The damaged Macondo well spilled about 168 million gallons of oil over
87 days, until it was finally capped on July 15, 2020. This was the largest
oil spill in history and has been called the worst environmental disaster
in the U.S. Tens of thousands of birds, sea turtles, marine mammals, and
fish were harmed by the spill, with pollution reaching more than 1,000
miles of shoreline. The spill also caused billions of dollars in economic
losses in the Gulf of Mexico and the loss of about 22,000 jobs.