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1.ABSTRACT

2.INTRODUCTION

3.CASE

4.CONCLUSION

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The Deepwater Horizon drilling rig explodedover a BP well, killing 11 workers and openinga gusher that spewed some 170 million gallonsof toxic crude oil and 200,000 metric tons ofmethane gas into the Gulf of Mexico.

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An Unprecedented Spill Determining the ecological impacts of evenrelatively small oil spills is tricky business. Thescale, duration, and location of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill makes this ecological assessmentone of the most challenging in history. Oil, gas,and chemical dispersants contaminated anunprecedented array of marine and coastalhabitats from the sea floor to the surface, far

offshore and onshore at beaches and inmarshlands. Research to date on the oil spill andits aftermath has shed some light on the level ofcomplexity within Gulf ecosystems and how theyrespond to environmental assaults.

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The Science of Determining Ecological Harm The basic approach to identifying the ecologicalharm caused by an oil spill includes trackingthe oil, determining its toxicity and longevity inthe environment, observing what it encounters,and then determining harm to organisms andhabitats.

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What We Currently Know We know that approximately 170 million gallons(plus or minus 10 percent) of oil and 200,000 metric

tons of methane gas entered the Gulf of Mexico.Eight percent of that oil was recovered via burningand skimming (leaving 156 million gallons in theenvironment). A large proportion of the

unrecovered oil traveled to the surface, and somesmaller amount formed subsurface plumes atdepths between 800 and 1300 meters in the watercolumn.

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Bottlenose Dolphins The BP oil disaster happened at a terrible timefor the Gulf s bottlenose dolphins, at the

beginning of their reproductive cycle when thecoastal population comes nearer to shore.Many observers witnessed them swimming inand around the spill, demonstrating theirinability (observed during previous spills) toavoid sheens and emulsified oil. More than onehundred bottlenose dolphins were found deadin the months following the blowout.

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Air Quality A recent study documented an additional airpollutant, aerosols (tiny particles) that formedover the oil slick that threatened clean-upworkers and may have affected onshorecommunities.

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Seafood Safety Contaminants in oil, such as polycyclicaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and metals, canaccumulate in the food chain contaminatingseafood and leading to health risks,particularly for people who eat a lot of seafood.

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Industry Must Act to Improve Safety Industry must put safety first. Per therecommendation of the National Commission,a separate institute supported by oil and gascompanies and mandated with instilling aculture of safety within the industry should becreated.

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Congress Must Act to Pursue Long-TermRestoration and Industrial Accountability Under current law, fines incurred under the

Clean Water Act by BP and its partners wouldgo into the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund, a poolof money set aside to address future oil spills.

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Regulatory Agencies Must Improve Oversight The Department of the Interior should furtherseparate inspection and enforcement duties

from leasing responsibilities by establishing anoffshore safety authority to oversee offshoreenergy operations.

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Heeding the Wake-Up Call On the scale of history, one year is a short time.But in this past year, the people and wildlife of

the Gulf have endured threats to their healthand wellbeing that may result in effects theywill carry for their lifetimes. Restoring the Gulf,making its people whole again, and taking thesteps to prevent such a disaster in the futureare no small challenges, but as a nation we canand must rise to meet them.