BP Oil Spill Update

In case you haven’t heard, the BP Oil Spill really did happen. Thousands of people are still suffering because of massive amounts of oil spilling into the Gulf of Mexico. Even though the major news media found the story a bit boring once the leak was actually plugged, it’s important that we continue to keep ourselves updated on what’s going on in the Gulf.

Solutions for Future Spills

Although a moratorium was enacted to disable new deepwater oil rigs, it may be lifted even before we have come up with an actual solution to deepwater oil spills. Exxon Mobil Inc. is leading a group of companies working to create a device to stop oil spills even up to 10,000 below the sea surface, but the implementation of this device could take up to five years. In the mean time, the Moratorium on deepwater drilling will probably be removed by the end of November, at the latest.

BP has joined this $1 billion project and will provide evidence from the current oil spill disaster in an effort to improve safety precautions and devices; ironically, they will likely provide the most helpful information of the bunch.

Depression in the Gulf

According to a Gallup survey, depression in the Gulf region is up by 25% since eleven workers were killed in an explosion on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico. The most interesting part of the survey involves the fact that as you move more inland from the Gulf, the results of the survey improve. This goes to prove that depression from the BP oil spill in the Gulf has personally affected residents of the area.

The psychological repercussions have been so serious that BP itself has offered approximately $52 million in order to fund the mental health care in the Gulf. Although efforts are being made to salvage the situation, it will likely only get worse.

Claims Update

You might have heard about the thousands of applicants who were denied BP settlements because their situation did not meet the criteria.

Now, BP is taking a step back and adjusting the wordage of their requirements. Luckily, thousands of the applicants who felt an impact from the spill will actually receive payments. The requirements have been adjusted, including the fact that people claiming up to $5,000 automatically give up their right to sue BP. Kenneth Feinberg has made the conclusion that many of the people who were denied claims will actually be eligible to receive them. Keep an eye on this story as it develops, but we will be following up soon.

Don’t Forget the Gulf!

The website TakingBackTheGulf.com is dedicated to keeping the thoughts of society on the BP Oil Spill. Now that the leak has been plugged, much of the attention received by the Gulf has dropped off significantly.

Unfortunately, the repercussions of this situation have not been fully conceived yet. The oil leaked from the spill has not been accounted for, but it continues to wash up on the beaches. Businesses relying on the oil industry continue to struggle along with business relying on the tourism from the Gulf of Mexico.

Although it’s a depressing fact, a lack of major news media coverage has caused the public to basically disregard the Gulf Oil Spill. But as investigations and struggles continue, more media attention will likely come.

Once the disturbing facts are released regarding the actual repercussions of the spill, the event should maintain the media spotlight for at least a little while.