Update: The Gulf oil spill disaster
More than 100 days after the start of the oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico, a cement seal on the oil well is holding and BP is making a final push to permanently shut down the deepwater source of the world's worst offshore spill.
In the face of the worst environmental disaster in U.S. history, Environment Texas is working to get BP and the federal government to repair the immediate damage done by the leak and move our nation away from oil and other fossil fuels.
From the 11 workers killed in the Deepwater Horizon explosion, to the fishermen whose livelihoods are now in jeopardy, to the oil-soaked birds and threatened marshes, the BP oil spill has demonstrated in heartbreaking terms the dangers of our addiction to oil. Our priority must be to do whatever is necessary to repair the damage that has occurred in the Gulf—and ensure that those companies responsible for this disaster are footing the bill.
Environment Texas has praised President Obama's pledge to do everything possible to restore the ecology of the Gulf and the local communities affected by the oil disaster, to reform the government agencies responsible for watch-dogging the oil industry, and to ensure that BP foots the bill for the clean-up effort — in the short and long-term. But as important as it is to determine what went wrong on the Deepwater Horizon, we know that offshore drilling will never be completely safe.
We need to move away from the energy sources that threaten our environment, our local economies and our national security, and move instead to clean, renewable energy solutions like wind and solar power. We cannot afford to expand drilling to new areas, and the president should act immediately to permanently protect areas like the eastern Gulf, the Atlantic coast and the Arctic oceans that have been spared from drilling thus far. We also need to waste less energy, by constructing buildings that use a fraction of the energy consumed by buildings today, by making cars that go farther on a gallon of gas, and by expanding public transportation systems so that more trips can be taken without any car at all.
We have known about these clean energy solutions for years, but our elected officials have continually opted for more of the same dirty energy policies. Thankfully, Obama has already bucked this trend by showing strong leadership in moving America toward clean energy. Most recently, the clean car standards that his administration finalized in April are the single biggest step taken in decades toward cutting America's oil use, and will save consumers billions at the gas pump.
Moving forward, Congress must answer the president's call for a comprehensive bill that moves us away from fossil fuels. Environment Texas urges the president and Congress to work together to pass a comprehensive energy and climate bill this year that ensures four main things: First, the Gulf communities and ecosystems must be made whole, and BP—not American taxpayers — need to pay for the clean-up. Second, we need to adopt a robust set of oil savings policies — especially within the transportation sector — to drastically decrease the nation's demand for oil. Third, we need to set strong limits on global warming pollution that are critical to driving the shift to cleaner energy sources. And fourth, we need unprecedented support for energy efficiency and clean energy sources like wind and solar power to make this clean energy future a reality.
In the face of the disaster in the Gulf, Obama and Congress have a historic opportunity to move our country away from oil and toward a clean energy future. For the sake of our environment, our economy and our national security, they must get the job done.
