Big Oil And Hurricane Ike's Environmental Impact

Once Hurricane Ike came ashore, the mainstream media all but forgot about Houston, Galveston and every area that was affected by the monstrous tropical system. Sure, you could go to Chron.com and see what was happening, but that is mostly only known to residents of Texas Gulf Coast. The larger outlets quickly moved onto other news, perfectly on cue as the 24 hour news cycle dictates. Though there was one small side issue that almost everyone missed, now finally being noticed by the AP, of all places.

From the AP:

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Hurricane Ike's winds and massive waves destroyed oil platforms, tossed storage tanks and punctured pipelines. The environmental damage only now is becoming apparent: At least a half million gallons of crude oil spilled into the Gulf of Mexico and the marshes, bayous and bays of Louisiana and Texas, according to an analysis of federal data by The Associated Press.

In the days before and after the deadly storm, companies and residents reported at least 448 releases of oil, gasoline and dozens of other substances into the air and water and onto the ground in Louisiana and Texas. The hardest hit places were industrial centers near Houston and Port Arthur, Texas, as well as oil production facilities off Louisiana's coast, according to the AP's analysis.

"We are dealing with a multitude of different types of pollution here ... everything from diesel in the water to gasoline to things like household chemicals," said Larry Chambers, a petty officer with the U.S. Coast Guard Command Center in Pasadena, Texas.

Half a million gallons of crude oil spilled into the Gulf and only a month later does anyone notice? That's utterly ridiculous. You would think someone with a camera and a helicopter could have pointed this out to the national press before October, but like most people with common sense combined with a want of accountability, you'd be wrong.

One group that benefits from the national ignorance of the problem is the "Drill, Baby, Drill" crowd. John McCain has lied and denied that there is a problem when it comes to oil rigs and Hurricanes, but putting the truth aside for his largest contributors is the GOP way. Of course, this is just one more lie to add to the biggest elephant in that room, that more drilling off our coasts won't do anything to meet our energy needs. McCain and Palin will lie for fossil fuel industries from now to election day and that is why we must reject more of the same policies that our nation has been beaten over the head with by George W. Bush.