Some Thoughts On The Gulf Coast Oil Catastrophy

Although first and foremost, this blog is about pond care and algae control, it is also a place where I might share some personal thoughts from time to time on related topics. Please note that the commentary below is strictly my own personal opinion and it is shared in that light.

In some ways the recent tragedy in the Gulf of Mexico may seem like a far cry from pond care, but in looking at the really big picture, it relates closely I think to something we’ve talked about here before.

Pond Algae Solutions was formed to help promote and encourage pond owners to work responsibly with their ponds. We teach methods, and provide tools to help lessen the use of chemical algaecides and contaminants, and we try to support holistic and eco-friendly ways to deal with the various issues (most notably algae) that pond owners might face.

This, to me, makes a lot of sense and not only am I proud of what we’ve shared and accomplished, I can promise that we’ll continue on this path, simply because we feel it’s so important. It can be a benefit to you, your family, your neighborhood, or community.

I don’t know that I would categorize myself as an environmentalist or even a tree hugger, but I do appreciate the environment. Of course it’s beautiful, and enriching, and I love the wildlife…but more selfishly, it’s also where you and I live. And I decided a long time ago that I didn’t want to live in a place with toxic air or water, or contribute to that kind of thing if I could help it.

We try to do our part. My family recycles everything we can. We carpool and try to limit unecessary travel and energy use. We compost and never use chemicals around the home unless we absolutely need to. We try to be responsible…most likely, just like you and your family.

But we can’t do it all alone.

In a personal way, watching the events unfold in the gulf, seeing millions of gallons of oil spewing into the water, and now, seeing the oil slicks affecting sea life as well as the coastal areas, simply makes me sick.

I’m saddened by the fact that eleven people lost their lives. This should never be forgotten. And I’m deeply touched by the fact that so many fisherman and others who depend on the gulf for their life, will be dramatically and quite possibly, permanently affected by the spill.

Countless small businesses will suffer.

I’m disappointed that so much marine life, birds, and wildlife will be lost or sickened and that their habitat will be destroyed and maybe left unrepairable.

And like many people, I’m angry.

It disturbs me to discover once again, that where big business or industry is involved, there seems to be so little in terms of “responsible capitalism” displayed here. Protecting the environment is not, and will likely never be a priority for companies like this. Profits are what matter.

And this is coming from a capitalist. I’m a business person and I like that…I love it that in America you can be in business and make a living in a way that you may choose.

What I don’t like is where capitalism takes over to the point that all that ends up mattering is the money. The people, the environment, the economy, the country, don’t matter as much as the bottom dollar of the business, or a bonus check at the end of the year for the CEO.

In many businesses and industry (and it really doesn’t matter what industry you’re talking about) we operate on a very short term perspective. It’s a dangerous angle to view the world from. And few things exemplify this better than the gulf oil fiasco.

One thought that has consistently crossed my mind is, knowing the technology we have today, I wonder how much money had been spent on truly protecting the environment from oil spills? Eventually any man-made thing will fail, it’s just bound to happen, yet there seemed to be no contingencies if the one fail-safe device called the blow out preventer…actually failed.

So what, you wait until the unthinkable actually happens, and then try to figure out how to fix it? How short-sighted, inept, and irresponsible. I’m fairly sure that a lot of money get’s spent on exploration and the actual money making activities of finding and harvesting oil. But what about environmental protection? Oh, and be sure to replace the batteries in the blow out device once a year won’t you?

I also find it rather amazing that no one has come up with a way to harvest oil, in mass quantities from the ocean’s surface. Although I’m no engineer, and won’t even claim to be all that smart, my guess is, if it were really a priority for these companies, they would figure out a way to do it.

Instead they hired fisherman to lay out booms that are so outdated and ridiculously useless in all but the calmest seas. Take one look at the beaches or marshes in the gulf and you can see how effective the plan was.

Small spills happen all the time in the gulf, but generally natural dispersal will take care of those, making them harmless, or so they say. But what happens if the big gusher blows?

Instead what we have witnessed is a guessing game, where the entire gulf is becoming a guinea pig experiment. Chemical dispersants are now being used to “hopefully lessen the impact of the oil on any one area”, but there is no way of knowing if these chemicals will actually make the problem worse or better, or cause other unknown issues in the environment.

Almost a month has gone by, and still the oil gushes, at let’s say an “enormous rate” because gallon or barrel estimates are basically worthless and often grossly inaccurate.

It makes one wonder quite frankly if there was ever any thought at all given to the idea that this type of an event could become a reality. As common sense might dictate, it was only a matter of time, yet we still find ourselves grasping at straws.

One, I think, must ask why?

I’m “comforted” that BP has agreed to pay for all legitimate damages even above the $75 million liability cap put in place to protect such companies. How nice.

You did know about this $75 million dollar cap right? I’m sorry, I must have missed this the first time around too.

In working with a truly capitalistic mentality, where money is all that matters, we may have uncovered part of the problem right here.

It’s not that 75 million isn’t a good bit of money…it is…but to an oil company, it certainly doesn’t represent much of a threat or incentive “to do good”. And it’s a shame that the threat of holding one accountable would even have to be put on the table. But it works for toddlers and teenagers…so why not the worlds largest companies?

I personally don’t believe in unnecessary lawsuits or claims by any means, but by the same token, I don’t think any company should be protected to the point where they are not held responsible for all their actions or impact.

There should be no dollar cap in place regarding oil spills, simply for the sake of warding off litigation. Find another way to protect a decent business from ridiculous claims without dissolving all responsibility…it’s simply not good policy.

Perhaps this “reality check” and realignment of responsibility will help improve things where industry can have a positively influential impact on the environment or at the very least a minimally negative one.

As time goes on, maybe things will improve. I’m totally favorable to alternative forms of energy development and advancements in technology where they can used. I like my life, and the conveniences of modern living and it’s never been my goal to move back into a cave. But I do hope that along the way, companies and industry can be encouraged to think more about the big picture and about societal “responsibility” (there’s that word again) instead of a single mindedness towards the bottom line.

The optimist in me believes it’s still possible, even if it takes a bit of leverage here and there to get the point across.