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In the last three years there have been 10 oil spills by various oil companies and refineries: Cushing, Oklahoma terminal spill, Mayflower Arkansas, Magnolia refinery spill, Yellowstone River, Montana, Barataria Bay – Gulf of Mexico, Kalamazoo river, Michigan, collision tanker Port Arthur, Texas, Trans Alaska pipeline Deepwater Horizon and North Dakota
Environmental experts believe that this is just the tip of the iceberg and predict more in the future. Analysts believe that the old crumbling pipelines that were originally laid in the 1950s have not been replaced, which are likely to cause more ruptures more frequently.
Jason Manshum, Enbridge spokesman admitted In MintPress News in this podcast that mistakes were made in the initial rupture response in Kalamazoo River oils. Engineers decided to pump more oil into the pipeline to raise the pressure in the pipeline not realizing there was a rupture. He also added that some of the reason for the rupture was that the pipeline was old.
The effects of an oil spill on wildlife can be seen, floating dead fish, birds covered in oil, turtles caked in oil, but the effects on humans is not so easy to detect.
Residents in Mayflower, Arkansas are fighting Exxon Mobil over claims of illness. In the initial days of rupture, Exxon Mobil evacuated only 22 households, leaving the rest of the town to continue breathe in the air that residents claim as toxic.
“There were days where I couldn’t breathe at all, the smell of the chemical in the oil were so strong. My headaches felt like my head was exploding, and this when on for weeks,”
said Genieve Long,a Mayflower, AR resident.
In the continuing court battle over the settlement BP Deepwater Horizon disaster BP is now claiming that there is just $300m left in its Gulf of Mexico oil spill compensation fund as it vowed to fight “false and fictitious” claims related to the disaster. BP are seeking to contest in the courts businesses falsely claiming damages to their business or falsify income to support compensation claims.
In part one of this two part audio series – this podcast looks at the clean up operation oil companies use and how effective they are and the initial effect of oil spills on wildlife and people who are forced to live there.
The boom industry of big oil exploration and distribution sums up the American Dream success story. Envied by other non oil producing countries, this multi billion dollar industry has helped elevate the U.S economy even in times of recession, but for thousands of Americans there is another side of the story that has been hushed.
Oil spills, ruptured pipes and failed rigging in offshore drilling has devastated huge areas of land, rivers and oceans. It has killed thousands of fish and wildlife and has destroyed family homes, and caused sickness to many people.
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