After the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig explosion , the Obama Administration ordered the EPA , the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Interior to coordinate federal emergency response efforts . Jackson 's agency oversaw environmental and public health concerns during the Deepwater Horizon oil spill , including air and water monitoring and assessing aquatic life and other environmental destruction . Jackson authorized and defended BP 's choice to use the dispersant Corexit to combat the 210 million gallons of oil spilled in the Gulf of Mexico . The use of Corexit was criticized because it 's more toxic and less effective than other EPA approved dispersants , which later studies showed that Corexit had major effects on the aquatic life 's food chain in the Gulf of Mexico . While testifying before the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee , Jackson called the use of dispersants an " environmental tradeoff " , and that " We know dispersants are generally less toxic than the oils they break down . " Jackson 's agency is facing a lawsuit in response of the spill from health and environmental groups for not setting adequate guidelines on how and where dispersants can be used safely . Jackson was designated by President Obama to serve as Chair on the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Task Force , a federal effort to restore damages and preserve the ecosystem in the Gulf of Mexico
Deepwater Horizon oil spill
Deepwater Horizon oil spill
Lisa P. Jackson