Timeline of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill explained
The following is a timeline of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill (also referred to as the BP oil spill, the Gulf of Mexico oil spill or the Macondo blowout).[1] [2] [3] [4] It was a massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, the largest offshore spill in U.S. history.[5] It was a result of the well blowout that began with the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig explosion on April 20, 2010.
Background
2008
2009
- February – BP files a 52-page exploration and environmental impact plan for the Macondo well with the MMS. The plan stated that it was "unlikely that an accidental surface or subsurface oil spill would occur from the proposed activities". In the event an accident did take place the plan stated that due to the well being 48miles from shore and the response capabilities that would be implemented, no significant adverse impacts would be expected.[7]
- April 6 – The Department of the Interior exempted BP's Gulf of Mexico drilling operation from a detailed environmental impact study after concluding that a massive oil spill was unlikely.[8] [9]
- June 22 – Mark E. Hafle, a senior drilling engineer at BP, warns that the metal casing for the blowout preventer might collapse under high pressure.[10]
- October 7 – The Transocean Marianas semi-submersible rig begins drilling the Macondo well.
- November 9 – Hurricane Ida damages Transocean Marianas enough that it has to be replaced.
2010 events
February
- February 15, 2010 – Deepwater Horizon drilling rig, owned by Transocean, begins drilling on the Macondo Prospect.[11] [12] [13] The planned well was to be drilled to 18000feet below sea level, and was to be plugged and suspended for subsequent completion as a subsea producer.[14]
March
- March 8 – Target date for the completion of the well which had been budgeted to cost $96 million.[15]
- March 17 – BP Chief Tony Hayward sells one third of his BP stock (223,288 shares).[16] Closing BP price on March 17 on the New York Stock Exchange is 58.15.
- March – An accident damages a gasket on the blowout preventer on the rig.[17]
April
- April 1 – Halliburton employee Marvin Volek warns that BP's use of cement "was against our best practices."[17]
- April 6 – MMS issues permit to BP for the well with the notation, "Exercise caution while drilling due to indications of shallow gas and possible water flow."[18]
- April 9 – BP drills last section with the wellbore below sea level but the last needs casing. Halliburton recommends liner/tieback casing that will provide 4 redundant barriers to flow. BP chooses to do a single liner with fewer barriers that is faster to install and cheaper ($7 to $10 million).[15]
- April 14 – Brian Morel, a BP drilling engineer, emails a colleague "this has been a nightmare well which has everyone all over the place."[15]
- April 15 – Morel informs Halliburton executive Jesse Gagliano that they plan to use 6 centralizers. Gagliano says they should use 21. Morel replies in an email, "it's too late to get any more product on the rig, our only option is to rearrange placement of these centralizers." Gagliano also recommends to circulate the drilling mud from the bottom of the well all the way up to the surface to remove gas pockets and debris which can contaminate the cement, saying in an email, "at least circulate one bottoms up on the well before doing a cement job." Despite this recommendation, BP cycles only of mud, a fraction of the total mud used in the well.[15]
- April 15 – MMS approves amended permit for BP to use a single liner with fewer barriers.[15]
- April 16 – Brett Cocales, BP's Operations Drilling Engineer, emails drilling engineer Brian Morel confirming the 6 centralizer approach, saying six should be adequate to obtain a proper cement seal in the well. "Who cares, it's done, end of story, will probably be fine and we'll get a good cement job," he wrote, according to a copy of the e-mail cited in court papers.[19] (Halliburton was the cement provider.)
- April 17 – Deepwater Horizon completes its drilling and the well is being prepared to be cemented so that another rig will retrieve the oil. The blowout preventer is tested and found to be "functional."[20] Gagliano now reports that using only 6 centralizers "would likely produce channeling and a failure of the cement job."[15]
- April 18 – Gagliano's report says "well is considered to have a severe gas flow problem." Schlumberger flies a crew to conduct a cement bond log to determine whether the cement has bonded to the casing and surrounding formations. It is required in rules.[17] [15]
- April 19 – Halliburton completes cementing of the final production liner string.[21]
- April 20 –
- 7 am – BP cancels a recommended cement bond log test. Conducting the test would have taken 9–12 hours and $128,000. By canceling the cement test BP paid only $10,000. Crew leaves on 11:15 am flight.[15] BP officials gather on the platform to celebrate seven years without an injury on the rig.[22] The planned moving of the Deepwater Horizon to another location was 43 days past due and the delay had cost BP $21 million.[23]
- 9:49 pm (CDT) – Andrea Fleytas had been monitoring the dynamic positioning system on the bridge of the Horizon when she felt a jolt. Before she could make sense of it – a rig shaking shock that came out of nowhere – magenta warnings began flashing on her screen. Magenta meant the most dangerous level of combustible gas intrusion.[24]
- 9:56 pm CDT – Gas from the wellbore erupts through the rig floor and then catches fire. The explosion kills 11 platform workers and injures 17 others; another 98 people survive without serious physical injury.[25]
