Nonprofit organizations are working diligently to counter the effects of the catastrophic oil spill that followed the failure of BP’s Deepwater Horizon rig in the Gulf of Mexico. Groups are aiding in cleanup efforts, protesting, raising money, and engaging in various other activities to turn anger into action. However, some nonprofits are also facing harsh criticism for accepting donations and other gifts from the oil company, and the worst oil spill disaster in the country's history has jeopardized partnerships between energy companies and environmental nonprofits.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has taken a significant step toward making more chemical health and safety information available to the public even as trade secrets claims continue to conceal such information elsewhere. A new EPA policy will reject most industry claims that chemical identities included in health and safety studies are trade secrets. Meanwhile, the oil and gas industry continues to use trade secrets privileges to thwart attempts to disclose chemical information related to the BP oil spill and controversial natural gas drilling operations.