{"id":36379,"date":"2025-04-20T19:30:13","date_gmt":"2025-04-20T19:30:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/36379\/"},"modified":"2025-04-20T19:30:13","modified_gmt":"2025-04-20T19:30:13","slug":"deepwater-horizon-oil-spill-anniversary-status-of-bp-lawsuits-and-coastal-restoration-in-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/36379\/","title":{"rendered":"Deepwater Horizon oil spill anniversary: Status of BP lawsuits and coastal restoration in 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"

NEW ORLEANS (AP) \u2014 Fifteen years after the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded off the Gulf Coast<\/a>, killing 11 and sending 134 million gallons (507.2 million liters) of crude gushing into the ocean, the effects of the nation\u2019s worst offshore oil spill are still being felt.<\/p>\n

Oil company BP<\/a> paid billions of dollars<\/a> in damages<\/a>, propelling ambitious coastal restoration projects across five states. Yet cleanup workers and local residents who suffered health impacts they attribute to the oil spill have struggled to have their cases heard in court and few have received significant compensation<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Conservation groups say the spill catalyzed innovative restoration work across the Gulf Coast, but are alarmed at the recent halt of a flagship land-creation project in Louisiana. As the Trump administration expands offshore oil and gas, they are concerned the best opportunities for rebuilding the Gulf Coast are slipping away.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Oil<\/p>\n

Oil leaks in the Gulf of Mexico southeast of Venice on Louisiana\u2019s tip, as the Deepwater Horizon oil rig burns on April 21, 2010. (AP Photo\/Gerald Herbert, File)<\/p>\n

Oil leaks in the Gulf of Mexico southeast of Venice on Louisiana\u2019s tip, as the Deepwater Horizon oil rig burns on April 21, 2010. (AP Photo\/Gerald Herbert, File)<\/p>\n

Read More<\/p>\n

Tying health problems to the spill remains hard to prove in court<\/p>\n

In the coastal community of Lafitte in southeast Louisiana, Tammy Gremillion is celebrating Easter Sunday, the anniversary of the April 20 spill, without her daughter. She remembers warning Jennifer against joining a cleanup crew tasked with containing the spill for BP.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"In<\/p>\n

In this April 21, 2010 file photo provided by the U.S. Coast Guard, fire boat response crews spray water on the burning BP Deepwater Horizon offshore oil rig. (U.S. Coast Guard via AP, File)<\/p>\n

In this April 21, 2010 file photo provided by the U.S. Coast Guard, fire boat response crews spray water on the burning BP Deepwater Horizon offshore oil rig. (U.S. Coast Guard via AP, File)<\/p>\n

Read More<\/p>\n

\u201cBut I couldn\u2019t stop her \u2014 they were offering these kids lots of money,\u201d Gremillion said. \u201cThey didn\u2019t know the dangers. They didn\u2019t do what they should have to protect these young people.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jennifer worked knee-deep in oil for months, returning home reeking of fumes, covered in black splotches and breaking out in rashes and suffering headaches. She also was exposed to Corexit, an EPA-approved chemical applied on and below the water to disperse oil, which has been linked to health problems<\/a>. <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"This<\/p>\n

This photo provided by Tammy Gremillion shows Jennifer Lee Gremillion, a Louisiana resident involved in the clean-up of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, with her daughter in 2020. (Tammy Gremillion via AP)<\/p>\n

This photo provided by Tammy Gremillion shows Jennifer Lee Gremillion, a Louisiana resident involved in the clean-up of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, with her daughter in 2020. (Tammy Gremillion via AP)<\/p>\n

Read More<\/p>\n

In 2020, Jennifer died of leukemia, a blood cancer that can be caused by exposure to oil<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Gremillion, who broke down in tears as she recounted her daughter\u2019s death, is \u201c1,000% confident\u201d that exposure to toxins during the cleanup caused the cancer. <\/p>\n

She filed a lawsuit against BP in 2022, although the allegations have been difficult to establish in court. Gremillion\u2019s suit is one of a small number of cases still pending. <\/p>\n

An investigation<\/a> by The Associated Press previously found all but a handful of roughly 4,800 lawsuits seeking compensation for health problems linked to the oil spill have been dismissed and only one has been settled<\/a>. <\/p>\n

In a 2012 settlement, BP paid ill workers and coastal residents $67 million, but this amounted to no more than $1,300 each for nearly 80% of those seeking compensation.<\/p>\n

