QUESTION: What should the reaction to the BP oil spill be?
All presidents leave legacies. Bill Clinton had sexual relations with an intern. George W. Bush invaded Iraq. Barack Obama signed a landmark health care bill … and set the stage for another ecological disaster?
On April 20, a BP oil well exploded off of the Gulf Coast, killing 11 people and sending oil all along the coast of Louisiana and its neighboring states. Based on these recent events, it would be smart for Obama to reconsider his position on offshore drilling.
At the end of March, the president announced plans to move forward with offshore drilling — a move that naturally infuriated liberals and stunned conservatives. His plan would extend offshore drilling along the Atlantic Coast from Florida up to Delaware as well as northern parts of Alaska.
White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs defended the president’s position last Friday, according to The Washington Post. The president’s aides “described in detail the long, complicated procedures that are place to ensure the environment is protected from expanded drilling.”
Regardless of how much safeguarding is put in place, accidents still happen. The BP oil well had been inspected 26 times over the past five years and did not receive a single violation; everything appeared to be working fine before the well looked like something out of an action movie.
How safe are these “long, complicated procedures” White House aides tout? Certainly not as safe as leaving this can of worms unopened. Politically and ecologically it would make much more sense to drop the idea of offshore drilling like a bad habit.
The oil spill has sent the economy of coastal towns further into ruins — much of the wildlife in the sea has been contaminated by the oil and is unsuitable for selling. Tourism is anything but thriving. If a city is centered on a port, an oil spill is devastating to them.
I encourage those who still defend offshore drilling to look a fisherman in the eye, whose business is now ruined, and tell him that the spill was a mishap. Chances are he will not be too understanding. This mistake will have adverse effects on the marine ecosystem, as well as American businesses.
The climate change bill that has stalled in the Senate contains provisions for offshore drilling. Several Senate Democrats have threatened to pull their support — and rightfully so — if the provisions are not removed from the pending legislation, according to The Washington Post.
It would behoove the president to reverse his decision to open up new coastal areas for oil drilling. Seeking alternative fuels and attaining energy security is important to our nation’s future. But by no means should it come at the risk of a town’s economy and lifestyle as well as the marine ecosystem.
Andrew can be reached at andrew.hedlund@asu.edu
