Background
The Deepwater Horizon oil spill (also referred to as the BP oil spill, the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, the BP oil disaster or the Macondo blowout)[7][8][9] is an oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico which flowed for three months in 2010. It is the largest accidental marine oil spill in the history of the petroleum industry.[10][11][12] . The explosion killed 11 platform workers and injured 17 others.[13] On July 15, the leak was stopped by capping the gushing wellhead[14] after releasing about 4.9 million barrels (780×10^3 m3), or 185 million gallons[15] of crude oil. It was estimated that 53,000 barrels per day (8,400 m3/d)[12] were escaping from the well just before it was capped. On September 19, the relief well process was successfully completed and the federal government declared the well "effectively dead".[16] The spill has caused extensive damage to marine and wildlife habitats as well as the Gulf's fishing and tourism industries.[17][18] Skimmer ships, floating containment booms, anchored barriers, and sand-filled barricades along shorelines were used in an attempt to protect hundreds of miles of beaches, wetlands and estuaries from the spreading oil. Scientists have also reported immense underwater plumes of dissolved oil not visible at the surface.[19] The U.S. Government has named BP as the responsible party, and officials have committed to holding the company accountable for all cleanup costs and other damage.[20] After its own internal probe, BP admitted that it made mistakes which led to the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.[21]
BP public relations
Initially BP downplayed the incident; CEO Tony Hayward called the amount of oil and dispersant "relatively tiny" in comparison with the "very big ocean."[25] Hayward also initially stated that the environmental impact of the Gulf spill would likely be "very very modest."[26] Later, he said that the spill was a disruption to Gulf Coast residents and himself adding, "You