Three months into the BP Deepwater Horizon oil disaster, BP has finally capped the well and is now testing to see if it can withstand the pressure building underground until the well is permanently plugged. While the oil blow-out has been a largely unmitigated disaster for the Gulf Coast and its communities, the response is an important test for the future of the planet. Will April 22, 2010 become our declaration of independence from dirty and dangerous fossil fuels, or will we succumb to political inertia?
When faced with an ecological disaster in the past, the American public has risen to the test. On January 28, 1969, oil from an offshore rig contaminated the beaches off Santa Barbara, California, leading to the first Earth Day and the modern environmental movement. On March 28, 1979, a partial meltdown of Reactor 2 at Three Mile Island led to a default moratorium on the construction of new nuclear power reactors. On March 24, 1989, the Exxon Valdez spilled 11 million gallons of oil into Prince William Sound, setting off drilling reform efforts and protections for the Alaskan wilderness.
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Subprime Carbon? Michelle talks about carbon trading Stop the Nuclear Bailout in the Stimulus UN Failure in Poland and 2009 Priorities: Karen on EarthBeat Radio A Changing Congress Changing Climate Change: Brent on EarthBeat Radio |
Environmental Roundup, October 6 |
Volume 39, Winter/Annual Report 2009 For back issues of the newsmagazine, contact our editor, Lisa Matthes, at lmatthes@foe.org
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