Fifteen years since the Deepwater Horizon blast killed 11 workers and released 134 million gallons of oil into the Gulf, the crisis rages on. Health lawsuits come to a standstill, landmark restoration efforts halt, and offshore drilling resumes once more under the Trump administration.
Families grieve, courts deny the victims, and BP gets ready to drill 40 additional wells. Environmentalists fear the best opportunity to restore the Gulf is fading away. The tragedy continues to define lives, politics, and the delicate environment. Justice, however, is still out of reach.
Health Victims Denied, Delayed, and Dismissed
Tammy Gremillion lost her daughter Jennifer following the oil spill. Jennifer worked on the BP cleanup for pay. She came back covered in oil, smelling of fumes, and eventually died of leukemia. Gremillion attributes the death to chemical exposure. She sued in 2022.
Her case is one of the few remaining. Of 4,800 health-related claims, courts rejected almost all. Only one was settled. The majority of victims were paid about $1,300 each through a 2012 health settlement.
Attorneys with the Downs Law Group report that BP used technicalities to deny court access. BP claims its oil or chemicals did not cause injury and questions the credibility of medical professionals. The company will not comment on pending cases.
Restoration Breakthroughs, Abruptly Halts
BP shelled out billions for damage to the environment. The Natural Resource Damage Assessment Trustee Council approved more than 300 Gulf projects totaling $5.38 billion. Wetlands, reefs, and marshes experienced real gains. The tragedy ignited creativity.
But Louisiana’s $3 billion anchor land-building project is now stalled for 90 days. Governor Jeff Landry suspended it due to threats against shrimpers, oyster fishermen, and dolphins. The project would add 21 square miles of new land from river sediment. Its fate is uncertain.
BP Sets Sights on Drilling Again
Offshore oil and gas drilling, in spite of the Deepwater Horizon legacy, will come again. The Trump administration is poised to hold new lease sales off the Gulf coast. The move is hailed as a boon for “energy dominance” by the American Petroleum Institute.
BP just made a new discovery. It will drill 40 wells during the next three years. It says it has learned and stepped up safety measures.
Environmental Justice Still Out of Reach
Champions such as Oceana’s Joseph Gordon sound warnings that the spill should be a warning. But for people such as Gremillion, the warning comes too late. Her daughter is dead. Her case languishes. The legal system, she says, holds little promise.
Restoration benefited landscapes but hurt many individuals. Courts deny them acknowledgment. New drilling now looms to erase what progress exists.
