But when the leaks aren’t repaired soon, the BP spill may overtake the iconic Valdez tragedy in quantity. The truth is, they BP spill could already be larger than the Exxon Valdez spill.

This is not the primary time British Petroleum has run into trouble. In 2005, a large explosion occurred at the corporate’s Texas City, Texas, refinery, killing 15 workers and injuring 170 others. The company was fined $87 million for negligence. A 12 months later, the company ran into problems once more when it was cited for leaking round four,800 barrels of oil into Alaska’s Prudhoe Bay, due to a corroded stretch of pipeline. The company was warned about the corroded pipe four years earlier however did nothing to fix it — and was fined $20 million for ignoring opportunities to prevent the spill.

With a view to give you a better sense of just how massive the unfolding tragedy within the Gulf is, we dug out some stunning statistics:

The dimensions of the Spill

127,000 barrels: Amount of oil BP’s containment cap has collected since its set up on June 5. (Source: Press Association)

60,000 barrels: The quantity of oil believed to be gushing from the spill. That’s twelve occasions greater than the unique estimate of 5,000 barrels a day. In all, 60,000 barrels a day means an estimated 2.5 million gallons a day is leaking into the Gulf. (Supply: Enterprise Week)

11,300 miles: The distance around the world the present quantity of leaked oil would stretch if it was placed in milk jugs lined up aspect by facet. To quantify, that’s farther than New York to Buenos Aires, Argentina, and again. (Supply: New York Times)

102: The number of faculty gymnasiums that would theoretically be stuffed flooring-to-ceiling with oil from the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. (Source: New York Instances)

130 miles long and 70 miles large: Measurement of the oil slick as of May 17. The slick continues to grow and transfer. (Source: New Orleans Times Picayune)

11: Variety of workers missing and presumed lifeless following the BP rig explosion. (Supply: Huffington Put up)

Lower than 4: The variety of hours the millions of barrels of oil which have spilled into the Gulf of Mexico would have powered the U.S. Financial system. (Supply: NPR)

The Clean Up

436,000 gallons: Number of gallons of dispersant sprayed on the oil spill to break it up. Thus far, round 4 million gallons of oily water have been recovered. (Source: AP)

50,000 barrels of “heavy mud”: Amount of mud used in BP’s “prime kill” technique of stopping the circulate of leaking oil. The mud is to be pressured into the leaking well so as to beat the oil and cease its circulation. This methodology has been used before however by no means at the depths of the Gulf of Mexico oil leak. (Source: Guardian)

The associated fee

12,000: Number of Louisiana residents who have filed for unemployment since the spill, most of which have come from the southern part of the state most intently impacted by the spill. (Supply: Every day Finance)

$1.6 billion: The confirmed value of the Gulf oil spill to BP, as of June 14, 2010. (Supply: Press Association)

$5 to $forty two million: Range of BP’s estimated fines, per day. On the low end, is the associated fee based mostly on BP’s conservative estimate of 1,000 barrels a day being misplaced. On the excessive end, an estimate of 14,000 barrels a day, which is generally thought of a more accurate estimate of the leak. As of Could 26, which means BP could possibly be fined anyplace between $37 million to $1.5 billion. (Supply: Home of Representatives)

$75 million: The federal government-mandated cap on oil company liability. Some representatives are calling for the cap to be lifted and a brand new $10 billion greenback cap be put in place. (Supply: Los Angeles Occasions)

$1.5 billion: Amount in insurance claims specialists consider the BP spill will cost insurers. (Source: Business Week)

$sixty two million: Quantity paid out in claims to 26,500 Gulf residents, as of June 14, 2010. (Source: Press Association)

The Risk to Life

four hundred: Number of wildlife species threatened by the spill. Threatened species embrace sea life comparable to whales, tuna and shrimp; dozens of species of birds; land animals such because the grey fox and white-tailed deer; and amphibians such as the alligator and the snapping turtle. (Supply: New Orleans Instances-Picayune)

At the least 30: Species of birds the Audubon Society says are potentially threatened by the oil spill. These include marsh birds, ocean-dwelling birds and migratory songbirds. All reside in “Important Bird Areas,” according to Audubon, designated because of their “essential habitat value.” Among the most weak species is the brown pelican — the state bird of Louisiana — which was only recently faraway from the endangered species checklist. The spill is especially devastating for bird populations because it coincides with the beginning of breeding season. (Source: Audubon Society)

25 million: Variety of birds that traverse the Gulf Coast per day, and that are potentially at risk from the oil spill. In line with the LA Times Greenspace Blog, “Late spring is the peak time for neo-tropical songbirds transferring from the Yucatan Peninsula to make their first landfall in Louisiana,” and “greater than 70% of the country’s waterfowl frequent the gulf’s waters.” (Source: LA Occasions Greenspace Weblog)

11 million: Number of gallons of oil leaked into Alaska’s Prince William Sound in 1989 by the Exxon Valdez oil leak. It is broadly thought-about the worst oil spill in U.S. history, although various bigger spills have occurred world wide, most notably the 2002 Prestige spill off Spain. (Supply: CBS News)

400: Variety of oil projects illegally authorized for operation within the Gulf of Mexico below Interior Secretary Ken Salazar. In accordance with the middle for Biological Diversity, the oil surveys and drilling operations threaten marine mammal life within the area. (Source: Middle for Biological Diversity)

Background on the Gulf Oil Spill

27: Variety of offshore gulf drilling operations approved because the BP spill. Two of these had been awarded to BP. (Source: Middle for Biological Diversity)

30 %: Percent of the nation’s oil production derived from the Gulf of Mexico. (Supply: E2 Wire)

1 billion: Variety of gallons of oil spilled into the oceans annually, Gulf of Mexico spill notwithstanding. (Supply: Union of Concerned Scientists)

137.8 billion gallons: Quantity of gasoline Individuals consumed in 2008, down 3% from 2007. (Source: U.S.

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