So according to BP, Reuters Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill Fact Box, PBS’s Oil Leaking into the Gulf Widget & The Live Video Feed, disaster is at bay for the moment. Oil is no longer spilling into the Gulf of Mexico from the accursed Deepwater Horizon Locale, but oddly there still is oil spilling into the Gulf of Mexico. Have you ever heard of the Taylor Energy Wells spill? Interesting that you likely haven’t, it’s been going since September 16, 2004, over 2100+ days. Don’t worry though, it’s a small spill and is just leaking a little. A relief well is finally being drilled to quell the leak as we speak and the president of Taylor Energy,Will Pecue says “The effort is continuing as directed by the Unified Command.”
Thank goodness that’s the end of ongoing oil spills…
Oil is still spilling at the Jebel al-Zayt spill in The Red Sea, which coincidentally started on June 16, 2010, the day after the Deepwater Horizon spill was capped. Heard about that one? So 3 ongoing oil spills at this very moment. If you thought oil spills were a rare occurence, you can take a quick glance at the list of oil spills over at the Wikipedia for just a partial glimpse of how often they really occur. There are 8 spills noted for this year alone. Think the last time Exxon Mobil dropped a little of the black stuff in sea was The Exxon Valdez Disaster, which was roughly 6 times smaller than the Deepwater Horizon Spill? Sorry to say on May 1, 2010, as in this year, just a few months ago, ExxonMobil had a spill roughly equivalent to the Exxon Valdez in The Niger Delta in Nigeria.
Were you aware that Delta in Niger provides 40% of the imported Crude to the United States each year? Did you think it was the Middle East that was supplying our oil addictions? Did you know the largest exporter of energy to The United States was Canada? The Middle East apparently isn’t our Drug Dealer like we think. Though the mark of oil as a weapon was left there with The Gulf War Oil Spill in 1993. Don’t forget that The Gulf of Mexico, no stranger to oil spills was already host to The Ixtoc I Spill in 1979, formerly the second or third largest oil spill in history right behindThe Lakeview Gusher of 1910 and The Gulf War Oil Spill.
Ixtoc I lost its record holding spot to The Deepwater Horizon Spill, which may manage to become the largest recorded oil spill in World History. That’s all history and numbers, what’s the point? This incident is not isolated or over. For over 100 years, these disasters have been occurring, most of them without notice by the very people using the products that cause them. If anything has been proven by this very public disaster, this is not a viable way to continue on. It is time to make every day beyond this day becoming less dependent on a destructive resource.
I’m tired of learning about how relief wells are drilled and operate instead of learning about how to reduce the very cause of the problem. Let’s stop talking about the skin cancer and chemo and put on some sunscreen. Maybe this could be the last time we add to the list of Record Breaking Man Made Disasters. There’s no good reason it can’t be.
We’re dependent, we’re invested, oil is not going away tomorrow, but there are efforts we can all make to start ridding ourselves of the problem. Use a reuseable bottle for drinks and reusable bags to shop with. They are all out there and easy to find. I love Kleen Kanteens myself because they have a large opening at the top and sturdy construction. Also, they’re pretty sexy. When planning a day of errands, make a list and an efficient path. Save a mile a day of driving. 1 mile of driving avoided by simple planning a day is 365 miles a year. If 1/3 of the U.S. population does that, with their vehicles that get on average 21 miles per gallon, 1,738,000,000 gallons of fuel saved in a year. 1.7 Billion if you aren’t looking to count zeros. Not to mention that is roughly $8 billion dollars saved that can go to something else.
What would you do if everyone saved a mile a day and there was an extra $8 Billion to be spent on something else in the American Economy? What small things do you each day to save yourself a dollar and save the world around you just a little bit? Reduce our dependence, Protect our environment, Do your small part, and Save your money while you’re at it.
