Estimates on rate of oil spill change again; Actual rate far greater than previous reports
June 4th, 2010 joshua
The estimates on how much oil is spilling from two ruptured wells at the former Deepwater Horizon offshore oil rig are changing again.
In documents released Thursday, the Coast Guard has sat on numerous estimates it had in the event a total blowout happened at that rig. The documents show that the Coast Guard initially estimated that a situation similar to the current oil spill unfolding in the Gulf of Mexico would release about 8,000 barrels of crude oil per day.
Two days later, the Coast Guard updated its estimates to indicate that as much as 64,000 to 110,000 barrels of oil could spill in the event of a total blowout. These facts haven’t been public until Thursday, meaning the government allowed BP to say the spill was far less than it actually was.
Despite having these estimates in-hand, the Coast Guard allowed BP and higher federal officials to go public with the estimate that about 5,000 barrels of oil were spilling each day into the Gulf.
When an underwater video was released showing the ruptured wells, many experts agreed the going estimate was far below the actual spill rate.
Initial federal estimates said that only 1,000 barrels of oil were spilling per day into the Gulf. The misleading estimates have probably helped to quell public outrage over the spill, as has the fact that much of the spilled oil remains in the ocean.
Compared to how much oil has actually spilled, little has reached the shores of Gulf states Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi and Florida, though even a drop is a drop too much. Each day as the spill progresses, more and more oil has come ashore in those states.
Many experts also agree that impending storm surges from tropical storms and hurricanes will force much of the oil spilled on shore. Further, a strong Gulf current is expected to track a large portion of the spill up the eastern seaboard and into the Atlantic Ocean.
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July 6th, 2011 at 10:11 am