It has been two years since that day when the Deepwater Horizon oil drilling platform exploded on the Gulf of Mexico. That day marked when 11 people lost their lives and 17 others were injured.

It also marked the beginning of the largest oil leak into the ocean and the second largest oil disaster in America, only being succeeded by the Lakeview Gusher in 1910. But, the only disaster that can be compared to this one is the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska in 1989. The oil tanker leaked an estimated 750,000 barrels of oil into the Alaskan coast near Valdez.

Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Secretary Robert Barham says that they are still having problems there, even after 28 years since the spill, according to an Alaskan official he has been in contact with.

To this day, Louisiana and the other southern states affected by the spill have been cleaning and repairing along with the company that has taken responsibility for the incident, BP.

BP initially set up a $20 billion fund to help people in these states affected by the spill get back on their feet and get compensated for losses. The fund has paid out over $5 billion at this point and is expected to continue to pay out more and more. Willis Group Holdings, the global insurance broker, estimates that BP's costs could hit as high as $30 billion at the end of it all.

Many different websites and forums for ideas have been established to help the restoration of the
Gulf Coast back to what is was like pre-spill. Sites such as restorethegulf.com and the USGS's plans.

Different bills have been submitted to congress and local and state government. Some have passed, while others have failed. One of the lucky ones to have passed was the Restore Act, a bill aimed at setting up a trust fund made up of the fines that were paid for the disaster and distributing them accordingly.

It will take years for the cleanup to be completely finished, but Louisiana, along with the other affected states, will do their best.

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