There aren’t many things that I enjoy more than going home to New Orleans and getting some fresh seafood, so it hurts to know that much of the environment from which these delicacies come from is going to be destroyed by the April 20 BP oilrig explosion.
The deterioration of these habitats will consequently bring an abrupt end to many Louisiana coastline fishing communities, which will be forced to leave to find other sources of income. Communities like these, which surround towns with names like Dulac (“from the lake” in French), Belle Chasse (“beautiful hunting”), and Grande Ecaille (“big oyster shell”), are some of the only places left in Louisiana where you can find true Cajuns, still speaking the language — sort of — and living off the land.
With these communities gone, much of the knowledge concerning the lay of the land and the tendencies of the wildlife will be lost, affecting not just the state but also the entire country.
According to Louisiana’s Division of Administration, commercial fishing in Louisiana accounts for 25 percent of all seafood landed in America; the state itself is the largest producer of shrimp and oysters in the entire country. According to the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, the economic impact of fisheries, wildlife and boating resources in Louisiana amounts to more than $4.6 billion in retail sales, more than 76,000 jobs, $1.75 billion in salaries and wages and more than $446 million in state and local tax revenues.
Clearly, as evidenced by the names of the towns and amount of dollars brought in from seafood, the environment was and still is extremely important to the people of Louisiana.
But in close proximity to Dulac, Belle Chasse and Grande Ecaille, there are towns with names like Port Sulphur, named after the Freeport Sulphur Company that began drilling in the area in the early 1900s, and Norco, named after the New Orleans Refining Company.
As important as the environment is to the state and country, the oil and gas industry is just as, if not more important.
A study conducted by Loren C. Scott & Associates, an economic consultancy firm out of Baton Rouge, shows that the oil and gas industry in Louisiana accounts for $65 billion in revenue.
According to the state’s Department of Natural Resources, among the 50 states, Louisiana ranks first in crude oil and second in natural gas production, when including outer continental shelf production, which is where the current crisis originated.
While the media likes to pit dirty industry, especially oil and gas companies, as the bad guys, the fact is that these companies provide over 50,000 good paying jobs in Louisiana alone, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Consider that Louisiana oilman Pat Taylor started a statewide endowment fund to ensure that every high school senior in the state with a 2.50 GPA can attend any state university in Louisiana for free. Doc Pennington, the founder of Pennington Oil and Gas, donated $125 million to build a medical research center in Baton Rouge.
This is without a doubt a tragedy, but what could be even worse for Louisiana is if the nation turns its back on offshore drilling, just about the only thing Louisiana still has going for it.
Reach Cullen at cmwheatl@asu.edu
