BP: Planning for Its Next Disaster?

British Petroleum (BP) has received much bad press in recent months for what experts claim is the largest environmental catastrophe in US history. On April 20, 2010, British Petroleum offshore oil rig Deepwater Horizon exploded in the Gulf of Mexico.

As of this writing, a full assessment of the spill's damage has not been determined. Not knowing exact volumes produced by the spill exacerbates the issue. As of this writing experts estimate the expulsion of highly toxic fossil oil amounts to approximately 5 million barrels (210 million gallons). Beyond this, the heavy toll on life for both humans and animals is yet inestimable.

As if this Gulf catastrophe has not been enough, red flags are raised yet again over BP's upcoming plans to exploit yet another American coastline: Alaska.

BP Set to Drill Off AlaskaShores

A prominent US environmental nonprofit, Environment America, claims oil conglomerate British Petroleum is literally moments away from acquiring the necessary permits to begin drilling off the shores of Alaska.

According to an email from Margie Alt, Environment America Executive Director, BP is making moves to implement a "risky plan to drill from a man-made island off the northern coast of Alaska. The scheme would push untested drilling technology to its limits in a place where spills are nearly impossible to clean up..."

Furthermore, Alt's message claims the oil conglomerate's activities will be extremely dangerous, "BP's newest Arctic drilling scheme is crazy, especially for a company with such an abysmal safety record. They're proposing to mount one of the world's most powerful drill rigs on a man-made island, and then drill two miles down and eight or nine miles out under the ocean to hit oil - farther than any drill rig has reached before."

Environment America's message raises further concerns, based upon the logistics of a possible oil spill in Alaska. States Alt in her email message,"...if their untried method fails, the environmental impacts could dwarf the Gulf disaster. A large spill would devastate the polar bears, seals, whales and rare birds living in the Beaufort Sea. How do you clean up an oil spill from waters that are covered with ice for nine months out of the year, and plunged into darkness for the entire winter?"

A Call To Action

For those wishing to take action by contacting US President Barack Obama, Environment America provides a link below, and will gladly accept contributions in support of its activities toward the protection of the environment.

Click on the link below:

Environment America website

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: John Melendez is a freelance writer reporting on technology, the environment, sustainability, alternative energies and "green" issues. John Melendez is a writer for hire. To email him, go to http://www.emailmeform.com/fid.php?formid=19595

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