ID3 P4TYER 2010-09-22T06:21:09-05:00PRIV XMP
USLT eng N o w t h a t B P s e x p l o d e d w e l l h a s b e e n c l o s e d o f f p e r m a n e n t l y , p e o p l e a r e j u s t i f i a b l y b r e a t h i n g a s i g h o f r e l i e f . A n d i n s o m e i m p o r t a n t w a y s , t h e d a m a g e i n t h e G u l f h a s n t b e e n n e a r l y a s b a d a s w e e x p e c t e d h u g e m a s s e s o f b l a c k o i l h a v e n t e n s h r o u d e d a l l t h e b e a c h e s a n d i s l a n d s a l o n g t h e G u l f i n t h e w a y t h a t P r i n c e W i l l i a m S o u n d w a s s o b e f o u l e d a f t e r t h e E x x o n V a l d e z . B u t j u s t b e c a u s e t h e s i t u a t i o n h a s n t p r o v e d t o b e a s h o r r i f i c a s w e f e a r e d d o e s n t m e a n i t i s n t p l e n t y h o r r i b l e , a n d d o e s n t m e a n t h a t i t m a y n o t p r o v e t o b e e v e n w o r s e t h a n t h e V a l d e z f o r m a n y c o m p o n e n t s o f t h e e c o s y s t e m . T h e r e a r e j u s t t o o m a n y u n k n o w n s h e r e . W h a t I f i n d m o s t f r u s t r a t i n g i s t h a t m a n y o f t h e s e u n k n o w n s s h o u l d b e k n o w n , b u t B P , w i t h t h e h e l p o f o u r o w n g o v e r n m e n t a g e n c i e s , h a s p r e v e n t e d s c i e n t i s t s f r o m g a t h e r i n g d a t a a n d c i t i z e n s f r o m g e t t i n g a c c u r a t e i n f o r m a t i o n .
E v e r s i n c e t h e D e e p w a t e r H o r i z o n w e l l e x p l o d e d i n t h e G u l f i n A p r i l , t h e r e s b e e n a c h a s m b e t w e e n w h a t i s h a p p e n i n g a n d w h a t i s b e i n g r e p o r t e d . S c i e n t i s t s w e r e q u e s t i o n i n g B P s e s t i m a t e s o f h o w m u c h o i l w a s g u s h i n g e v e n a s t h e C o a s t G u a r d a n d g o v e r n m e n t a g e n c i e s a t f i r s t a f f i r m e d t h e i r l u d i c r o u s u n d e r e s t i m a t e s . T h e o f f i c i a l n u m b e r o f o i l e d b i r d s r e l e a s e d b y t h e U . S . F i s h a n d W i l d l i f e S e r v i c e c o n t i n u e s t o b e a g r o s s u n d e r r e p r e s e n t a t i o n o f a c t u a l o i l e d b i r d s , i n c l u d i n g o n l y b i r d s t h a t h a v e b e e n c o l l e c t e d . T h e U S F i s h a n d W i l d l i f e S e r v i c e r e f u s e d t o a l l o w p e o p l e t o c o l l e c t o i l e d b i r d s o n t h e i r b r e e d i n g c o l o n i e s , e v e n w h e n p h o t o g r a p h s b y s c i e n t i s t s p r o v e d t h a t o v e r 8 0 p e r c e n t o f t h e b i r d s w e r e o i l e d . T h e a g e n c y c l a i m e d t h a t s o m e o f t h e b i r d s m i g h t b e b e t t e r o f f i f n o o n e d i s t u r b e d t h e m , e v e n t h o u g h t h e y a l l o w b a n d i n g o p e r a t i o n s o n b r e e d i n g c o l o n i e s , a n d e v e n t h o u g h e x p e r t r e h a b b e r s , e x p e r i e n c e d i n s a f e l y c a p t u r i n g o i l e d b i r d s , w e r e t u r n e d a w a y w h e n t h e y v o l u n t e e r e d . T h e h u g e n u m b e r s