WELL, TODAY MARKS 15 YEARS SINCE ONE OF THE WORST NATURAL DISASTERS IN OUR NATION鈥橲 HISTORY. ON APRIL 20TH, 2010, BP鈥橲 DEEPWATER HORIZON OIL RIG EXPLODED JUST 89 MILES AWAY FROM THE ALABAMA SHORELINE, KILLING 11 CREW MEMBERS AND HURTING 17 OTHERS. 米兰体育 13 METEOROLOGIST JORDAN WEST TAKES A LOOK AT THE LASTING IMPACT. I ENJOY GOING TO THE BEACHES OF ALABAMA, FISHING THE MARSHES OF LOUISIANA. THAT鈥橲 ACTUALLY WHERE MY GRANDFATHER TAUGHT ME HOW TO FISH. SO WHEN THIS HAPPENED, I WAS LIKE, THIS IS A BIG DEAL. ON THE NIGHT OF APRIL 20TH, 2010, AN EXPLOSION ROCKED THE DEEPWATER HORIZON OIL RIG OFF THE COAST OF LOUISIANA. DOCTOR BEN MEADOWS, AN ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF ECONOMICS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA IN BIRMINGHAM, REMEMBERS IT WELL. THERE WAS A LOSS OF LIFE, RIGHT? THIS WAS A KIND OF A CHAOTIC EVENT THAT HAPPENED SECONDS AFTER THE EXPLOSION. GALLONS OF OIL BEGAN GUSHING INTO THE GULF LIKE A TSUNAMI AFTER AN EARTHQUAKE. IT TOOK US ALMOST THREE MONTHS TO GET IT FINALLY PATCHED UP OR BLOCKED. RIGHT? THAT WAS THAT WAS ALL WE WERE DOING. THERE WAS LITERALLY TRYING TO JUST GET THE WELL TO STOP EMITTING OIL, BECAUSE THE BREAKAGE WAS SO FAR UNDER THE SEA. AND TOURISM ALONG THE GULF COAST SUFFERED. IT鈥橲 A FAMILY THAT鈥橲 NOT SPENDING THEIR MONEY AT THE GROCERY STORE, AT THE BEACH. IT鈥橲 A FAMILY THAT IS NOT EATING AT LOCAL RESTAURANTS. THAT YEAR AND THEN FOR SUBSEQUENT YEARS, AS FOLKS ARE STILL CONCERNED ABOUT OIL IMPACTS. BUT THAT鈥橲 NOT ALL. ANOTHER BUCKET IS STANDARD KIND OF COMMERCIAL FISHING. LOUISIANA IS WELL KNOWN FOR ITS SHRIMP AND OYSTER POPULATIONS, AS IS MISSISSIPPI AND ALABAMA, AND EVEN FLORIDA. AND ALL OF THESE MARINE RESOURCES WERE IMPACTED. IT鈥橲 A CONCEPT KNOWN AS BIOACCUMULATION. YES. ONE SHRIMP HAS A LITTLE BIT OF OIL ON IT. BUT THEN IF A REDFISH EATS TWO DOZEN OF THOSE SHRIMPS, IT鈥橲 GOTTEN TWO DOZEN THE TREATMENT. AND THEN IF SOMETHING COMES ALONG AND EATS THAT REDFISH, THEN IT鈥橲 GETTING A WHOPPING LOAD OF THOSE CHEMICALS, CREATING ANOTHER BUCKET OF ECONOMIC IMPACTS. THE LAST ONE TO THINK ABOUT IS ACTUALLY JUST THE DAMAGES, RIGHT? SO THIS IS THE DAMAGES FROM THE OIL, THE HUNDREDS OF GALLONS OF THICK CRUDE OIL THAT SPILLED INTO THE GULF CONTAINED VOLATILE, TOXIC AND FLAMMABLE HYDROCARBONS, ALL OF WHICH SPREAD WITH THE CURRENTS. I WANT TO BE CLEAR ABOUT THIS. A LOCAL COMMUNITY IS GOING TO HAVE THIS ONE TWO PUNCH THAT IT HAS TO ENDURE ONE. THERE IS OIL OR TAR BALLS TO BE CLEANED UP THAT COSTS MONEY. THEN THERE ARE NO FOLKS COMING BECAUSE THEY鈥橰E CONCERNED ABOUT THAT. THAT鈥橲 AVERTED TOURISM. SO WHEN YOU PUT THESE TOGETHER, RIGHT. A LOCAL COMMUNITY IS SWALLOWING A LOT OF COSTS. THE SETTLEMENT ENDED UP BEING THE LARGEST ENVIRONMENTAL DISASTER SETTLEMENT IN THE UNITED STATES. YOU DON鈥橳 REALLY KNOW THE VALUE UNTIL IT鈥橲 BEING YANKED AWAY. AND THAT鈥橲 WHAT THE I THINK THE BP OIL SPILL TAUGHT US. HOW IMPORTANT ARE OUR GULF BEACHES? HOW IMPORTANT ARE OUR MARSHES, RIGHT. WHEN THE BP OIL SPILL KIND OF WENT THROUGH ALL OF THESE, I THINK IT WAS JUST THIS BIG REMINDER OF THE VALUE OF THESE, THESE ECOSYSTEMS. AND AGAIN, T
15 years after Deepwater Horizon oil spill: Examining the Gulf's economic recovery
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Updated: 1:43 PM CDT Apr 21, 2025
Fifteen years ago, on April 20, 2010, a catastrophic explosion on BP's Deepwater Horizon oil rig, located 89 miles off the Alabama coast, claimed the lives of 11 crew members and injured 17 others. The ensuing oil spill became the largest offshore oil disaster in U.S. history, unleashing an estimated 4.9 million barrels of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico over nearly five months before the leak was finally sealed.Dr. Ben Meadows, an assistant professor of economics at the University of Alabama in Birmingham, vividly recalls the night of the explosion and the subsequent environmental and economic fallout."There was loss of life; this was a chaotic event that happened," Meadows said.The gusher of oil had an immediate and devastating impact, akin to "a tsunami after an earthquake," according to Meadows. Tourism along the Gulf Coast, a vital economic engine, suffered significantly."It's a family that's not spending their money at the grocery store at the beach. It's a family that is not eating at local restaurants for that year and subsequent years, as people are still concerned about oil impacts," Meadows said.Beyond tourism, the spill dealt a heavy blow to the region's commercial fishing industry, renowned for its shrimp and oyster populations in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida. Meadows highlighted the concept of