Gulf Of Mexico Oil Spill

20th April 2010 a deep water oil well exploded in the Gulf of Mexico of the coasts of Louisiana, Misssissippi, Alabama and Florida

• Oil leaked at a rate of 40,000 barrels a day

• Plants and animals were completley covered in oil

• More than 400 spieces living in the Gulf Islands and marshlands were at risk including endangered spieces like the Kemp's Ridley Turtle, the Hawksbill and Leatherback turtle

• Loss of wetland grasses and reduction of fish stock

• Bluefin tuna spawning grounds covered in oil

• 3000 dead birds, 500 dead sea turtles and 64 dead dolphins

• Ecosystem could require years and decades to recover

• Economic impact on tourism was  loss of $23 billion so BP exectuatives created a $20 billion response fund

• Tourists cancelled holiday so local businesses suffered but some hotels /resturaunts were saved from complete decline by the clear up operators however they didn't use the same services so did not support econamy

• Cost to fishing industry was $2.5 billion leading to closed fisheries

• 58,000 of Louisianas jobs is in the oil industry and it has created  260,000 oil related jobs which is 17% of all Louisianas jobs and many lost thier jobs

• BP allocated $100 million for unemployed offshore workers

• 50,000 claims for lost income filed of which 10,000 were paid totalling 80 million

• Massive response ensued to protect beaches, wetlands and esturaies from the spreading oil using skimmer ships, floating booms, controled burns and 1.84 US gallons of Coretexit oil dispersant

• President Obama announced that his administratuon would create a $20 billion oil spill response fund

• Responders used 5.5 million feet of boom, a barrier placed in water to ollect and abosrb oil

• Insitu burning in a controlled area on the surface of the water which released a lot of green house gases

•  BP exectuatives created a$20 billion response fund

• BP allocated $100 million for unemployed offshore workers

• 50,000 claims for lost income filed of which 10,000 were paid totalling 80 million