The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill: An Explanation. A Zine By Sean XVX

Transcription

1 The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill: An Explanation A Zine By Sean XVX Written June 15-18,

2 Introduction Chances are that you ve heard of the BP/Gulf Of Mexico/Deepwater Horizon oil spill. It s a fucking huge ecological disaster, and probably the largest offshore spill in US history (don t think there haven t been many, more about that later). Thousands of gallons of oil are spilling into the Gulf of Mexico, home to numerous precious wetlands, endangered species, and vibrant marine life. The spill is so massive, it can be seen from space. So, in short, this is kind of a big deal for Americans. (However, worldwide, its not that surprising.) The purpose of this zines is to be a crash course in what this shit is all about. I'm no expert in ecology, engineering, or anything really relevant to this spill, but I'm a fairly intelligent regular person, and I'll try to explain it in simple terms, so you can know what's up. We'll be going through the spill itself, the response to it, the impact the spill could have, and a bit about how this isn't just one bizarre disaster, and how it connects into the power structures of capitalism. If you like this zine, please reproduce it and give it to yr friends, family, lovers, whoever. Get the word out on this shit, because an educated public is a dangerous public. - Sean XVX Contact me at: edgexforxsatan@gmail.com 2

3 About The Spill On April 20, 2010, an explosion rocked the Deepwater Horizon oil rig, 40 miles southeast of the Louisiana coast line. 11 workers were killed, 17 were injured, and the rig started to sink. This explosion is what s responsible for the oil spill in the Gulf. The rig was a new piece of equipment, only nine years old. Its a high tech piece of equipment, designed for deep drilling to access untapped oil fields. It was in fact responsible for the deepest well ever dug in history, a total of 35,055 feet. Therefore, it cannot be blamed on old, poorly maintained equipment, it was a top of the line rig. Because the rig was so far out from the coast, and a BP plan given to the Minerals Management Service (the arm of the Department of the Interior that oversees off shore drilling) said that an accident was unlikely (and if there was to be a spill, it could be easily be contained before any adverse effects occurred), BP was exempted from an environmental impact study, as well as a detailed blowout plan. The rig was also not fitted with acoustically activated or remote controlled triggers to seal the well, as it was determined to be too costly and ineffective (Brazil and Norway require acoustically activated triggers on all of their rigs). 3

4 The Deepwater Horizon also had a history of spills and fires; the US Coast Guard had issued pollution citations 18 times between 2000 and 2010, and had investigated 16 fires and other incidents. [1] But such a frequency of accidents is not unusual for a 24 hour offshore oil rig, and was overlooked. The rig also had been experiencing drilling problems for many months. They included, drilling mud falling into the undersea oil formation, sudden gas releases, a pipe falling into the well, and at least three occasions of the blowout preventer leaking fluid. [2] The rig s mechanic even stated that the drill regularly kicked because of high gas pressure, reporting gas pressure twice as high as he had ever seen in his career. [3] The explosion itself was a result of a bubble of methane gas escaping from the well, travelling up the drill column, expanding and exploding; an event known as a blowout. It was a very sudden explosion, setting the rig on fire and sinking it. Just hours after it sank on April 22, an oil slick was discovered at the rig site. Sending remote underwater vehicles to assess the damage, BP at first stated that no oil was spilling into the ocean on the 23rd, but the next day said that there was a very serious spill leaking oil into the Gulf. The most recent estimates state that the oil spill could have been leaking 20,000-40,000 barrels a day into the Gulf before preventative measures were taken, equivalent to the Exxon Valdez spill occurring every 8-10 days. [4] However, these are conservative estimates. The worst case scenario states that it could currently be spilling up to 100,000 barrels a day, or 4,200,000 gallons. Tens of millions of gallons are already in the Gulf. The spill is currently covering 2,500 to 9,100 square miles of the Gulf, reaching the coasts of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and even Florida. 4

5 The BP Oil Spill on May 24, captured by NASA satellites. Ships combatting the Deepwater Horizon oil rig fire on April 21st. 5

