Timeline of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill (August 2010)
Encyclopedia
August 1–7
- August 1
- Some BP gas stations say they want to revert to the AmocoAmocoAmoco Corporation, originally Standard Oil Company , was a global chemical and oil company, founded in 1889 around a refinery located in Whiting, Indiana, United States....
brand. - BP exec Doug SuttlesDoug SuttlesDoug Suttles is Chief Operating Officer of BP's Exploration and Production. After graduating from the University of Texas at Austin in 1983 with a BSc in Mechanical Engineering, he joined the global oil and gas industry....
says he would eat seafood from the Gulf saying, “There's been a tremendous amount of testing done by NOAA (the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) and the state agencies and the FDA and others. They're not going to open these waters to either sport fishing or commercial fishing if it's not safe to eat the fish…I have a lot of confidence in those agencies and I trust their recommendations and I would eat their food -- the seafood out of the Gulf, and I would feed it to my family.” - August 2
- Flow Rate Technical GroupFlow Rate Technical GroupThe Flow Rate Technical Group is a group of scientists and engineers from the United States federal government, universities, and research institutions created May 19, 2010, for an official scientific-based estimate of the flow of oil in the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. It issued an interim report...
reports that the well initially was dumping 62,000 barrels of oil per day initially after the spill and that it dwindled to 53,000 barrels when it was capped as the well was depleted. This means that 4.9 million barrels were dropped into the Gulf. - A hydraulic leak delays the start of the static kill process.
- Environmental Protection Agency releases a study of eight dispersantDispersantA dispersant or a dispersing agent or a plasticizer or a superplasticizer is either a non-surface active polymer or a surface-active substance added to a suspension, usually a colloid, to improve the separation of particles and to prevent settling or clumping...
s which concludes that Corexit 9500 "is generally no more or less toxic than mixtures with the other available alternatives" and that "dispersant-oil mixtures are generally no more toxic to the aquatic test species than oil alone." - X Prize FoundationX Prize FoundationThe X PRIZE Foundation is a non-profit organization that designs and manages public competitions intended to encourage technological development that could benefit mankind....
offer $1 million prize for idea that "demonstrates the ability to recover oil on the sea surface at the highest oil recovery rate (ORR) and the highest recovery efficiency” - Pamela AndersonPamela AndersonPamela Denise Anderson is a Canadian-American actress, model, producer, author, activist, and former showgirl, known for her roles on the television series Home Improvement, Baywatch, and V.I.P. She was chosen as a Playmate of the Month for Playboy magazine in February 1990...
, honorary chairman of People for the Ethical Treatment of AnimalsPeople for the Ethical Treatment of AnimalsPeople for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is an American animal rights organization based in Norfolk, Virginia, and led by Ingrid Newkirk, its international president. A non-profit corporation with 300 employees and two million members and supporters, it claims to be the largest animal rights...
, is in New Orleans to draw attention to the transfer of 50 dogs in shelters to Virginia Beach Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to AnimalsSociety for the Prevention of Cruelty to AnimalsThe Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is a non-profit animal welfare organization originally founded in England in 1824 to pass laws protecting carriage horses from abuse. SPCA groups are now found in many nations, where they campaign for animal welfare, assist in cruelty to animals...
because there had been an increase in animals in shelters because people who lost their jobs could not afford them according to Anderson. She personally adopted two small dogs naming them Gina LollobrigidaGina LollobrigidaGina Lollobrigida is an Italian actress, photojournalist and sculptress. She was one of the most popular European actresses of the 1950s and early 1960s. She was also an iconic sex symbol of the 1950s. Today, she remains an active supporter of Italian and Italian American causes, particularly the...
and Brigitte BardotBrigitte BardotBrigitte Anne-Marie Bardot is a French former fashion model, actress, singer and animal rights activist. She was one of the best-known sex-symbols of the 1960s.In her early life, Bardot was an aspiring ballet dancer...
. - August 3
- Tropical Storm Colin forms in the Atlantic and is expected to travel up along the United States East Coast and not through the Gulf.
- BP begins pump drilling mud 13.2 pounds per gallon via the top cap at approximately 4 p.m.
- BP bills Anadarko Petroleum $1.2 billion for its share of spill costs.
- Last recorded observation of oil on the sea surface from aerial surveilance
- August 4
- BP reports that the well achieved “static condition” shortly after midnight after 2,300 barrels of drilling mud is said to fill the well.
