My Apology 2

This from a local Louisiana news outlet:

"Aging infrastructure and the volume of oil either produced or moved through Louisiana is part of the reason the state saw an average 1,500 reported oil spills a year between 1991 through 2004.

That’s about four reported oil spills a day, most of which go unnoticed by the public.

Between 1991 and 2004, reported oil spills in Louisiana involved between 91,000 gallons and 701,000 gallons a year. In percentages, Louisiana accounted for between 5.8 percent and 53.6 percent of the reported oil spill volume in the United States, according to the U.S. Coast Guard and the Louisiana Oil Spill Coordinator’s Office."

When I first read this, I thought -- well, I wonder if this is a trend in looking around and seeing what a mess things are -- being honest about the state of drilling in this country before it gets more wide spread.

I read another article -- an editorial -- that said something to the effect of Gulf-Coast opinion outcry that the west and east coasts are trying to protect themselves from off-shore drilling.

"We on the Gulf Coast don't like to think about rig or refinery explosions, pipeline leaks or oily beaches, but we understand that even with the best safety measures in place, such things could happen.

What we don't understand is why we are expected to shoulder all the environmental and economic risks of exploration and production, while other coastal states — California, Florida and the entire Eastern Seaboard — get to say "no, thank you" to offshore drilling.

They are supported by a federal moratorium that dates back to 1981, when lawmakers from the East and West Coasts rallied to protect their pristine beaches, delicate wetlands and prized wildlife.

Nobody rallied to halt or lessen the amount of drilling off the Gulf Coast. Are our beaches, wetlands and wildlife somehow less pristine, less delicate, less to be prized?"

I suppose that sometimes that's all we can do. Get pissed for the mess we are in -- get pissed that someone else has the good sense to protect themselves.

Let's face it --
we need to find cleaner ways to live.
We need to live cleaner -- and take care of each other. It doesn't do anyone any good to add to the pollution for the sake of our own lousy lot.


This post is for M. May you be happy. May you be healthy. May you be safe. May you live in ease.