6 About The Response One of the most controversial aspects about the Deepwater Horizon oil spill is BP s repeated failures to stop the oil leaking from the well. BP is not only responsible for the damage caused by the spill, but for solving the problem as well, with some limited assistance from the US Military. The UN, Canada, Croatia, France, Germany, Ireland, Mexico, the Netherlands, Norway, Romania, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom have all offered assistance in clean up, but the US Government has refused all offers, saying While there is no need right now that the U.S. cannot meet, the U.S. Coast Guard is assessing these offers of assistance to see if there will be something which we will need in the near future. [5] The idea that BP and the US alone can take care of one of the largest oil spills in history is frankly ridiculous, and to be so prideful to refuse international aid is not only idiotic but dangerous, as the environmental damage increases every day we keep the oil spill in the Gulf. 6 To try and stop the leaking well, BP has tried numerous techniques. On May 7 and 8, it lowered a 125 ton container dome over the largest well leak. A pipe in the dome would bring all of the oil up to a storage vessel. But due to the massive depths at which the well was drilled, cold water combined with the gas to form methane crystals that clogged the top of the dome. BP then lowered a smaller containment dome to the seabed, this one was successful, allowing for piping of oil and natural gas up to the surface.

7 However, you can t continue this indefinitely. So BP attempted to shut down the oil well using a method called the top kill, involving pumping drilling fluid into the blowout preventer sitting on top of the wellhead, restricting the flow of oil so cement can be poured into the well to close the leak. It was commenced on May 26, but after 3 unsuccessful attempts, BP gave up and implemented a new technique. This new technique involved cutting the damaged pipe of the well and replacing it with a new cleanly cut one that was capped and able to pipe most of the oil to storage vessels on the surface. After numerous problems, including difficulty fitting the cap onto the pipe due to ragged cutting from shears instead of diamond blades, the cap was finally fitted on June 3rd. However, despite the collection of oil from the pipe, the well pipe is gushing more oil into the ocean than before, according to government officials. [6] With BP clearly failing on capping the leak, many have tried to focus on containing the damage of the spill and cleaning it up. With the US Military, specifically the US Coast Guard, devoted to intensive oil containment, 79 vessels were deployed to clean up and containment by April 30. On April 30, nearly 180,000 feet of containment booms (a temporary floating barrier to contain oil spills) were deployed, with 300,000 more feet on the way. [7] But by May 2nd, rough conditions had made the booms largely ineffective in capturing oil. 7

8 BP has been using a highly toxic, highly ineffective dispersant (a chemical to prevent oil from sticking together, one of the major problems of clean up in an oil spill) called Corexit. The EPA has them rated as neither the least toxic, or most effective dispersants available, and even responsible for many workers health problems following the Exxon Valdez oil spill, confusing many to BP s usage of the chemical. Really, it came down to BP having a ton of it lying around due to their connections with the manufacturer, Nalco. The EPA demanded that BP put forth an alternative dispersant to Corexit that fits their criteria within 24 hours of May 19, or give reasons why the alternatives would not work for the spill. BP simply refused, claiming explaining why they used Corexit would compromise business secrets. So rather than prevent further environmental damage, BP is continuing to look out for its own self interest rather than compromise profits. Many difficulties regarding clean up has been a result of the kind of oil spewing from the leak. Because the well is extremely deep, the oil reaching the surface is way different from the light crude extracted from other Louisiana wells. It s extremely heavy and contains substances much like asphalt, making it a very potent emulsifier and generally turning into a sticky mess. Once it has emulsified, it doesn t evaporate quickly, rinse off easily, can t be eaten by microbes as easily, and doesn t even burn well. Such a mixture eliminates almost all of the best oil spill fighting weapons. [8] 8

