While the Times Square car bomb momentarily shifted focus from the ongoing crisis in the Gulf, I think you can be sure that the full scope of the Deep Horizon crisis hasn’t yet penetrated the American consciousness.
AP Photo of Deep Horizon spill, by Patrick Semansky. Click through for more.
This morning, many news sites are comparing the surface area of the spill to the island of Puerto Rico. It’s been what, 15 days since the spill started? The spill will eclipse the Exxon Valdez spill by this time next week, for sheer volume. My sources say it could be another 30 days before BP manages to stem the flow, if they can at all. Ken Salazar’s worst case scenario is a relief well that’s 90 days out.
Tourism to the Gulf is drying up. The Gulf fishing industry is already severely impacted, because they can’t fish in oily water, and the oil’s effects on fish populations are impossible to measure or predict. The same is true of the Gulf oyster industry, and now they’re saying that the oil could escape the Gulf and travel up the East Coast. This could be a environmental and economic disaster that makes Hurricane Katrina’s aftermath look pedestrian.
My friends are constantly nagging me about buying a car. Right now, I’m confident that staying a mass transit commuter is the most responsible thing I’ve done in years.
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