Gulf Coast Oil Spill Monster

Mama gnome doesn't like horror movies. She doesn't like scary stories. But here is a horrible story that is real.

The story of the Gulf Coast Oil Spill Monster...

On April 20, 2010, the Deepwater Horizon Oil Rig caught on fire from an explosion and sank two days later. 11 workers are still missing and presumed dead.

The Deepwater Oil Rig was hired by BP plc, formerly British Petroleum Company plc.

Cue the scary music because Mama gnome found out this is not the first time BP plc has been involved in environmental disasters.

BP plc was also responsible for:

• October 2007, a toxic spill nearly 2,000 gallons of mostly methanol onto Prudhoe Bay
• "In August, 2006, BP shut down oil operations in Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, due to corrosion in pipelines leading up to the Alaska Pipeline. BP had spilled over one million litres of oil in Alaska's North Slope."
• "On March 2005, the Texas City Refinery, one of BP's largest refineries in the USA exploded in 2005 causing 15 deaths." BP plc was fined $87 million by the US OSHA(Occupational Safety and Health Administration).BP plc's "cost-saving measures" cut out maintenance and safety measures thus neglecting to correct safety hazards all in the name of saving money.
  

And now BP plc is involved with this ongoing environmental disaster off the coast of Louisiana that Mama gnome calls the Gulf Coast Oil Spill Monster.


photo from: NASA

It truly is a terrible monster for they estimate over 5,000 barrels of oil is spewing into the ocean every day. But that number may be much higher if the structure continues to deteriorate.

This Oil Spill Monster may be responsible for the 20 sea turtles found dead along the Mississippi beaches this weekend.

This Oil Spill Monster is so terrible it...
"will have eclipsed the Exxon Valdez in terms of total gallons of oil before the weekend is over -- making it the largest oil spill in U.S. history -- according to calculations made by oceanographer Ian MacDonald after studying aerial Coast Guard photos taken earlier in the week."

Mama gnome's hair is standing on end at the thought that
"...the spill could surpass the Exxon Valdez disaster that poured 260,000 barrels of crude into waters off Alaska in 1989."

This Oil Spill Monster is poised to destroy precious habitat: marshes, wetlands, beaches.

This Oil Spill Monster is poised to destroy the livelihoods of Gulf Coast fishermen.


video from timesofearth

Mama gnome wishes she had super gnome powers to defeat the Gulf Coast Oil Spill Monster.

Mama gnome dreads the thought that offshore drilling will continue and expand into "once protected areas "and more Oil Spill Monsters will spawn.

How can we have a happy ending to this horror story?

Mama gnome is afraid there is no happy ending.

But we can help prevent the spawning of new Oil Spill Monsters.

Log on to 350.org's action page to ban offshore drilling.

Please do not throw away discarded car oil down the driveway, dripping onto streets and finally into storm drains. They all end up in the ocean.

Discard them responsibly, because if you don't you will be creating your own oil spill monster.

Please help save our oceans and Go Green...

(c)2010 Jenaelha, Friendly Gnome's Blog