Oil Spill Threatens Massive Damage Lasting for Decades

The massive oil leakage into the Gulf of Mexico after the explosion and sinking of the BP oil platform has given America good reason for debate

Sarah Palin and John McCain used the phrase "Drill, Baby, Drill!" in the 2008 election campaign and even President Obama made a statement about a month ago concerning the expansion of offshore drilling. Many on the political right still think offshore drilling is a good idea...even a necessity...but we all should consider not only the fiscal cost of the spill itself but also the environmental and economic cost that is inescapable at this point.

News from 04/29 was that the spill was approximately five (5) times bigger than what was first estimated and roughly the size of Jamaica.

Some of the oil was set ablaze on 04/28 in an effort to lessen the volume of the spill. The toxic smoke released into the atmosphere was actually the lesser of two evils. The winds were too high (about 20 knots) to set more of the oil on fire and with such high winds blowing over the water, it was virtually impossible to contain all the oil behind the booms used to contain it...the wind and waves caused the oil to blow over the containment booms and spread even further.

It is estimated that at least 5,000 barrels of oil was leaking into the Gulf every day.

The oil was forecast to begin hitting the Louisiana coast by Friday, April 30 (at the latest), followed soon after to hit the coasts of Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida. The ecological damage to wildlife preserves, wetlands and barrier islands will be disastrous. Fish, dolphins, shrimp, manatees, water birds and other wildlife could be decimated in a huge way.

Capitalism along these same coastlines will suffer greatly and the economic impact on the coastlines hit will devastate industries like commercial fishing. Oyster beds will be wiped out. Shrimp populations will be wiped out. The cost of cleaning up the oil will be astronomical to a country still knee deep in a recession with several trillion dollars of debt haunting our every move.

The domino effect will happen quickly, causing those businesses that rely on the fishing industry to lose jobs and shut down, in many cases. Considering how America still has not fully recovered from the financial meltdown of 2008 and unemployment is still higher than it has been since the Great Depression, this kind of economic and environmental disaster can break the backs of at least four states.

Tourism for the affected coastal beaches will also be adversely affected while beachfront property will also plunge in value.

The economic consequences will be tragic. The cost of the spill will fall party on the shoulders of the American taxpayer, no matter how much our government gets BP to reimburse. The lost jobs, small business closures and tourism dollars lost in the affected states will not be reimbursed without civil suits through a court of law and then it is not likely that everyone affected will be fully reimbursed. Damages thus far are predicted in the billions of dollars.

It is understandable how many Americans believe that we have to drill offshore in order to sustain the American appetite for energy The bigger question, though, is would it not be a better idea to stop taking such enormous chances with the environment and force ourselves to learn new habits while we are developing the technology for alternative fuels?

Have we saved more money because of the sunken oil platform than what it will cost us to clean it up combined with the damage to the environment, lost jobs and vanishing revenue? We have no idea as of yet how much damage has been done to the ocean where the spill occurred, so we do not know if there will be lasting damage yet to come.

The spill is being called "potentially catastrophic" but it seems that it has already gone beyond the "potential". There are already lating catastrophies between the fishing industries, tourism and wildlife...and that is not even counting the damage being done to the fish, turtles and other widlife living in the deep ocean close to the oil spill that may not be capped for another few months.

America needs to change our energy habits and stop scrambling for the cheapest way out. We need to buckle down, make the difficult choices and do without a bit. We do not have to have all the luxury or ease that we have spoiled ourselves with. Our arrogance has led us to a path where we are all too happy to risk our future as well as our children's future for the likes of oil and oil based products.

It has already been two weeks that the oil has been spiling into the Gulf of Mexico but it will be at least two or three more months before the leak can be stopped.

America will have to grow up and be responsible sooner or later...now is a good time to start.