As we are all painfully aware, candid communication has been elusive since this disaster began on April 20th. In the interest of setting the record straight –– breaking through the rhetoric and misinformation –– here are the cold hard numbers surrounding the worst environmental catastrophe in U.S. history.
$163 billion
BP profits from 2001 to 2009
$365 million
Cost to build the Deepwater Horizon oil rig
5,000
Depth, in feet, of the wellhead and the sunken rig
18,000
Depth, in feet, of the oil reservoir
30,000
Number of other oil wells in the Gulf
50,000
Barrels of “heavy mud” used in BP’s failed “top kill” effort
11
Number of workers killed when the Deepwater Horizon rig exploded and sank on April 20th (ironically on the 40th anniversary of Earth Day)
1,000
Number of barrels per day originally estimated to be leaking from well
5,000
Number of barrels per day (210,000 gallons) leaking from well as adjusted estimate
20,000-40,000
Number of barrels per day leaking from well in further adjusted estimates
35,000-60,000
Number of barrels per day leaking from well in most recent estimates
100,000
Number of barrels leaking per day from well based on BP’s worst-case scenario
15,000
Number of barrels per day BP says it is siphoning from the runaway well
100-145 million
Number of gallons that have leaked into the Gulf of Mexico since the start of the disaster in April, based on most estimates
11 million
Number of gallons of the Exxon Valdez oil spill—until now, the worst in U.S. history
14
Number (approximate) of Exxon Valdez spills it would take to match BP spill
$7 billion
Cost of the Exxon Valdez spill
$2 billion
Amount BP has spent so far on Gulf oil spill cleanup
1.1 million
Number of gallons of toxic chemical dispersant Corexit that BP has used to break down spill
174
Number of miles of Gulf Coast oil spill has impacted
10-15
The percentage of spilled oil that is typically recovered during these disasters
400
The minimum number of species threatened by the oil spill
957
Number of dead birds reported so far as a result of the spill
353
Number of endangered sea turtles found dead as a result of the spill
41
Number of dolphins and other marine mammals killed as a result of the spill
25 million
Number of birds that cross the Gulf Coast every day, putting them at risk from the oil spill
75
Percentage of U.S. shrimp production that comes from the Gulf Coast
$20 billion
Size of the newly created BP victims’ fund
86
Number of oil cleanup workers who have gotten sick, as reported by BP
109
Number of oil cleanup workers who have gotten sick, as reported by state officials
65,000
Number of claims submitted to date from victims of the spill
32,000
Number of payments BP has made to victims
$105 million
Amount BP has paid out to victims of the spill
$1,000
Amount BP could be fined per barrel that leaks into the Gulf under the Oil Pollution Act of 1990
$3,000
Amount BP could be fined per barrel in the case of “gross negligence”
$10 million
Amount per day BP is accruing in fines based on conservative estimates
$225 million
Amount per day BP is accruing in fines based on worst-case scenario (including “gross negligence” finding)
$91 billion
Amount of market value BP has lost since the disaster began April 20th
$60
Approximate BP share price before disaster
$30
Approximate BP share price as of June 20th
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