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Clean Water Act
Made it unlawful to discharge any pollutants from a point source into navigable waters, unless a permit was obtained. It keeps 700 billion pounds of pollutants out of our waters annually, has slowed the rate of wetland loss, and doubled the number of waters that are safe for fishing and swimming. -
The Amoco Cadiz Oil Spill
The Amoco Cadiz, a carrier stocked with nearly 69 million gallons of light crude oil, ran aground off the coast of France. I attempted to free the carrier it clipped rocks and the impact released the oil. About 200 miles of the French coast was polluted by the oil slick, which killed millions of invertebrates, such as mollusks and crustaceans, and an estimated 20,000 birds, and contaminated oyster beds in the region. -
The Persian Gulf War Oil Spill
Iraq’s leader ordered the invasion and occupation of Kuwait with the aim of acquiring that nation’s large oil reserves. In response, the United States amassed a coalition and after months of fights the Iraqi force retreated, but in the process ignited hundreds of Kuwaiti oil wells. To prevent the US from landing troops, Iraqi forces released hundreds of millions of gallons of oil into the Persian Gulf. The Persian Gulf oil spill likely harmed or killed over 114,000 animals. -
The Mingbulak (or Fergana Valley) Oil Spill
Occurred in Uzbekistan. Oil spilled into a valley close to the city of Fergana after a well blowout. Before the pressure in the hole started to drop, the oil caught fire and burned for two months. More than 88 million of the allegedly released 88 million gallons were shielded from flames by berms and dikes. the Fergana Valley Oil Spill did not have a lasting effect on the environment, marine life, society, or the economy and built relations between the U.S. and Uzbekistan. -
Matt Damon
Co-founder of Water.org, which provides innovative solutions to the world water crisis including the microfinance program WaterCredit. Water microloans allow borrowers to improve their access to clean water and then repay the money so it can be redeployed to other communities. They also partner with communities to construct and maintain clean water projects. -
BP’s Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill
After a surge of natural gas blasted through a cement well cap, the gas traveled up the rig’s riser to the platform, where it ignited. 134 million gallons of oil were released. The oil spill caused an $8.7 billion impact on the economy of the Gulf of Mexico including losses in revenue, profit, wages, and close to 22,000 jobs. It was concluded that exposure to the oil caused a wide range of adverse health effects such as reproductive failure and organ damage.