Aftermath of the Storms

When hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf coast, it delivered a direct blow to thousands of oil platforms and rigs. It was clear from satellite imagery in the aftermath that there were several major oil spills as a result. The damage was still being assessed when hurricane Rita took aim for another devastating hit.

Hurricane Rita caused more damage to oil rigs than any other storm in history. When the storm cleared, more than 100 oil platforms and rigs had been damaged or destroyed. Thirteen had been dragged as much as 140 miles or more from their original locations, or were lost altogether.

In fact, when Greenpeace sent a 5-person team to the Gulf to assess the damage, they discovered this oil platform (see photo to right), ironically named the Typhoon, upside down and 70 miles from its original location.

But as the damage came into focus, one thing became painfully clear: few, if any of these platforms or rigs were built to withstand more than a category 2 or 3 hurricane.

According to the Clean Water Act, it is a violation for offshore oil rigs and platforms to spill oil into the Gulf of Mexico. Evidently, many of the companies operating in Gulf waters failed to live up to legal requirements. Worse yet, few in the oil industry were prepared for weather conditions that naturally occur in the region. And ironically, the strength of the hurricanes that hit the industry is believed by many scientists to be connected to global warming that the industry has directly caused.

The worst twist of all is that the industry is now using these storms as an excuse to spread to other regions of the country. And Congress is playing along. This Friday, the House will vote on the Barton Bill, a free pass to the oil industry to profit on the suffering they’ve caused.

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