May 3, 2010 Oil Spill Trajectory Map, from NOAA
The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is a monumental tragedy. Thousands of barrels of crude oil are spilling into the Gulf every day, likely eclipsing the Exxon Valdez oil spill, and the oil has already made landfall in Louisiana.
The timing couldn't be more ironic. The Obama administration announced a new proposal for expanded offshore oil exploration at the end of March, and Obama had been supportive of the proposal before the Deepwater Horizons tragedy in the Gulf. A White House spokesperson's response immediately after the explosion was a glib one: "In all honesty, I doubt this is the first accident that has happened and I doubt it will be the last." But a few days later, a White House advisor stated that Obama would not authorize additional drilling "until we find out what happened here and whether there was something unique and preventable here."
According to Larry West, Guide to Environmental Issues:
Roughly 35,000 people work on 90 big offshore oil rigs and 3,500 production platforms in the gulf. Since 2001, there have been 858 fires and explosions, 1,349 injuries and 69 deaths at those facilities. Under Obama's proposed expansion of offshore drilling, those numbers are bound to increase significantly, especially in the Arctic where extreme weather conditions will make it harder to rescue workers and contain oil spills.
Although British Petroleum says they will pay for the cleanup, and Obama has said, "BP is responsible for this leak. BP will be paying the bill," it's clear that BP can never make it up to the families of the 11 workers who died in the explosion, or to the countless wildlife who will suffer and perish as a result of this tragedy.
What You Can Do:
- The US Fish and Wildlife Service is requesting help from volunteers to provide wildlife assistance. Wildlife rehabilitators, veterinarians, and veterinary technicians are especially needed, but anyone can volunteer. Find more information here, from the International Wildlife Rehabilitation Council.
- If you see oiled wildlife, report the sighting by calling 1-866-557-1401, so the USFWS can coordinate rescue and recovery.
- Speak out against proposed offshore oil exploration in the Mid- and South-Atlantic. Comments are due May 17, 2010. Email comments to GGEIS@mms.gov with "Comments on the PEIS Scope" in the subject line. You can also mail your comments to:
Comments on the PEIS Scope
Regional Supervisor, Leasing and Environment (MS 5410)
Minerals Management Service
Gulf of Mexico OCS Region
1201 Elmwood Park Boulevard
New Orleans, LA 70123-2394 - A personal communication is best, but if you are in a hurry, the Sierra Club has a webform that lets you submit a pre-written comment on the proposal.
- Use less oil. The proposal to expand offshore oil drilling is part of Obama's energy independence strategy, but we can all do our part by taking public transportation, carpooling, driving more efficient vehicles, walking, bicycling and staying home sometimes.
Suggested Links:
- Gulf Coast Oil Spill Could Eclipse Exxon Valdez Disaster from the Guide to Environmental Issues
- Obama Halts New Oil Drilling During Gulf Investigation from the Guide to US Government Info
- Offshore Oil Tragedy: Should Obama Reverse New Policy After Deadly Explosion and Spill? from the Guide to Environmental Issues
- First Oiled Birds from Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill from the Guide to Birding
- Tell Obama: Stop Offshore Oil Drilling
Comments
You can also contribute via the Animal Rescue Site. 100% of your contribution will go to rescue efforts.
Thank you for this information, Doris! I wrote a blog post a few days ago but had a hard time finding information on how folks could help besides using less oil. I’ve updated my post with a link to your story.
http://www.downtoearthnw.com/blogs/dwellwellnw/2010/may/01/oil-spill-your-mind/
Thanks for the link, Megan! Nice blog post about consuming less! We all need a reminder sometimes.
What will it take to save Earth? I pray everyday that this oil volacano is stopped as soon as heavenly possible. Please God help us with our struggle. But first we must understand what is the root of this problem? Do you know? It is the insatiable need for two things that we don’t really need. And the two things are cars and eating meat. And do you know that the use of cars and eating meat are the two leading causes for pollution. But more directly related to this oil volcano that was created by a corporations reckless and enormously careless haste to get oil and sell it for huge profits is the fact that people’s desire for automobile use drives these companies to the mad pursuit of oil drilling. And who drives these automobiles? Mostly YOU! And you will make every possible excuse as to why you own and operate one. But it’s mostly your ego that drives YOU. Get rid of your car NOW! And save the world from devestation. Every time you put gas in your car you are contributing to the destruction of the planet. And don’t b.s. yourself. You are responsible. Sell your car! Get rid of it! Take a bus or train! And don’t tell Me “oh but I live in the suburbs and we don’t have mass transit…” Then move into a city! Don’t be an idiot. Stop making lame excuses. You are polluting the world because you are lazy and don’t want to change.
If only 1% of birds that get covered in oil survive, then why aren’t we capturing birds in the areas that will soon be inundated and putting them in some sort of refuge until their habitat is safe again? The likelihood of a bird surviving captivity for the duration of the oil spill has got to be better than 1%. I realize you can’t capture every bird, but if we don’t do something to help preserve their species they will, likely soon be endangered or extinct.