Historical Gulf Oil Spill: A Catastrophe of Epic Proportions

Gary Feuerberg
The Epoch Times

U.S. President Barak Obama is expected to be in the Gulf of Mexico on Friday May 28 to assess the damage of the worst oil disaster of this century, while a damning report has surfaced revealing that BP Plc has ignored a fundamental mistake hours before the deadly explosion.

Congressional Representatives Henry Waxman and Bart Stupak discovered that the equipment meant to provide fail-safe protection against a blow out was faulty.

A BP investigator indicated to the lawmakers that the fundamental mistake may have been made because heavy pressure on the drill line of 1400 pounds per square inch (98 kg per square cm) was an 「indicator of a very large abnormality」.

About two hours before the explosion that killed 11 workers and caused the leak that is still gushing oil, the rig team was satisfied a test on another line was successful, the BP investigator said.

Environmental disaster

As the Gulf oil spill crisis enters its fifth week, independent scientists estimate that the volume of this spill in one week matches that of the 1969 Exxon Valdez disaster, making the Gulf spill by far the worst such disaster in US history.

The National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and BP estimate the amount of oil spilling into the Gulf of Mexico as 5000 barrels or 210,000 gallons/day.

To obtain an independent perspective on the oil flow, National Public Radio (NPR) asked some scientists to analyse the BP videos of the flow. Associate Professor of mechanical engineering at Purdue University Steven Wereley calculated the volume of oil based on the velocity of particles. He said confidently that the amount coming out of the pipe is 70,000 barrels – an estimate that far exceeds the official estimate. There is an error component that accompanies the estimate of plus or minus 20 per cent. Professor Wereley explains that despite the large error factor, the estimate is nonetheless valid.

Calculations by other scientists are in the same ballpark. Eugene Chiang, a Professor of astrophysics at the University of California, Berkeley, got a similar number to Prof Wereley』s and was quoted by NPR that the BP estimate of 5000 barrels a day is 「almost certainly incorrect」. It would take at most a week to exceed the Exxon Valdez record, according to Prof Chiang.

However, it is important to note that not all the material seen in the short BP footage was oil. At the outset, there was methane gas visible, but what is most prominent is the oil. In any case, a calculation that is 10 times or more greater is sufficient to cast serious doubt on BP』s estimate. BP responded that whatever the amount is, it would not change what they are doing to solve the problem.

The New York Times reported the sighting of giant 「oil plumes」 in the deep waters of the Gulf. One plume found was 10 miles long, 3 miles wide and 300 feet thick, in some places. This observation is by far more serious than the estimates of BP and the Government.

The London-based oil giant』s efforts to contain the oil spill have failed. BP Chief Executive Officer Tony Hayward has predicted the 「top kill」 procedure to have a 60 to 70 per cent chance of succeeding.

The Environment Protection Agency (EPA) says on its website that their testing results indicate that subsurface use of the dispersant has been 「effective at reducing the amount of oil from reaching the surface」.

But the success of dispersing of the oil and keeping it from rising to the surface may have had unintended consequences. University scientists collecting samples of the water at various depths in the Gulf worry about the drop in the oxygen level surrounding the enormous oil plumes, according to The New York Times report cited above. The fear is that the depletion of oxygen will fall to a level threatening much of the sea life.

Transparency in question

However, the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) and Greenpeace demanded more footage and documents from BP to assess the true situation of the oil spill.

Under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), CREW and Greenpeace requested the necessary information from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the US Coast Guard, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the US Department of the Interior.

「It is impossible to understand why the Government hasn』t already made the video feed and other records documenting the impact of the spill public,」 said CREW Executive Director Melaine Sloan.

「While we hope for prompt and complete responses to our requests, if the Government resists or delays producing this critical information, CREW and Greenpeace are prepared to aggressively pursue this matter in court,」 Ms Sloan said.

In particular, CREW and Greenpeace want the four agencies to provide all documents regarding the use of dispersants and all of BP』s video footage that relate to the oil spill.

The impact on ocean life in the Mexican Gulf is seen on the shores in the form of dead marine life – coastal vegetation and birds coated in a red, viscous liquid.

Yet despite BP』s current efforts to provide transparency, their actions resorted to murky waters. The oil company planned to terminate their live video feed of the leaking oil on the ocean floor by Wednesday morning May 26.