- April 21 Coast Guard rear admiral Mary Landry is named Federal On Scene Coordinator.[26] Coast Guard log reports "Potential environmental threat is 700,000 gallons of diesel on board the Deepwater Horizon and estimated potential of 8,000 barrels per day of crude oil, if the well were to completely blowout. Most of the current pollution has been mitigated by the fire. There is some surface sheening extending up to 2 miles from the source." The log also reports that two attempts to shut the BOP using an ROV have failed.[27] [28]
- April 22 – Rig sinks.[29] CNN quote Coast Guard Petty Officer Ashley Butler as saying that "oil was leaking from the rig at the rate of about 8000NaN of crude per day."[30] 100000USgal of dispersants are pre-authorized by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and placed in position even though there is no sign of a leak.[26] Three Norwegian crews from Ocean Intervention III from Oceaneering International, Skandi Neptune from DOF ASA, and Boa Sub C (from Boa International) begin using remotely operated underwater vehicles (ROV) to map the seabed and assess the damage to the wreck. The crews report "large amounts of oil that flowed out."[31]
- April 23 – Coast Guard rear adm. Mary Landry tells CBS "At this time, there is no crude emanating from that wellhead at the ocean surface, er, at the ocean floor...There is not oil emanating from the riser either."[32] [33] Unified Command begins operating out of the Royal Dutch Shell Training and Conference Center in Robert, Louisiana. Search and rescue suspended at 5 pm. Eleven of the 126 people on the rig have perished.[26] Coast Guard log reports, "BP will establish an ICP at Houma, Louisiana today to monitor the response and prepare for potential release estimated potential of 64,000- 110,000 bbls (2,688,000- 4,620,000 gal) per day of crude oil if the well were to completely blowout."[27] [28]
- April 24 – In accordance with the existing in situ burn plans, the OSC determined in situ burning was a viable response method for several reasons. First, weather and sea-state did not allow continuous skimming and alternatives were needed. Second, skimmers and dispersants could not completely remove the oil being released from the well. Finally, the OSC determined in situ burning (ISB) was a safe and effective way to remove large volumes of oil from the ocean surface, based on data for in situ burns from previous spills.
BP reports a leak 1000NaN a day.[34] TheDeepWaterHorizonResponse.com domain is registered for one year by PIER Systems in Bellingham, Washington[35] to be used by the United States Coast Guard and other reporting agencies.[36] Price of a barrel of oil (West Texas Intermediate – Cushing, Oklahoma) is $84.34.[37]
- April 25 – Oil sheen seen covering and is south of Mississippi and Alabama coastlines and was from the ecologically sensitive Chandeleur Islands. BP begins process to establish two relief wells.[26]
- April 26 – Oil reported southeast of Louisiana. Booms set up to keep oil from washing ashore.[38] A huge containment chamber is moved to Superior Energy Services subsidiary Wild Well Control in Port Fourchon, Louisiana.[39] BP closing stock price 57.91[40] Coast Guard log reports "attempts to actuate the blow preventer (BOP) middle rams and blind shears were ineffective due to a hydraulic leak on the valve. Repairs are being worked overnight. The well head continues to discharge approximately 1,000 barrels/day.[28]
- April 27 – Slick grows to across and from Louisiana coast.
- April 28, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration estimated that the leak was likely 5000oilbbl a day, five times larger than initially estimated by BP.[41] [42] BP announces controlled test to burn oil off the surface was successful. Oil is east of the mouth of the Mississippi River. MMS postpones 2010 Offshore Industry Safety Awards scheduled to be May 3.[43]
- April 29 – Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal declares a state of emergency. 100000feet of containment booms were deployed along the coast.[44] By the next day, this nearly doubled to 180000feet of deployed booms, with an additional 300000feet staged or being deployed.[45]
- April 30 – Oil washes ashore at Venice, Louisiana. President Barack Obama halts new offshore drilling unless safeguards are in place. – Coast Guard issues subpoena to Transocean "to maintain the blowout preventer and to not allow anyone or anything to tamper with it" without the Guard's permission.[46] EPA establishes its website for its response.[36] Sanford Bernstein estimates capping the leaks and cleaning up the spill may cost $12.5 billion.[47] Innocentive launches a website asking people to submit their solutions to the crisis by June 30.[48] [49] On April 30, the United States House Committee on Energy and Commerce asked Halliburton to brief it as well as provide any documents it might have related to its work on the Macondo well.[50]
May
See main article: Timeline of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill (May 2010).
- May 2 – President Obama meets with fishermen and Coast Guard in Venice, Louisiana. Oil discovered in the South Pass.[51] Transocean's Development Driller III starts drilling a first relief well.
- May 3 – Shares of Nalco Holding Company jump 18% in one day after it is revealed that its dispersant products are being used for the cleanup.[52]
- May 5 – BP announces that the smallest of three known leaks had been capped allowing the repair group to focus their efforts on the remaining leaks.[53]
- May 6 – Oil sheen discovered in south end of Chandeleur Chain.[51]
- May 7 – A 125t container dome is lowered over the largest of the well leaks and pipe the oil to a storage vessel on the surface.[54]
- May 8 – BP reports that methane is freezing at the top of the dome making it ineffective.[51]
- May 9 – Tar balls reported on Dauphin Island in Alabama.
- May 10 – After failed containment dome BP announces plans to apply five feet in diameter containment vessel nicknamed "top hat".[55] BP announces strategy of trying to push mud and debris down the tube to clog it. The strategy is nicknamed "junk shot."
