Experts: Gulf was a dump long before spill

Source: UPI

NEW ORLEANS, July 30 (UPI) -- Oceanographers and conservationists say the Gulf of Mexico has been staggered by man-made pollution since long before the Deepwater Horizon oil leak began.

Experts aren't optimistic about the future health of the gulf and say it has to do more with decades of contamination rather than the undersea geyser sparked by the loss of the massive offshore drilling rig, The New York Times said Friday.

"This has been the nation's sacrifice zone and has been for 50-plus years," said Aaron Viles of the Gulf Restoration Network. "What we're seeing right now with BP's crude is just a very photogenic representation of that."

The Times said countless smaller leaks and spills from the offshore energy industry coupled with constant agricultural runoff from the Mississippi River watershed have steadily contaminated the gulf for years.

Read more: http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2010/07/30/Experts-Gulf-was-a-dump-long-before-spill/UPI-81901280526691/

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Uncensored Activist News http://activistnews.blogspot.com

We've done something like that here in Florida with the Everglades, fighting against Big Sugar and other developers who would love to drain the Everglades into a giant condo complex. We've had some success restoring the Everglades. Restoring the Gulf would be a much more complex and expensive project, one that could take decades to accomplish, but it's something that needs to be done.

This is a cover up of EPIC proportions people! :grr:

It is truly a disaster, but it is not as bad as many people think. This is because there are natural oil seeps and the bacteria in the Gulf of Mexico have evolved to be very efficient oil eaters. This allows them to consume the oil at very fast rates, and cleans the water. These bacterias are mother nature's defensive army against the oil.

I also read the fertilizer problem is very serious, it causes low oxygen in the water, and creates dead zones. This is the most important problem.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x4487161#4487571

There is a dead zone around the mouth of the Mississippi from farm fertilizer runoff, but the oil gusher and widespread use of dispersant greatly magnified the scope of an existing problem, while making the Gulf far more toxic than it was.

permeate everything.

This is whitewash. Nothing more.

Photogenic. Just wow. 50 years of dilution versus a few months of non-stop poisoning using chemicals that dissolve flesh. Sorry... I don't buy into this industry-paid-for article.

Maybe the BP gusher will now put a spotlight on this problem so it can be addressed properly.

"Uh,Duh,There's a Massive Dead Zone in the Gulf But Nobody,Uh,Duh,Knows What in the,Duh,Heck,Could Be,Uh,Like,Causing It"

I know it's a real story with extremely serious consequences(i.e Gulf Coast was a mess to begin with), but the headline could be better worded, esp for those of us who see the headline on an RSS feed.

I need to know who they are, who hired this guy and what his motivations are. The "It was messed up when we got here" argument isn't going to fly.

Checked them out, looks like a great org.

http://healthygulf.org/who-we-are/about-us/about-us

What is their evidence as to relevant impact?

Who funds the "Gulf Restoration Network?"

Who is Aaron Viles?

Thanks for the the thread, cory.

History

In December of 1994, representatives from various conservation organizations across the Gulf of Mexico held a meeting at Four Mile Village, Florida, to discuss the need for, and interest in, forming a Gulf-wide coalition. On June -3, 1995, these representatives met in St. Petersburg, Florida to plan the GRN.

At this meeting, members determined the seven priority issues of the network:

■Stopping pollutant discharges;
■Reducing polluted runoff;
■Reducing Corps of Engineers' permitting and projects destructive of the environment;
■Requiring sustainable management of Gulf fisheries;
■Limiting coastal development, beach armoring, and resulting habitat destruction;
■Protection of threatened and endangered species; and
■Limiting development of offshore mineral resources.

Then, on August 29, 1995, the existence of the Gulf Restoration Network was formally announced through simultaneous press events in New Orleans and Tampa.

In the beginning, the GRN operated as a project of the Earthjustice Legal Defense Fund (formally the Sierra Club Legal Defense Fund), receiving financial and staff assistance from that organization. Our first Campaign Director, Cynthia Sarthou, was hired in October of 1995. Then in 1998, having become more firmly established and having grown to over 40 members, the GRN became an independent corporation and obtained 501(c)(3) status.

Since 1998, the GRN has grown in staff to our current size of 8 staff and 2 consultants. We have evolved from a network of member organizations held together by one staff person, to a unique independent organization that strategically partners with member and non-member groups to advance issues of Gulf-wide importance.

We have engaged citizens around the country in our efforts through individual membership and our e-alert action network. Please see our Victories page for information on our recent strategic partnerships that have resulted in improved protections for the Gulf. Click here to join our e-alert action network and be part of the solution of protecting and restoring the resources of the Gulf Coast.

http://healthygulf.org/who-we-are/about-us/about-us

sound resonable to me.

Even if this is true, this doesn't take away from the disaster and severity of the spill.

I guess all of those dead wildlife and ruined fishing ground were just a matter of time anyway.

Have I mentioned lately how much I hate these people?