BP to end automatic oil clean-up
BP will no longer be responsible for cleaning up oil washed up on the Gulf Coast unless it can be proved to come from the rig disaster, according to a Coast Guard plan.
It marks the near end of the cleanup phase of the oil spill, according to documents seen by the Associated Press news agency.
Now, BP will turn its attention to restoring areas damaged by the spill that began on April 20, 2010, when the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig exploded, killing 11 workers.
About 90% of the Gulf coast has been deemed clean, say officials. The plan spells out protocol for when an area still needs to be cleaned and when BP’s responsibility for that ends.
On Florida’s Panhandle, some people reacted with scepticism. Kenneth Collins, who rents fishing rods to tourists and spends his days with local fishermen at the Pensacola Beach pier, said he does not think the effects of the spill are over.
“It’s not ok at all. We aren’t scientists or anything but we are out there all the time and we can tell things aren’t right,” he said. Red fish, cobiafinalised, grouper and other species caught off the beach pier have oily deposits in their intestines when they are carved up for cleaning, he said.
Despite the concerns, the Coast Guard said its finalized plan would apply to all the Gulf states.
New oil that shows up on clean shores would be treated “as any kind of oil response,” said a spokeswoman.
Officials would try to determine where it came from. If a link to BP’s now-plugged Macondo well was found, then the Coast Guard would ask the oil giant to clean it up.
“This is an important milestone in the recovery process for the Gulf Coast,” said Mike Utsler, head of BP’s Gulf Coast Restoration Organisation.
Under the plan, the cleanup standards will depend on the terrain.
More oil will be allowed to remain on remote wild beaches where intense cleanup could do more damage. On beaches where people live and play, BP will be off the hook once there is no visible oil or oil is “as low as reasonably practicable” to clean up.
Marshes will be deemed clean when there is no thick oil left or when officials decide that it’s best to let nature clean up the mess.
