/facts/11-facts-about-bp-oil-spill http://ocean.si.edu/gulf-oil-spill

Affirmative perspective You must explain in your plan how you will prevent another oil spill from happening. “The sad fact is that this was an entirely preventable disaster," the commission's chief counsel, Fred Bartlit, said in a statement. "Poor decisions by management were the real cause.“ New Scientist also includes how the oil spill occurred like: Dodgy cement Valve failure Overwhelmed separator No gas alarm…and more http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/17/oil-spill-could-have-been_n_824647.html http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn19425#.vcfcnpnizc4

Negative perspective The National Wildlife Federation includes many short term and long term impacts of the BP oil spill, including: Unbalanced Food Web - The Gulf oil disaster hit at the peak breeding season for many species of fish and wildlife. The oil’s toxicity may have hit egg and larval organisms immediately, diminishing or even wiping out those age classes. Decline in Recreation - The Gulf Coast states rely heavily on commercial fishing and outdoor recreation to sustain their local economies. After the spill, recreational fishing from the Atchafalaya Delta to Mobile Bay was shut down from May to August, and state park closures dealt a serious blow to the parks' summer revenue. https://www.nwf.org/What-We-Do/Protect-Habitat/Gulf-Restoration/Oil-Spill/Effects-on-Wildlife.aspx