University professors and students are in shock about the current oil spill and the issues surrounding the environmental impact on the Gulf of Mexico’s diverse wildlife.
The environmental catastrophe began on April 20, when the offshore drilling rig Deepwater Horizon exploded, killing 11 workers and causing the tube drilling into the oil well to rupture. On April 22  — Earth Day — Deepwater Horizon sank into the Gulf of Mexico.
An estimated 6 million gallons of oil have leaked into the Gulf. British Petroleum spent $760 million to date in trying to stop the leak. Failed BP attempts to stop the leak so far include controlled burning, a “top hat” container to try and siphon the oil and using garbage to try to clog the pipe.
The oil spill is affecting the region on an ecological and economical level. Dead sea turtles and pelicans have washed up on the shore in the Gulf region. Meanwhile, businesses dependent on the Gulf of Mexico’s marine life are also affected by the oil spill. Because of the possibility of contaminated fish, areas of the Gulf are closed.
In September 2009, a group of University professors and marine biology graduate students from the Oregon Institute of Marine Biology (OIMB) went to the Gulf of Mexico region for research and coursework. The National Science Foundation funded their research. The team researched the diverse marine life in the Gulf of Mexico, including larvae and coral.
“There are extensive coral reefs in the area,” OIMB director Craig Young said. Young has worked off and on in the Gulf area since 1994.
The news about the oil spill shocked graduate students who went to the Gulf.
“I was pretty horrified,” biology graduate student Myndee McNeill said. “It didn’t look like that when we were there.”
Biology graduate student Paul Dunn, who also went to the Gulf for research, said that although this is an environmental catastrophe, the oil spill could give scientists an opportunity to research the effects of oil on marine life.
“We should take the opportunity to assess the damages,” Dunn said. He was most concerned about the deep sea coral, which he and the other graduate students researched.
Campus groups are also getting involved in raising awareness about the oil spill to the University campus. Climate Justice League, Oregon Student Public Interest Research Group (OSPIRG), Campus Recycling, and Coalition Against Environmental Racism are hosting Crude Awakening, which is a concert, rally and demonstration from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. today in the EMU Amphitheater.
The campus groups want to raise student awareness for the oil spill. They will be gathering student signatures on their petition that will be sent to President Obama urging him to reinstate the moratorium on offshore oil drilling.
“We should be investing in clean forms of energy,” OSPIRG student board chairperson Charles Denson said.
Newly elected co-director of Climate Justice League Emma Newman expressed a similar concern.
“We need to focus on forms of energy that are actually clean,” Newman said.
CAER helped fund Wednesday’s event. Co-directors Christina O’Connor and Adrien Wilkie said the oil spill shocked both of them.
“Who knows what’s going to happen when hurricanes hit,” Wilkie said.
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