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In 2012 a well-known oil spill occurred off of the Gulf of Mexico swallowing up 580 miles worth of sea. Since then, lawyer Kenneth Feinberg has organized a compensation fund for the tragedy. Over the past two years it has raised a total of $20 billion dollars and has already shelled out a good 6 billion to 200,000 businesses and individuals. Even afterwards, plenty of residents still aren’t satisfied. Now, there is news of the newly presented settlement of $7.8 billion dollars that will demolish the risk of litigation. With this, plaintiffs can still get their money or they can chose to back out and “apply to a BP-run entity.” The problem now is the citizens aren’t sure if they want take the deal. With so much money going towards people who were affected, it is still unsure if anything has been done to help fix the environment. After all, about 400 species were threatened by the oil spill. Not only does this include whales, tuna, and shrimp but also birds, foxes, deer, and reptiles. Since these animals usually eat from the ocean, the fish killed by the oil spill are taken away from their diets. This article is relevant because it deals with a major issue that cannot just be fixed. As in the Great Depression, a huge mistake has occurred and many people have to suffer. Since the beginning, the oil spill only got worse as it went on and it took a lot for it to be stopped. Loads of money and business were lost in the process and cannot be replaced. If better decisions had been made and quicker action took place the whole thing could have been avoided. Same with the Great Depression, the mistakes the few made and many had to watch could have been prevented with better planning. This all shows how our government still doesn’t have a handle on things and doesn’t always know what they are doing or how to go about doing it. Both now and then, the government lacked structure and witty thinking and in return money, property, and business was lost. This article has to do with the environment because it talks about how the oil spill greatly impacted many. Not only did it kill creatures in the sea, it took plenty of business from working people. As citizens argue over the fund money and who it belongs to, the environment hasn’t been getting its share. Of course some stepped in to rescue animals and preserve wild life, not all that can be done has been done.
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Works Cited "$7.8 Billion BP Settlement of Gulf Oil Spill Is Just the Beginning for Deepwater Horizon Lawsuits | Ecocentric | TIME.com." //Ecocentric | A blog about all things green, from conservation to Capitol Hill | TIME.com//. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Mar. 2012. . Gerstein, Julie. " BP Oil Spill Facts - Gulf Oil Spill Statistics - The Daily Green." //Going Green, Fuel Efficiency, Organic Food, and Green Living - The Daily Green//. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Mar. 2012. .
 * Questions:**
 * 1) Should the settlement be taken or not?
 * 2) What possible alternatives can be taken that will better affect the environment as well as the people?
 * 3) Is the settlement made to help the people or to reserve money?
 * 4) Why might the citizens not being willing to take the settlement?
 * 5) What consequences could the settlement have for the people who might take it?
 * 6) Should more money go to the people or on preserving wild life?
 * 7) Will putting more money into preserving wildlife in return help out businesses?
 * 8) What could have been done to prevent the oil spill?