This Time, The Stakes Reach Far Beyond The Big Easy
by Larry Lagarde
Almost 5 years after Katrina, the New Orleans region is again ground zero for a man-made catastrophe of mind boggling proportions: the destruction of the Mississippi delta ecosystem and the killing of untold numbers of wildlife from shrimp to whales.
Experts are predicting that within 2 months, the oil spewing from the damaged seafloor wellhead of the Deepwater Horizon will exceed the oil released by the Exxon Valdez. Additionally, it is expected that stopping the oil flow will call for measures that will take even more months to finish.
When will America wake up?
Eleven men lost their lives on this rig pursuing the oil our nation craves. The growing oil slick will kill the grasses holding together 1000's of football fields worth of marsh, causing the sea to encroach ever faster towards New Orleans. Wildlife of all kinds will die in large numbers. Fisherman will loose their livelihoods indefinitely. With hurricane season around the corner, pristine, sugar sands from South Padre Island to Destin and even Key West could be turned black.
The Deepwater Horizon tragedy puts America at a crossroads. Either we give lip service to the consequences of reliance on fossil fuels for our energy needs (such as destroying ecosystems and funding our enemies) and simply continue on the same trajectory of self destruction OR we fund a Manhattan Project style program to aggressively research and develop sustainable & non-hazardous energy sources such as solar or wind.
For the sake of our children and planet, we need energy independence sooner, not later. Please urge your elected representatives in the US Senate and House to fast track development of sustainable, non-hazardous energy technologies.
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