- Harry ReidHarry ReidHarry Mason Reid is the senior United States Senator from Nevada, serving since 1987. A member of the Democratic Party, he has been the Senate Majority Leader since January 2007, having previously served as Minority Leader and Minority and Majority Whip.Previously, Reid was a member of the U.S...
delays a vote on Senate bill which would lift the $75 million cap for economic damages from a spill under after the summer recess. - NOAA Administrator Jane LubchencoJane LubchencoDr. Jane Lubchenco is a Ukrainian-American environmental scientist and marine ecologist. On March 19, 2009, she was confirmed by the U.S. Senate as the first woman to serve as the administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration .While performing duties as head of NOAA, Dr...
release the Oil Budget Calculator which says, “it is estimated that burning, skimming and direct recovery from the wellhead removed one quarter (25%) of the oil released from the wellhead. One quarter (25%) of the total oil naturally evaporated or dissolved, and just less than one quarter (24%) was dispersed (either naturally or as a result of operations) as microscopic droplets into Gulf waters. The residual amount — just over one quarter (26%) — is either on or just below the surface as light sheen and weathered tar balls, has washed ashore or been collected from the shore, or is buried in sand and sediments. Oil in the residual and dispersed categories is in the process of being degraded.”
- August 5
- BP begins pumping cement into the well from the top. Greg McCormack, program director of the Petroleum Extension Service at the University of Texas, Austin explains “When the well is static, it’s killed…But if you remove the pressure, it can become unkilled. Once you put cement in it from the bottom, then it can never be unkilled.” Plans are continuing to place cement in the bottom starting around August 15.
- Workers file $10 billion suit against BP in the over a Spring 2010 incident in 500,000 pounds of pollutants, including benzeneBenzeneBenzene is an organic chemical compound. It is composed of 6 carbon atoms in a ring, with 1 hydrogen atom attached to each carbon atom, with the molecular formula C6H6....
were released at the Texas City, TexasTexas City, TexasTexas City is a city in Chambers and Galveston counties in the U.S. state of Texas. The population was 41,521 at the 2000 census. It is a part of the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown, Texas Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
refinery that was the site of the 2005 Texas City Refinery explosion. - BP completes cementing of the well from the top at 2:15 p.m. CDT.
- August 6
- Mike Utsler replaces Doug SuttlesDoug SuttlesDoug Suttles is Chief Operating Officer of BP's Exploration and Production. After graduating from the University of Texas at Austin in 1983 with a BSc in Mechanical Engineering, he joined the global oil and gas industry....
as BP's lead representative in the Unified Area Command and as chief operating officer for the BP Gulf Coast Restoration Organization, Suttles will return to his job as BP COO. - Suttles says BP may drill the well again.
August 8–14
- August 8
- James CameronJames CameronJames Francis Cameron is a Canadian-American film director, film producer, screenwriter, editor, environmentalist and inventor...
tells MTVMTVMTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
about his proposals early in the spill for providing cameras for covering the spill, and that ultimately his proposals were adopted. He notes, "If you're relying on BP for imagery, you're basically relying on the criminal's video of the crime scene." - August 9
- Rahm EmanuelRahm EmanuelRahm Israel Emanuel is an American politician and the 55th and current Mayor of Chicago. He was formerly White House Chief of Staff to President Barack Obama...
, Assistant to the President for Energy and Climate Change Carol Browner, White House Counsel Robert BauerRobert BauerRobert F. Bauer is an American attorney who previously served as White House Counsel under President of the United States Barack Obama.-Education:...
, and Allen meet with BP executives Bob Dudley and Lamar McKay at the White House to discuss long term issues. - Obama meets with members of the Super BowlSuper BowlThe Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
winning New Orleans SaintsNew Orleans SaintsThe New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League ....
at the White House incorporating comments about the spill into his speech saying, "Yesterday, we learned that a procedure to prevent any more oil from spilling with a cement plug appears to have succeeded. And the final steps will be taken later in August when the relief well is completed. But what is clear is that the battle to stop the oil from flowing into the Gulf is just about over." - BP pays its first $3 billion into the spill trust fund. It will pay $1.25 billion each quarter until it reaches $20 billion.
- August 10
- Thad Allen says the drilling of the relief well has been suspended because of an approaching tropical storm.
- NOAA reopens 5144 square miles (13,322.9 km²) of Gulf waters to commercial and recreational finfish fishing (along west Florida coast). Another 52395 square miles (135,702.4 km²) remain closed – down 22 percent from its height.
- U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation transfers 77 suits in seven courts to U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana under Judge Carl J. BarbierCarl J. BarbierCarl Joseph Barbier is a United States federal judge.Born in New Orleans, Louisiana, Barbier received a B.A. from Southeastern Louisiana University in 1966 and a J.D. from Loyola University New Orleans School of Law in 1970. He was a law clerk to William Redman, Louisiana Court of Appeal, Fourth...
. The court is expected to consolidate at least 300 suits. - August 11
- BP says it is considering it may back up its pledge of $20 billion from revenue from its oil wells which may include those in the Gulf.
- BP has downsizes its Florida command center at 1001 Brickell Bay Drive in Miami from 120 to 45.
