Controversial Gulf Sand Berms Did Little to Contain Oil, Report Says

A controversial series of sand berms built in the Gulf of Mexico to keep leaking oil from reaching Louisiana’s wetlands has stopped a “miniscule” amount of oil, according to a federal report. According to a presidential commission created to investigate the BP oil spill, the U.S. Coast Guard’s approval of the $360 million barrier was made under “intense political pressure,” especially from Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, who ordered the berms be constructed despite objections from scientists and federal agencies. The government approved 40 miles of sand berms; so far, about 14 miles of berms have been built at a cost of about $195 million. “The decision to green-light the underwhelmingly effective, overwhelmingly expensive Louisiana berms project was flawed,” the report concluded. Even before the project was approved, critics called it a boondoggle that would rapidly wash away, would use sand needed for other coastal restoration projects, and would alter currents, with adverse effects on oyster beds and other marine life.