The report comes from Oceana, a non-partisan, non-partisan organization dedicated to the protection and restoration of the oceans, which sued the federal government for an end to seismic air gun fire in Canada. 39 Atlantic Ocean. Blasting is the first step required to allow drilling at sea, when seismic air guns are used to find oil and gas at the bottom of the ocean.
This 2010 spill was one of the worst in US history. It killed 11 people and dumped more than 210 million liters of oil into the ocean, polluting more than 1,300 miles of shoreline, killing wildlife and affecting human health. In the ensuing lawsuit, a federal judge said the companies involved in the spill had been "grossly negligent" in the run-up to the disaster.
Squeezing on public records and interviews with people on the ground, Oceana found that, even though the Deepwater accident had not experienced another major disaster, oil spills were continue, as well as deaths, even if they do not often make headlines.
According to the report, there were at least 6,500 oil spills in US waters between 2007 and 2017, which indicates that it is likely an undercoverage. Despite Declining Mortality Rates Across the Sector, According to US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Mortality Rate in the Oil and Gas Industry between 2003 and 2013, the average worker, both onshore and abroad, was seven times higher than other US workers.
At the time of the Deepwater disaster, the US oil and gas industry had one of the highest fatality rates compared to other oil producing countries.
"Nearly 10 years after the oil spill in BP's Deepwater, offshore drilling is just as dirty and dangerous, despite the promises made otherwise," said Diane Hoskins, Oceana's campaign manager. "There is still this unacceptable risk of a devastating oil spill, yet the Trump government has called for expanding drilling to new areas and abandoning or weakening safety rules, and we should not develop drilling."
The United States is already the world's largest exporter of refined petroleum products, but the Trump administration has asked for more. In April, Trump signed "Unleashing American Energy" decrees, which make it easier for companies to build oil and gas pipeline projects and for states to stop harder.
It has revoked an order banning drilling for oil and gas in the Arctic, as well as in the Atlantic, although this is being blocked in court. A judge also ruled against the approval by the administration of natural gas drilling plans on Colorado's public lands.
As part of its call for action, Oceana is asking the US government to increase the number of inspections. In 2018, the Office of Safety and Environmental Protection employs about 120 inspectors to carry out more than 20,000 inspections, the report says.
Studies have shown that fines are based on the quantities of spills that are generally estimated by the company and often underreported. Civil penalties for violations of offshore operating requirements are capped at $ 44,675 per day per offense.
"It's a rounding error when you know that operating costs can rise to about $ 1 million a day," Hoskins said. "The fines must be higher."
The report also calls on the government to reduce its reliance on research and standards developed by the oil industry.
CJ Beegle-Krause, an expert in the oil industry who has worked for the private sector, independent research organizations and government research, has noted some improvements in research written by the industry since the disaster It is not affiliated with the Oceana Report. In the area of transparency, for example, all industry projects require companies to publish detailed information about their work in peer-reviewed journals.
"The science is starting to be examined and this transparency has changed since Deepwater Horizon," Beegle-Krause said. "I think government, industry and academia need to work together from different perspectives to balance their views. Everyone knows enough about oil and the environment. "
Is the industry safer now than before the spill? "This is not an easy question to answer," Beegle-Krause said, but it's in the industry's interest to protect people and avoid accidents.
Hoskins is confident that there is still much to be done to prevent spills and make the industry safer.
"The facts are clear and this anniversary is a painful reminder of what is at stake," she said. "We hope that President Trump and the Ministry of the Interior are listening to this report."
