How Do Oil Spills Affect the Environment?

By Joseph Stutzman 

Until recently, there had not been a major oil spill affecting the United States in many years. Now, however, the effects of oil spills have been brought into the forefront due to the recent oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico. Indeed, the effects of oil leaks can have devastating consequences for the environment and for marine life.

For instance, oil can kill animals by causing hypothermia. The oil mixes with water to form a substance that sticks to the feathers and fur of animals such as birds and seal pups. This keeps the animal warm and interferes with their ability to regulate body temperature. As a result, they can suffer from hypothermia and die. The oil can also make it difficult for birds and pinnipeds to escape from predators, since they are weighed down by the oil. They can also drown from the weight in some cases.

Oil can also cause animal death through poisoning. Animals who ingest oil can suffer from ulcers as well as damage to the kidneys, livers, eyes, and lungs. There can be a chain reaction of deaths when one animal eats another animal who has already been poisoned by the oil. This can also affect reproduction, leading to reduced rates of a particular species. Oil can disrupt the reproductive hormones and affects the eggs of fish, sea truths, herring, salmon, and other marine wildlife.

Moreover, oil spills also affect the ocean habitat both onshore and offshore. Oil can poison pelagic marine life like plankton before it reaches shore. In addition, oil can cover marine algae, marine invertebrates, and rocks. This makes cleanup of a large area extremely difficult. Even after an area has been cleaned, the effects of the oil spill can remain for decades. Oil can seep deep into the ground, creating negative effects for burrowing animals such as craps and for other marine life.

It is clear that the effects of oil spills are negative and long lasting.

Along with keeping up with the news, Joseph enjoys working in his gardens. Garden Harvest Supply is one of his favorite gardening web sites which offers diatomaceous earth andperma mulch tree rings.

Responsibility for the Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill

By James Witherspoon 

In the wake of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill that began April of 2010, questions have begun to surface for claims of damages and loss of business. As these cases are filed and precedents are being set in this situation, the question of who is responsible for the damages caused by the oil spill has become more widely discussed. Though BP was the company responsible for operating the oil rig at the time of the leak, they may not be the only responsible party.

BP has been officially recognized as the responsible party for the oil spill. The multinational company was the main owners and operators of the Deepwater Horizon rig, which was built by Hyundai Heavy Industries in 2001. The rig, which has been in operation for the better part of the nine years that it has been in existence, was being leased by BP from March 2008 to September 2013. During that time several different entities have been part of it's operations and were active at the time of this disastrous event.

The nine-year old rig is owned by Transocean Ltd., a Swiss company that did not originally commission the building of the rig. This Swiss company was responsible for regulating drilling operations in regards to the equipment and maintenance of the platform. Any faulty practices in maintaining the rig would be the responsibility of Transocean.

Halliburton was responsible for the cementing of the well. Cement casing lines a well and is perforated at specific points to allow for oil to flow. If the cementing and well cap are proven to have been constructed in a faulty manner, Halliburton could share a great amount of responsibility for the damages caused by the leak.

These types of blowouts are not unexpected in the oil and gas industry. For this reason, blowout prevention equipment is always in place to minimize the risk for this type of event. Cameron is the company responsible for manufacturing the blowout preventer used on this rig. If their product was faulty, they too may have a major part in the cause of the leak and the resulting damage.

This oil spill is a devastating global event and the ramifications of these events are not fully known. If the Deepwater Horizon oil spill had a damaging impact on your Gulf property or business, please visit the website of Gulf of Mexico oil spill attorneys at Williams Kherkher. James Witherspoon

The Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill's Effect on the Shrimp Industry

By James Witherspoon 

Much has been made about the effects the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico have had on the fishing and shrimping industry in the Gulf Coastal area.  However, many people are still unaware of just how extensive the damage is, or the implications it may have on the industry in the future.  Many believe that the future of shrimp harvesting in the Gulf region may be in serious jeopardy.

Shrimp from off the coasts of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama are prized for their naturally delicious taste and firm texture.  The industry is worth an estimated $1.3 billion in Louisiana alone.  However, while the oil spill has received an abundance of attention because of its potential effects on the trade, it has actually faced a series of setbacks and challenges for decades.

First, there have been a series of natural disasters.  Several hurricanes, culminating in the devastating Katrina, challenged professional fishers and reduced the effective harvesting season.

