BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill found to have caused over $17 billion in environmental damage

‘A recent study revealed that the 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill, touted as the largest oil spill in the U.S. history, has caused more than $17.2 billion in damages. The oil drilling rig Deepwater Horizon operating off the Gulf of Mexico exploded and sank on April 20, 2010, which resulted in the death of 11 workers and the release of up to 134 million gallons of crude oil in the ocean. This resulted in extensive ocean pollution, which soiled beaches, destroyed marshes, and killed birds and marine life.
As part of the study, the research team conducted face-to-face interviews with 3,656 randomly selected adults. The team also interviewed an additional 1,492 individuals by mail or by phone. The interviews tackled various topics such as the Gulf’s natural resources prior to the oil spill, oil spill-related injuries to the Gulf, and how much people were willing to pay to prevent it from reoccurring. The respondents were then randomly assigned to either a smaller or larger sets of Gulf injuries, and varying tax amounts for prevention initiatives.’
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