Tuesday, April 27, 2010

This Spill Is Bad News

The situation in the Gulf with respect to the ongoing oil spill is getting worse by the day. It is threatening the coasts of at least 4 states. The news in the AJC this morning made a big deal out of the potential negative impact on the 'Redneck Riviera' along the Florida panhandle and Alabama Gulf Coast and really neglected the impact on the wildlife and sea life along the Gulf. This is prime habitat for dolphins and myriad sea birds not to mention the oysters and fisheries that thrive here. Just a small amount of crude washing over this area will be devastating to the natural habitat for hundreds if not thousands of species. The economic impact on tourism will be bad, granted, but the economic impact on all the people that depend on the Gulf and its waters will be impacted for years and years. We have already trashed the area where the Mississippi dumps into the Gulf with a huge dead zone due to agricultural and industrial run off. This oil spill will be devastating.

So far, word from the White House is that this horrible spill has not caused them to pause or rethink their calls for more offshore drilling. This was a state-of-the-art oill platform with supposedly every safeguard in place and yet here we are facing another event as tragic or even more so than the Exxon-Valdez. This event should be having all the 'drill baby drill' crowd running for cover. Let's hope some sense comes into play here.

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