Oil spills are some of the most horrific and damaging things that affect our environment. In 2010, the Deepwater Horizon rig leaked more than 3 million barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. Seven years later on October 13th near Venice, Lousiana, a pipeline spilled into the Gulf again and this may be the biggest one since.
Initially, the reported amount of oil that has been leaked was around 400,000 gallons but it has now grown to 16,000 barrels or 672,000 gallons. From the SunHerald "According to the new release from the Coast Guard, the oil was discharged from a small crack in a pipeline that was pressurized to more than 3,000 psi and located approximately 5,000 feet under the water." The spill was most likely caused from the high pressure discharge in the small crack but it is still under investigation.
This is some pretty big news but no one seems to be talking about it; I must repeat it: this may be the biggest spill since BP. Deepwater Horizon's spill was a wakeup call to the oil industry. After the 11 deaths of rig workers and the massive amounts of oil that spilled into the Gulf, we still feel the horrifying effects through the many spills that still happen around the country.
Even with knowledge of the effects oil spills have on our environment, we still see virtually no change. So, what can we do now after this new Gulf disaster?
Let's take this event and finally start talking about the dangers of oil spills. We must take the time to come up with solutions and action plans to stop these things from happening. We have to stop depending on oil and other harmful resources and start switching to renewable sources of energy. The dream of oil is from the 19th century, not the 21st. Overall, the best thing I can say about this is to educate yourself. Learn everything you can and after that, learn more. Reach out to others and teach them what you find and encourage them to do the same. Today, we have the technology and people to do this. Together we must learn, teach, talk, and take action.
Let's make this a reality.
