Photo by Igor GOLUBENKOV

On April 20, an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Louisiana exploded, killing 11 people. More than 200,000 gallons of oil are leaking into the ocean every day. So far, BP oil executives have not been able to successfully cap leak. The spill is affecting the animals and the land on the coasts of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida. The oil-polluted waters are already affecting area wildlife. More and more oil-soaked birds are being seen. Dolphins and other ocean animals have started to wash up on area beaches. With hurricane season approaching, there is a chance that the oil will become swept into the current and carried up the Atlantic Ocean and possibly over to western Europe.

Although the rig is owned an operated by BP, they can not be held responsible for all of the problems happening. Ending BP as a corporation will not change what has already happened, neither will blaming our president. BP is truly concerned and willing to pay for all damages incurred. All off-shore drilling rigs have the possibility of exploding. When Congress passed the law allowing off-shore drilling, there were obvious risks involved. Now more and more people are blaming BP instead of realizing that our government knew that this was a possibility. Everyone is equally frustrated, and hopefully this will further the research for new biofuels. I hope that the patents on alternative fuel engines and high MPG engines will be released so that we can begin to become less dependent on oil.