- May 11 – BP, Transocean and Halliburton officials testify before Congress blaming each other for the incident.[56] MMS and Coast Guard Joint Investigation Team chaired by USCG Capt. Hung Nguyen and MMS employee David Dykes begin a Joint Marine Board of Investigation into the accident holding the first hearings at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Kenner, Louisiana where they interview survivors.[57]
- May 12 – BP releases first public video of leak and others say the leak is significantly higher than what BP has been saying.[58] One estimate says it could to be 20000- a day.[58] [59]
- May 13 – Tony Hayward calls the oil spill "relatively tiny" in comparison with the size of the "ocean."[60] Transocean files in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas to limit its liability under the Limitation of Shipowner's Liability Act to just its interest in the Deepwater Horizon which it values at $26,764,083.[61]
- May 14 – BP inserts 4inches wide riser into the 21-inch-wide burst pipe. It is initially dislodged when an underwater robot collides with the pipe.[40]
- May 15 – Coast Guard and EPA authorize use dispersants underwater, at the source of the Deepwater Horizon leak.[62]
- May 16 – GSF Development Driller II starts drilling second relief well.
- May 17 – BP begins burning off gas with the Discoverer Enterprise.[51] BP says it will release a live feed of the leak hours after receiving a request from Congressman Edward Markey. Supporting his position is Steve Wereley from Purdue University who says the leak may be 70000NaN a day.[63]
Chris Oynes, offshore drilling director for the MMS, announces a hurried retirement.
- May 19 – Oil washes ashore on mainland Louisiana.[51]
- May 21 – BP begins live underwater video broadcasts of the leak.[64] Flow Rate Technical Group established for "scientifically validated information about the amount of oil flowing from BP s leaking oil well."[26] The average daily oil collection rates is 2000NaN a day.[65] [66]
- May 22 – Obama signs an executive order establishing the bipartisan National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling[67] [68]
- May 23 – BP rebuffs EPA order to change its dispersants. BP says that if oil reaches the shore, it would do more environmental harm than if it were dispersed off the coast. It notes that Corexit is the only product that is available in sufficient quantities to deal with the spill.[69] [70]
- May 24 – BP says it currently has no plans to use explosives on the well. It also flatly denies it ever considered using a nuclear bomb on the well as some suggested.[71]
- May 26 – BP announces plan to force feed heavy drilling mud in a project called "top kill".[72] Doug Brown, the chief mechanic on the Deepwater Horizon, testifies at the joint U.S. Coast Guard and Minerals Management Service hearing that a BP representative overruled Transocean employees and insisted on displacing protective drilling mud with seawater just hours before the explosion.[73]
- May 27 – Obama announces a six-month moratorium on new deepwater oil drilling permits in 500feet of water or more.[74] [75] Based on the oil flow estimates by the Flow Rate Technical Group, the United States government increased its estimate at 12000to per day.[76] [77] [78] [79] Elizabeth Birnbaum resigns from MMS.[80] [81] [82]
- May 28 – Obama visits Louisiana again.[51]
- May 29 – BP declares Top Kill is a failure and moves on to their next contingency option, the Lower Marine Riser Package (LMRP) Cap Containment System.[83] [84] [85] [86] [87]
- May 31 – BP announces plan to slice the leaking pipe, placing a cap on it and channeling the oil to surface ships.[51]
June
See main article: Timeline of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill (June 2010).
July
See main article: Timeline of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill (July 2010).
- Three ram capping stack installed on the Deepwater Horizon LMRP at 7 pm CDT (0000 GMT). The stack completes the installation of the new 40-ton containment device sealing cap. Tests begin on testing well integrity.[106] [107]
- National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling begins two days of hearings at the Hilton New Orleans Riverside[109]
- July 15 – BP test cuts off all oil pouring into the Gulf at 2:25 pm.[110] However Thad Allen cautions that it is likely that containment operations will resume following the test.[111]
- July 16 – A Whale will not join the containment process after tests show that its skimming operations were "negligible" in comparison to the much smaller and more nimble skimmers.[112]
- July 18 – Allen sends Dudley a letter to provide "written procedure for opening the choke valve as quickly as possible" noting tests have "detected seep a distance from the well and undetermined anomalies at the well."[113]
- July 19
- Kent Wells says BP is considering a "static kill" of the well using heavy mud bumped through the new cap in a process known as bullheading.[114]
- Donald Vidrine, who was the ranking BP representative on Deepwater Horizon, citing ill health refuses to testify at Coast Guard hearing into the accident.[115]
- July 22
- NOAA reopens one-third of closed area of Gulf to fishing.[118]
- July 24
- BP says an internal investigation has cleared itself of gross negligence in the spill and will publish the findings in the next month.[119]
- Ships return after Bonnie turns out not to have been as strong as anticipated.[120]
- July 27
- Towing vessel Pere Ana C pushing the barge Captain Beauford collides with Louisiana-owned oil and natural gas rig C177 in the northern part of Barataria Bay south of Lafitte, Louisiana. 6,000 feet of boom are placed around rig while it is evaluated.[121] [122]
- BP board formally announces that Bob Dudley will replace Tony Hayward as BP CEO effective October 1.[123]
August
See main article: Timeline of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill (August 2010).
