STAGE TUBE: GLEE Lends Support to Gulf Oil Spill

In an effort to help promote volunteerism in the gulf, GLEE has lent their rendition of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow," featuring Matthew Morrison, to a new promo spot for the Environmental Defense Fund. The Environmental Defense Fund partners with communities, companies, other non-profits and governments to find practical environmental solutions.

The BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is now considered the largest offshore spill in history, with tens of millions of gallons spilled to date. The spill stems from a sea floor oil gusher that resulted from the April 20, 2010 Deepwater Horizon drilling rig explosion. The explosion killed 11 platform workers and injured 17 others.

The gusher, now estimated by the quasi-official Flow Rate Technical Group to be flowing at 35,000 to 60,000 barrels (1,500,000 to 2,500,000 US gallons) of crude oil per day. The exact spill flow rate is uncertain due to the difficulty of installing measurement devices at that depth and is a matter of ongoing debate. The resulting oil slick covers a surface area of at least 2,500 square miles, with the exact size and location of the slick fluctuating from day to day depending on weather conditions. Scientists have also reported immense underwater plumes of oil not visible at the surface.

 The spill has also damaged the Gulf of Mexico fishing and tourism industries. There have been a variety of ongoing efforts to stem the flow of oil at the wellhead. Crews have been working to protect hundreds of miles of beaches, wetlands and estuaries along the northern Gulf coast, using skimmer ships, floating containment booms, anchored barriers, and sand-filled barricades along shorelines. The U.S. Government has named BP as the responsible party in the incident, and officials have said the company will be held accountable for all cleanup costs resulting from the oil spill.

For more information on the Environmental Defense Fund and how you can help, visit www.edf.org.