BP Prevents Sea Turtle Rescue

I just read an e-mail that said BP was burning sea turtles alive. I followed the link to the June 20^th, 2010 article at Raw Story http://rawstory.com/rs/2010/0620/
bp-burning-sea-turtles-alive/.

I was astounded when I read the article by Dennis Tencer. Why did BP prevent Mike Ellis, a boat captain, from rescuing these sea turtles? Mike Reed at Gather.com also wrote about this event http://news.gather.com/viewArticle.action?
articleId=281474978314916.

According to an NPR interview http://www.npr.org/templates/story/
story.php?storyId=127747646 there are five types of rare or endangered sea turtles in the Gulf of Mexico. The most common specie of sea turtle found dead because of the oil spill is the rare Kemp's Ridleys, sea turtle. According to the Endangered Species Act harming one can bring criminal penalties between $25,000 - $50,000 in fines and imprisonment.

It boggles the mind that BP would prevent people from trying to rescue these animals. When this story first broke I was sure that the initial estimate of oil spilling was a very low estimate. The stories we here about the people who can no longer work because of this disaster is appalling. I realize that it must be a logistical nightmare to sort out the monetary assessment. Yet it seems that again BP is paying these individuals and small companies as little as possible. It also seems they are putting many obstacles in the way for people to collect the money that BP owes them. I was horrified when I read the e-mail head line "BP is burning sea turtles alive" but it didn't surprise me.

Environmental News Network http://www.enn.com/press_releases/3417 reported on July 1, 2010 that the Center for Biological Diversity joined shrimp boat captains and conservation partners in a lawsuit filed in New Orleans to halt the oil burning until the turtles can be rescued. The lawsuit seeks a temporary restraining order against BP for violating its lease under Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act. BP's lease requires the company to comply with all environmental "statutes and regulations."

If you want to take action you can click The Move On link to sign a petition that says: "BP: Stop blocking the rescue of endangered sea turtles before you burn them alive in your 'controlled burns.'"http://pol.moveon.org/seaturtles/?id=21503-13656639-1HkG1Nx&t=6

Craig, C. (Photographer, You-Tube). (2010) Venice, Louisiana, boat captain [Web]. Retrieved from http://moveon.org/r?r=89249&id=
21503-13656639-1HkG1Nx&t=9

Morgan, C. (2010). Gulf of mexico sea turtles may be burning with oil, groups plan to sue bp . Miami-Dade Herald, Retrieved from http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/06/30/
1707733/concerned-about-sea-turtles-groups.html

Restraining order sought to halt bp oil burning until endangered sea turtles are saved. (2010, July 1). Retrieved from http://www.enn.com/press_releases/3417

Shogren, Elizabeth. (2010, June 10). Sea turtles among oil spill victims. National Public Radio, Retrieved from http://www.npr.org/templates/story/
story.php?storyId=127747646

Tencer, Daniel. (2010, June 20). Bp burning sea turtles alive. Raw Story, Retrieved from http://rawstory.com/rs/2010/0620/bp-burning-sea-turtles-alive/