- Flow Rate Technical Group reports that the well initially was dumping 62,000 barrels of oil per day initially after the spill and that it dwindled to 53,000 barrels when it was capped as the well was depleted. This means that 4.9 million barrels were dropped into the Gulf.[124]
- Environmental Protection Agency releases a study of eight dispersants which concludes that Corexit 9500 "is generally no more or less toxic than mixtures with the other available alternatives" and that "dispersant-oil mixtures are generally no more toxic to the aquatic test species than oil alone."[124] [125] [126]
- August 4 – BP reports that the well achieved "static condition" shortly after midnight after drilling mud is said to now fill the well.[127]
- August 14 – President Obama, on a one-night vacation, stays at the Back Bay Marriott in Panama City, Florida. The White House releases a photo of the president and his daughter Sasha Obama swimming in St. Andrew's Bay (Florida) near Alligator Point. The press were not present during the swim.[128]
September
- September 19 – BP officially declares oil well completely and permanently sealed.[129]
- September 29 – Andy Inglis, who headed deepwater drilling operations in the Gulf of Mexico at the time of the spill, steps down as head of the upstream business.[130]
- September 30 – Dudley tells the Houston Chronicle, "We don't believe we have been grossly negligent in anything we've seen in any of the investigations." Dudley also announces BP will create a stronger safety division.[131] [132]
October
- October 1 – Allen steps down.[133]
November
- November 28 - Booz Allen Hamilton, Inc. announces the hiring of retired U.S. Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen as a Senior Vice President of Thought Leadership on Law Enforcement, Homeland Security Strategy.[134]
December
- December 15 – According to a feature Associated Press story on the homepage of Time Magazine, the U.S. federal government is suing BP Exploration and Production, Inc., and eight other corporations, for unlimited liability, in an effort to have them pay for the massive expenses involved in the cleanup and environmental recovery from the spill, including damages to natural resources; it also seeks civil penalties under the Clean Water Act.
- December 17 – Unified Area Command releases the report from the Operational Science Advisory Team (OSAT) regarding results of sampling and analyses of thousands of water column and sediment samples from the shoreline through deepwater areas. Reference OSAT report at Restorethegulf.gov
Notes and References
- Web site: The Ongoing Administration-Wide Response to the Deepwater BP Oil Spill . press release . May 5, 2010 . . . May 8, 2010.
- News: White . Stephen . BP's oil slickers; Bosses who earn millions claimed they could handle rig explosions . Daily Mirror . May 3, 2010 . 14 . May 13, 2010.
- News: BP 'army' battles Macondo flow . Upstream . May 10, 2010 . May 21, 2010.
- Web site: Interpreting NOAA's Trajectory Prediction Maps for the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill. . May 24, 2010.
- News: Gulf oil spill now largest offshore spill in U.S. history as BP continues plug effort . USA Today . May 27, 2010 . May 27, 2010 .
- Web site: Central Gulf of Mexico Planning Area Lease Sale 206 Information. US Minerals Management Service. June 5, 2010. June 7, 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20100607120431/http://www.gomr.mms.gov/homepg/lsesale/206/cgom206.html. dead.
- News: Cain. Burdeau . Holbrook . Mohr . Document: BP didn't plan for major oil spill . April 30, 2010 . ABC News . Associated Press. April 30, 2010.
- News: U.S. exempted BP's Gulf of Mexico drilling from environmental impact study . Juliet . Eilperin . The Washington Post . May 5, 2010 . May 16, 2010.
- News: RPT-BP's US Gulf project exempted from enviro analysis . Reuters . May 6, 2010. May 16, 2010 . Jeffrey . Jones . Jeff . Mason.
- News: Urbina . Ian . Documents Show Early Worries About Safety of Rig . The New York Times . May 30, 2010 . June 14, 2010.
- BP confirms that Transocean Ltd issued the following statement today . BP . April 21, 2010 . April 21, 2010 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20100425040406/http://www.bp.com/genericarticle.do?categoryId=2012968&contentId=7061443 . April 25, 2010 .
- News: Deepwater Horizon Still on Fire in GOM . Rigzone . April 21, 2010 . April 21, 2010.
- Web site: Gibbs: Deepwater Horizon Aftermath Could Affect Next Lease Sale . Rigzone . April 30, 2010 . May 18, 2010.
- Web site: Macondo Prospect, Gulf of Mexico, USA. October 20, 2005. offshore-technology.com. May 9, 2010.
- Web site: Letter from Henry Waxman to Tony Hayward – June 14, 2010 . press release . nergycommerce.house.gov . June 14, 2010 . June 14, 2010 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20101207021018/http://energycommerce.house.gov/documents/20100614/Hayward.BP.2010.6.14.pdf . December 7, 2010 . mdy-all .
- News: Swaine . Jon . BP chief Tony Hayward sold shares weeks before oil spill . Telegraph . June 5, 2010 . June 11, 2010 . London.
- News: Urbina . Ian . In Gulf, It Was Unclear Who Was in Charge of Oil Rig . The New York Times . May 2, 2010 . June 6, 2010.
- News: Wald . Matthew L. . 'Exercise Caution,' the Drilling Permit Said - Green Blog . Green.blogs.nytimes.com . May 19, 2010 . June 15, 2010.
- News: Fisk . Margaret Cronin . Calkins . Laurel Brubaker . BP Gulf of Mexico Spill, from Disaster to Trial: Timeline . Bloomberg.com . Bloomberg . February 24, 2013 . October 5, 2013.
- Web site: U.S. Senate: 404 Error Page. Senate.gov.
- News: Halliburton May Be Culprit In Oil Rig Explosion. The Huffington Post . April 30, 2010. June 6, 2010 . Jeff . Muskus.
- News: Blowout: The Deepwater Horizon Disaster – 60 Minutes . CBS News . May 16, 2010 . June 4, 2010.
