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Essay / The Deep Horizon Oil Spill - 1069
The Deep Horizon Oil SpillThe Deep Water Horizon oil spill is one of the largest oil spills in history. The spill occurred due to several factors, including system failure and human error. The spill not only affected the Gulf's wildlife and economy, but also the entire United States, as goods and services that were once available were no longer available. Following the oil spill, Bp was forced to pay billions of dollars to repair the damage caused. Additionally, the oil and gas industry has changed its practices and is working with the government under new laws and regulations to prevent a future oil spill. On April 20, 2010, an event known as the Deepwater Horizon oil spill occurred. It is sometimes referred to as the BP oil spill because BP was the company operating on the Deep Water horizon at the time of the oil spill. This oil spill is considered one of the largest oil spills in history, as approximately 4.9 million barrels of oil ended up in the open ocean, reaching distances as far away as Florida. Oil spills occur due to a combination of system failure and human error. The primary cause of the spill was the failure of the cement plant, the blowout preventer and the crew's misinterpretation of a crucial safety test. Before the oil crew worked on the rig they had to secure it, they did this by filling the borehole with cement. However, the cement failed to secure the well, allowing oil and gas to flow through the pipe and eventually reach the surface. When the crew noticed the spill, they attempted to activate the blowout preventer, which would have stopped the flow of oil. But the blowout preventer did not work as it was supposed to, this is due to a kinked pipe preventing blind shear...... middle of paper ...... nt Investigation report . Sl: DIANE, 2010. Printed. Haugen, David M. The BP Oil Spill. Farmington Hills, MI: Greenhaven, 2012. Print.Repanich, Jeremy. “5 Lingering Questions About the BP Oil Spill.” Popular mechanics. Np, April 20, 2011. Web. February 23, 2014.Tiffany, Jackie. “Health Effects of the British Oil Spill.” BP oil spill. Np, September 16, 2013. Web. February 23, 2014. Beinecke, Frances. "RealClearEnergy | 3 years later: lessons from the BP Gulf oil spill."RealClearEnergy | 3 years later: lessons from the BP oil spill in the Gulf. The Energy Collective, April 19, 2013. Web. February 24, 2014Mullins, Justin. "The eight failures that caused the Gulf oil spill". Np, September 9, 2010. Web. February 23, 2014. “The barrel of oil | What caused the Deepwater Horizon disaster? » The barrel of oil | What caused the Deepwater Horizon disaster? Np, May 21, 2010. Web. February 23. 2014.