The other day, I noted that most of the Hollywood elite are ignoring the oil spill in the Gulf. Here are a few statistics about the oil spill that might surprise you:
How many men died in the explosion that started this leak?
Eleven and lest they be forgotten, here are their names: Jason C. Anderson, Aaron Dale Burkeen, Donald Clark, Stephen Ray Curtis, Roy Wyatt Kemp, Karl D. Kleppinger Jr., Gordon L. Jones, Keith Blair Manuel, Dewey A. Revette, Shane M. Roshto, and Adam Weise. All but three were fathers. (USA Today)
How much oil is leaking each day?
According to the New York Times, BP grossly underestimated the oil leak. Rather than 5,000 barrels a day (210,000 gallons), a senior BP exec reportedly told Congress behind closed doors that the leak is more likely 60,000 barrels a day (2.5 million gallons).
How much oil has BP’s latest attempt stopped?
BP placed a cap on the blown well. According to the LA Times, BP has reportedly captured 6,000 barrels of oil within the first 24 hours.
How many people has the oil spill put out of work?
It’s hard to say, but since the spill, 12,000 Louisiana residents have filed for unemployment. On the brighter side, if there can be one, about 25,000 workers, including current BP employees and company contractors, have been assigned to clean up the spill. (Daily Finance)
How much is this costing BP?
The Daily Green is estimating that this oil spill might cost BP as much as $1 billion or more. That sounds like an incredible amount, but the quarterly earnings for BP, which were released on April 20 before the oil spill, were $6.1 billion.
Is there still offshore drilling going on in the Gulf?
Actually, there is. The U.S. Department of Interior’s Minerals Management Service (MMS) has approved 27 drilling operations since the BP incident. Of those 27, two operations approved were for BP. (Center for Biological Diversity)