Part I: Deepwater Horizons (BP) Oil Spill April 20, 2010 Watch the video Impact of the Deepwater Horizon Spill and answer the following three questions. http://tinyurl.com/zbc9azf 1. Which state is smaller in size than the 80,000 sq. miles of fishing grounds closed because of the oil spill? 2. Explain what kind of penalty and/or additional remedy is required for BP and other responsible parties who are liable for every barrel of oil that is spilled and every fish and bird that is killed. 3. Describe a kind of seafood that is drastically missing from the region. What else is missing? Gulf Spill Timeline April 20, 2010 Explosion on BP's Deepwater Horizon drilling rig tragically kills 11 workers. April 29, 2010 Homeland Security Secretary Napolitano announces a "Spill of National Significance" and President Obama makes first public remarks on the disaster. April 30, 2010 President deploys senior Administration officials to Gulf region. Louisiana National Guard activated. May 4, 2010 Cabinet officials brief Members of Congress for the first time. May 11, 2010: Louisiana requests emergency permission from the federal government to dredge barriers and construct berms. May 27, 2010 Federal government grants Louisiana partial permission to dredge. May 29, 2010 BP announces that its "top kill" plan to fill the well had failed. June 2, 2010 Administration approves Louisiana's plan to dredge and tells BP to pay $360 million for five new berms. July 15, 2010 Oil well is capped, stopping the flow of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. January 12, 2011 Final report from the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling due to the President. April 4, 2016 Federal Judge approves $20 billion settlement with BP for Gulf Water spill
Part II: Read the following articles: 1. EPA Response to BP Spill in the Gulf of Mexico 2. NASA: Oil Slick Spreads Across the Gulf Coast 3. Why Doesn t Oil Dissolve in Water? (Answer the questions)
Part III: Government Response to the Spill After reading the background information (attached) use the following site to help answer the questions below: www.restorethegulf.gov. 1. What branches of the government are working together to fix the repercussions of the oil spill? Within those branches, what are the specific organizations involved? 2. How has the marine wildlife been affected by the oil spill and the cleanup process? (Use specific data here!) 3. How has the marine flora been affected by the oil spill and the cleanup process? (Use specific data here!) 4. What kinds of techniques have been used to recover the oil from the Gulf and to clean up the beaches surrounding the spill area? 5. In what ways has the government worked to protect the health and safety of the citizens who were affected by the oil spill?
Part IV: Constitutional Responsibilities Look at a copy of the U.S. Constitution. http://tinyurl.com/3leywz Analyze the responsibilities of the Government towards its citizens. Focus on the following sections of the Constitution Article 1, Sections 8-10 (powers and limitations of Congress) Article 2, Section 3 (powers and limitations of the President) Record your analysis below.
Part V: Op-Ed argumentative essays Read the following two New York Times Op-Ed pieces. Obama and the Oil Spill Thomas Friedman http://tinyurl.com/gwwkmap Summarize the authors arguments. Include supporting evidence. Once More, With Feeling Maureen Dowd http://tinyurl.com/z67vn35 Summarize the authors arguments. Include supporting evidence.
Part VI: Write your own Op-Ed piece Using what you have learned, write your own argumentative Op-Ed piece to answer the following question: Has the government been effective in fulfilling its responsibilities to the U.S. citizens during the Gulf Coast oil spill? Why or why not? Support your argument with details. Be sure to analyze the information that you have researched and include data and specific quotes from the Constitution to support your response.