\"FILE-<\/p>\n

\n FILE- A worker picks up blobs of oil with absorbent snare on Queen Bess Island at the mouth of Barataria Bay near the Gulf of Mexico in Plaquemines Parish, La., on June 4, 2010. (AP Photo\/Gerald Herbert, File)\n <\/p>\n

FILE- A worker picks up blobs of oil with absorbent snare on Queen Bess Island at the mouth of Barataria Bay near the Gulf of Mexico in Plaquemines Parish, La., on June 4, 2010. (AP Photo\/Gerald Herbert, File)<\/p>\n

Read More<\/p>\n

\"Oil<\/p>\n

\n Oil floats in the waters of Chandeleur Sound, La., on May 4, 2010, two weeks after the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico. (AP Photo\/Eric Gay, File)\n <\/p>\n

Oil floats in the waters of Chandeleur Sound, La., on May 4, 2010, two weeks after the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico. (AP Photo\/Eric Gay, File)<\/p>\n

Read More<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

\n A worker shovels oil from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill off Fourchon Beach in Port Fourchon, La., May 24, 2010. (AP Photo\/Patrick Semansky, File)\n <\/p>\n

A worker shovels oil from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill off Fourchon Beach in Port Fourchon, La., May 24, 2010. (AP Photo\/Patrick Semansky, File)<\/p>\n

Read More<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

\n A worker uses a suction hose to remove oil washed ashore from the Deepwater Horizon spill, in Belle Terre, La., June 9, 2010. (AP Photo\/Eric Gay, File)\n <\/p>\n

A worker uses a suction hose to remove oil washed ashore from the Deepwater Horizon spill, in Belle Terre, La., June 9, 2010. (AP Photo\/Eric Gay, File)<\/p>\n

Read More<\/p>\n

Attorneys from the Downs Law Group, representing Gremillion and around 100 others in cases against BP, say the company leveraged procedural technicalities to block victims from getting their day in court.<\/p>\n

BP declined to comment on pending litigation. In court filings, BP denied allegations that oil exposure caused health problems and attacked the credibility of medical experts brought by plaintiffs.<\/p>\n

Controversy over coastal restoration<\/p>\n

The environmental impact was devastating, recalled PJ Hahn, who served on the frontlines as a southeast Louisiana coastal management official. He watched the oil eat away at barrier islands and marsh around his community in Plaquemines Parish until \u201cit would just crumble like a cookie in hot coffee, just break apart.\u201d<\/p>\n

Oyster beds suffocated, reefs were blanketed in chemicals and the fishing industry tanked. Pelicans diving for dead fish emerged from the contaminated waters smeared in a black sheen. Tens of thousands of seabirds and sea turtles were killed, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A small dead fish floats on a pool of oil at Bay Long, off the coast of Louisiana, on June 6, 2010. (AP Photo\/Charlie Riedel, File)<\/p>\n

A small dead fish floats on a pool of oil at Bay Long, off the coast of Louisiana, on June 6, 2010. (AP Photo\/Charlie Riedel, File)<\/p>\n

Read More<\/p>\n

\"An<\/p>\n

\n An oil-soaked bird struggles against the oil-slicked side of the HOS Iron Horse supply vessel at the site of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, off the coast of Louisiana, on May 9, 2010. (AP Photo\/Gerald Herbert, File)\n <\/p>\n

An oil-soaked bird struggles against the oil-slicked side of the HOS Iron Horse supply vessel at the site of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, off the coast of Louisiana, on May 9, 2010. (AP Photo\/Gerald Herbert, File)<\/p>\n

Read More<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

\n A bird is mired in oil on the beach at East Grand Terre Island along the Louisiana coast on June 3, 2010. (AP Photo\/Charlie Riedel, File)\n <\/p>\n

A bird is mired in oil on the beach at East Grand Terre Island along the Louisiana coast on June 3, 2010. (AP Photo\/Charlie Riedel, File)<\/p>\n

Read More<\/p>\n

Since then, \u201csignificant progress\u201d has been made restoring Gulf habitats and ecosystems, according to The Natural Resource Damage Assessment Trustee Council, a group of state and federal agencies tasked with managing restoration funded by penalties levied against BP.<\/p>\n

