Gulf Cleanup Winds Down
New report suggests diminishing returns from continued “scrubbing”
A recent report issued by the Coast Guard signaled the cleanup of the Gulf of Mexico, ravaged by the deadly explosion of the Deepwater Horizon rig on April 20, 2010, is nearing an end.
The report, “Summary Report for Fate and the Effects of Remnant Oil in the Beach Environment,” was released by the Coast Guard Incident Management Team. It says cleanup of the oil spill should be scaled back because it has reached the point where heavy equipment and thorough scrubbing could do more harm than good to the ecosystem.
According to the document, the potential environmental impacts of remnant oil found on or near beaches at this point are relatively minor. It concluded that continued cleanup operations may disturb sensitive habitats and wildlife, posing a greater environmental risk than leaving the residue in place.
“In deciding whether to remove oil residue or leave it in place, the relevant question becomes, ‘Under which action will the ecosystem recover more quickly?’” the report said. “Experience has shown that removing oil residue from critical marsh habitats is damaging to the ecosystem and the treatment may delay recovery of the wetland for many years.”
Recent oil samples from beaches in Grand Isle, LA, Petit Bois Island, MS, Bon Secour, AL and Fort Pickens, FL, show weathered oil found along beaches has lost the majority of the toxic compounds in it and the oil left on shores meets federal safety thresholds. The report said the best course of action at this point would be to leave the remaining oil there to slowly degrade.
The report is designed to guide the remaining cleanup of the BP PLC spill that was caused by the explosion, which killed 11 men working on the platform and injured 17 others. On July 15, the leak was stopped by capping the gushing wellhead after it had released about 4.9 million barrels of crude oil into the Gulf. The federal government declared the well “effectively dead” after a relief well process was successfully completed on September 19, 2010.
