Framing Disaster: Environmental Group Responses to the Gulf Oil Spill

Abstract

This study evaluates environmental groups' responses to the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, looking specifically at the 'causal stories' groups tell about the disaster. Using content analysis of email communications, press releases, and blog entries sampled between April 20 and Sept. 20, 2010, I assess how environmental organizations assign blame/responsibility for the spill and the potential implications of groups' rhetoric for public understanding of the disaster and for energy policy, generally. This research sheds light on how the oil spill has impacted environmental politics and contributes to a more nuanced understanding of how groups define problems strategically to advance their policy objectives.