So what exactly happened?

On April 20, British Petroleum drilled a new well in the Gulf Coast. Natural gas and oil escaped from the well, causing the drilling platform to become damaged and explode. As a result, the drilling platform sank and pulled a pipe from the well down with it. That pipe is now leaking at multiple locations on the ocean floor, particularly near Louisiana, and the oil will continue to spread if no action is taken.

What is BP doing about it?

BP’s website said on June 28 that the company was using two systems to extract oil from affected areas. To date, BP has managed to extract 435,600 barrels of oil, but there are still millions of gallons of oil in the Gulf. Plans for a more effective containment system, which would extract 20,000 to 25,000 barrels of oil per day, are in development. Two relief wells, which BP believes would kill the flow of oil and gas from the reservoir by pumping in heavy fluids, will take at least three months to complete. BP has paid more than $2.65 billion in grants to Gulf states, federal costs, spill response efforts and relief well drilling.

How is the oil spill affecting the environment?

Animals that live in the wetlands are greatly affected by the oil covering their homes. The spill threatens the viability of oysters, shrimp, shellfish and other seafood, which then affects fishermen and restaurateurs who work in this industry. Currently, 36 percent of the gulf is closed to fishing. Pelicans were just removed from the endangered species list last year, but are now back in trouble. A bird’s feathers lose their ability to insulate when covered with oil, which eventually leads to hypothermia. To save itself, a bird may attempt to clean its feathers, which would cause it to die from ingesting the toxic oil. The National Wildlife Federation said that five of the seven species of sea turtles live in the Gulf Coast, all of which are endangered or threatened. Other animals that don’t necessarily reside in the Gulf, such as American crocodiles, will still suffer because they eat fish, turtles, wading birds, and other animals contaminated by the oil.

— National Wild Life Federation

Where is the oil headed?

The oil spill, which began just south of Louisiana, will continue to spread because of a warm front in the Gulf Stream called the loop current. The loop provides a mode of transportation for the oil to move across the coasts of Alabama and Mississippi and down the west coast of Florida. It will then continue to travel south, possibly affecting the Florida Keys. A hurricane could change this pattern and possibly spread the oil further. If the oil spreads to south Florida, it could then swoop up to the southeast side of Florida and continue north.

What does Kevin Costner have to do with it?

The “Waterworld” and “Dances with Wolves” actor spent more than 15 years and $20 million developing technology to extract oil from water. Costner and his company, Ocean Therapy Solutions, created a machine that they said was able to clean 210,000 gallons of water per day and would leave water 99 percent pure. The invention was presented to BP, which purchased 32 of the vaccuum-like machines to use in their clean-up efforts. Costner told the Los Angeles Times he planned to donate 80 percent of the profits from the sale to struggling parishes in the Gulf.