A very serious breech. Already more than two dozen lawsuits. British Petroleum failed. Halliburton too? Agencies failed. Blame is necessary.
BP’s 2009 ‘impact analysis’ filed with the federal Minerals Management Service repeatedly asserted that an oil spill and serious damage to beaches, fish and mammals was unlikely or virtually impossible. To quote:
“…due to the distance to shore and the response capabilities that would be implemented, no significant adverse impacts are expected.”
Already lawyers are revealing that BP may not have addressed the kind of technology needed to control a spill at that depth of water.
In six- to nine-foot seas, the slick nearly tripled in just a day or so, growing from a spill the size of Rhode Island to something closer to the size of Puerto Rico.
The type of oil involved is also a major problem. Most of the oil drilled off Louisiana is a light crude. This oil is an older, heavier blend from deep under the ocean surface, and is very dense.
“If I had to pick a bad oil, I’d put this right up there.” Asphalt-like substances that make a major sticky mess, “a thick gooey mousse”.
There are three types of beaches: sandy, rocky and marshy. Florida’s sandy beaches are easier to clean. By far the hardest are marshlands, so delicate that cleaning is damage too.