Oil Spills

Gulf Oil Reshapes Offshore Drilling Debate

On April 20, 2010, the BP Deepwater Horizon offshore oil drilling rig exploded and caught fire, killing eleven workers and rupturing the caps on a deepwater well.  The rig sank two days later—on the fortieth anniversary of Earth Day—causing 210,000 gallons of oil a day to spill into the Gulf of Mexico.  As untold millions of gallons of oil spread over more than 3,500 square miles of Gulf waters, invaluable coastal areas have been severely damaged, including the Mississippi Delta, Breton National Wildlife Refuge and Chandeleur Islands.  Bluefin tuna, sperm whales, sea turtles and other marine life are also endangered by the spreading toxic oil, as are the livelihoods of the Gulf’s commercial fishermen and shellfish harvesters.  The struggle is ongoing to contain and clean up the tragic spill, one of the most significant environmental disasters in history. Despite federal government reports of containment and dissipation, over 100 million gallons of oil still circle the Gulf and its fragile coast.

The Gulf oil spill illustrates the considerable environmental and economic risk of offshore oil drilling.  NOAA has posted an online map of the spill's growing reach.  A growing chorus of Gulf Waterkeepers, other organizations and lawmakers are calling on federal and state leaders to re-think energy plans that include offshore oil drilling.  For example, California Congressional Representatives have introduced a bill that would ban oil and gas development off the California, Oregon and Washington coasts.  Shortly after the incident, Governor Schwarzenegger withdrew support for Tranquillon Ridge, a controversial offshore oil drilling project off the Santa Barbara coast which the Governor had previously backed.  

Watch the new video, "Was Anything Learned from the 1969 Santa Barbara Oil Spill?"  Also see Hurricane Creekkeeper John Wathen's disturbing video on Keith Olbermann of dead and dying dolphins, his latest flight video over the spill, and Waterkeeper Alliance President Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.'s interview on the spill.

Finally, please consider donating to those Waterkeepers along the Gulf as they work around the clock to stem the damage.

Improving Oil Spill Preparedness and Response

Since 2005, CCKA has urged top state officials to dedicate more funds to oil spill prevention.  San Francisco Bay and the ocean paid the price for their failure to do so.  On November 7th, 2007, the container ship Cosco Busan struck the Bay Bridge and released approximately 53,000 gallons of oil into San Francisco Bay and along the sensitive coastline outside the Golden Gate Bridge.  As a Senate appointee to the Department of Fish and Game's Oil Spill Prevention and Response Technical Advisory Committee (OSPR TAC), CCKA was tapped almost immediately following the Bay oil spill by the media and government decision makers for information on the Department of Fish and Game's oil spill prevention and response program.  Working closely with San Francisco Baykeeper, CCKA testified at both Assembly and Senate hearings on the spill, participated in numerous print and televised media events, and provided key information on request to both administrative and legislative decision makers with regard to OSPR's operations over the last several years.

CCKA was pleased to serve the public as the appointed Environmental Community Representative to the Coast Guard's Incident Specific Preparedness Review (ISPR) for the Cosco Busan spill. This ISPR process is initiated only for major spill events; the last ISPR performed for an oil spill occurred in Texas over a decade ago. CCKA, as part of the ISPR team with alternate San Francisco Baykeeper, investigated the Coast Guard and other agency and stakeholder responses to the oil spill in detail. Read the Final Report. CCKA's work is already being used throughout the country to help improve oil spill preparedness and response. 

CCKA Is Taking Action

In addition to its work on the Cosco Busan review, CCKA supported a suite of follow-up oil spill preparedness and response bills, and co-sponsored AB 2911 (Wolk), which was signed into law on September 29, 2008 as part of a comprehensive package of oil spill legislation.  AB 2911 sets up an inland oil spill prevention and response program; that is, spills in non-marine waters.  Prior to passage of AB 2911, there was no single agency with Incident Command authority, dedicated funding, adequate staffing, or clear jurisdiction needed to address inland spills, which release over nine times of the Cosco Busan spill into inland waters annually.

In April 2009, CCKA joined hundreds of concerned citizens and ally advocacy organizations to speak out against offshore oil drilling at a public hearing in San Francisco.  The meeting was the last of four held nationwide for U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar to hear testimony on the federal government’s plans for new offshore oil and gas drilling proposals.  As the Gulf oil spill demonstrates, drilling off the California coast could be devastating to fish and wildlife that depend on healthy ecosystems to survive.