The Gulf Oil Spill
Latest Information

On April 20, an oil rig operated by BP in the Gulf of Mexico exploded, killing 11 people and allowing 5,000 - 60,000 barrels of oil to leak into the Gulf every day. By June, some 20 million to 40 million gallons of oil had leaked into the Gulf of Mexico. An incident of this magnitude should have been fixed by now, yet we find ourselves waiting to find out whether the latest attempt to stem the leak will work.

This page is intended to be a resource for those interested in following the efforts of both BP and the U.S. government in their mitigation and remediation processes. We will also follow the efforts of environmentalists, journalists, and interested citizens who find themselves at the forefront in the fight to educate the public on what has happened and how this tragic event will shape our lives now and in the future.

    Latest Figures Concerning Wildlife
  • Consolidated Fish and Wildlife Service reports

    More Facts and Figures (from The Daily Green.com)
  • 5,000 - 60,000 barrels: Rate at which oil is leaking each day from the BP/Deepwater Horizon rig. Some experts now believe that original estimates of 5,000 barrels a day (that's 210,000 gallons) were grossly inaccurate. Even BP admits that it's likely the leak is around 60,000 barrels (2.5 million gallons) a day. (Source: LA Times)
  • 20 million - 40 million gallons: Amount of oil leaked into the Gulf of Mexico by June. (Source: Huffington Post)
  • 11,300 miles: The distance around the world the current amount of leaked oil would stretch if it was placed in milk jugs lined up side by side. To quantify, that's farther than the distance from New York to Buenos Aires, Argentina, and back. (Source: New York Times)
  • 130 miles long and 70 miles wide: Size of the oil slick as of May 17. The slick continues to grow and move. (Source: New Orleans Times Picayune)
  • 436,000 gallons: Number of gallons of dispersant sprayed on the oil spill to break it up. So far, around 4 million gallons of oily water have been recovered. (Source: AP)
  • 50,000 barrels: Amount of "heavy mud" used in BP's "top kill" method to stop the flow of oil. The mud was forced into the leaking well in an effort to overcome the oil and stop its flow. Top kill failed. (Source: Guardian)
  • 11 million: Number of gallons of oil leaked into Alaska's Prince William Sound in 1989 by the Exxon Valdez tanker. It was widely considered the worst oil spill in U.S. history, although a number of larger spills have happened around the world, most notably the 2002 Prestige spill off Spain. (Source: CBS News)
  • 400: Number of oil projects in the Gulf of Mexico approved under Interior Secretary Ken Salazar potentially in violation of marine mammal protection laws. (Source: Center for Biological Diversity)
  • 400: Number of wildlife species threatened by the spill. Threatened species include sea life such as whales, tuna, shrimp, and plankton; dozens of species of birds; land animals such as the gray fox and white-tailed deer; and amphibians such as the alligator and the snapping turtle. (Source: New Orleans Times-Picayune)
  • 30: Minimum number of bird species that Audubon Society says are potentially threatened by the oil spill. These include marsh birds, ocean-dwelling birds, and migratory songbirds. All reside in Important Bird Areas so-designated by Audubon because of their essential habitat value. Among the most vulnerable species is the brown pelican -- the state bird of Louisiana -- which was only recently removed from the Endangered Species List. The spill is especially devastating for bird populations because it coincides with the start of breeding season. (Source: Audubon Society)
  • 25 million: Number of birds that traverse the Gulf Coast each day and which are potentially at risk from the oil spill. According to the LA Times Greenspace Blog, "Late spring is the peak time for neo-tropical songbirds moving from the Yucatan Peninsula to make their first landfall in Louisiana," and "more than 70% of the country's waterfowl frequent the gulf's waters." (Source: LA Times Greenspace Blog)