Day-59: Oil Spill could have powered 115,000 cars for a year

WASHINGTON: The oil wasted due to the Deepwater Horizon spill, could have fuelled all of the 100,000-120,000 cars for a year in any one of these cities,Buffalo, Las Vegas, Pasadena, Hartford, or Topeka, as of June 17, day 59 of the catastrophe.

Prof. James J. Corbett's website at the University of Delaware features the full list of U.S. cities and counties that could have fuelled its vehicles from the oil spill.

The UD website calculates daily the number and kinds of transportation vehicles the spilled oil could have supplied.

It also now includes a map showing the different cities and counties whose cars could have been fueled for a year.

If all the spilled oil so far had been used for fuel, it could have powered 115,000 cars and 8,800 trucks for a year, according to Corbett.

The latest calculations are based on the average estimated spill rate of 50,000 barrels of oil per day, announced by scientists on June 15.


Visitors to the website can select from a range of reported spill rates.

The website also provides information on how to reduce risks of future oil spills.