Gulf oil spill one-year anniversary
Fire boat response crews battle the blazing remnants of BP's Deepwater Horizon oil rig at the site of the gulf oil spill off Louisiana in this April 21, 2010 handout file photo. When BP's Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded and sank in the Gulf of Mexico last April, killing 11 workers, authorities first reported that no crude was leaking into the ocean. They were wrong. One year on, oil from the largest spill in U.S. history clogs wetlands, pollutes the ocean and endangers wildlife, not to mention the toll it has inflicted on the coastal economies of Florida, Mississippi, Alabama and especially Louisiana.
FILE - In this April 21, 2010 file aerial photo taken in the Gulf of Mexico more than 50 miles southeast of Venice on Louisiana's tip, the Deepwater Horizon oil rig is seen burning. Oil giant BP and the Obama administration were among the winners of the Jefferson Muzzle awards, given Wednesday by a free-speech group to those it considered the worst First Amendment violators in 2010
FILE - In this April 21, 2010 file photo, the Deepwater Horizon oil rig burns in the Gulf of Mexico. In the year since the Gulf oil spill, officials along the coast have gone on a spending spree with BP money, dropping tens of millions of dollars on gadgets, vehicles and gear — much of which had little to do with the cleanup, an Associated Press investigation shows. The oil giant opened its checkbook while the crisis was still unfolding last spring and poured hundreds of millions of dollars into Gulf Coast communities with few strings attached
In this aerial photo taken in the Gulf of Mexico more than 50 miles southeast of Venice on Louisiana's tip, boats with oil booms try to contain oil spilled from the explosion and collapse of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig, approximately seven miles from where the rig sunk, on Friday, April 23, 2010.
Boats try to contain oil spilled
In this aerial photo taken in the Gulf of Mexico more than 50 miles southeast of Venice on Louisiana's tip, boats with oil booms try to contain oil spilled from the explosion and collapse of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig, approximately seven miles from where the rig sunk, on Friday, April 23, 2010.
Controlled oil burn is seen near site
A controlled oil burn is seen near the site of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, Sunday, July 11, 2010.
Oil floats Gulf of Mexico near coast
Oil floats the Gulf of Mexico near the coast of Louisiana Wednesday, July 14, 2010.
Crew releases oil dispersant
The crew of a Basler BT-67 fixed wing aircraft releases oil dispersant off the shore of Louisiana, May 5, 2010.
Shrimp boat is used to collect oil
A shrimp boat is used to collect oil with booms in the waters of Chandeleur Sound, La., Wednesday, May 5, 2010.
Television reporter stands beside oil booms
A television reporter stands beside oil booms at the coast of South Pass, south of Venice, Louisiana, May 2, 2010.
Worker uses suction hose to remove oil washed
FILE - In this June 9, 2010 file photo, a worker uses a suction hose to remove oil washed ashore from the Deepwater Horizon spill in Belle Terre, La. Retired Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen, the federal government's point man on the disaster, said Sunday, Sept. 19, 2010, BP's well 'is effectively dead.' A permanent cement plug sealed BP's well nearly 2.5 miles below the sea floor in the Gulf of Mexico, five agonizing months after an explosion sank a drilling rig and led to the worst offshore oil spill in U.S. history.
P.J. Hahn
FILE - In this June 5, 2010, file photo Plaquemines Parish coastal zone director P.J. Hahn lifts his boot out of thick beached oil at Queen Bess Island in Barataria Bay, just off the Gulf of Mexico in Plaquemines Parish, La. After three long months, the bleeding from the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico has been finally, mercifully stanched. But in so many ways, the prognosis remains uncertain.
Beach goers sunbathe
Beach goers sunbathe behind a wall of hay bales, used to absorb any oil that might come ashore, on Dauphin Island, Alabama, May 11, 2010.
Oil washes ashore with waves
Oil washes ashore with the waves onto New Harbor Island, La., Thursday, May 6, 2010. Oil giant BP PLC's oil rig exploded April 20, in the Gulf of Mexico killing 11 workers. It sank two days later, and oil is still pouring into the Gulf.
Bird is seen on beach after being drenched
FILE - In this June 3, 2010 file photo, a bird is seen on the beach at East Grand Terre Island along the Louisiana coast after being drenched in oil from the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Retired Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen, the federal government's point man on the disaster, said Sunday, Sept. 19, 2010, BP's well 'is effectively dead.' A permanent cement plug sealed BP's well nearly 2.5 miles below the sea floor in the Gulf of Mexico, five agonizing months after an explosion sank a drilling rig and led to the worst offshore oil spill in U.S. history.
Crude oil washes ashore
FILE - In this June 12, 2010, file photo, crude oil from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill washes ashore in Orange Beach, Ala. The Justice Department on Wednesday, Dec. 15, 2010, sued BP and eight other companies in the Gulf oil spill disaster in an effort to recover billions of dollars from the largest offshore spill in U.S. history
Oil soaked bird struggles Iron Horse supply vessel
An oil soaked bird struggles against the side of the HOS an Iron Horse supply vessel at the site of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Louisiana Sunday, May 9, 2010.
Small dead fish floats on pool
FILE - In this June 6, 2010 file photo, a small dead fish floats on a pool of oil at Bay Long off the coast of Louisiana. Retired Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen, the federal government's point man on the disaster, said Sunday, Sept. 19, 2010, BP's well 'is effectively dead.' A permanent cement plug sealed BP's well nearly 2.5 miles below the sea floor in the Gulf of Mexico, five agonizing months after an explosion sank a drilling rig and led to the worst offshore oil spill in U.S. history.
Brown pelican is mired in heavy oil
FILE - In this June 3, 2010 file photo, a brown pelican is mired in heavy oil on the beach at East Grand Terre Island along the Louisiana coast. Retired Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen, the federal government's point man on the disaster, said Sunday, Sept. 19, 2010, BP's well 'is effectively dead.' A permanent cement plug sealed BP's well nearly 2.5 miles below the sea floor in the Gulf of Mexico, five agonizing months after an explosion sank a drilling rig and led to the worst offshore oil spill in U.S. history.
Greenpeace campaigner
A Greenpeace campaigner walks through a patch of oil on the breakwater in the mouth of the Mississippi River, May 18, 2010.
P.J. Hahn
Plaquemines Parish coastal zone director P.J. Hahn lifts an oil-covered pelican which was stuck in oil at Queen Bess Island in Barataria Bay, just off the Gulf of Mexico in Plaquemines Parish, La., Saturday, June 5, 2010.
Oil is seen floating
FILE - In this June 26, 2010 file photo, oil from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill is seen floating on the surface of the water in Bay Jimmy in Plaquemines Parish, La. As the Gulf oil spill gushed out of control this summer, BP's financial liabilities expanded so rapidly that experts wondered if the company had drilled its last well. Only months later, though, the British oil giant has pulled itself back from the brink.
