Six Years Ago Today: Deepwater Horizon Explodes

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Q. What kind of impacts are we still seeing?

A: Since 2010, more than 1,400 dolphins have been found dead on the Northern Gulf of Mexico, marking the longest “unusual mortality event” recorded in the area, according to NOAA. Credible estimates of the loss of up to 1 million birds also tell the story. But more mysterious and just as worrying is what scientists have a much harder time measuring, like the impacts on deepwater corals, zooplankton and many types of marine life that live in the middle depths of the sea, explains EDF Chief Oceans Scientist Douglas N. Rader. “To top it off, all of this occurred near the Mississippi River Delta, an ecosystem already under enormous pressure,” Rader says. This pressure is driven by century-old development choices that favored commerce and development over sustainability of the Delta. And now research has shown that the rate of marsh shoreline erosion increased with oiling.

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Q. Isn’t BP supposed to pay for spilling oil into the Gulf?

A: Yes. The Clean Water Act sets the rule for such penalties, and in 2012, Congress passed the RESTORE Act, which ordered that the majority of civil fines stemming from the oil spill be spent on Gulf Coast restoration — this is the source of the more than $20 billion that BP has agreed to pay. Those funds will go a long way toward healing the delta and restoring the Gulf, since the majority will be used for coastal restoration. “It represents a significant step toward justice for the Gulf Coast ecosystems, economies and communities that were damaged by the disaster,” said EDF president Fred Krupp. Beyond that, BP is also liable for Natural Resources Damages Assessment fines and economic losses.

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