- News: Urbina . Ian . In Gulf, It Was Unclear Who Was in Charge of Rig . The New York Times . May 30, 2010 . June 14, 2010.
- Fire on the Horizon – John Konrad & Tom Shroder pages 209–210.
- News: Memorial Services Honors 11 Dead Oil Rig Workers . May 25, 2010 . May 26, 2010 . William . Welch . Chris . Joyner . USA Today.
- Web site: Ongoing Timeline – Deepwaterhorizonresponse.com – Retrieved June 15, 2010. April 20, 2015.
- Web site: Coast Guard Logs Reveal Early Spill Estimate of 8,000 Barrels a Day – The Center for Public Integrity . Publicintegrity.org . June 3, 2010 . June 22, 2010.
- Web site: Coast Guard Logs Reveal Early Spill Estimate of 8,000 Barrels a Day – The Center for Public Integrity . Publicintegrity.org . June 22, 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100704075204/http://www.publicintegrity.org/documents/entry/2124/ . July 4, 2010 . dead . mdy-all .
- News: Oil slick spreads from sunken rig (video interview). April 22, 2010 . CNN . May 2, 2010.
- News: Coast Guard: Oil rig that exploded has sunk . April 22, 2010 . CNN . April 30, 2010.
- http://www.dagbladet.no/2010/05/28/nyheter/deepwater_horizon/utenriks/11888617/ De må ha visst at lekkasjen var mye større
- News: Coast Guard: Oil Not Leaking from Sunken Rig – CBS News Video . CBS News . April 23, 2010 . June 12, 2010.
- Web site: Mechanics : Chicago Politics – A Gusher of Oil, A Trickle of Truth . Gapers Block . April 22, 2010 . June 12, 2010.
- News: Oil rig wreck leaks into Gulf of Mexico. CBC News. . April 25, 2010. April 25, 2010.
- Web site: deepwaterhorizonresponse.com WHOIS domain registration information from . Network Solutions . June 10, 2010.
- Web site: EPA Establishes Web site on BP Oil Spill for The Public | The Green Economy Post: Green Careers, Green Business, Sustainability . April 30, 2010 . The Green Economy Post . June 10, 2010.
- Web site: Cushing, OK WTI Spot Price FOB (Dollars per Barrel) . Eia.doe.gov . June 9, 2010 . June 15, 2010.
- News: Deepwater Horizon Rig Disaster . The Wall Street Journal . June 6, 2010.
- Web site: 100426-G-8744K-021 on Flickr – Photo Sharing! . Flickr.com . June 12, 2010.
- Web site: BP plc (ADR): NYSE:BP quotes & news – Google Finance . June 6, 2010.
- online video . Coast Guard New oil leak from area where rig exploded, sank in Gulf; spill heads to coast . April 28, 2010 . Associated Press . https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211215/WhUjqi7IlzY . 2021-12-15 . live. April 30, 2010.
- News: US military joins Gulf of Mexico oil spill effort. April 29, 2010 . . April 29, 2010.
- Web site: MMS Press Release . Mms.gov . June 16, 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100612084146/http://www.mms.gov/ooc/press/2010/press0428.htm . June 12, 2010 . dead . mdy-all .
- Web site: BP MC252 Gulf Of Mexico Response Continues To Escalate On And Below Surface . press release . BP . April 29, 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100501171700/http://www.bp.com/genericarticle.do?categoryId=2012968&contentId=7061663 . dead . May 1, 2010 . April 29, 2010 .
- BP Steps Up Shoreline Protection Plans on US Gulf Coast . BP . April 30, 2010 . April 30, 2010.
- News: NYT: Raising remnants of oil rig still on agenda - The New York Times. https://web.archive.org/web/20100615011011/http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/37580156/ns/us_news-the_new_york_times/ns/us_news-the_new_york_times/ . dead . June 15, 2010 . MSNBC . June 10, 2010.
- News: Carroll . Joe . BP's Relief Wells Bring Risk of an Even Bigger Oil Spill in Gulf of Mexico . Bloomberg.com . Bloomberg . May 11, 2010 . June 21, 2010.
- Web site: Emergency Response 2.0 : Solutions to Respond to Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico - InnoCentive Challenge. April 20, 2015.
- Web site: BP to InnoCentive: Sorry, We Don't Want Your 908 Ideas for Saving the Gulf . Fast Company . June 23, 2010 . July 2, 2010.
- News: Noah . Brenner . Anthony . Guegel . Tan . Hwee Hwee . Anthea . Pitt . Congress calls Halliburton on Macondo . . NHST Media Group . April 30, 2010 . May 1, 2010.
- https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748704302304575213883555525958 Deepwater Horizon Rig Disaster – Time – wsj.com – Retrieved June 3, 2010
- Web site: Nalco Holding's shares rise after BP cleanup news . Chicago Breaking Business . June 7, 2010.
- News: Gulf oil spill: Smallest leak sealed off . L.A. Times Blogs . Richard . Fausset . May 5, 2010 . May 5, 2010.
- News: US Oil Spill Response Team: Plan To Deploy Dome In 6–8 Days . David . Winning . . Dow Jones & Company . May 3, 2010 . May 5, 2010 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20100507075030/http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20100503-700843.html . May 7, 2010 . subscription .
- News: 'Top hat' dome at Gulf of Mexico oil spill site – BP . BBC News . May 12, 2010 . May 14, 2010.