9 About The Impact Obviously, as one of the most catastrophic man made disasters in recent note, the impact of the spill is catastrophic. It s a massive spill in a very ecologically diverse section of the world, possibly destroying hundreds of already endangered wetlands and estuaries which are home to species who were already on the verge of extinction. Over 400 species live in the islands and marshes at risk. In the national refuges most likely to be impacted by the spill, over 34,000 birds have been counted. In the area of the oil spill, 8,332 species of sea life are present, including more than 1,200 fish, 200 bird, 1,400 mollusk, 1,500 crustacean, 4 sea turtle, and 29 marine mammal species. The current conservative estimate for the death toll of the oil spill is 1152 dead animals, ncluding 770 dead birds, 341 sea turtles, and 41 dolphins and other mammals. This is obviously a short estimate, because it only includes animals that have been found, and does not include the long term impact of the oil spill on the environment, which will increase toxicity of the water and land dramatically. The oil itself could affect the chemistry of the sea so dramatically that it could become a literal dead zone for all forms of life for years, if not decades. The release of toxic chemicals, the increase of oxygen due to oil-eating bacteria put into the ocean, simple smothering of plant and animal life by the thick emulsified oil, all of this could be fatal for life in the Gulf. 9

10 10 It s even possible that oil could reach currents that would bring the spill out into the Atlantic Ocean, impacting the East Coast without even hitting the coast lines. Hundreds more of vital habitats would be threatened by oil in the Atlantic, affecting everything from commercial fishing off of the North Carolina coast (destroying 90% of their product), to Loggerhead turtles. Currently, eight US National Parks are threatened by the spill, with oil on the beaches of the Gulf Islands National Seashore. Not only this, but many people who make a living off of commercial fishing are hit hard by the oil spill. Nearly 90,000 square miles of the Gulf (37% of its total area) have been totally closed off to fishing by the National Oceanic And Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). $2.5 billion has been lost by the entire fishing industry, according to initial loss estimates. Tourism has been hit hard as well, scaring many away from the beaches of Florida at the beginning of this summer, causing $3 billion of losses to the tourism industry. The oil spill is starting to even hurt humans. The work of cleaning the oil spill is incredibly risky business, with many volunteers not getting proper protection from the effects of working around so much crude oil. People who volunteered to clean up the Exxon Valdez oil spill have had numerous long term side effects from working around the spill, such as Merle Savage. She wrote a book on her experience with the Exxon Valdez spill, and even though she has never smoked, now has a cough rivaling many chain smokers. Exxon provided little to no safety info or training, so many volunteers were cleaning the spill in dangerous ways. Savage developed a number of frightening symptoms, including cirrhosis of the liver, rheumatoid arthritis, constant diarrhea, and respiratory problems. Many of the same initial symptoms felt by

11 Exxon Valdez workers: headache, nausea, and coughing; are being reported by workers in the Gulf. They will likely be confronted with life long illnesses, especially respiratory and nervous system problems. [9] Louisiana Environmental Action Network has luckily been giving first responders protective equipment to prevent them from these debilitating illnesses, but BP has threatened to fire workers wearing the equipment, presumably to protect their image in the media. [10] Both first responders and even residents of the Gulf coast are beginning to report symptoms similar to Exxon Valdez workers, and its likely that hundreds, if not thousands in the area will experience long term illness due to the spill, if not death. Even worse, but many are beginning to fear that the oil leak is impossible. Almost all attempts to cap the well have been met with total failure, and its becoming apparent that BP is trying to open up the well and release pressure, while capturing as much oil as possible. This could be catastrophic news, meaning the leak is a dangerous one, hidden under the seabed and inaccessible. Such a leak could cause erosion of the well through swirling flow of both oil but still present abrasives from drilling. This creates an almost apocalyptic scenario: too much erosion, and the entire seafloor of the area of the well could completely collapse, creating a massive gusher that could send 150,000 barrels a day or even 2 billion barrels total out into the Gulf of Mexico that would be impossible to cap. Such a scenario would turn the Gulf into a literal black sea, and almost certainly contaminate the Atlantic Ocean. According to this theory, it has become a race between the well and BP, who can only fight this scenario by drilling relief wells to release pressure and end the catastrophic erosion. [11] 11