bioaccumulation, where small amounts of oil ingested by smaller organisms like shrimp can accumulate in larger predators, such as redfish, and further up the food chain, amplifying the contamination."So, Louisiana is well-known for its shrimp and oyster population, as well as Mississippi and Alabama, and even Florida. And all these marine resources were impacted," he said.The sheer volume of thick, toxic crude oil that spread with the currents also directly damaged coastal communities."A local community is going to have this one-two punch that it has to endure. One, there is oil and tar balls to be cleaned up. That costs money. Then there are no folks coming because they are concerned about that. That's averted tourism," Meadows said. "So when you put this together, a local community is swallowing a lot of the costs."The Deepwater Horizon disaster ultimately led to the largest environmental settlement in U.S. history. While BP was deemed primarily responsible for the spill due to gross negligence and reckless conduct by a federal judge in 2014, the company has paid out over $65 billion in cleanup costs and penalties."You don't really know the value until it's being yanked away, and that's what I think the BP oil spill taught us," Meadows said. "It's just a big reminder of the value of the ecosystems but economy that surrounds them." This includes the importance of Gulf fisheries, beaches, and marshes.As a result of litigation, Alabama has received funding for 158 Deepwater Horizon restoration projects, totaling more than $926 million, with annual payments scheduled to continue until 2031.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Fifteen years ago, on April 20, 2010, a catastrophic explosion on BP's Deepwater Horizon oil rig, located 89 miles off the Alabama coast, claimed the lives of 11 crew members and injured 17 others. The ensuing oil spill became the largest offshore oil disaster in U.S. history, unleashing an estimated 4.9 million barrels of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico over nearly five months before the leak was finally sealed.
Dr. Ben Meadows, an assistant professor of economics at the University of Alabama in Birmingham, vividly recalls the night of the explosion and the subsequent environmental and economic fallout.
"There was loss of life; this was a chaotic event that happened," Meadows said.
The gusher of oil had an immediate and devastating impact, akin to "a tsunami after an earthquake," according to Meadows. Tourism along the Gulf Coast, a vital economic engine, suffered significantly.
"It's a family that's not spending their money at the grocery store at the beach. It's a family that is not eating at local restaurants for that year and subsequent years, as people are still concerned about oil impacts," Meadows said.
Beyond tourism, the spill dealt a heavy blow to the region's commercial fishing industry, renowned for its shrimp and oyster populations in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida. Meadows highlighted the concept of bioaccumulation, where small amounts of oil ingested by smaller organisms like shrimp can accumulate in larger predators, such as redfish, and further up the food chain, amplifying the contamination.
"So, Louisiana is well-known for its shrimp and oyster population, as well as Mississippi and Alabama, and even Florida. And all these marine resources were impacted," he said.
The sheer volume of thick, toxic crude oil that spread with the currents also directly damaged coastal communities.
"A local community is going to have this one-two punch that it has to endure. One, there is oil and tar balls to be cleaned up. That costs money. Then there are no folks coming because they are concerned about that. That's averted tourism," Meadows said. "So when you put this together, a local community is swallowing a lot of the costs."
The Deepwater Horizon disaster ultimately led to the largest environmental settlement in U.S. history. While BP was deemed primarily responsible for the spill due to gross negligence and reckless conduct by a federal judge in 2014, the company has paid out over $65 billion in cleanup costs and penalties.
"You don't really know the value until it's being yanked away, and that's what I think the BP oil spill taught us," Meadows said. "It's just a big reminder of the value of the ecosystems but economy that surrounds them." This includes the importance of Gulf fisheries, beaches, and marshes.
As a result of litigation, Alabama has received funding for 158 Deepwater Horizon restoration projects, totaling more than $926 million, with annual payments scheduled to continue until 2031.