- Web site: BP, Halliburton, Transocean Blame Each Other in Gulf Oil Spill . https://web.archive.org/web/20100513070843/http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-05-10/bp-halliburton-transocean-blame-each-other-in-gulf-oil-spill.html . dead . May 13, 2010 . Bloomberg Businessweek . May 10, 2010 . June 6, 2010.
- Web site: Coast Guard, Minerals Management Service co-chair investigation into Deepwater Horizon Mobile Offshore Drilling Unit incident . Deepwaterinvestigation.com . June 17, 2010.
- News: Gulf Spill May Far Exceed Official Estimates . Richard . Harris . NPR.org . May 14, 2010 . National Public Radio . May 14, 2010.
- News: Goldenberg . Suzanne . Scientists study ocean footage to gauge full scale of oil leak . The Guardian . Reuters . May 14, 2010 . 29 . May 18, 2010 . London.
- News: BP boss admits job on the line over Gulf oil spill. The Guardian . May 13, 2010. May 13, 2010 . London . Tim . Webb.
- Transocean Ltd. Affiliates File Limitation of Liability Petition . Transocean . May 13, 2010 . June 11, 2010.
- Web site: Unified Command For The Bp Oil Spill | Coast Guard And Epa Approve Use Of Dispersant Subsea In Further Effort To Prevent Oil From Reaching U.S. Shoreline . Deepwaterhorizonresponse.com . June 21, 2010.
- News: BP Bows to Pressure for Oil Leak Livestream . CBS News . May 19, 2010 . June 12, 2010.
- News: Suzanne. Goldenberg. BP switches on live video from oil leak . The Guardian . May 20, 2010. June 9, 2010 . London.
- News: Dittrick . Paula . BP captures varying rates in gulf oil spill response . . Oil & Gas Journal . May 21, 2010. May 22, 2010. subscription .
- News: AP Top News at 10:50 am EDT . https://web.archive.org/web/20100520004338/http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5g8-DEMtAE9q4i4ySQ0eV_qZefmRQD9FOLFA80 . dead . May 20, 2010 . . May 17, 2010 . May 17, 2010.
- Web site: Weekly Address: President Obama Establishes Bipartisan National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling (White House Office of the Press Secretary, May 22, 2010) . May 22, 2010 . June 1, 2010 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20170203181053/https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/weekly-address-president-obama-establishes-bipartisan-national-commission-bp-deepwa . February 3, 2017 . . . mdy-all .
- Executive Order- National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling . May 22, 2010 . June 1, 2010 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20170127125647/https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/executive-order-national-commission-bp-deepwater-horizon-oil-spill-and-offshore-dri . January 27, 2017 . . . mdy-all .
- News: Suzanne . Goldenberg . Dispersant 'may make Deepwater Horizon oil spill more toxic' . The Guardian . May 5, 2010. June 7, 2010 . London.
- News: BP refuses EPA order to switch to less-toxic oil dispersant – Los Angeles Times . Los Angeles Times . May 23, 2010 . June 7, 2010 . Margot . Roosevelt . Carolyn . Cole.
- Web site: Nuclear Option on Gulf Oil Spill? No Way, U.S. Says. William J.. Broad. June 2, 2010. The New York Times.
- News: BP engineers draw up plans for 'top kill' . https://web.archive.org/web/20100526120502/http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5j2WM-6T8Nj9-NM50L97Qc8BdwyfgD9FU5PU00 . dead . May 26, 2010 . Greg . Bluestein . Associated Press . April 25, 2010 . April 25, 2010.
- News: Hearings: BP representative overruled drillers, insisted on displacing mud with seawater . Times-Picayune . David . Hammer . May 26, 2010 . May 26, 2010.
- Web site: New estimates on offshore drilling ban costs | Loren Steffy | Chron.com – Houston Chronicle . Blogs.chron.com . June 7, 2010.
- News: Obama Extends Moratorium on Offshore Drilling . CBS News . May 27, 2010 . June 7, 2010.
- Web site: Flow Rate Group Provides Preliminary Best Estimate Of Oil Flowing from BP Oil Well . May 27, 2010 . U.S. Department of the Interior . May 30, 2010.
- News: Jonathan . Weisman . Guy . Chazan . Stephen . Power . Spill Tops Valdez Disaster . Wall Street Journal . May 27, 2010 . June 1, 2010.
- News: Greg . Bluestein . Ben . Nuckols . Gulf leak eclipses Exxon Valdez as worst US spill . https://web.archive.org/web/20100528120427/http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gIXWYBTpLtSayJtg41LKXpxSxVPAD9FVIFAO2 . dead . May 28, 2010 . Associated Press . May 27, 2010 . June 1, 2010.
- Flow Rate Group Provides Preliminary Best Estimate Of Oil Flowing from BP Oil Well . Deepwater Horizon Incident – Joint Information Center . Deepwater Horizon Response – Official Site of the Deepwater Horizon Unified Command . May 27, 2010 . May 29, 2010.
- News: Elana Schor of Greenwire . BP Continues to Use Surface Dispersants in Gulf Despite EPA Directive . The New York Times . June 24, 2010. June 25, 2010.
- News: MMS chief Elizabeth Birnbaum ousted, officials say . The Washington Post . May 27, 2010 . June 16, 2010 . Michael D. . Shear . Juliet . Eilperin.