12 Getting Some Perspective 12 By now, it should be evident that the Deepwater Horizon oil spill is a catastrophe of the highest order. It has the potential to royally fuck up the entire Gulf of Mexico, and possibly the Eastern Seaboard of the US. No one can seem to get it under control, and its not looking good for the Southeastern coastline. But we have to keep one thing in mind. No matter how bad this gets, how bad the media portrays BP, one thing is going to keep getting said: this is just a bad apple. A perfect storm. A one of a million odds. A bizarre disaster. The Deepwater Horizon spill is a one time incident, and this shouldn t discourage us from continuing to drill for petroleum, fill our cars with gasoline, and buy petroleum derived chemicals and plastics. Frankly, that is some shit. While I will not downplay the catastrophe that is occurring in the Gulf, the idea that this is a freak accident is dangerous and stupid. If we get some global perspective on this incident, we find that maybe we should be taking a harsher stance on our society s dependance on petroleum. For one, Deepwater Horizon isn t even the biggest oil spill in history. Its fourth. Just above it is the Ixtoc I oil spill, also occuring in the Gulf of Mexico in Ixtoc I had a very similar circumstance, a blowout that wasn t under control and led to an explosion and leak in the well. The spill lasted for 10 months, only capped on March 23, The spill in total was 3 million barrels. Luckily, it was easily contained and cleaned up, with little ecological damage.

13 Following that is the Gulf War oil spill in 1990, an intentional spill caused by Iraqi forces attempting to dissuade a US Marine amphibious landing on Kuwait. It was a 5 to 11 million barrel spill, and was twice the size of the Ixtoc I spill. There was no clean up organized, and as a result it did massive ecological damage, destroying salt marshes on the coastline. Full recovery has yet to occur, and many estimate it will take decades. The largest in history was the Lakeview Gusher, an oil well in California that went out of control in 1910 due to a lack of technology to deal with such high pressures in the well. For 18 months it spewed oil and released at least 9 million barrels of oil before being shut down. The flow was so heavy that it created a literal river of crude oil that ran from the site, which crews struggled to cut off with sandbags and barricades. Due to the time period, we have no information on the ecological impact of the leak, but it was sure to be catastrophic. And none of this even compares to the suffering of Nigeria. Nigeria has been exploited by oil corporations from decades, suffering intense military conflict over the resource in the 1990s, and now feeling the consequences of resource exploitation. The country actually experiences the equivalent of an Exxon Valdez oil spill every year, for the last 50 years. With near constant failures of pipelines and refineries, hundreds of swamps, mangroves, and other areas are rendered absolutely lifeless, suffocated under feet of oil. Rivers and the sea are also contaminated, compromising many families livelihood of fishing that had been maintained for generations before corporate interests moved in. Nearly 546 million gallons of oil have been spilled into the Niger River Delta, totalling 11 million gallons every year. [12] 13

14 14 While many spills are claimed to be the result of militant saboteurs fighting Western influence in Nigeria, in reality, much of it is due to ancient corroded pipes and equipment used by the Shell corporation. Yet the cries of Nigerians are ignored largely by the West, who would rather keep their oil than have their conscience s racked by where it came from. No international media covers the 50 year contamination by foreign oil corporations, and only with the recent interest in oil spills has it floated to the surface. The reality is, the direct consequences of our petroleum based economy are present every day in places like Nigeria, the Gulf of Mexico, and all over the globe. But the contamination of environments by spilled oil doesn t compare the the dozens of other effects of our endless consumption of petroleum. The atmosphere is clogged with carbon dioxide and smog put out by industry and transportation. Our food is poisoned with petroleum derived fertilizers and pesticides. Much of our air, water, and land is rendered toxic and uninhabitable by flora and fauna due to contamination by our oil based chemicals. Landfills are filled with millions of pounds of non-biodegradable plastics and foams. Our own bodies are at risk: we are suffering a epidemic of cancers that no one can wrap their head around, caused by the chemicals present in every aspect of our environment. We need to fundamentally change the world we live in, a world that doesn t rely on petroleum for its chemicals and cheap energy. But the system of capitalism will resist such a change. Switching from petroleum isn t profitable. And if its not good for their bottom line, its not an option. Therefore, we need to overturn the system itself. If we don t, in a hundred years, the only thing left of our civilization will likely be skeletons of skyscrapers, parking lots full of rusting relics of our indulgence, and our cancer ridden corpses.

15 Sources Most of this is admittedly just regurgitated material from Wikipedia, but here s some sources that were used. [1] [2] [3] html [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] 15

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