AdvertisementIsland's Recovery May Set Example For Gulf ResidentsJuly 29, 2010Wade GoodwynfacebookEmailOil burns at the Ixtoc 1 offshore drilling rig in December 1979. The rig dumped 140 million gallons of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico and covered about 170 miles of the South Texas coast, including Galveston. (Liaison/Getty Images)