CALIFORNIA - The Oil Spill

"Southern California oil spill could be ‘ecological disaster,’ take weeks to clean up" PBS NewsHour 10/4/2021

Personal note, my nephew and his wife own a home blocks away from Huntington Beach and have verified to the damage.

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SUMMARY:  Federal and state investigators are focusing on a 41-year-old pipeline as the cause of a massive oil spill off the Southern California coast.  The 126,000 gallon oil spill is threatening wildlife and prompting a robust cleanup effort in the Pacific Ocean.  But as Stephanie Sy reports, the scale and scope of the damage remains unclear.

BP - To Pay Largest Environmental Settlement

"After a long legal fight, BP agrees to largest environmental settlement in U.S. history" PBS NewsHour 7/2/2015

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SUMMARY:  In the nation’s worst oil disaster, 134 million gallons of crude gushed into the Gulf of Mexico, coating beaches and barrier islands, killing thousands of animals and decimating fisheries.  Now nearly five years later, oil giant British Petroleum is facing a record settlement of $18.7 billion.  Judy Woodruff discusses the deal with Rep. Garret Graves, R-La.

JUDY WOODRUFF (NewsHour):  It was the nation’s worst oil disaster and came to be known as the BP (British Petroleum) spill.  After a long and bitter fight that played out in the courts, a record settlement was finally announced today.

The oil gushed from BP’s Macondo well for 87 days.  Now, almost five years since the well was sealed, the company aims to settle with the federal government and five states, Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas.

Alabama Governor Robert Bentley:

GOV. ROBERT BENTLEY (R), Alabama:  With the agreement reached today and the compensation BP will pay for their responsibility, we are taking a significant step forward in our state and in especially the Gulf Coast areas to move forward with the worst environmental disaster in U.S. history.

JUDY WOODRUFF:  In all, 134 million gallons of crude fouled the Gulf’s waters, and coated beaches and barrier islands, killing thousands of animals, and decimating local fisheries.

The projected deal totals $18.7 billion; $5.5 billion would go toward restoration efforts, as part of a federal Clean Water Act penalty.  Another $7 billion would cover natural resource damages.  And nearly $6 billion goes to economic and other claims by the five states and 400 local government entities.

In a statement today, U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch called it the largest environmental settlement in U.S. history.  For BP, the settlement will effectively add about $10 billion to the $44 billion it already set aside for cleanup costs and penalties.

The oil giant had revenues of $15 billion last year, and will spread the settlement costs over the next 15 to 18 years.  In a statement today, BP’s CEO, Bob Dudley said:  “This agreement will resolve the largest liabilities remaining from the tragic accident and enable BP to focus on safely delivering the energy the world needs.”

The agreement is still subject to final approval by a federal judge.

GULF OIL SPILL - Still Killing Dolphins

"New science shows Gulf spill is still killing dolphins" PBS NewsHour 5/19/2015

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SUMMARY:  More than 1,000 bottlenose dolphins have died off the Gulf Coast since 2010, the year a massive Deepwater Horizon spill spewed millions of gallons of oil and chemicals.  A new study by researchers at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration examines why.  The NewsHour's William Brangham joins Judy Woodruff to discuss the findings.

JUDY WOODRUFF (NewsHour):  Now, the lasting impact of America’s biggest offshore oil spill.

It comes as officials are grappling with a new spill along the coast of Southern California near Santa Barbara.  It began yesterday when an onshore pipeline ruptured.  Slicks are now spanning a total of nine miles and the line was operating at full capacity when it broke.

Today, a new study by researchers at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration looked at why dolphins died in such large numbers after the Deepwater Horizon spill of 2010.  It was the strongest link yet to the spill and to the deaths of bottlenose dolphins.  More than 1,000 dolphins have died in the Gulf since 2010.

The spill lasted nearly three months, spewing millions of gallons of oil and chemicals into the Gulf of Mexico.

We get the latest from William Brangham, who weekend viewers will recognize, and he is now here with us as our newest NewsHour correspondent.

And we welcome you to the team, William.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM (NewsHour):  Thanks, Judy.  Great to be here.

JUDY WOODRUFF:  So, let’s talk about this, what researchers are saying.  What do they say these new studies show?

WILLIAM BRANGHAM:  What they’re saying is that this has been the first definitive link where they can directly connect the death, this massive die-off of dolphins — as you mentioned, over 1,300 — I think it’s 1,200, 1,300 dolphins — linking those deaths directly with the oil spill.

I mean, scientists have been studying these dolphins for several years, ever since the spill occurred.  This is the first time they have said, we now know why they died and in such large numbers, and it’s because of the Deepwater Horizon disaster.

GULF OIL SPILL - Four Years Later

"After Gulf oil spill, filmmaker returns to see what happened when the cameras had gone" PBS NewsHour 11/19/2014

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GWEN IFILL (NewsHour):  Now, the continuing effects of the Gulf Coast oil spill.

It may not be in the headlines as much as it once was, but some communities are still coping with its aftermath.

A new documentary showing in select theaters around the country returns to — the spotlight to those issues.

Hari Sreenivasan talks to the filmmaker.

HARI SREENIVASAN (NewsHour):  It’s been more than four years sense the worst environmental disaster in U.S. history fouled the waters off the Gulf Coast after the Deepwater Horizon rig exploded.  Oil gushed into Gulf for almost three months before it was capped.  Eleven people died.

Since then, billions of dollars have been paid in settlements, shorelines have been cleaned, and areas have been restored, but some residents, businesses, and environmentalists say some places along the Gulf Coast have never fully recovered.

A new documentary called “The Great Invisible” highlights some of those issues.  (must see trailer)

MAN:  I’m used to seeing dirt, sand, something like that, but I ain’t never seen no kind of black — like a black, like, oily look.  I just caught these shrimp.  Look how they look.  These shrimp, see the black in them and stuff?  That came out of the water.  Like, that — that came out of that shrimp.  While that shrimp was in the freezer freezing, that is what came out of the shrimp.

HARI SREENIVASAN:  Filmmaker Margaret Brown joins me now.

So, what was it that you were trying to achieve when you set out to make the film?

MARGARET BROWN, Director, “The Great Invisible”:  Well, when I started to make the film, it was very personal, because I’m from Alabama.

I grew up on the Gulf Coast. And my father started sending me pictures of his house, which is on the water, and it was surrounded by the oil boom — or the orange boom that the volunteer fire department had put out to prevent the oil from reaching the shoreline.

And there were all these workers working around the house.  It just was really — sort of didn’t look like his house anymore.  And it felt very personal.  And then I started talking to people that I had grown up with, and people just didn’t really know what to do.  Like, in a hurricane, which happens a lot in the South, people know what to do.  There’s, like, a checklist.  But, with this, no one knew what to do.