Crude oil spill in Alaska
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Posted on March 12, 2006
Filed Under Ecological overshoot, Ecological hope, Consumer culture, Fossil fuel dependency, Environmental disasters
Today from Margaret Swedish:
A crude oil spill in Alaska has renewed the alarm of environmentalists over “the expansion of oil exploitation in the state.”
The spill was discovered on Thursday, March 9, but its source was not found until Sunday. The extent of the damage to the Alaska wilderness has not yet been determined, though an announcement on estimates of the amount of oil spilled was due today, Sunday, from the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation.
According to the article linked to above, the site where the leak occurred is operated by BP, a company whose record for its Prudhoe Bay operations has been less than sterling. The New Standard article (above link) points out that BP has “a leaky history” in Alaska.
Environmental groups note that the environmental threat posed by oil extraction lies not only at the site of the drilling, but also all along the oil pipeline — in this case stretching across 800 miles of Alaska. The Bush administration and the oil industry, supported by Alaskan politicians, are pushing for expanded domestic oil production to reduce reliance on “foreign oil.” The Alaska spill once again, at great cost, shows the environmental consequences of feeding what Bush, in his State of the Union address, called our “oil addiction.” That his administration keeps on providing the “fix” reveals the shallowness (or political expediency) of his stated concern.
The point is not to wean our economy, and our lifestyles, from foreign oil, but from oil, period. This will take time; but we are running out of time to prepare for this in a way that will avoid serious disruptions to our economy and our lives. Peak oil production is approaching, if not already here (my regret that the NY Times wants you to pay for the linked article. You can register for a “free trial” to get it). The oil that remains in the ground will be increasingly expensive, economically, and especially environmentally, to extract. The shift away from oil should have begun long ago, but begin it must with far more seriousness and greater government commitment than this administration, and this Congress, have been willing to show.
For that to happen, for that commitment to become real, we must wean our political system from the influence of “big oil.” It’s a Congressional election year – a good year to begin the weaning process. Get involved!!
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[…] You may remember that a few months ago, BP had a pretty serious leak on the same pipeline. The company has been criticized for shoddy maintenance – you know, with its eyes on the bottom line. Proper maintenance costs money. […]