The White House and BP have been hiding the truth about the Deepwater Horizon disaster in the Gulf.
After almost two years after Greenpeace submitted a Freedom of Information Request for images and information related to the BP Gulf of Mexico disaster, we finally received the first batch of files. The images are disturbing and beg the question: What else about the Gulf disaster is the White House and Big Oil hiding from the public?
The (horrible) picture below is of a “critically endangered” Kemp’s Ridley sea turtle.
Here some more of the images that we are releasing today. Take action and demand that the White House immediately make publicly available all the images, files and documentation before they reach a settlement with BP.
“These images of dead sea turtles, completely covered in oil, present a very different picture than what we were told by US officials,” said John Hocevar, a marine biologist with Greenpeace. “While the White House was trying to keep the emphasis on rosy stories of rescued animals being released back into the wild, they were sitting on these images of garbage bags full of Kemp’s Ridley sea turtles.”
We remain concerned about what else BP and the government scientists saw, what else they documented but never showed the public. These photos are a grim reminder of the real damage that reckless oil corporations cause and also remind us never to stop pushing for transparency and accountability from Big Oil and the government that supposedly regulates its activities.
Greenpeace submitted over 50 different FOIA requests to various State and Federal agencies starting in May 2010. We continue to receive documents from those requests which are published on Greenpeace’s PolluterWatch on an ongoing basis
This is the original FOIA request that produced these photographs.
We published 300 new government aerial photographs received via FOIA two weeks ago.
UPDATES:
Mother Jones covering the story: 2 Years Later, Grim Photos From the BP Disaster
Washington Post: Previously unreleased photographs show impact of BP oil on endangered sea turtles
Huffington Post: BP Oil Spill Photos Posted By Greenpeace Following Freedom Of Information Request
Trying to force rose-colored glasses on the public to gloss over the devastation in the gulf will be a short-lived effort. The results of the catastrophe there will turn up over and over again, as we are continuing to see – and it will continue for probably decades to come.
Shame on BP, shame on the gov’t. Shame on everyone who has played a part in the denial.
Shame on you if you do use gasoline and gasoline related transportation.
These images are the sad reality: the sea turtle have the right to live in a sea.
This sea is not “owned by BP,” we can not remain indifferent. Yes, there is still time to react. To take action now and alert all of our contact. with our means (simple or more) but all together to save sea turtles.
I contacted my friends and [w]akes up many people .
Thank you K.R.
Regards (from europe)
S.P
I think Sea is not own by any human beign. We think as if we are the owners of this world with a piece of govt paper in our hand.
My parents were just down on the Gulf Coast (Alabama). They were shocked that there was no impact from the oil spill at all…. they never would have believed there was an oil spill there at all. It makes sense though, considering far more oil comes up from the ocean floor every year vs. the amount of oil that spilled by BP.
This is misleading. Yes, the devastating effects of the spill are real. What isn’t real is the implication that the White House has released pictures of a happy, shiny turtle being cleaned with a toothbrush. The White House never released that photo. If I’m wrong, I’m sure Greenpeace will happily provide a link. Putting out false information about Obama’s handling of this is likely to tip things in Romney’s favor. How would that work for big oil in the gulf?
This is Really sad thing to see that to make your life ease with technology we are killing harming another living thing.
This is Really sad thing to see that to make your life ease with technology we are harming another living thing.
Gruesome photo’s but I saw very similar photo’s in newspapers at the time of oil spill. My question is, how many sea turtles were found to have died in the disaster? Also how many gulls, pelicans, etc.? Any manatees?
RJ
Thank-you Greenpeace for requesting this information, otherwise it would be another thing thats just brushed under the carpet. We all need to be constantly reminded what the cost of our very comfortable lives are.
That is so wrong. How could they not let the public see this. They must be cowards. May bp sink and go to hell.
I already “took action” with the online module and took great pain to address our President. Here is the text of my letter if anyone’s interested:
“I will spare you a simple echoing of the Greenpeace letter that has reached your inbox countless times, for I believe that a call to action is much more effective when the person making it shines through. Sure, there is strength in numbers, but a legion of faceless, copied letters doesn’t have the same effect. When one encounters evidence of the people behind them – the fact that these are all different individuals who may have profound differences, but have set such things aside to rally behind a common cause – that is powerful. It shows that there are things that reach beyond the endless divisions that we are placed in — be they natural or artificial, forced upon us or chosen by us — something that affirms our common humanity and reiterates that we are nothing without the bountiful resources of our planet, that we must exist in harmony with the Earth if we are to survive and build a worthwhile future for our progeny. You chose apt words in your inaugural address: “the time has come to set aside childish things”. This is what we are doing in our unified effort with Greenpeace; not because it is pleasant (I, personally, had trouble seeing this letter through to completion), not because of any mere personal interests at stake (I have been relatively well insulated from the direct impact of the Gulf spill), but because it is simply right, and that our future and our children’s future depends on it. I hope this message resonates with you, Mr. President, for this matter is something that, for good reason, has become an increasing concern for not just Americans, but citizens of the world at large — although I have little doubt you recognize that.
