Remember That Oil in the Gulf of Mexico? It's Still There

Thu, 2011-03-24 06:13Farron Cousins
Farron Cousins's picture

Remember That Oil in the Gulf of Mexico? It's Still There




Louisiana and Alabama have not been unscathed either, as both areas are still experiencing tar balls washing up on a daily basis. Louisiana could be in for an even harder hit, as Coast Guard officials have reported a large oil sheen stretching about 100 miles hovering dangerously close to Louisiana. Over the weekend, officials in Grand Isle confirmed that tar balls and actual oil had begun washing up on their beaches. From Lauren Kelly on Alternet on the true scope of the disaster:

Louisiana Bayoukeepers' Mike Roberts reiterated to [Rocky] Kistner of NRDC that the group saw what "looked like a huge amount of oil" in the waters off Louisiana. "They could smell it from the airplane and I could smell it from the boat. This wasn't just Mississippi River mud," he said.

However, government officials and business interests were quick to point out that this oil sheen might not be from BP’s oil, which would absolve them from responsibility in the cleanup, but also poses the more serious question of whether or not there is another oil well leaking in the Gulf of Mexico.

For residents along the Gulf Coast, the continuing presence of oil and tar balls is a constant reminder of how dangerous offshore drilling can be. But for most Americans, with the story no longer dominating the headline news, or even getting a mention, the consequences are now out of sight and out of mind. And if you listen close enough, you can probably still hear Sarah Palin shouting “Drill baby, drill!”



Both the Interior Department and...

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