I almost choked on my breakfast cereal when I read this headline in the Times Picayune today: Senator gently scolds EPA's Director(for that headline today there is no online link posted yet, so I included a link from basically the same article yesterday). Now I didn't see the entire video of that questioning, but I did see a compilation of remarks both from Senator Mikulski and Lisa Jackson. "Gentle" is a value ascribed to the interaction that I wouldn't necessarily use. I will admit though, it could have been a lot stronger from Mikulski and company. There is also a grilling, at the same hearing, of a NOAA official that is worth seeing.
There is this note from the OpEd News reporters who provided the video to the senate hearing:
For OpEdNews: Georgianne Nienaber - Writer
Co-written with Dr. Martin J. Dudziak
Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-Maryland) asked EPA head, Lisa Jackson, if dispersants could become the "Agent Orange of the Gulf," and then opened the door to the possibility that Mikulski will subpoena the manufacturer, Nalco Holding Co. at a future date. The maker of Corexit 9500 refused to attend the Senate Appropriations science subcommittee hearing on Thursday.
What Mikuslki did say, and the Times Picayune failed to note, is "I don't want the dispersant to become the agent orange of the oil spill". The Times Picayune reporters conveniently left that out. After all, we wouldn't want to raise fears that the toxic dispersant that has been dumped in the Gulf of Mexico, and into Barataria Bay, millions of gallons of the stuff, that it might be toxic to our environment, marine life and the humans that are exposed to it.
We wouldn't want to raise fears at this time, particularly because the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries has reopened sports fishing in Louisiana waters: you can now catch and eat in Louisiana waters, although commercial fishing has not been reopened. You won't find me catching and eating anything from the Gulf right now. Jackson and company have downplayed the toxicity of the dispersant "from day one", despite warnings and pleadings from a host of marine toxicologists, chemists, citizens and residents, and environmentalists. We don't know how long it will take for the dispersant to break down either. We do know that after about 180 days, it begins to show signs of breaking down. How long will it take to become fully non-toxic to our environment, and what are the havoc these dispersants are wreaking on our environment now?
Louisiana Environmental Action Network (LEAN) posted a link to a video made by a private citizen who decided to get an independent testing of the oil on Grand Isle. What he found is that the oil, and the water surrounding the oil, is toxic with dispersant. Watch the video for yourself, link below. Lisa Jackson claimed to Mikulski and the Senate panel that after testing, dispersants can't be detected in the waters on the coast. How extensive is that testing? Shouldn't we, the Times Picayune, Louisiana politicians and residents, be calling for independent testing to verify?
It was quite shocking that Lisa Jackson claimed to not know if she as EPA director had the power, or not, to stop dispersant use by BP. She wanted to direct the question to EPA's attorneys. Isn't that a question already settled by EPA attorneys? And if not, why not?
Times Picayune reporters Alpert and Tilove may feel compelled themselves to be gentle on Lisa Jackson. After all, she's from here, and there is a loyalty issue I suppose for some New Orleans residents. However, for others who dare to question the actions of the EPA in regards to the dispersants, there is no comfort on the Gulf Coast right now. There is the really scary report that came out in TruthOut.org about dispersant spraying in Barataria Bay.
My eyes are burning as I type this. We've just returned from spending the day down in Barataria, located about an hour's drive south of New Orleans. The community of fishermen is swimming in oil. Within minutes of arriving, our eyes begin to burn and we begin to feel dizzy from airborne chemicals from the oil and dispersant.
Is BP killing the Bay to hide the oil? Why hasn't the Times Picayune written about dispersant spraying in Barataria Bay?
In the video, you hear Lisa Jackson stating that the dispersants shouldn't be used near shore, that they are best used in the "deep ocean" so that they will have time to degrade before they can do any harm to our shores. Why then is BP allowed then to use the dispersant in Barataria Bay? It is past time for an investigative report from the Times Picayune and/or The Morning Advocate on the use of dispersants in Barataria Bay.
We can safely say right now that political forces in Louisiana are not protecting us from the harm that the dispersants are bringing. Neither Vitter, Landrieu, Scalise, or Melancon. I can't think of a single politician in this state who has launched any sort of informational or awareness campaign against the use of dispersant. This will come back to haunt them politically, and it will haunt the Times Picayune as well when the full damage from the use of dispersant is revealed.
When Mikulski said "I don't want the dispersant to become the agent Orange of the oil spill," what does she know that we ought to be informed about? These are the kinds of questions the Times Picayune ought to be asking, instead of the almost unquestioned support of offshore drilling. It is that kind of support that has oil fouling our marshes and beaches and offshore ecology for God knows how long now. Will rigs now be required to have that all important acoustic device? Will they be required to drill a second relief well? Both safety measures are required elsewhere in the world because those countries care more about their ecology and people, than profit. If the Times Picayune is going to back offshore drilling, then they have a responsibility to push for the most advanced safety measures, and to push for real remediation in shallow water drilling of our marshes.
Anything short of that is selling our people and our ecology out for the profits and jobs of the oil industry. Oh wait, that's already been done.
Link to the 2 hour and 12 minute Senate hearing and questioning of EPA and NOAA:
http://www.cspan.org/...
Link to video of partial senate hearing grilling Lisa Jackson and NOAA official:
http://www.opednews.com/...
Link to Truthout.org article on dispersant use in Barataria Bay, and a clip from article:
http://www.truth-out.org/...
"My eyes are burning as I type this. We've just returned from spending the day down in Barataria, located about an hour's drive south of New Orleans. The community of fishermen is swimming in oil. Within minutes of arriving, our eyes begin to burn and we begin to feel dizzy from airborne chemicals from the oil and dispersant."
Link to Louisiana Environmental Action Network (LEAN), and the video of the private testing of oil and water on the coast of Grand Isle:
http://leanweb.org/...
Link to the reopening of Louisiana waters to recreational fishing:
http://www.wbrz.com/...
Link to TP article, and article below, on Senate questioning of Jackson:
http://www.nola.com/...