Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico
... Ever since the oil drilling platform exploded and sunk in the Gulf of Mexico, last week, I've been holding my breath. First, I was worrying about the workers involved in this terrible industrial accident. And secondly, I was bracing to hear about the scope of the environmental impact. Petroleum is hugely damaging to animals, and natural systems. A blob of oil the size of a nickel is enough to kill a waterbird, and this now-uncapped well has the potential to leak more oil than has ever been spilled in history. Long-time blog readers will remember that I volunteered on the bird rescue effort after the Cosco Busan container ship ran into the San Francisco Bay , spilling tens of thousands of gallons of bunker fuel into the Bay. I also worked on the rehab team when so many birds in the Pacific Northwest were "slimed" by an algae bloom that birds were sent to California for care. I've seen the Oiled Wildlife Response Network in action. They are a confederation of