And a very short time.
Idiots are incapable of comprehending that earthquakes release petroleum from under the sea even when humans aren’t drilling. There is an ecosystem of creatures that consume it.
Read “Two Years Before The Mast”. In it you have a sailing ship running into what is clearly a patch of oil. Before the industrial revolution was fully underway.
The BP spill was a tiny little drop compared to what Sadam Hussein pumped into the Persian Gulf. No frantic, hand wringing effort was mounted to clean up the Persian Gulf, but in a few years it was fully recovered.
To this day attorneys are trying to find plaintiffs who will claim they were harmed by the spill. I received a letter yesterday informing me that I must file a claim immediately to receive the tens of thousands set aside for my benefit. Truth is, I cannot discern any harm from the spill. My business grew during that time and has continued to do so.