The Biloxi-Gulfport Sun-Herald in Mississippi reported on the visit and remarks of Rep. Gene Taylor and Marine Resources Director Bill Walker who flew over the Gulf oil spill on Saturday.
“At the moment, it’s not as bad as I thought it would be,” he[Taylor] said, shortly after returning from the three-hour tour. Taylor told a group of reporters waiting at Atlantic Aviation he was less concerned about the spill after witnessing its movement firsthand.
“This isn’t Katrina. It’s not Armageddon,” Taylor said. “A lot of people are scared and I don’t think they should be.” He described the spill as a light, rainbow sheen with patches that look like chocolate milk..."[emphasis mine]
He said the closest he saw oil was 20 miles from the Louisiana marsh and that it was further than that away from the Chandeleur Islands and even further from the barrier islands.
“It’s breaking up naturally; that’s a good thing. The fact that it’s a long way from the Mississippi Gulf Coast, that’s a great thing, because it gives it time to break up naturally,” he said.
I'm sure Taylor was trying to allay his constituents' fears. However, I am quite sure he hasn't the slightest idea of the oil spill's ramifications.
Apparently, Dir. Walker agreed with Taylor's unconcerned assessment.
Walker said the sheen could collect on beaches and in estuaries, but it will evaporate within a week.
Walker’s plan is to let any sheen that makes its way into the marshes evaporate naturally.
“That’s what we will probably do, is leave it alone and let nature take its course,” he said.
I am no marine biologist or ecological expert; in fact I have absolutely zero knowledge on the subjects. But my Alaskan friends do, and I invite them to weigh in on their experiences with what the Exxon-Valdez oil spill cost them.
This Alaska Daily News headline was published on July 26th, 2008, almost 20 years after the Exxon-Valdez spilled 10.8 million gallons of oil into Prince William Sound. 1300 miles of Alaskan shoreline was affected.
The recent BP Gulf oil spill is projected to be considerably more catastrophic than the Exxon-Valdez spill. So I have a couple questions for Rep. Taylor and Dir. Walker.
A: Does this look like a rainbow or chocolate milk?
B: Does this look like it broke up or evaporated naturally - 20 years later?
UPDATE:
Reader Ethan correctly points out that I have neither Coast Guard or oil response and cleanup experience, which I disclosed above, and directed me to another blog insulting the reading comprehension of Huffington Post readers. I don't believe I linked to the Huffington Post article.
“I want people to know that is this is not Hurricane Katrina. This is not Armageddon. I did oil prevention and response during my 13 years in the Coast Guard many years ago. The oil spill is certainly bad. And it’s terrible that there’s a spill out there. But I would remind people that the oil is twenty miles from any marsh. The spill starts breaking up in smaller pieces naturally. “As the Commandant (of the Coast Guard, Admiral Thad Allen) pointed out, there's going to be places that look like chocolate milk. That's maybe 15% of the total spill. But the rest of it looks more like a diesel fuel sheen and as you get to the edges of it as the Commandant said, it gets a lot thinner.” [emphasis is the Congressman's]
“I’ve had a lot of people stop me … it almost strikes me as the day after Katrina. People are that concerned. I wish this never happened. Yes it’s bad out there. But it’s not on our shore. … And the oil is tending to break up the farther you get from the source, which is a good thing.”
“I’ve had a lot of people stop me … it almost strikes me as the day after Katrina. People are that concerned. I wish this never happened. Yes it’s bad out there. But it’s not on our shore. … And the oil is tending to break up the farther you get from the source, which is a good thing.”
It should be noted that Rep. Taylor did not say 'rainbow' sheen as was reported by the Sun-Herald and many other organizations. After a bit of research, I could find no direct quotes from any news outlets of the Congressman using the word 'rainbow.' I stand corrected and hereby formally apologize to Congressman Taylor for my sloppy reporting.
I agree with the Congressman that this is not Armageddon or Katrina. There is no loss of life, destruction of land and property or economy on the scale of Katrina. He probably has been approached by many panicked constituents and hoped to alleviate some of their concerns.
However, as many in the public service sector will tell you, language is important. The terminology you use can come back to bite you in the ass.
Although Taylor has 13 years of experience in oil response and cleanup to my zero years of experience, I stand by my assertion that he downplayed the effects this oil spill will have on the environment, wildlife and those who depend on tourism, fishing and other related industries.
Oil blobs and sheen line the waters of Chandeleur Sound, Louisiana.
A hard hat covered in oil is found in the waters of Chandeleur Sound, Louisiana.
A hard hat covered in oil is found in the waters of Chandeleur Sound, Louisiana.
10 comments:
These photos make me so sad especially for the lives lost in the explosion and the wildlife who have no idea what has happened to them and they did nothing to 'create' the problem so radically alter their universe.
