By Paddy Notar
At least 5,000 barrels of oil per day are spewing into the Gulf of Mexico from BP's leaking deep-water oil well. That's enough barrels on top of each other to reach the peak of Denali—every day.
The Gulf of Mexico is only one of two areas in the entire world where blue fin tuna, already in danger of slipping into extinction, come to spawn. Five of the world's seven sea turtle species live and breed in the Gulf region. Brown Pelicans, which just came off the endangered species list last year, just began their breeding season on islands directly in line of the encroaching oil. Dolphins and whales, which come to the surface to breathe, must do so now by exposing themselves to the hazardous oil slick. It's an ecological disaster.
The Exxon Valdez leaked 11 million gallons of oil into Prince William Sound 20 years ago and you can still see the remnants today. Just tip over a rock or take a shovel and dig a few inches into the earth. You'll see the oily trail that greed left behind. It's disgusting.
For the first two weeks, what was happening in the Gulf was treated as a side story or not that big of a deal. Sure it isn't. It's just our nation's food supply (one-third of all our seafood comes from that region) and living creatures that were here long before anything ever depended on oil.
Today, oil is our lifeblood. Without it, we'd be empty inside. It helps us in our everyday lives. Oil is necessary. We need it to survive. That sounds pathetic, doesn't it? That's because it is.
BP hade to go 5,000 feet to get to the ocean floor and then another 13,000 feet into the earth. Imagine jamming a giant, six-inch needle into your heart and waiting for the bleeding to stop. Guess what, wizard, it won't. You can't just shut off 210,000 gallons or more of oil coming out of the depths of the earth like an underworld volcano.
BP sources say there may be 50,000,000 barrels down there. That's about 2.5 billion gallons of oil. Think about that for a minute. The entire world is 197 million square miles. That's twelve gallons of oil for every mile. That would be catastrophic.
In closed-door meetings, since video of the gusher was released, oil executives told government officials that the spill might be as high as 60,000 barrels per day. That's just a little bit off from the original estimate of 5,000. That means there could already be 50 million gallons of oil in the water or about five times the amount of the Exxon Valdez. Wow. Very bad indeed.
Senators Murkowski and Begich introduced legislation to raise the oil spill liability to $10 billion from its current $1.6 billion. This is money that is available to be used in the case of an “unlikely” event that there's more than one spill at a time. I think we should plan on a dozen spills. What a brilliant thought process. It also offers funds to those affected by the spill, but a person must petition for it. And that's only after attempting to get money from whoever spilled it first.
Senator Begich released a press statement saying, “While we ultimately need to understand the cause of the spill and reflect on its lessons, I believe Congress still should pursue a comprehensive energy policy including responsible offshore drilling.”
I'm confused. We're leaking at least 210,000 gallons a day into a third of our food supply and some of the most sensitive breeding grounds on the planet. Haven't we proven that off shore drilling is not a responsible method? He also states that Alaskans are experts in spill response. Of course we are. I always keep a spill response kit under my sink. It's right next to the plunger and toilet paper.
Seriously, what kind of expertise will save the day if we have a similar spill in the Arctic Ocean? Those are not calm waters. There isn't a buoy in the world that could possibly contain the swell those waves carry. What if it happened in the winter during the night? Has anyone addressed these concerns?
There are some other things Alaskans are experts at, such as losing their livelihood, dying while their claims are litigated for 20 years, and getting a check that is barely enough to cover the expense for a decent funeral. We also have experience in looking at things and picturing them as they once were; pristine and majestic and now dealing with the reality of all that having been destroyed by our own unquenchable thirst for oil.
Are we willing to take the chance at destroying the Arctic Ocean, its wildlife, and the people who rely on the Arctic ecosystem for their survival–all for oil?
Here's an idea: No more offshore drilling. Take the billions you'd put into the liability fund and look for other sources of energy. It's called common sense, and it would be refreshing if the people who are supposed to represent us had a little bit of it.
Perhaps, I'm over reacting. I'm sure it'll stop soon or BP will be able to clog it with tires and golf balls, as they said they would. There won't be any long-term effects. We should drill in the Arctic. After all, we need the stuff. The environment will be fine. Just look at Prince William Sound. It all worked out. Right?
