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Page added on April 20, 2014
Deepwater Horizon oil spill timeline, updated from April 2010 through 2014
The following is a detailed timeline of the events regarding the Deepwater Horizon explosion and oil leak through the most recent government actions and court developments. It was compiled by multiple staff members of Alabama Media Group.
April 20, 2010: An explosion on the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig kills 11 workers. Oil begins gushing into the Gulf of Mexico from the blown-out well a mile below.
April 30, 2010: Estimates of the spill’s volume leap from 42,000 gallons a day to 210,000. The first oil reaches Louisiana marshes.
May, 8, 2010: The first tarballs wash ashore on Dauphin Island.
May 29, 2010: Spill estimates are revised upward to as many as 1 million gallons a day.
June 1-13, 2010: Ribbons of mousse-like crude oil reach Dauphin Island, Fort Morgan, Gulf Shores, Orange Beach and lower Mobile Bay.
June 14, 2010: President Barack Obama arrives in coastal Alabama to hear first-hand about the spill response and to address concerns about his administration’s handling of the disaster.
July 1, 2010: The spill passes the 140-million gallon mark. That tops the 1979 Ixtoc disaster, making the Deepwater Horizon spill the worst in Gulf history.
July 15, 2010: After 85 days, BP manages to stanch the leak with a massive cap.
Sept. 19, 2010: The well is plugged for good when cement is pumped into it through one of two relief wells.
Oil and Water: Recalling the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill This video looks back on the tense months after the April 20, 2010, explosion and sinking of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig, when for 87 days millions of gallons of oil were discharged into the Gulf of Mexico. The disaster took a toll on the environment and on industries ranging from fishing to tourism, with a harmful cost to businesses and individuals, as well as to wildlife and habitat. This video features footage, photography and reporting conducted by or collected by the staff of the Press-Register.
Oct. 12, 2010: Obama administration lifts the six-month moratorium on deepwater oil drilling in the Gulf, and Interior Secretary Ken Salazar promises more stringent safety regulations for the industry.
Dec. 15, 2010: The Justice Department files suit against BP and eight other companies, seeking to hold them liable for removal costs and damages caused by the explosion and spill under the Clean Water Act.
April 24, 2011: U.S. Coast Guard faults Transocean’s poor safety culture as contributing cause of the spill.
April 30, 2011: More than 130,000 plaintiffs – including people, businesses and government agencies – join a federal court lawsuit against BP and other companies linked to oil spill.
May 27, 2011: BP moves to have first responders and environmental groups’ claims dismissed in first substantive hearing.
June 6, 2011: NOAA decides Atlantic Bluefin tuna does not warrant protection under the Endangered Species Act.
June 23, 2011: Transocean issues 854-page report blaming BP for blowout.
July 9, 2011: BP argues against paying further claims through its Gulf Coast Claims Facility.
Aug. 25, 2011: Oil sheen is spotted again in the area above the capped wellhead.
Aug. 26, 2011: The Press-Register collects samples of the oil. Scientists confirm the sheen is the BP oil, known as MC252.
Sept. 28, 2011: U.S. Coast Guard says it will require Transocean to determine the source of the BP oil found floating above the wellhead.
Oct. 27, 2011: BP has wins approval of its first drilling permit since the spill by the federal Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement.
Dec. 25, 2011: BP prepares new ad campaign touting Gulf Coast tourism.
Jan. 11, 2012: Dauphin Island fish show up with lesions.
Feb. 22, 2012: A federal judge rules BP and Transocean liable for civil penalties under the Clean Water Act.
Feb. 27, 2012: Citing progress in settlement, U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier delays oil-spill trial.
March 2, 2012: BP agrees to settle lawsuits with fishermen, oil spill workers and others, giving tens of thousands of people an opportunity to accept money or file separate lawsuits.
Nov. 15, 2012: BP agrees to pay $4.5 billion and plead guilty to felony counts relating to the death of 11 rig workers and lying to Congress.
June 12, 2013: Coast Guard scales back its disaster response efforts in Alabama, Mississippi and Florida, freeing BP from active cleanup of the oil spill.
July 10, 2013: BP asks judge for relief from claims process, argues process rife with fraud.
Nov. 15, 2013: National Fish and Wildlife Federation announces more than $100 million for Gulf Coast environmental projects.
Dec. 20, 2013: Former BP drilling engineer was convicted for obstructing a federal investigation into the oil spill.
Jan. 10, 2014: 5th U.S.Circuit Court of Appeals upholds multibillion-dollar settlement with BP of private claims stemming from the spill.
March 13, 2014: The EPA lifts a suspension barring BP from doing business with the federal government, allowing the company to purchase new oil and gas exploration leases.
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