What I do have doubts about is whether enough will be done about the incredible lingering damage from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and whether you will do your part to ensure that the debt that BP owes to the world is duly repaid. Like all the others sending you a letter under the banner of Greenpeace — and, I would hope, many others attempting to contact you without their assistance — I have seen the recently released images documenting damages from the Deepwater Horizon disaster that are normally not in the public eye. These images have reawakened my concern for our environment and my desire to see the responsible parties brought to justice and their debt to society and the Earth repaid. I do not believe that BP themselves, even with the utmost of good intentions, have any right to determine the extent of their obligations and the amount of work that has to be done in order to mitigate the consequences of the Gulf disaster. That right, in every such redressing of grievances, has always lied solely with the victims – those who have been harmed by the direct and indirect effects of the oil spill. One might argue that such a proposition is misguided, given that the Earth itself has taken much of the damage, but as our relationship with our planet dictates, this really makes all of us victims by proxy. Indeed, the ocean being such a vital part of our ecosystem and commerce, there will be few indeed who are NOT victims of the spill in some way.
This is what happens when the natural resources vital to our lives are degraded, and the widespread damage is still mounting. This is a matter of utmost importance, and needs to be addressed as soon a possible, but that does not mean we can afford to remove critical thought from the equation, or skip the due process we are owed as citizens. I can hardly put this in clearer words than Greenpeace themselves: before your administration reaches a settlement with BP, Mr. President, the public needs to have open access to everything else BP and government scientists saw — in short, access to a complete picture of the damage incurred from the Deepwater Horizon spill — in order for us to reach an agreement that is fair, just and effective. It IS of utmost importance that the public know exactly what BP is being held accountable for…and that you and the rest of the White House, as our highest representatives, will do your best to hold them to OUR terms.
Thus, I call on you to take immediate action for the public release of any and all documentation regarding the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The only way justice can be done is through the critical examination of its lasting consequences and what can be done to prevent further degradation of our natural capital.
As for offshore drilling, I initially found myself significantly less opposed to it than many of my fellow Greenpeace supporters. However, I have since been educating myself more on the consequences of the practice and feel that its risks may outweigh its benefits, and that it provides more opportunities for ecological disasters on scale with the BP to occur. That is something I think we cannot afford, and I cannot continue to tacitly endorse such a practice with good conscience. Therefore, I must also ask of you to put any further offshore drilling prospects on hold.
I realize, Mr. President, that I am asking you to make monumental decisions, to fight the latest in a long line of difficult battles. I cannot fathom how immensely difficult it is to run a country in crisis, to be encumbered with the countless burdens of restoring America, to face civil turmoil and a Congress locked in polarized partisan combat. However, in the face of all this, you have still had your triumphs, even though many of them were small and silent. Do this, however, and it will be a triumph that everyone can appreciate and no-one can ignore. You will have come through for the American people in a way that few other Presidents can ever claim to have done. As I have mentioned before, this crisis and its ongoing aftermath have united us and affirmed our common humanity, but we cannot afford to be united only in times of trial. The time has come to remind everyone that we all share a stake in the natural bounty of our planet, and that engendering hostility by speaking only the language of victory and defeat may eventually result in mutual devastation. You may speak words similar to this, and no doubt they will be appreciated by some, but I believe that taking action to hold BP fully accountable will speak more loudly and clearly to the American people than any speech.
I believe in you, Mr. President, and I hope that action towards restoring the environment, and by consequence, the betterment of all citizens, will be the language you choose to speak in.”
This disgusts me. It really makes me want to vomit. Those trash bages full of seaturtles, cast aside like flotsam. Just think of the monumentous impact this has made in the population of all marine life, sea turtles and all. Many are horrified by BP’s “little slip up”, but for every person working against them, BP has a person working for them. How can one look at these pictures and not feel the urge to slay the humans responsible for this?! Their behavior is hardly human, and I feel sickened to be part of their race.