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Corexit Letter from Louisiana Senator to Obama

1/16/2011

The Honorable Barack Obama
The President of the United States
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, D.C. 20500

Re: The environmental impact of dispersing Corexit during and after the oil spill

Dear Mr. President;

The BP incident in the Gulf of Mexico has now been acknowledged as the greatest manmade disaster in history but there is yet another manmade disaster that must not be overlooked and has not been adequately addressed in the recently released report of the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon oil disaster.

That second major disaster has been caused by the unnecessary use of the toxin Corexit dispersant. In early May of 2010 just after the crisis began, I requested that our Louisiana Attorney General Buddy Caldwell use whatever legal means were necessary to stop the use of this toxin. Shortly thereafter, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal requested that the use of this toxic dispersant be discontinued because of the long-term environmental damage. And still later, it was reported in the media that you also ordered BP to stop using Corexit. Surprisingly, I also read in the media that they even refused your request.

Mr. President, my concern is that this toxic and damaging chemical is still being used and it will compound the long-term damage to our state, our citizens, our eco-system, our economy, our seafood industry, our wildlife and our culture. Read more →

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One Man Beach Clean Up in Maine

Thanks to Harold in Maine for sharing his project with Protect the Ocean. Make sure to visit his blog!

Once a week I troll two sections of my local beach, picking up any and all man-made bits of flotsam & trash that I find. One section is busier in-season; the other section is farther away from the crowds. I clean, catalog, and report on what’s there in my blog. Along the way, if something pops out, I learn about it, and share what I’ve discovered.

And what I’ve discovered is that even in quiet, serene southern Maine there is a ghastly marine plastic pollution problem.

It’s such a beautiful world. It should stay that way. Hopefully I’m doing my small part to bring awareness & help out.

Visits Harold’s Blog: http://theflotsamdiaries.blogspot.com

And FaceBook Page: http://www.facebook.com/FlotsamDiaries

Add Your Beach Clean Up Project

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What One Man Can Do

What One Man Can Do — Rhett Butler’s Rainforest A Global Triumph!

The ocean is the single largest supplier of oxygen for our planet.  Right behind it are the rainforests, which have also come under insurmountable pressures in this modern age.  Machines are made which can cut down hundreds of acres of hardwood forest in an hour, and short-sighted people are eager for the money that can get them — so much so that they’re willing to strip the richly diverse, spectacular rainforests to get that cash.  Amidst an ocean of profiteering, one man stood up and refused to allow the rainforests to succumb.  That man is Rhett Butler (yes, really) and we salute him.

Armed with little more than a love for nature , an education and determination, Rhett managed to turn the tide in Madagascar, and is still making a difference in Borneo.  In many ways, we here at PTO are kindred spirits with this warrior.  He proves conclusively that love is the most powerful force in the universe.  His own love for the amazing and incomparable beauties and wonders found in the rainforests has allowed him to overcome obstacles as big as powerful multi-national corporations and their greed.  What’s more, through, he has reawakened the people’s own love of their lands and country, inspired them to take back those lands for themselves as well as future generations. Read more →

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