Here’s a look at some of the local and national news coverage on the five year anniversary of the BP oil spill:
Alabama’s Attorney General, Luther Strange penned an op-ed 5 years after the Gulf oil spill, Alabama nearer to closure published at AL.Com. He wrote, “Since I first took office as Attorney General in January 2011, one of my highest priorities has been to ensure that Alabama is fairly compensated for the damages it sustained from a disaster so catastrophic that it captured the world’s attention. I am pleased to report that we are making steady progress in our pursuit of restitution.”
Looking back at the spill Fox10 interviewed several local residents and the reactions were mixed. They reported that local resident April Linheart “is glad her family can enjoy the water. She doesn’t think the gulf coast is fully restored, but she’s hopeful for the future.” Fox’s Renee Dials quoted Linheart saying, “It’s hard to get oil out of the water. They’re trying they’re best. It’s not going to get out immediately, it’s going to take time.”
NPR published a detailed story Monday morning. The piece 5 years after BP oil spill, effects linger and recovery is slow cited Gulf Shores Mayor Robert Craft. He discussed the clean and crowded beaches you’d see today saying, “Five years ago you’d see oil all over our beach and you’d see no people here. Our beaches were ruined.” Looking at the big picture he went on to say, “Economically we’re doing really well and the environment seems to be short-term looking well too,” he said. “But what we don’t know is the long-term environmental consequences of this. It just hasn’t been long enough to know.”
In New Orleans, The Times-Picayune spoke with Jane Lubchenco, a marine biologist who ran the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration during the spill. In its report, On BP oil spill anniversary, ex-NOAA director urges major changes in federal spill contingency plan, Lubchenco details steps to do before there’s another crisis. The article stresses that during the BP spill “federal responders were forced to adapt on the run. But now its time to adjust the plan to take advantage of the lessons learned during the 2010 disaster.”