- Web site: Dispersant Monitoring and Assessment Directive – Addendum 3 – May 26, 2010 . Epa.gov.
- Web site: Update on Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill – May 29 . May 29, 2010 . May 30, 2010 . BP . May 30, 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100530121027/http://www.bp.com/genericarticle.do?categoryId=2012968&contentId=7062487 . dead .
- Web site: Containment Contingency Option – LMRP Cap . May 29, 2010. May 30, 2010. BP .
- Web site: Kent Wells Tech Update – May 24, 2010 . May 24, 2010. May 30, 2010. BP .
- Web site: BP slices pipe in 'significant step forward' . . June 3, 2010.
- News: BP cuts pipe, plans to lower cap over Gulf spill . Bluestein . Greg . . Associated Press . June 3, 2010. June 3, 2010.
- Response To Oil On Gulf Island Beaches Continues . . June 4, 2010 . June 13, 2010.
- News: Florida coast suffers first impact from oil spil – Pascal Fletcher. Peter Cooney . June 4, 2010. June 4, 2010 . Reuters.
- Web site: Obama Talks With Grand Isle Residents – WWL – AM870 | FM105.3 | News | Talk | Sports . WWL . January 6, 2009 . June 6, 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100607172730/http://www.wwl.com/Obama-talks-with-Grand-Isle-residents/7398375 . June 7, 2010 . dead . mdy-all .
- News: Gillis . Justin . Rate of Oil Leak, Still Not Clear, Puts Doubt on BP . The New York Times . June 7, 2010 . June 13, 2010.
- Web site: NBC Nightly News - NBC News. https://web.archive.org/web/20031207132319/http://msnbc.msn.com/id/3032619/. dead. December 7, 2003. NBC News. April 20, 2015.
- Web site: BP downplays government claim on oil plumes - Disaster in the Gulf. https://web.archive.org/web/20100610024947/http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/37588890/ns/disaster_in_the_gulf/ . live . June 10, 2010 . MSNBC . June 10, 2010.
- Web site: BP Oil-Leak Estimate Doubled by U.S. Science Panel (Correct) . https://web.archive.org/web/20100614212948/http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-06-11/bp-oil-leak-estimate-doubled-by-u-s-science-panel-correct-.html . dead . June 14, 2010 . BusinessWeek . December 8, 2009 . June 11, 2010.
- President Obama Announces Bromwich to Fix Oil Industry Oversight . June 15, 2010 . June 16, 2010 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20170216172023/https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/president-obama-announces-bromwich-fix-oil-industry-oversight . February 16, 2017 . . . mdy-all .
- News: Weisman . Jonathan . BP Halts Dividend, Agrees to $20 Billion Fund for Victims . The Wall Street Journal . June 17, 2010. June 16, 2010.
- Web site: Hornbeck Offshore Services LLC v. Salazar – uscourts.gov – June 22, 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20100704222019/http://www.laed.uscourts.gov/GENERAL/Notices/10-1663_doc67.pdf. dead. July 4, 2010.
- News: Oil spewing once again in the Gulf. Kunzelman. Michael. The Sun News. Associated Press. June 24, 2010. June 24, 2010.
- News: BP gaffes kill hope. Michael. Kunzelman. The Sun News. Associated Press. June 25, 2010. June 25, 2010. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20100627090828/http://www.thesunnews.com/2010/06/25/1552511/bp-gaffes-kill-hope.html. June 27, 2010. mdy-all.
- Web site: Unified Command for the BP Oil Spill | Press Briefing by National Incident Commander June 25, 2010 . Deepwaterhorizonresponse.com . May 8, 2010 . June 26, 2010.
- Web site: Robert . Holland . BP Oil Spill Update – A Whale Skimmer Arrives . Socialmediaseo.net . May 26, 2010 . July 1, 2010.
- Web site: Deepwater Horizon: Statistical Modeling | Recent and Historical Incidents | Emergency Response | NOAA's National Ocean Service Office of Response and Restoration . Response.restoration.noaa.gov . February 5, 2010 . July 2, 2010.
- Web site: Tar Balls Reach Rigolets, Threaten Lake Pontchartrain . WDSU . July 5, 2010 . July 6, 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120308220507/http://www.wdsu.com/mostpopular/24148757/detail.html . March 8, 2012 . dead . mdy-all .
- Web site: U.S. Appeals Court Turns Down Moratorium on Drilling in Gulf. John M.. Broder. July 8, 2010. The New York Times.
- Web site: BP: Cap on gushing well removed, oil flows freely . July 10, 2010 . Chippewa.com . July 11, 2010.
- Web site: Capping Stack Installed on MC252 Well . Bp.com . July 13, 2010.
- News: Hays . Kristen . BP installs bigger cap on ruptured Gulf wellhead . Reuters . July 13, 2010. July 13, 2010.
- Web site: Secretary Salazar Issues New Suspensions to Guide Safe Pause on Deepwater Drilling . Doi.gov . July 13, 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100714075153/http://www.doi.gov/news/doinews/Secretary-Salazar-Issues-New-Suspensions-to-Guide-Safe-Pause-on-Deepwater-Drilling.cfm . July 14, 2010 . dead . mdy-all .
- Web site: National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling | . Oilspillcommission.gov . May 22, 2010 . July 13, 2010 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20100712223806/http://www.oilspillcommission.gov/ . July 12, 2010 .
