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    BRITISH PETROLEUM Environmental Audit

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    Dawn Rei Dangkiw
    The document summarizes an environmental audit of the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill caused by British Petroleum (BP). [1] The spill originated from the Deepwater Horizon oil rig owned by Transocean and under contract to BP. [2] Over 4.9 million barrels of oil were spilled, affecting an area of 2,500 to 68,000 square miles and killing 11 workers and injuring 17. [3] The audit examines the causes of the spill and its environmental impacts on the Gulf of Mexico region.

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    BRITISH PETROLEUM Environmental Audit

    Uploaded by

    Dawn Rei Dangkiw
    54 views4 pages
    The document summarizes an environmental audit of the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill caused by British Petroleum (BP). [1] The spill originated from the Deepwater Horizon oil rig owned by Transocean and under contract to BP. [2] Over 4.9 million barrels of oil were spilled, affecting an area of 2,500 to 68,000 square miles and killing 11 workers and injuring 17. [3] The audit examines the causes of the spill and its environmental impacts on the Gulf of Mexico region.

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    The document summarizes an environmental audit of the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill caused by British Petroleum (BP). [1] The spill originated from the Deepwater Horizon oil rig owned by Transocean and under contract to BP. [2] Over 4.9 million barrels of oil were spilled, affecting an area of 2,500 to 68,000 square miles and killing 11 workers and injuring 17. [3] The audit examines the causes of the spill and its environmental impacts on the Gulf of Mexico region.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    54 views4 pages

    BRITISH PETROLEUM Environmental Audit

    Uploaded by

    Dawn Rei Dangkiw
    The document summarizes an environmental audit of the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill caused by British Petroleum (BP). [1] The spill originated from the Deepwater Horizon oil rig owned by Transocean and under contract to BP. [2] Over 4.9 million barrels of oil were spilled, affecting an area of 2,500 to 68,000 square miles and killing 11 workers and injuring 17. [3] The audit examines the causes of the spill and its environmental impacts on the Gulf of Mexico region.

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    of 4

    Environmental Audit, March 2017

    Prepared by:
    Purugganan, Romie Jon B.
    Wackisan, Honorato M.
    1 |Page Environmental Audit
    The Company
    Name of Company: British Petroleum (BP) Inc.

    Issue: Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill

    Site Location: Gulf of Mexico near Mississippi River Delta, United States

    Cause: Wellhead Blowout

    Casualties: 11 Killed

    17 Injured

    Operator: Transocean under contract for BP

    Volume: 4.9 million barrels (210,000,000 U.S. gallons; 780,000 cubic meters)

    Area: 2,500 to 68,000 sq mi (6,500 to 176,100 sq km)

    Background
    Why is oil found in the Gulf of Mexico?

    The Gulf is a sedimentary basin formed during Jurassic and Cretaceous periods of rising and lowering sea level which
    buried organic material and formed natural gas.

    Why drill here?

    Oil-rich states surround the Gulf of Mexico. These states are Florida, Mississippi, Alabama, Texas and Louisiana.

    Environmental Laws Violated


     Summary of Criminal Prosecutions

     1. PRINCIPAL DEFENDANT: Transocean, LTD


    E.D. Louisiana 13-001

     2. DEFENDANT: BP, PLC


    E.D. Louisiana 2:12-CR-00292-DEK

    Clean Water Act and Migratory Bird Treaty Act

    - BP PLC was charged with 11 counts of felony manslaughter, one count of felony obstruction of
    Congress, a violation of 18 U.S.C. 1505 and violations of the Clean Water {33 U.S.C. 1319(c)(1)(A) and Migratory Bird
    Treaty Acts {16 U.S.C. 703}.

    Clean Air Act

    - Transocean LTD was charged with violating the CWA {33 U.S.C. 1319(c)(1)(A)}.

    2 |Page Environmental Audit


    What caused the explosion?
     Abnormal pressure caused a methane bubble

     Methane gas escaped from the well and ignited

     The explosion was sudden, it took less than five minutes for the rig to ignite on fire.

    Pre-explosion Problems

     There had been several small fires and spills at Deepwater Horizon

     The metal casing was known to have issues in 2009 and BP was warned that it could collapse under high
    pressure.

     BP officials rejected a safety proposal to install casing liner and casing stabilizers which cost $7 million and 10+
    hour of labour.

    In an email BP engineer Brian Morel called Deepwater a "nightmare rig" due to these cavalier safety risks.

    Red Flags and Warnings


     They often switched from a drilling rig to a production rig, and vice versa. In order to do so, the bottom of the
    hole needed to be sealed with a cement plug, called a shoe.

     To shut down the well a series of “casing integrity tests” was done. This ensures that there is no pressure
    leaking.

     When the crew tried to fit a top plug, it did not sit properly. This clearly indicated that the bottom cement seal
    could be leaking pressure into the well.

     A failed “Negative Pressure Test”, indicated that there was pressure build up

     In a final stage of shutting down the well, the rig crew replaced the heavy drilling mud with sea water. However
    the mud flowed out faster than the water, which was not normal.

    The Ethical Issue


    ◦ Knowing that the Deepwater Horizon had problems, BP did not take any action

    ◦ The rig continued to run under risk. Putting profit over the safety of workers.

    ◦ The management of BP ignored the “Red Flags” from their procedural tests.

    Effects of Oil Spilled into the Gulf


    What is the effect of oil
    on marine birds?

     Illness may prevent breeding

    3 |Page Environmental Audit


     Number of eggs laid or thickness of egg is reduced

     Insulation and

    water-proofing of

    feathers destroyed

     Unable to fly or dive

     Hypothermia

     Dehydration

     Starvation

     Ulcers (if oil is ingested)

     Damage to adrenal

    systems affecting blood

    pressure and fluid

     Stress

    Marine Mammals, Reptiles and Birds

    May experience respiratory problems from breathing fumes from oil or droplets of dispersed oil, causing
    damage to the airways and lungs – congestion, pneumonia, emphysema and even death

    Causes contamination of eggs, adult turtles and newly hatched turtles

    Punishments/Charges Imposed to the Company

    Clean Water Act and Migratory Bird Treaty Act

    BP Exploration and Production Inc. (BP) has agreed to plead guilty to felony manslaughter, environmental crimes
    and obstruction of Congress and pay a record $4 billion in criminal fines and penalties for its conduct leading to the 2010
    Deepwater Horizon disaster.

    Clean Water Act

    Transocean to Pay Record $18 Billion in Civil Penalties and $400 Million Criminal Fines.

    4 |Page Environmental Audit

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