BP Oil Spill Topics

On April 20, 2010, the BP-operated offshore oil rig Deepwater Horizon exploded and sank into the Gulf of Mexico becoming the worst industrial environmental disaster in U.S. history. Democracy Now! reported from the Gulf Coast, and continues to interview experts, government officials, local residents, and environmental activists about aftermath of the disaster.

Newest First | Oldest First
  • Climate

    “My Fear is that Climate Change is the Biggest Crisis of All”: Naomi Klein Warns Global Warming Could Be Exploited by Capitalism and Militarism

    Award-winning journalist Naomi Klein has been reporting on global warming and the climate justice movement for years. “My fear is that climate change is the biggest crisis of all,” Klein says. “If we don’t come up with a positive vision of how climate change can make our economies and our world more just, more livable, cleaner, fairer, then this crisis will be exploited to militarize our economies, to create fortress continents. And...
    Mar 09, 2011 | Story
  • Nyt-deepwater

    "Deepwater Horizon's Final Hours:" The Explosion that Killed 11 Workers and Led to the Worst Oil Spill in U.S. History

    It has been eight months since the explosion aboard the Deepwater Horizon set off the worst offshore oil spill in U.S. history. Eleven workers were killed and more than 200 million gallons of oil were dumped into the Gulf of Mexico. A major investigation by the New York Times takes an in-depth look into how explosion occurred. Based on interviews with 21 crew members and testimony from 94 others, the investigation concludes every single one of...
    Dec 30, 2010 | Story
  • Tempest-williams

    6 Months Since BP Oil Spill, Writer and Environmentalist Terry Tempest Williams Asks "Where Is Our Outrage?"

    Six months ago, BP’s Deepwater Horizon oil rig blew up in the Gulf of Mexico, killing eleven workers and triggering the worst oil spill disaster in US history. More than 200 million gallons of oil spilled into the Gulf, polluting coastlines in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida. To mark the six-month anniversary, we speak to acclaimed writer and environmentalist Terry Tempest Williams, who spent two weeks traveling the Gulf Coast...
    Oct 21, 2010 | Story
  • Washburn

    Big Oil Goes to College: BP, ExxonMobil, Chevron, Shell Fund & Influence Research at Major Universities

    Over the past five years, ExxonMobil, Chevron, BP, Royal Dutch Shell and ConocoPhillips have given millions of dollars to support energy research at top US universities. The private funds might fill a gap left by declining public investment, but a new report from the Center for American Progress warns that they also pose the risk of hijacking the universities’ research agenda and compromising academic independence. In the largest deal, British...
    Oct 18, 2010 | Story
  • Bp-students

    Why Is Oil Giant BP Helping Develop California Schools' Environmental Curriculum?

    Should an oil giant responsible for the worst spill in US history play a role in what public school children learn about the environment? Well, if you’re in California, there’s a good chance they will. BP has helped develop the new environmental curriculum for California’s public schools. The curriculum will be taught to over six million pupils in some 1,000 districts. BP employees were part of a state-appointed team that crafted...
    Sep 10, 2010 | Story
  • Mariner-explosion

    Another Oil and Gas Rig Explosion in Gulf of Mexico Renews Calls for Offshore Drilling Ban

    Another oil and gas rig exploded yesterday in the Gulf of Mexico, renewing calls for the government to impose a ban on offshore oil drilling. The fire broke out on a rig operated by Mariner Energy Thursday morning about 100 miles south of the Louisiana coast. The rig was anchored in 340 feet of water, relatively shallow compared to the BP Deepwater Horizon, which exploded in April setting off the worst oil spill in US history. [includes rush transcript]
    Sep 03, 2010 | Story

  • "Rotten Eggs and Our Broken Democracy." By Amy Goodman

    The salmonella outbreak is the most recent episode of many that point to a food industry run amok. Giant corporations, some with budgets larger than most nations, are controlling our health, our environment, our economy and increasingly, our elections.

    Read More

    Aug 25, 2010 | Columns & Articles
  • Mcdonald-web

    Scientist Accuses Obama Administration and BP of Underestimating Amount of Oil Left in Gulf of Mexico

    New evidence has badly shaken the Obama administration’s rosy narrative about the alleged disappearance of most of the oil that gushed into the Gulf of Mexico from BP’s blown-out well. Early this month a report by government scientists declared that three-quarters of the oil had vanished, either collected or dispersed. But numerous reports contradict the administration’s sanguine picture of the cleanup effort. We speak to Ian...
    Aug 23, 2010 | Story
  • Fisherman-lie-web

    Fishing Industry in Gulf Still Worried About Levels of Toxins in the Water and the Impact on Marine Life

    The Obama administration announced last week that it is safe to eat fish and shrimp caught in the 78 percent of federal waters in the Gulf that are now reopened to fishing. But many are still concerned about the levels of toxins in the water and the impact on marine life. Independent journalist Dahr Jamail has been reporting from the Gulf Coast for over a month now. Last week he spoke to some commercial fishermen in Mississippi who are refusing...
    Aug 23, 2010 | Story
  • Marine-life

    Environmental Activist Jerry Cope on "The Crime of the Century: What BP and US Government Don't Want You to Know"

    Environmental activist Jerry Cope has spent the last few weeks traveling along the Gulf Coast and experiencing firsthand the contamination in the air and water. In an article being published on Huffington Post, Cope argues that instead of celebrating the allegedly vanishing oil, we should be concerned about the disappearance of marine life in the Gulf. He describes the Gulf as a "kill zone" and looks into where the marine animals have...
    Aug 04, 2010 | Story