Timing of Gulf Oil Leak Apt
The oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico reminds us of the dangers of oil extraction at a time when we’re moving in the direction of opening more of our coastal waters to the industry.
The massive oil slick is within walking distance of the Louisiana coastline, with more than 200,000 gallons of crude spilling into the Gulf daily. Now larger than Maryland, the spill continues to grow as officials at BP, which rents the Swiss-owned Deepwater Horizon drilling rig that exploded April 20, are working to contain the leak located nearly a mile below the surface.
Ultimately oil will wash up along a coastline that stretches from the white sand beaches of Florida – some of the best in the world – to the Louisiana swamps, threatening hundreds of miles of coastline across four states, in waters that support prime wildlife and tourism areas; threatening oyster beds and barrier islands, already fragile ecosystems, delicate rookeries and estuaries.
But the main question – the elephant in the room – has to do more with the timing than any potential environmental impact. It has more to do with human nature than Mother Nature.
The real issue in this day and time involves what we honestly think about offshore drilling, now that the economy is starting to surge and with it, the price of gas, heating oil and other petroleum-based products. Are we willing to take on more risk to save money at the pump?
As recreational boaters, we depend on fuel for cruising, but we depend more on the uplifting effect life on the water has on our psyche. The possibility of oil rigs changing our course to blue water, or worse yet, the possibility of an oil slick destroying our reason for being on the water, cuts to the core.
What’s next for us? Do recreational boaters raise their voices in the energy arena? And to what extent do we resist or acquiesce? While there are arguments on both sides of this issue, the one tenet we must continue to abide by is to do all we can to keep blue water blue.