o f b i r d s t h a t w e r e o i l e d o n t h e s e i s l a n d s a r e n o t i n c l u d e d i n t h e o f f i c i a l c o u n t s . F i s h a n d W i l d l i f e i s s u e d a r e p o r t l a s t w e e k s a y i n g t h a t t h e i r [ q u o t e ] n e w d e t a i l e d r e p o r t s w i l l g i v e u s a b e t t e r i n i t i a l p i c t u r e o f t h e e f f e c t s t o m i g r a t o r y b i r d p o p u l a t i o n s f r o m t h e D e e p w a t e r H o r i z o n s p i l l , h e l p g u i d e o u r e f f o r t s t o r e s t o r e t h e s e p o p u l a t i o n s a n d h e l p e n s u r e t h a t t h o s e r e s p o n s i b l e w i l l b e h e l d a c c o u n t a b l e f o r t h e f u l l i m p a c t s o f t h e s p i l l . Y e t t h e s e n e w r e p o r t s c o n t i n u e t o i g n o r e t h e o i l e d b i r d s o n b r e e d i n g i s l a n d s , e x a c t l y a s p r e v i o u s r e p o r t s d i d . M o n t h s a f t e r b r e e d i n g e n d e d , p e o p l e a r e f i n a l l y s t a r t i n g t o g e t o n t o t h e s e i s l a n d s , b u t s c a v e n g e r s b e a t t h e m t o t h e c a r c a s s e s .
I d l o v e t o b e a b l e t o b u y t h e o f f i c i a l l i n e , t h a t m o s t o f t h e o i l w a s c o n s u m e d b y m i c r o b e s , b u t t h a t s e e m s l i k e m a g i c a l t h i n k i n g , o r l i k e b e l i e v i n g i n t h e R a p t u r e . W h e r e i s t h e o i l ? A l o t o f i t m o s t c e r t a i n l y h a s e v a p o r a t e d , a n d a l o t o f i t m o s t c e r t a i n l y h a s b e e n c o n s u m e d . B u t w e r e t a l k i n g a b o u t m o r e t h a n 2 0 0 m i l l i o n g a l l o n s . T e a m s o f r e s e a r c h e r s h a v e f o u n d a l a r g e a m o u n t o f i t c o v e r i n g t h e b o t t o m s e d i m e n t , a n d m o r e i s b e i n g f o u n d h e r e a n d t h e r e i n t h e w a t e r . A m i l e - l o n g , t h i c k o i l s l i c k s u d d e n l y f l o a t e d u p a n d w a s h e d a n e w o n t o i s l a n d s i n L o u i s i a n a s B a r a t a r i a B a y j u s t l a s t w e e k . A n d a l o t o f i t h a s w o r k e d i t s w a y d e e p i n t o t h e s a n d a l o n g m a n y b e a c h e s . L a s t w e e k , g o v e r n m e n t w o r k e r s s t o p p e d A B C n e w s r e p o r t e r s f r o m d i g g i n g i n t h e s a n d o n P e n s a c o l a B e a c h w i t h a s m a l l p u r p l e p l a s t i c s h o v e l . B P w o r k e r s a r e n t a l l o w e d t o d i g m o r e t h a n 6 i n c h e s i n t o t h e s a n d , w h i c h i s p r e t t y m u c h w h a t I o b s e r v e d a n d f i l m e d w h e n I w a s d o w n i n t h e G u l f I v e p o s t e d o n e v i d e o o f t h a t c l e a n u p o n m y b l o g . S o f a r w e r e d o i n g a n a s t o n i s h i n g l y s h a l l o w , l o w - t e c h j o b o f c l e a n i n g u p a m a s s i v e , h i g h - t e c h o i l s p i l l . I t s t i m e w e f o c u s e d o n a t h o r o u g h c l e a n u p , a n d s t o p p e d s w e e p i n g t h e m e s s u n d e r t h e r u g .
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