For the idiots stating it's like chocolate milk or the ocean will take care of itself and the oil will dissipate in a week - they are living in an alternate universe and have their priorities confused. I would love it if they could be dunked into the Gulf just for a few minutes and let's find out how their stupid opinions have changed.
I think you need to do some better reading up on Congressman Taylor's comments. CHeck out this article:
http://carsonbrackney.com/2010/05/they-dont-understand-your-writing/
It seems that Mr. Brackney has a much better understanding of what Congressman Taylor said than you do. You probably didn't even take the time to read everything he said or listen to what he was actually saying.
How many years did you spend in the Coast Guard? Oh really, none, interesting that you wouldn't listen to someone who has 13 years of experience handling oil response and cleanup then.
@ Anon 6:47
The photos above were actually from the Exxon-Valdez disaster but were used to show the ramifications of such a large spill.
I agree with you regarding the lives lost (why so little news coverage of them?) and the potential destruction of our wildlife. We humans seem to care more about industry than protecting the other living beings on our earth.
This catastrophe continues to be described as an oil spill. It is not an oil spill--it is oil hemorrhaging from the earth's surface, at a depth of 5000 feet, from the sea floor. The term "oil spill", I think, makes it possible to maintain more optimism than I can muster--sort of like, "well, we've cleaned these messes up in the past, we'll just be doing it again." Can-doism at its best. I don't remember how long it took Red Adair and crew to contain the Gulf War oil fires, but as I recall it required an unprecedented approach without a lot of certainty of success. Meanwhile the media is busy distracting us with nonsense interviews with the likes of Michael "heckava job" Browne, who is out and about, criticizing and questioning the administration's concerned and measured response. Thanks Matthews, we needed that. I agree with you about language being important; I just get the sense that we are not hearing the truth, which is that the industry is without any fail-safe fix in the near future. I'd like to be hearing more from the engineering and scientific community--when I read this many differing opinions I start feeling my inner "Chicken Little".
Nancy,
The LA Times reported BP executives told Congress that the "'spill' could grow at a rate more than 10 times current estimates in a worst-case scenario."
They also reported, "A source who attended the meeting said that the companies' representatives had a "deer in headlights" look and that the tenor of the conversation was that the firms "are attempting to solve a problem which they have never had to solve before at this depth…at this scope of disaster."
That pretty much confirms what you said.
For the last week, I've been thinking that this disaster has highlighted many of the same type of problems the banking/Wall Street industry has - lack of adequate regulation and very little accountability.
You and I are definitely on the same page.
What seems to be missing from those who would downplay this massive destruction of an already embattled eco-system is the long term effects on the aqua culture ... forget the massive impact on tourism when people come to the white sandy beaches of Florida and find them full of black tar. We already have dead zones..places in the oceans that have no oxygen. Catastrophe's like these only hasten the death of our oceans...and if our oceans die, how much longer will it take for our planet? If this sounds extreme it is...but downplaying these incidents is as foolish as sticking one's head in the sand, all the while leaving one's backside up and available for abuse.
Anon 9:10
First I have to laugh (unintentionally) at your last descriptive sentence. Oh, the visual!
But on a serious note, we have been destroying this earth for decades, all in the name of progress. It's about time we start taking care of it if we're going to live here. And our 'leaders' need to be the role models here rather than catering to special interests.
BTW, I wasn't aware of oceanic dead zones. Thanks for the info. I will have to look that up.
Decided that I'd share this note with you that I rec'd from the "Universe"......yes, that "Universe".....amazing who asks to be your friend on facebook. Interesting perspective on the gulf oil spill.
__________________________________
On the very bright side, Marla, never in peace time history has there been such a gallant effort, by so many people, spending so many billions of dollars with no end in sight, to rapidly clean up your environment.
Never before have numerous heads of state and representatives of a corporation as large as many smaller nations, pledged to work together, sharing expertise and resources to get a job done.
Never before have so many prayer and meditation groups suddenly formed, amongst and in between every religion and those belonging to none, to foster healing of your precious planet.
Never before have finger pointers, conspiracy theorists, and blame mongers been so idle and unnecessary in the face of such a tragedy.
Never before have industry titans across every sea chosen to reexamine their own safety procedures, revisit their own environmental safeguards, and expend their own fortunes to voluntarily reflect upon and demand that they do an even better job from this day forward.
And to top it all off, Marla, your planet has a loving, brilliant consciousness all her own, and of her countless balancing acts, healing herself is one in which she truly shines.
Of this, and so much more, you can be very, very proud.
Yee-haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!
The Universe
ps - little can ease the suffering or stem the pain over lives lost and careers halted, Marla, but human nature is every bit as resilient and courageous as mother Earth, and we are simply awed by what we see unfolding from here. All hail... before humankind.
the oil spill is a trajic me being a yong age barely understands these things in life but i know whith a little effort in our economy and a change to the use of our recourses we could have a better enviroment for not only our generation but the next as well
stellastorm
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