BP Oil Spill One Year Later: U.S. Vows To Support The Gulf

One year after the explosion that caused the BP oil spill, the worst environmental disaster in U.S. history, the effects are still being felt. Despite progress on several fronts, the link between the environment and the economy is becoming clearer and clearer.

President Barack Obama said in a statement that, with 2,000 responders in the Gulf providing aid, the recovery is far from over.

“We continue to hold BP and other responsible parties fully accountable for the damage they’ve done and the painful losses that they’ve caused,” Obama said “We’re monitoring seafood to ensure its continued safety and implementing aggressive new reforms for offshore oil production in the Gulf so that we can safely and responsibly expand development of our own energy resources.”

No! They are not monitoring seafood. Why? The seafood is NOT safe!

“The events that unfolded on April 20, 2010 and the oil spill that followed underscores the critical link between the environment and economic health of the Gulf,” he said.

The last fisheries finally opened on Tuesday, and local economies are beginning to rebound, according to the Economist. The economic and environmental reaches of the disaster extend far beyond coastal communities, however. As for BP, their liabilities continue to grow:

Although it is hard to tote up the company’s ultimate liabilities while the assessments are still under way, it incurred $13.6 billion in response costs in 2010 and has agreed to put $20 billion in an escrow fund, to pay damages to individual claimants for business losses and to state and local governments for clean-up efforts.

After serious scrutiny and a drilling moratorium, the Gulf oil industry is beginning to pick up as well.

Praise the lord.

Still, some criticize both BP for not doing enough to help the affected communities and the U.S. government for not adequately holding the company accountable.

Heaven forbid we get BP angry with us.

Remember how Rep. Joe Barton apologized to BP? Bless his black little heart, albeit not as black as the fish and wildlife that once inhabited the Gulf. OFW. 

************************************************

A computer once beat me at chess, but was no 
match for me at kick boxing.        
                         

************************************************