Another Reason to Keep It in the Ground: Shell Spills 90,000 Gallons of Oil Into the Gulf of Mexico
In case you needed another reason to join the movement to keep fossil fuels in the ground, Shell Oil is here to give you one. Yesterday, the company spilled nearly 90,000 gallons of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Louisiana.
Just weeks after commemorating the six-year anniversary of the catastrophic Deepwater Horizon blowout, the Gulf of Mexico is once again the site of a major oil spill.
Yesterday evening, the U.S. Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) reported a 36-square-mile oil sheen visible about 97 miles off the Louisiana coast near Shell's Brutus platform. As of this morning, no injuries had been reported. The Coast Guard says the source of the spill has been secured and that a cleanup crew has been dispatched to the site.
But it will likely be days before we understand the full extent of the damage done.
When We Drill, We Spill
In a statement issued yesterday, Shell executives said that "no release [of oil] is acceptable, and safety remains our priority as we respond to this incident."
If safety was truly the company's priority, it wouldn't be drilling for oil in the first place. History has proven that the more fossil fuel infrastructure we have, the more spills and leaks we'll see -- whether it's Deepwater Horizon in the Gulf, the Exxon Valdez in Alaska, or the Santa Barbara oil spill almost exactly one year ago at Refugio State Beach in California.
The only way to prevent an oil spill is to keep oil in the ground. That's what communities in the Gulf and other coastal regions, which were quick to condemn the spill and call for an end to fossil fuel exploitation, want and deserve.
On top of the impacts for coastal communities, continuing our reliance on drilling and burning oil comes at a high cost for the climate. In fact, a 2015 study in the journal Nature revealed that we need to leave at least 80 percent of the world's known remaining fossil fuel reserves in the ground to prevent runaway climate change.
More drilling in the Gulf, the Arctic, or anywhere else isn't going to get us there.
While it's likely we won't know the full extent of the damage from this spill for weeks, one thing is clear. From the Gulf to Alaska and everywhere in between, the path to a sustainable future does not include fossil fuels.
President Obama can put these leaks, spills, and climate disasters behind us by stopping new offshore drilling in the Gulf and Arctic. Our oceans are not a sacrifice zone for oil profit -- take action!
We are at a crossroads
This country and this world are at a monumental crossroads. In a few short weeks, US voters will 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. |
Just weeks after commemorating the six-year anniversary of the catastrophic Deepwater Horizon blowout, the Gulf of Mexico is once again the site of a major oil spill.
Yesterday evening, the U.S. Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) reported a 36-square-mile oil sheen visible about 97 miles off the Louisiana coast near Shell's Brutus platform. As of this morning, no injuries had been reported. The Coast Guard says the source of the spill has been secured and that a cleanup crew has been dispatched to the site.
But it will likely be days before we understand the full extent of the damage done.
When We Drill, We Spill
In a statement issued yesterday, Shell executives said that "no release [of oil] is acceptable, and safety remains our priority as we respond to this incident."
If safety was truly the company's priority, it wouldn't be drilling for oil in the first place. History has proven that the more fossil fuel infrastructure we have, the more spills and leaks we'll see -- whether it's Deepwater Horizon in the Gulf, the Exxon Valdez in Alaska, or the Santa Barbara oil spill almost exactly one year ago at Refugio State Beach in California.
The only way to prevent an oil spill is to keep oil in the ground. That's what communities in the Gulf and other coastal regions, which were quick to condemn the spill and call for an end to fossil fuel exploitation, want and deserve.
On top of the impacts for coastal communities, continuing our reliance on drilling and burning oil comes at a high cost for the climate. In fact, a 2015 study in the journal Nature revealed that we need to leave at least 80 percent of the world's known remaining fossil fuel reserves in the ground to prevent runaway climate change.
More drilling in the Gulf, the Arctic, or anywhere else isn't going to get us there.
While it's likely we won't know the full extent of the damage from this spill for weeks, one thing is clear. From the Gulf to Alaska and everywhere in between, the path to a sustainable future does not include fossil fuels.
President Obama can put these leaks, spills, and climate disasters behind us by stopping new offshore drilling in the Gulf and Arctic. Our oceans are not a sacrifice zone for oil profit -- take action!
Just weeks after commemorating the six-year anniversary of the catastrophic Deepwater Horizon blowout, the Gulf of Mexico is once again the site of a major oil spill.
Yesterday evening, the U.S. Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) reported a 36-square-mile oil sheen visible about 97 miles off the Louisiana coast near Shell's Brutus platform. As of this morning, no injuries had been reported. The Coast Guard says the source of the spill has been secured and that a cleanup crew has been dispatched to the site.
But it will likely be days before we understand the full extent of the damage done.
When We Drill, We Spill
In a statement issued yesterday, Shell executives said that "no release [of oil] is acceptable, and safety remains our priority as we respond to this incident."
If safety was truly the company's priority, it wouldn't be drilling for oil in the first place. History has proven that the more fossil fuel infrastructure we have, the more spills and leaks we'll see -- whether it's Deepwater Horizon in the Gulf, the Exxon Valdez in Alaska, or the Santa Barbara oil spill almost exactly one year ago at Refugio State Beach in California.
The only way to prevent an oil spill is to keep oil in the ground. That's what communities in the Gulf and other coastal regions, which were quick to condemn the spill and call for an end to fossil fuel exploitation, want and deserve.
On top of the impacts for coastal communities, continuing our reliance on drilling and burning oil comes at a high cost for the climate. In fact, a 2015 study in the journal Nature revealed that we need to leave at least 80 percent of the world's known remaining fossil fuel reserves in the ground to prevent runaway climate change.
More drilling in the Gulf, the Arctic, or anywhere else isn't going to get us there.
While it's likely we won't know the full extent of the damage from this spill for weeks, one thing is clear. From the Gulf to Alaska and everywhere in between, the path to a sustainable future does not include fossil fuels.
President Obama can put these leaks, spills, and climate disasters behind us by stopping new offshore drilling in the Gulf and Arctic. Our oceans are not a sacrifice zone for oil profit -- take action!