Oil Slurry Spill on Mississippi River Illustrates Need to Move Beyond Fossil Fuel Economy
Coast Guard said up to 250,000 gallons of refining byproduct may have spilled into waterway
The U.S. Coast Guard said Thursday that up to 250,000 gallons of oil slurry could have been spilled into the Mississippi River following a towboat collision near Columbus, Kentucky.
The Coast Guard says the spill occurred at roughly 8 PM Wednesday when a boat crash caused a cargo tank on a barge to rupture and spill some of the refinery byproduct it was carrying into the river.
A section of the river is now closed, and the Coast Guard stated that an aerial assessment spotted "a five-mile discoloration" starting at the site of the accident.
Tim Joice, Water Policy Director for the Louisville-based Kentucky Waterways Alliance, told Common Dreams that the incident, as with any "oil spill, fracking operation, coal slurry spill, or failure from a coal ash pond," is "illustrative of the reality we face--that we have a fossil fuel economy and we need to move beyond that."
While the industry can skew statistics about the safety of the various methods of transporting fossil fuels, be it by barge, "bomb train," pipeline, or truck, Joice said that "reality is that none of it is safe. We will have accidents."
"So what's the alternative? We don't use oil, gas or coal," he said.
We are at a crossroads
This country and this world are at a monumental crossroads. US voters have an opportunity to beat back the forces of fascism and confront the billionaires who are rigging the economy, our media system, and our democracy, making it increasingly impossible for ordinary people to get by. We’re not just talking about the election. We’re talking about what must be done once these fascist elements are vanquished from power. We need a bolder set of solutions than what either major party has so far been willing to offer and a working-class movement ready to fight like hell for it. Trump didn't emerge from nowhere. The conditions that fueled MAGA authoritarianism were created by decades of radical neoliberal economic policies and a corrupt political system dominated by corporate interests. They slashed taxes on the super-rich, promising that the benefits would trickle down. They said giveaways to the corporate titans would make life more affordable for the rest of us. It was all bullshit. And when a bitter, betrayed populace searches for someone to blame, right-wing demagogues have little trouble finding scapegoats. People know when they're being lied to, but you won't hear any of this from the corporate media. Only independent journalism—powered and funded by people who believe in building a better world—can deliver truly trustworthy daily news. Our Fall Campaign is underway, and we need your help. To power our newsroom through the rest of the year, we need to raise $125,000 by midnight on October 31. So if you share our vision, please contribute whatever you can to sustain our work. |
The U.S. Coast Guard said Thursday that up to 250,000 gallons of oil slurry could have been spilled into the Mississippi River following a towboat collision near Columbus, Kentucky.
The Coast Guard says the spill occurred at roughly 8 PM Wednesday when a boat crash caused a cargo tank on a barge to rupture and spill some of the refinery byproduct it was carrying into the river.
A section of the river is now closed, and the Coast Guard stated that an aerial assessment spotted "a five-mile discoloration" starting at the site of the accident.
Tim Joice, Water Policy Director for the Louisville-based Kentucky Waterways Alliance, told Common Dreams that the incident, as with any "oil spill, fracking operation, coal slurry spill, or failure from a coal ash pond," is "illustrative of the reality we face--that we have a fossil fuel economy and we need to move beyond that."
While the industry can skew statistics about the safety of the various methods of transporting fossil fuels, be it by barge, "bomb train," pipeline, or truck, Joice said that "reality is that none of it is safe. We will have accidents."
"So what's the alternative? We don't use oil, gas or coal," he said.
The U.S. Coast Guard said Thursday that up to 250,000 gallons of oil slurry could have been spilled into the Mississippi River following a towboat collision near Columbus, Kentucky.
The Coast Guard says the spill occurred at roughly 8 PM Wednesday when a boat crash caused a cargo tank on a barge to rupture and spill some of the refinery byproduct it was carrying into the river.
A section of the river is now closed, and the Coast Guard stated that an aerial assessment spotted "a five-mile discoloration" starting at the site of the accident.
Tim Joice, Water Policy Director for the Louisville-based Kentucky Waterways Alliance, told Common Dreams that the incident, as with any "oil spill, fracking operation, coal slurry spill, or failure from a coal ash pond," is "illustrative of the reality we face--that we have a fossil fuel economy and we need to move beyond that."
While the industry can skew statistics about the safety of the various methods of transporting fossil fuels, be it by barge, "bomb train," pipeline, or truck, Joice said that "reality is that none of it is safe. We will have accidents."
"So what's the alternative? We don't use oil, gas or coal," he said.