Sand berms have proven to be an ineffective strategy for protecting the coast from last April’s Deepwater Horizon oil spill, according to a new report from the presidential commission investigating the spill. Scientists (such as Len Bahr, who penned an article for The Scientist) had warned the berms were a “foolish” idea, and would not have the desired effects.

...according to ScienceInsider, the commission’s report concluded that the $220 million was not worth the 1,000-or-so barrels of oil the berms trapped (relative to the nearly 5 million barrels likely released during the spill).