MoJo's BP Oil Spill Coverage

Since the Deepwater Horizon exploded and sank in April 2010, Mother Jones' reporters have written more than 500 articles and posts about the resulting disaster. Here's a few of the best. Scroll down to browse their full coverage of the BP oil spill.

The BP Cover-Up

BP and the government say the spill is fast disappearing—but dramatic new science reveals that its worst effects may be yet to come.

By Julia Whitty

 | September/October 2010 Issue

"It's BP's Oil"

Running the corporate blockade at Louisiana's crude-covered beaches.

By Mac McClelland

 | Sun May. 23, 2010 11:14 PM PDT

"We Don't Need This on Camera": BP's Crappy Cleanup Job

Photos from an unauthorized trip to a cleanup area.

By Mac McClelland

 | Fri Jun. 11, 2010 7:55 AM PDT

MoJo's BP Mole

An insider dishes on the secrets of BP's cleanup operation.

By Mac McClelland

 | Thu Jun. 3, 2010 6:56 PM PDT

Depression, Abuse, Suicide: Post-Spill Trauma

"My husband's talking about finding BP CEOs and hurting them..."

By Mac McClelland

 | Fri Jun. 25, 2010 2:00 AM PDT

"The rig's on fire! I told you this was gonna happen!"

A lawyer suing BP offers new evidence that Deepwater Horizon managers knew trouble was brewing.

By Josh Harkinson

 | Mon Jun. 7, 2010 2:00 AM PDT

Did BP's Rig Pass A Key Safety Test—Or Not?

Fresh allegations from a Deepwater Horizon survivor raise new questions about the company's version of the accident.

By Josh Harkinson

 | Tue Jun. 15, 2010 2:00 AM PDT

BP's Secret Ticket Request Line

Want free passes to NBA games and concerts? Just call the world's most hated oil company. (If you're a California politician.)

By Josh Harkinson

 | Tue Jul. 20, 2010 3:00 AM PDT

BP's Bad Breakup: How Toxic Is Corexit?

Why BP doesn't have to tell the EPA—or the public—what's in its dispersants.

By Kate Sheppard

 | September/October 2010 Issue

Is the Gov't Low-Balling the Spill Size?

By Kate Sheppard

 | Thu Jun. 3, 2010 9:15 AM PDT

Does Moratorium Judge Have a Conflict of Interest?

Federal disclosure docs show a portfolio packed with offshore drilling and oil firms.

By Kate Sheppard

 | Tue Jun. 22, 2010 10:51 AM PDT

BP's 10 Biggest Screw-Ups

From the top hat to the top kill, it's getting hard to keep track of them all.

By Kate Sheppard

 | Wed Jun. 2, 2010 2:00 AM PDT

BP's Damage Control: A Timeline

When did Tony Hayward say, "I want my life back"? How many times did Joe Barton apologize and unapologize to BP? Your source for spill trivia.

September/October 2010 Issue

BP

Former BP Boss Says Deepwater Horizon Wasn't His Fault

In court, former BP executive Tony Hayward says cost cutting did not lead to the oil rig explosion.

By

| Wed Feb. 27, 2013 2:28 PM PST

BP to Government: $21 Billion Fine is 'Excessive'

Oil giant says it would rather go to court than continue negotiations.

By

| Wed Feb. 20, 2013 11:19 AM PST

BP's Oil and Especially Dispersant Toxic to Baby Corals

Coral larvae of at least some species are vulnerable to Deepwater Horizon oil and are especially likely to die when exposed to Corexit dispersants, report the authors of a new study.

By

| Wed Jan. 9, 2013 2:08 PM PST

Chemical Dispersant Made BP Oilspill 52 Times More Toxic

A new study shows mixing oil with the dispersant Corexit greatly increased toxicity to the Gulf of Mexico's ecosystems.

By

| Tue Dec. 4, 2012 3:04 PM PST

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Is the BP Criminal Settlement Enough?

The DOJ announced a $4.5 billion settlement for criminal charges related to the Gulf spill. Should BP pay a bigger price?

By

| Thu Nov. 15, 2012 1:55 PM PST

BP Selling Oil Fields in Gulf of Mexico Ahead of Deepwater Horizon Fines

The sale will raise $5.6 billion as BP prepares for fines that could reach up to $20 billion.

By

| Mon Sep. 10, 2012 1:05 PM PDT

Investors Sue BP Over Safety Claims

Six investors say that the oil giant lied about its ability to drill safely.

By

| Tue Sep. 4, 2012 3:17 PM PDT
Shell gas sign

Feds Greenlight Shell to Begin Arctic Drilling Prep

The spill response barge isn't ready, but Shell can now start poking holes in the Chukchi Sea.

By

| Thu Aug. 30, 2012 3:16 PM PDT

Big Oil's Scorecard in Iraq

How an American disaster paved the way for Big Oil’s rise—and possible fall—in Iraq.

By

| Thu Aug. 23, 2012 12:53 PM PDT
Lolo Jones, BP Team USA

BP's Olympic Ads Seek To Erase Oil Spill From Memory

Has the petroleum giant succeeded in buying back its enviro cred?

By

| Sat Aug. 11, 2012 3:03 AM PDT

BP Spill Workers Say Dispersant Made Them Sick

But the company that made the 1.8 million gallons of chemicals dumped on the Gulf says it should not have to pay for medical claims.

By

| Wed Jul. 11, 2012 10:50 AM PDT

Dramatic Decline in Microscopic Life on BP's Oiled Beaches

Months after BP's Deepwater Horizon blowout Gulf beaches looked clean. The biological story is a lot murkier.

By

| Wed Jun. 6, 2012 2:00 PM PDT
deepwater horizon

BP Sends a Chill Through the Scientific Community

A court granted BP's request for private email correspondence between scientists.

By

| Mon Jun. 4, 2012 11:49 AM PDT

Occupiers Take to the Farm

Activists in Albany, California have staged an occupation of a different kind of public space—a farm.

By

| Wed May. 16, 2012 3:00 AM PDT

2 Years Later, Grim Photos From the BP Disaster

The oil-slicked turtles the government didn't want you to see.

By

| Mon May. 7, 2012 3:00 AM PDT

Feds File First Criminal Charges Related to BP Gulf Spill

The first charges filed in the worst environmental disaster in US history target an individual employee for his actions.

— By Abrahm Lustgarten, ProPublica

| Fri Apr. 27, 2012 3:00 AM PDT

BP, Dow Chemical Sponsoring the "Greenest Ever" Olympics, and UK Enviros Aren't Having It.

London promised it would host "the greenest Games ever." So why is BP an Olympic "Sustainability Partner"?

By

| Wed Apr. 25, 2012 1:54 PM PDT

BP's Corexit Oil Tar Sponged Up by Human Skin

A new study by the Surfrider Foundation finds BP's Corexit-tainted oil remains entrenched on the beaches and in the shallows of the Gulf, and that human skin likes nothing better than to suck it up and not let go.

By

| Tue Apr. 17, 2012 3:04 AM PDT

Cuba's Mysterious Ultra-Deep-Water Oil Rig Surfaces

The first deep-water rig off Cuba appears to be drilling on the edge of the Florida Straits—a swift-water connector between the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean.

By

| Wed Apr. 11, 2012 1:41 PM PDT

Barataria Bay Dolphins Severely Ill

The dolphins who live year-round in the waters hardest hit by BP's oil are underweight, anemic, have low blood sugar and/or some symptoms of liver and lung disease, and will likely not survive.

By

| Mon Mar. 26, 2012 2:48 PM PDT