Obama to do ‘all necessary’ to restore Gulf Coast

US PRESIDENT Barack Obama yesterday vowed to do “whatever is necessary” to restore the Gulf Coast on the anniversary of the BP rig explosion, which caused the worst maritime oil spill in US history.

“The events that unfolded on April 20, 2010, and the oil spill that followed underscores the critical link between the environment and economic health of the Gulf,” Obama said in a statement.

“My administration is committed to doing whatever is necessary to protect and restore the Gulf Coast.”

One year ago an explosion and fire on the BP- leased Deepwater Horizon oil rig killed 11 workers and destroyed the platform, eventually causing some 4.9 million barrels of oil to gush into the Gulf of Mexico.

The oil spewed into the ocean for three months before the well was capped and had a devastating impact on Gulf Coast residents, the local ecosystem and the region’s vital tourism and fishing industries.

Obama vowed to “hold BP and other responsible parties fully accountable for the damage they’ve done and the painful losses that they’ve caused”.

But his remarks emphasised the continuing recovery efforts, saying that some 2,000 “responders” are still taking part in the clean-up.

“From the beginning, my administration brought every available resource to bear, amassing the largest oil spill response in our nation’s history.

“At the height of the response, approximately 48,000 men and women worked tirelessly to mitigate the worst impacts of the spill. While we’ve made significant progress, the job isn’t done.”

The spill was 19 times larger than that caused by the 1989 Exxon Valdez tanker disaster, and is surpassed only by a 1910 gusher in California.

Yesterday, relatives of the 11 men who died aboard the Deepwater Horizon oil rig flew over the Gulf of Mexico. On land, vigils were held in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida to mark the spill.

Transocean Ltd, who operated the rig, invited up to three members of each family to attend the flyover. Beneath the sea, 11 stars were imprinted on the well’s final cap.

Most scientists agree the effects “were not as severe as many had predicted,” said Christopher D’Elia, dean at the School of the Coast and Environment at Louisiana State University.

However, biologists are concerned about the spill’s long-term effect on marine life.

“There are these cascading effects,” D’Elia said. “It could be accumulation of toxins in the food chain, or changes in the food web.”

BP took a $40.9 billion (€28.17bn) loss in 2010 related to the spill, including $13.6bn for the initial response. It set up a trust fund with an initial $20bn to cover claims from fishermen and others affected by the spill.