- Spike LeeSpike LeeShelton Jackson "Spike" Lee is an American film director, producer, writer, and actor. His production company, 40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks, has produced over 35 films since 1983....
reported to be preparing a follow up his document about Hurricane KatrinaHurricane KatrinaHurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts with If God Is Willing and Da Creek Don't RiseIf God Is Willing and Da Creek Don't RiseIf God Is Willing and Da Creek Don't Rise is 2010 documentary film directed by Spike Lee, as a follow-up to his 2006 HBO documentary film, When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts...
which will revisit Katrina and focus on the spill. - Reports indicate that WJLA-TVWJLA-TVWJLA-TV, channel 7, is the ABC affiliated television station in Washington, D.C.. It is the flagship station of the Allbritton Communications Company, which also operates local cable station NewsChannel 8. The two stations share broadcast facilities in the Rosslyn section of Arlington, Virginia...
suspended reporter Doug McKelwayDoug McKelwayDouglas B. McKelway is a television journalist who serves as a general assignment reporter for the Washington, D.C. bureau of the Fox News Channel. He joined the network in November 2010. McKelway previously worked at the Washington D.C. ABC affiliate WJLA-TV.He was born and raised in Washington...
after telling a demonstration on July 20 that Obama received $77,051 from the BP employees. - Los Angeles Times reports of tensions in Grand Isle, LouisianaGrand Isle, LouisianaGrand Isle is a town in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, located on a barrier island of the same name in the Gulf of Mexico. The island is at the mouth of Barataria Bay where it meets the gulf. As of the 2000 census, the town population was 1,541; during summers, the population sometimes increases to...
after BP brought in 1,500 contract workers many of whom were African AmericanAfrican AmericanAfrican Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
and LatinoLatinoThe demonyms Latino and Latina , are defined in English language dictionaries as:* "a person of Latin-American descent."* "A Latin American."* "A person of Hispanic, especially Latin-American, descent, often one living in the United States."...
. Locals complained of high crime and raised Confederate flags. - August 12
- Work on the relief well begins as the storm passes.
- August 13
- Haley BarbourHaley BarbourHaley Reeves Barbour is an American Republican politician currently serving as the 63rd Governor of Mississippi. He gained a national spotlight in August 2005 after Mississippi was hit by Hurricane Katrina. Barbour won re-election as Governor in 2007...
says shooting is to begin on a special on the CW Network hosted by David HasselhoffDavid HasselhoffDavid Michael Hasselhoff is an American actor, singer, producer and businessman. He is best known for his lead roles as Michael Knight in the popular 1980s US series Knight Rider and as L.A. County Lifeguard Mitch Buchannon in the series Baywatch...
promoting Mississippi as a tourist destination. Mississippi has received $15 million from BP to promote its tourism. - August 14
- Obama on a one a night vacation stays at the Back Bay Marriott in Panama City Beach, FloridaPanama City Beach, FloridaPanama City Beach is a city in Bay County, Florida, United States, on the Gulf of Mexico coast. The city is often referred to under the umbrella term of "Panama City", despite being a distinct municipality from the older and larger inland Panama City to the east, making Panama City and Panama City...
. The White House releases a photo of Obama and Sasha Obama swimming in St. Andrew's Bay (Florida) near Alligator Point. The Press was not present during the swim. - Allen authorizes the bottom kill to begin. The relief well is 3-1/2 horizontally 50 feet (15.2 m) from the intercept point. The intercept has been delayed by a review to "exclude any low probability, high consequence events"
August 15–22
- August 16
- Shrimping season begins in the Gulf
- BP says it will contribute $52 million to help address the immense behavioral health issues arising from the spill.
- August 18
- The bottom kill process is delayed during an evaluation to see if pumping mud into the well's annulusAnnulus (oil well)The annulus of an oil well refers to any void between any piping, tubing or casing and the piping, tubing, or casing immediately surrounding it. It is named after the corresponding geometric concept...
would break the cement seal on the top. - University of South FloridaUniversity of South FloridaThe University of South Florida, also known as USF, is a member institution of the State University System of Florida, one of the state's three flagship universities for public research, and is located in Tampa, Florida, USA...
researchers report finding oil on the ocean floor in the DeSoto canyon challenging the reports that 75% of the oil has been captured, burned off, evaporated or broken down - 23 Kemp’s ridley sea turtles are released back into the Gulf of Mexico near Cedar Key, FloridaCedar Key, FloridaCedar Key is a city in Levy County, Florida, United States. The population was 790 at the 2000 census. According to the U.S Census estimates of 2005, the city had a population of 958. The Cedar Keys are a cluster of islands close to the mainland. Most of the developed area of the city has been on...
. - 17 December Unified Area Command releases report from the Operational Science Advisory Team regarding water column and sediment sampling and analyses from the shoreline through deepwater