There is welcome news flowing from the Deepwater Horizon Unified Command these days. This week, finally, it was announced that the static kill operation had managed to equalize the pressure within the well and they were pumping cement into the well, which means that the chances of additional oil leaking into the Gulf at this point are very small. They've chosen their words carefully-no mention of a permanent stop or zero chances of more oil pouring into the water. Those phrases will be held for the completion of the relief well in several weeks. And by that time, those involved in the project are unlikely to be trumpeting their success more than 3 months and millions of gallons of oil after the well began leaking. So, I'll take this moment to reflect on the experience.
Since April 20, 2010 when the Deepwater Horizon exploded and sank into the Gulf of Mexico, beginning the worst US oil spill in history, the world has watched as oil gushed into the Gulf. After several ineffective attempts to stop the oil flow, a top cap finally managed to do that about three weeks ago. But it was a stop gap measure. This week's announcement that the "static kill” is working is very good news indeed!
Along with news that the the well is plugged, comes a NOAA report that nearly 70% of the spilled oil is gone. Where, you ask? Evaporated, dispersed, burned or skimmed, is the answer given. If you're having a hard time swallowing that, you're not alone. Some researchers are calling that report "spin” rather than science. I have to agree. The basic fact of how much oil was spilled remains in dispute. NOAA uses a 172 million gallon figure in their calculations, but there are many other figures used, all higher.
So, let's presume that the well is truly and permanently capped and no more oil will be flowing from this particular well into the Gulf of Mexico. What have we learned? After any particularly challenging experience, it's wise to pause and reflect on the experience and what we may have learned from it and our response to it. So, here are a few things that I think are important to remember from this experience:
l Eleven souls lost their lives in the original explosion. To most of us, this has been about oil and the possibility of fouled beaches. But for eleven families, scattered across the Gulf states, this is about grief and the loss of eleven irreplaceable men. These families and their communities will feel this loss forever.
l The companies responsible for drilling this deepwater well, had no clue how to stop the spill at this depth. They claimed it couldn't happen-they had layers on layers of contingency plans. But alas it did, and all those plans didn't work. Which leads us to...
l The government agency charged with monitoring the oil industry, the Minerals Management Service (MMS) was found to be a bit too chummy with the very industry they were supposed to be regulating. This is certainly not the first time this type of thing has happened, but you'd think there would be some sort of learning curve. There are consistent cries from industry that government should get out of their way and let the market or the companies regulate themselves. Seems like that is precisely the kind of regulating that was going on with MMS. Next time we hear that, let's remember how well this kind of regulating worked with deepwater drilling. And the price that was paid.
l In response to the the spill, a 6 month moratorium on deep water drilling shut down 33 rigs. There is some talk of that being lifted early. While the moratorium impacts the economy and jobs in communities along the Gulf Coast, I think it's prudent after an event of this magnitude to take a close look at safety regulations. If that requires several months of shut down rigs, it should be seen as another cost of the spill. The moratorium should not be seen as a punitive measure, but as a safety measure.
l The tendency of officials to restrict information and access after a disaster is alive and well. Shortly after the spill began, reports began trickling in of journalists and photographers who were being denied access to the spill area. And as usual, this restriction backfires and makes not only journalists, but citizens, wonder, "How much worse is it that they won't let us see it for ourselves?” Restricting information may give someone power, but providing a free flow of information reassures citizens that they are hearing the truth.
l We've all been reminded that the economic engine that drives our community as well as the state of Florida, is tourism. This summer, we've seen the result of erroneous perception. Those tourists up north and overseas have been watching the same reports that we have. Difference is, they don't get to see our clean white sands and sparkling water every day. They wonder if we have oil, and they cancel reservations. The tourism promotion professionals have been working on correcting the faulty perceptions that have led people to think we have oil problems. But it's an uphill battle.
While the oil may not be flowing now, there is a lot of oil still in the gulf, NOAA's report notwithstanding. And it will be years before the damage from this spill is fully known. There is much to be learned from this spill, hopefully by all of us.
Missy Layfield, Editor