“An Evening with Tuscaloosa’s Waterkeepers” will feature watershed presentations and new photography exhibits by the two Waterkeepers protecting Tuscaloosa-area waterways: Nelson Brooke (Black Warrior Riverkeeper) and John Wathen (Hurricane Creekkeeper).
Dr. Doug Phillips of Discovering Alabama will deliver a special introduction. The show is working on a new documentary on BP’s oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
The admission, parking and food will be provided for free, although both nonprofit Waterkeeper Alliance organizations will accept and encourage optional donations.
Looking at the sunset over Mobile Bay from the north side of the Fort Morgan peninsula, knowing that the Gulf of Mexico and the bay nearby are full of crude oil from the Deepwater Horizon, one can’t help but wonder if this is the final sunset in the summer of discontent for a way of life on the Gulf coast. Nature will heal itself over eons of time. The question is: Can wildlife and human communities dependent on this nature now survive the BP oil gusher of 2010?
One of the most common, iconic photos in the French Quarter, especially among the faithful who come here to expose themselves to a little sin, is the backside of the St. Louis Cathedral after dark. Sometimes you can also get the moon in the shot. [Click on the image for a larger view]
The Big Picture
by Glynn Wilson
THE FRENCH QUARTER – Some folks along the Gulf of Mexico coast believe in prayin’ at a time like this, when such an unmitigated disaster befalls them in the form of British oil and chemicals killing their sustenance.
They fought the British and ran them out of here a long time ago, but they allowed them back in corporate-style, just like the tea companies of old, back when capitalism was called mercantilism.
This time the British have won, it seems, in spite of pretty statements about the region coming back, the diversity of life that is — and the life itself spawned by that diversity.
Other folks may say the disaster is just another plague sent to punish men for sin.
Some may even interpret those sins to be what goes around comes around to those who flaunt wealth and power to rape Mother Nature, all while pretending to believe in a god through their political lackies.
RACCOON ISLAND, La. – Members of Shoreline Cleanup Assessment Team (SCAT) survey Raccoon Island for oil debris on the shoreline and wildlife. Raccoon Island is a protected bird breeding sanctuary with a variety of breeds. SCAT is working in partnership with the U.S. Coast Guard, BP, local residents and other federal agencies to aid in preventing the spread of oil following the April 20 explosion on the mobile offshore drilling unit Deepwater Horizon.
On the 30-day anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon rig explosion that has led to what may be one of the worst environmental disasters this country has ever seen, Defenders of Wildlife takes a look at 20 ways the oil industry and our federal government have failed to keep us safe from the dangers that offshore oil and gas drilling poses to wildlife and coastal habitats.
They also recommend Ten Ways Congress and the administration can make changes that could help prevent future oil catastrophes and mitigate the impacts of the current crisis.
1. In a failure to appropriately weigh cost and benefits, the U.S Minerals Management Service (MMS) decided several years ago not to require offshore drilling rigs to include remote-controlled shut-off mechanisms because “they tend to be very costly.”
2. Despite a 2008 report by Inspector General Earl Devaney detailing the lack of accountability and ethical standards at MMS, the Bush administration and Congress failed to act on the report and reform the agency.
3. A history of spills and rig fires, including a “significant pollution incident” in 2005, failed to raise red flags about operations aboard the Deepwater Horizon.
4. On April 6, 2009, MMS granted British Petroleum (BP) a “categorical exclusion,” exempting them from submitting an environmental impact analysis of the Deepwater Horizon rig because a massive oil spill was “unlikely.”
5. Multiple failures lead to malfunctions in safety devices on the Deepwater Horizon rig.
President Barack Obama met with members of his Cabinet Friday to get another comprehensive update on the ongoing administration-wide response to the disastrous BP oil spill in the Gulf region, and the President made clear his frustration with BP and the other parties involved in the spill. He committed once again to ensuring they are held accountable for picking up the tab, and recapped the administration’s efforts to tighten up the regulation of offshore drilling sites.
“The potential devastation to the Gulf Coast, its economy, and its people require us to continue our relentless efforts to stop the leak and contain the damage. There’s already been a loss of life, damage to our coastline, to fish and wildlife, and to the livelihoods of everyone from fishermen to restaurant and hotel owners,” President Obama said. “I saw firsthand the anger and frustration felt by our neighbors in the Gulf. And let me tell you, it is an anger and frustration that I share as President. And I’m not going to rest or be satisfied until the leak is stopped at the source, the oil in the Gulf is contained and cleaned up, and the people of the Gulf are able to go back to their lives and their livelihoods.”
Now, the most important order of business is to stop the leak, the president said.
Winds are forecast to be persistently from the southeast throughout the week, according to the latest 72-hour forecast issued by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
These moderately-strong onshore winds (up to 15 knots) have the potential to move new oil onshore.
The Mississippi Delta, Breton Sound, the Chandeleur Islands and areas directly north have a potential for shoreline contacts throughout the forecast period. Oil observed to the west of the Delta offshore of Timbalier Bay could threaten shorelines as far west as Atchafalaya Bay by Thursday, according to the NOAA forecast.
During the Bush years, we specialized in covering the politicization of the U.S. justice system as much as any news organization. Our archives are about the most comprehensive for anyone researching the prosecution of former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman, and the original case against Richard Scrushy, which Glynn Wilson covered for The New York Times.
