The cause of the explosion is a subject of heated debate although the U.S. Government has appointed BP the responsible entity for all damages and clean up costs. It was also noted by the House Energy and Commerce Committee that “in a number of cases leading up the explosion, BP appears to have chosen riskier procedures to save time or money, sometimes against the advice of its staff or contractors.”

The first method tried to stop the oil leaking involved using underwater robots to shut the blowout preventer valves. This failed completely. The second method involved placing a dome on the top of the leak and capturing the oil and sending it to boats located on the surface. This proved unsuccessful when a gas leak formed. The third method of “pumping heavy drilling fluids into the blowout preventer to restrict the flow of oil before sealing it permanently with cement also failed.”

The most effective method thus far involved placing a containment cap directly onto the blowout preventer and carrying the oil to boats on the surface where it is burned off. On July 10, BP replaced the containment cap on the well with a 150,000 pound metal cap that is to work more effective. On July 15, BP turned off the pipes that were pumping some of the leaking oil to the surface allowing the oil to flow freely up into the cap. No oil leaked out ending the flow of oil into the ocean at least temporarily. This method isn’t a permanent solution though because rising pressure could create new explosions on the sea floor if the cap isn’t eventually opened.

The relief wells intended as a permanent fix are expected to be completed in August. The relief wells work by “reaching the original well and hopefully plugging the hole from the inside with drilling mud and cement.”

Before being capped, 90-180 million gallons of oil is believed to have leaked into the Gulf of Mexico covering up to 9,100 square miles. This makes it the largest environmental disaster in U.S. history and the largest oil spill of all time.

How has the BP oil spill disaster affected you?

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