Oil, Oil Everywhere...

...And no safe water to drink.

It has been just over two weeks since BP’s Transocean Deepwater Horizon drilling rig caught fire, burned for two days, then sank in 5,000 ft of water in the Gulf of Mexico, killing 11 workers. Now, all that is needed is a capped seafloor gusher and Deepwater Horizon wellhead to stop the oil from continuing to spread for the salvaging of the environment to fully commence. Because let’s be honest, the worst is still to come.  

According to BP’s website, “BP is mobilizing its full resources to fight the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. This includes efforts to stem the flow of oil into the water from the sub-sea well, to contain the spill offshore and to protect the Gulf coast.” 

It has been reported that BP is working alongside the United States Coast Guard, U.S Mineral Management Service, Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), U.S Fish and Wildlife Service, Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries, and the Marine Spill Response Corp to try to contain and clean up the spill.   

Even so, news reports have shown that sheens of oil have already reached the coasts of Mississippi and Florida. This has prompted Florida Governor Charlie Crist to possibly take action and sue BP Plc. over any damages Florida might suffer from as a result of the oil spill. Not only that, but all four states surrounding the Gulf Coast of Mexico - which will be affected from the oil spill - contain significant areas of fragile swampland. So it really does go without saying that the spill couldn’t have come at a worse time than during the spawning season for fish and the nesting season for birds. 

To top it off, one thing we don’t have control over is the weather, which means that the wind can go either way pushing the oil as it goes. To make matters worse, “the Atlantic Basin hurricane season will begin, bringing storms that could drive oil deep into the wetlands.”  

And although BP alongside the organizations listed above are working furiously to secure the oil spill from further damaging the environment, the clean up process does not guarantee that marine and coastal wildlife can be 100 per cent salvaged. If BP does not succeed in capping the Deepwater Horizon wellhead in the next few days, we are looking at more than just a severe oil spill in the Gulf Coast of Mexico but perhaps an alteration of the Gulf Coast of Mexico as we know it. It all boils down to one question: Is it worth risking the environment for the sake of attaining oil for our daily use?