BP: Bringing oil to American shores

By Alex Pearlman and Jen Schmidt

This is Part II of III in a series. Read Part I.

Millennials face the possibility that their beautiful Southern (and maybe even Eastern) beaches could be tained by black gold for years to come. And despite the protests, tweets, and posts, indignation won’t help the fact that by the time the relief drills BP is drilling to curb the leak  are finished and operational, the economic and environmental effects on the Gulf of Mexico will be catastrophic.

Although, there has been some indication that the ecosystem of the Gulf may be able to survive and recover from this spill because of its ability to control naturally produced oil (finger’s crossed!). But it is yet to be seen, or even alluded to, how long that recovery could take.

According to The Gulf of Mexico Foundation, naturally produced seepage accounts for nearly 1.1 million barrels of oil every year in the Gulf. While the Executive Director of the foundation, Dr. Quenton R. Dokken, uses this number to seem remarkably calm about the oil spill in an attempt to quell fears of what could happen. Some easy math proves that this spill is spewing crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico at a rate 6.3 times faster than natural leakage.

Already, in the 40-odd days since the spill, approximately 790,000 barrels worth of oil have flowed into the water.

Conveniently, the Gulf of Mexico Foundation is chaired by representatives from partnering organizations such as Transocean and BP – the two parties most liable for this disaster. While it may be easy for Dr. Dokken to play down the misrepresentation of oil flow rates from BP, or to underestimate the environmental impact to the Gulf, it’s clear that things are different.

The impact on the ecosystem along the Southern coast of the United States will be devastating for sure, but the purely economic problems now facing the coastal states may be insurmountable. The seafood industry in Louisiana alone accounts for $2.4 billon of this country’s economy, and already, a mere 42 days after the leak began, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association has shut down 23% of the industry, which is a loss of over $550 million. With previous leaks of equal or lesser magnitude lasting over nine months, the repercussions of this leak could be massive.

Jobs are already hard to come by for recent grads and now this massive hit to the south’s economy is the last thing the Gen Y of the south needs is another yet another industry run aground.

For a quick comparison, look at the state of the fishing industry along the coastline of Alaska. Over 21 years ago, the Exxon Valdez ran aground and spilled over 11 million gallons of crude oil into Prince William Sound. According to CNN, the herring population died out or simply left the area and has cost the region $400 million dollars. Fishermen lost an average of 30% of their annual income and have not yet been able to regain any profit lost from the devastation of their industry.

The damage to the seafood industry along the Gulf coast will be huge, and will only continue to grow as measures to stop the leak continue to fail. The loss of tourism revenue, decreased property values and ever-increasing damages to the area will be overwhelming. And even worse is the affect this spill will have on the wildlife population of the region.

The Mississippi delta is home to nearly 75% of all U.S. waterfowl species. Oil continues to creep into these wetland areas and further upriver, endangering the birds’ nesting and resting habitats. Richard Charter of the Defenders of Wildlife says, “[The oil spill] is so big and expanding so fast that it’s pretty much beyond human response that can be effective…You’re looking at a long-term poisoning of the area. Ultimately, this will have a multi-decade impact.”

The immediate impact of this oil spill can be seen through the startling images of wildlife dripping in oil, and the varied accounts of dead sea life washing up on shore. Can you imagine the look of these beaches five or ten years down the road, after the oil has seeped in, and your children playing on the beach are playing near sickly birds and swimming with ailing fish?

According to the numerous organizations working within the impacted zones, 507 birds, 238 sea turtles, and 24 mammals (including dolphins) have been affected by the oil spill; the majority of which have been found dead.

More than 400 separate species call the Gulf Coast and its surrounding islands home, and as oil cakes onto their feathers, reduces the oxygen levels in the water, and poisons the soil, we may be seeing something very different than the “very, very modest” impact envisioned by BP for years to come – and we, as a generation, need to take action now to prevent spills like this from happening again in our lifetimes.

Part III of III will be published tomorrow. Check back!

Photo by marinephotobank