The council says more than 300 restoration projects worth $5.38 billion have been approved in the Gulf of Mexico, which President Donald Trump<\/a> renamed the Gulf of America<\/a>. The projects include acquiring wetlands in Mississippi to protect nesting areas for birds, rebuilding reefs along Pensacola Bay in Florida and restoring around 4 square miles (11 square kilometers) of marsh in Lake Borgne near New Orleans.<\/p>\n

While a tragedy, the spill \u201cgalvanized a movement \u2014 one that continues to push for a healthier, more resilient coast,\u201d said Simone Maloz, campaign director for Restore the Mississippi River Delta, a conservation coalition. <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A brown pelican covered in oil tries to raise its wings on the beach at East Grand Terre Island along the Louisiana coast on June 3, 2010. (AP Photo\/Charlie Riedel, File)<\/p>\n

A brown pelican covered in oil tries to raise its wings on the beach at East Grand Terre Island along the Louisiana coast on June 3, 2010. (AP Photo\/Charlie Riedel, File)<\/p>\n

Read More<\/p>\n

The influx of billions of dollars in penalties paid by BP \u201callowed us to think bigger, act faster and rely on science to guide large-scale solutions,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n

Yet what many conservationists see as the flagship of the restoration projects funded by the Deepwater Horizon disaster payout \u2014 an approximately $3 billion effort to divert sediment from the Mississippi River to rebuild 21 square miles (54 square kilometers) of land in southeast Louisiana \u2014 has stalled over concerns of its impact on the livelihoods of local communities and dolphin populations.<\/p>\n

Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry has said the project would \u201cbreak our culture\u201d<\/a> by harming local oyster and shrimp fisheries due to the influx of freshwater. Earlier this month, his administration paused the project for 90 days, citing its high costs, and its future remains uncertain.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Shrimp<\/p>\n

Shrimp boats are used to collect oil with booms in the waters of Chandeleur Sound, La., May 5, 2010. (AP Photo\/Eric Gay, File)<\/p>\n

Shrimp boats are used to collect oil with booms in the waters of Chandeleur Sound, La., May 5, 2010. (AP Photo\/Eric Gay, File)<\/p>\n

Read More<\/p>\n

More offshore drilling planned for Gulf<\/p>\n

The Trump administration is seeking to sell more<\/a> offshore oil and gas leases, which the industry trade group American Petroleum Institute called \u201ca big step forward for American energy dominance.\u201d<\/p>\n

BP announced an oil discovery in the Gulf last week and plans more than 40 new wells in the next three years. The company told the AP it has improved safety standards and oversight. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe remain keenly aware that we must always put safety first,\u201d BP said in an emailed statement. \u201cWe have made many changes so that such an event should never happen again.\u201d<\/p>\n

Still, Joseph Gordon, climate and energy director for the nonprofit Oceana, warned Deepwater Horizon\u2019s legacy should be \u201can alarm bell\u201d against the expansion of offshore drilling.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Crude<\/p>\n

Crude oil from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill washes ashore in Orange Beach, Ala., on June 12, 2010. (AP Photo\/Dave Martin, File)<\/p>\n

Crude oil from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill washes ashore in Orange Beach, Ala., on June 12, 2010. (AP Photo\/Dave Martin, File)<\/p>\n

Read More<\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

Brook is a corps member for The Associated Press\/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Follow Brook on the social platform X: @jack_brook96<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"NEW ORLEANS (AP) \u2014 Fifteen years after the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded off the Gulf Coast, killing…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":36380,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3843],"tags":[20932,933,20935,51,7029,8616,32,728,20929,4179,20926,20927,20928,20300,20930,6096,20925,1093,70,20933,20931,7143,16,15,20934],"class_list":{"0":"post-36379","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-environment","8":"tag-american-petroleum-institute","9":"tag-animals","10":"tag-bp-plc","11":"tag-business","12":"tag-climate","13":"tag-climate-and-environment","14":"tag-donald-trump","15":"tag-environment","16":"tag-fl-state-wire","17":"tag-general-news","18":"tag-gulf-of-mexico","19":"tag-jeff-landry","20":"tag-la-state-wire","21":"tag-louisiana","22":"tag-ms-state-wire","23":"tag-national","24":"tag-oil-spills","25":"tag-public-health","26":"tag-science","27":"tag-simone-maloz","28":"tag-tammy-gremillion","29":"tag-u-s-news","30":"tag-uk","31":"tag-united-kingdom","32":"tag-x-corp"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114371954632937672","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36379","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=36379"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36379\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/36380"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36379"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=36379"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=36379"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}