Second, imports and farms have challenged the Gulf Shrimp's position in the market.  Cheaper and found year-round, farm and Asian options have undercut America's wild harvested prawn - which has a mere 10% market share.  However, aficionados are quick to point out that Gulf-harvested animals have a superior taste and quality which other items on the market simply can't match.

It remains to be seen just how much the massive, 190-million gallon spill will affect shrimping on the Gulf of Mexico.  The prospective total haul is likely to be a sliver of what it was last year, as many captains and crew are now being contracted in the clean-up effort.  Some are even suggesting that the effects of the spill may be the industry's death knell.  However, the future is uncertain, and the Gulf Shrimp industry has certainly weathered worse.

To learn more about this and other oil spill-related topics, please visit the website of the oil-spill lawyers of Williams Kherkher.

James Witherspoon

Oil Spill Claims: File Them Now

By Richard Trott

April 20 2010 is a day that many people will surely not forget too soon. In this day, the British Petroleum company has caused one of the greatest disasters in the history of oil spills and there were also, among the thousands of people affected by the spill, 11 people who were killed in the incident. According to the information that was passed in by international news agencies, there has been a daily estimation of twenty five thousand barrels of oil that were spilled on a daily basis in the Gulf of Mexico. This caused many things to come to a halt, especially the fishing industries, tourism industries, oil extraction and many more. If you are someone whose life has been affected by this disaster, then you should not worry too much about this, as you will be able to get your life back in no time, by delving into the BP Claim Process and filing a claim. Here are the steps that you will need to take in order to successfully achieve this.

The 1st step you will need to take is round up all the documents that will be needed in this process, so that you can prove that your life has been affected by the spill. You should know that your claim can regard the loss of your income, revenue and wages. Also, if you own a business, then you will need to bring solid proof in your business numbers in the year of 2009 and this year, when you have been affected by the spill. Also, if you are someone who works for a company, you will need to have your W-2 forms for last year prepared and also your pay stubs.

The second thing you will need to do will be to have your claim filled in. The form can also be downloaded from the internet if you don't have any other ways of getting it. There will be some basic question that you will need to answer to and you will be asked for personal information, like occupation, address, full name and so on. If your property has been damaged by the oil spill, then you will need to provide good info in regards to this.

The third and final step will be to have your form submitted to a claim office. You will be contacted in maximum 48 hours so that the interim payment will be discussed. BP has made a monthly interim payment of five thousand dollars.

If you would like to know more about BP Claims and the BP Claim Process, please visit us. Article Source:

BP Oil Spill - A Flip Flop on Regulation

By David Lorango 

Take a look at some of the comments over on the Wall Street Journal regarding the BP oil spill. You will notice certain trends, but the most glaring among them is this: the government failed to adequately regulate the oil industry.

That's right. The government failed to regulate the oil industry.

Excuse me if I'm missing something, but I assumed that the "drill, baby, drill" slogan was about the government NOT regulating the oil industry.

Let us get things straight. Offshore oil drilling, with or without regulation, is not safe. To continue to believe it to be a secure way to drill for oil is a flight of fancy that will only have disaster at its core. The BP oil spill, while a tragedy, would still occur even with proper regulations.

What could the government have done? Well, for those who believe government regulation is necessary, the federal government has clearly failed as regulatory overseers. For the last 20 years, regulation has been ceded to the oil industry. Despite President Obama's cries against the oil industry, his team has done little to remedy the situation. And, in a blow to progressives, the president actually planned to extend offshore oil drilling.

The problem we have here is one of deep hypocrisy. Americans can not both hate regulation and then wonder where the government was when companies fail to regulate themselves.

This is why America needs to come to a consensus on the role government must play in their lives. The BP oil spill shows that we do need regulation. Even those who were anti-regulation now agree that some form of regulation in necessary.

But we also must define the boundaries of government regulation. Hyperbole and insane rhetoric will not solve crises. Hating President Bush, President Obama, or blaming Ronald Reagan will not answer the question: how big do we want our government?

Let's start discussing these questions. In the mean time, there should be no more "anti-regulation' rhetoric. And for those who wish to blame the government for their lack of response, realize that you're angry because you believe in government, not because you don't.

David Lorango is a thinker, writer, musician and motivator dedicated to helping Americans and America rediscover its moral center and prosperity. He is an expert in new media and has thousands of tips and strategies to help small businesses succeed in a world filled with big money and big government. He is a regular blogger and his posts can be viewed athttp://www.davidlorango.wordpress.com. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=David_Lorango