- Web site: BP. April 20, 2015. March 31, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120331145558/http://www.bp.com/liveassets/bp_internet/globalbp/globalbp_uk_english/incident_response/STAGING/local_assets/downloads_pdfs/kent_wells_technical_briefing_transcript_15_07_1430CDT.pdf. dead.
- Web site: Unified Command for the BP Oil Spill | Statement from National Incident Commander Admiral Thad Allen on Well Integrity Test . Deepwaterhorizonresponse.com . May 8, 2010 . July 16, 2010.
- Web site: "A Whale" Operational Review Completed | Restore the Gulf . App.restorethegulf.gov . July 17, 2010.
- Web site: Letter from Thad Allen to Bob Dudley – July 18, 2010. April 20, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150621123806/http://www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com/posted/2931/BP_Letter_18_July.791571.pdf. June 21, 2015. dead.
- Web site: U.S. Allows BP to Keep Gulf Oil Well Closed for Another Day. Henry. Fountain. July 19, 2010. The New York Times.
- News: Oil spill: BP man in charge of rig won't testify . Telegraph . July 19, 2010. July 20, 2010 . London . James . Quinn.
- Web site: The Ongoing Administration-Wide Response to the Deepwater BP Oil Spill | Restore the Gulf . . May 5, 2010 . . July 23, 2010.
- Web site: Statement by National Incident Commander Admiral Thad Allen on Tropical Storm Bonnie | Restore the Gulf . . May 5, 2010 . . July 23, 2010.
- Web site: NOAA to Re-open One-Third of Closed Gulf Fishing Area | Restore the Gulf . App.restorethegulf.gov . July 23, 2010.
- News: Tim . Webb . BP acquits itself of sole blame for gulf spill after internal inquiry | Environment | The Observer . The Guardian . July 25, 2010. July 25, 2010 . London.
- Web site: Unified Command for the Deepwater BP Oil Spill | Transcript – Press Briefing by National Incident Commander Admiral Thad Allen and NOAA Administrator Dr. Jane Lubchenco . Deepwaterhorizonresponse.com . July 25, 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150910145559/http://www.restorethegulf.gov/release/2015/07/01/transcript-press-briefing-national-incident-commander-admiral-thad-allen-and-noaa . September 10, 2015 . dead . mdy-all .
- Web site: Unified Command for the Deepwater BP Oil Spill | Transcript – Press Briefing by National Incident Commander Admiral Thad Allen and NOAA Administrator Dr. Jane Lubchenco . Deepwaterhorizonresponse.com . July 28, 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150910145559/http://www.restorethegulf.gov/release/2015/07/01/transcript-press-briefing-national-incident-commander-admiral-thad-allen-and-noaa . September 10, 2015 . dead . mdy-all .
- Web site: AFP . AFP: US scrambles emergency teams to new Gulf oil leak . https://web.archive.org/web/20100730042007/http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gonAAuLIs1MtuQfVABirO-ZTqR4A . dead . July 30, 2010 . July 28, 2010.
- Web site: Dudley BP's choice to lead oil giant | hattiesburgamerican.com . Hattiesburg American . July 28, 2010.
- Web site: The Ongoing Administration-Wide Response to the Deepwater BP Oil Spill | Restore the Gulf . . May 5, 2010 . . August 3, 2010.
- Web site: EPA Releases Second Phase of Toxicity Testing Data for Eight Oil Dispersants | Restore the Gulf . App.restorethegulf.gov . August 3, 2010 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20100806124224/http://app.restorethegulf.gov/go/doc/2931/839935/ . August 6, 2010 .
- Web site: Toxicity Testing of Dispersants | EPA Response to BP Spill in the Gulf of Mexico | US EPA . Epa.gov . August 3, 2010.
- Web site: MC252 Well Reaches Static Condition | Press . Bp.com . August 4, 2010.
- Web site: Dive in, Mr. President; the water's fine // PHOTOS, VIDEO – News . WaltonSun.com . August 15, 2010.
- News: Blown Out BP Well Finally Killed. WWL-TV. 19 September 2010. 2013-02-06. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20100921211946/http://www.wwltv.com/news/Blown-out-BP-oil-well-finally-killed--103237684.html. September 21, 2010. mdy-all.
- News: BP management reshuffle sees departure of deepwater drilling boss . New York Post . September 29, 2010 . October 2, 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20121022094129/http://www.nypost.com/p/news/business/bp_management_reshuffle_sees_departure_JG4pqfAr1IgYMKdvvzJ1fI?CMP=OTC-rss&FEEDNAME= . October 22, 2012 . dead . mdy-all .
- Web site: BP sees no 'gross negligence' in Gulf oil spill: New chief - Yahoo! News . news.yahoo.com . 13 January 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20101004114505/http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100930/ts_alt_afp/britainusoilenvironmentpollutioncompanybp . 4 October 2010 . dead.
- News: Dudley, Incoming BP Chief, Realigns Posts to Stress Safety . The New York Times . Clifford . Krauss . Julia . Werdigier . September 29, 2010.
- News: Louisiana: Admiral Ends Role . The New York Times . Campbell . Robertson . October 1, 2010.
- Web site: Booz Allen Names Admiral Thad Allen as Senior Vice President | Booz Allen Hamilton. https://web.archive.org/web/20140503101625/http://www.boozallen.com/media-center/press-releases/2011/11/thad-allen-named-senior-vice-president. dead. May 3, 2014. May 3, 2014.