BP Oil Spill VS. Exxon Valdez Oil Spill

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Most people believe that one man-made natural disaster would teach us to be better, but we have learned that history repeats itself. The Exxon Valdez oil spill (in 1989) and the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, or BP oil spill, (in 2010) were both devastating oil spills that shocked the nation. The Exxon Valdez oil spill occurred due to a tanker grounding. The BP oil spill was caused by an explosion on the Deepwater Horizon oil platform. These two oil spills were both disasters and had greater effects in certain categories. In this essay, I will be comparing the cause of both oil spills, the damage/effect of both oil spills, and the cleanup of each oil spill.

The Exxon Valdez and the BP oil spill were caused by different disasters but had just as great of effects. On March 24, 1989, the Exxon Valdez oil spill began to reek havoc on the Pacific Ocean. The oil tanker, Exxon Valdez, left from Valdez, Alaska and was headed for Los Angeles, California. The tanker ran aground on Bligh Reef in Alaska. After six hours of being grounded, the Exxon Valdez spilled about 10.9 million gallons of oil (53 million gallons aboard). The BP oil spill occurred a little differently. On April 20, 2010, the Deepwater Horizon oil platform exploded and caused the largest marine oil spill in history. The platform sank about 5,000 feet underwater. The BP oil spill poured 4.2 million barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. These oil spills are largely compared but were cause by completely different events. They had similar effects/damage, however.

The Exxon Valdez was the largest offshore oil spill in the U.S. until the BP oil spill. The Exxon Valdez spill released over 10 million gallons of oil into the Pacific Ocean. The spill effected over 1,100 ...

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...on oil spill. 5 Dec. 2010. The Encyclopedia of Earth. 11 Jan. 2014 .

Encyclopedia Britannica. "Britannica School." Britannica School. 12 Jan. 2014 .

EPA. "Exxon Valdez." EPA. 2010. Environmental Protection Agency. 10 Jan. 2014 .

Graham, Sarah. "Environmental Effects of Exxon Valdez Spill Still Being Felt: Scientific American." Environmental Effects of Exxon Valdez Spill Still Being Felt: Scientific American. 19 Dec. 2003. Scientific American. 11 Jan. 2014 .

Saundry, Peter. "Exxon Valdez oil spill." Exxon Valdez oil spill. 9 June 2010. The Encyclopedia of Earth. 10 Jan. 2014 .

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