Not to worry:
U.S. Rep. Gene Taylor (MS-4) on Saturday said people shouldn’t be so scared about the massive oil spill in the Gulf; he said after flying over it, “it’s not as bad as I thought.”
In all fairness, none of us can know what the inside of Taylor's head looks like. So there's that.
Taylor told a group of reporters waiting at Atlantic Aviation he was less concerned about the spill after witnessing its movement firsthand.
“This isn’t Katrina. It’s not Armageddon,” Taylor said. “A lot of people are scared and I don’t think they should be.”
Word hasn't reached the people who make their livelihood on the water.
Even if the well is shut off in a week, fishermen and wildlife officials wonder how long it will take for the Gulf to recover. Some compare it to the Hurricane Katrina that Louisiana is still recovering from after nearly five years.
"My kids will be talking about the effect of this when they're my age," said 41-year-old Venice charter boat captain Bob Kenney.
Back to Rep. Taylor:
He described the spill as a light, rainbow sheen with patches that look like chocolate milk.
Rainbows and chocolate! How bad could that be?
“It’s breaking up naturally; that’s a good thing. The fact that it’s a long way from the Mississippi Gulf Coast, that’s a great thing, because it gives it time to break up naturally,” he said.
[Department of Marine Resources Director Bill] Walker said the sheen could collect on beaches and in estuaries, but it will evaporate within a week.
Walker’s plan is to let any sheen that makes its way into the marshes evaporate naturally.
OK, he's the expert (I guess) but that doesn't sound right. If you release a river of oil onto land, can it just...evaporate? Is there any verifiable science to support that contention?
Meanwhile, at least we know what the talking points are:
"The ocean will take care of this on its own if it was left alone and left out there," Rush Limbaugh said. "It's natural. It's as natural as the ocean water is."
Riiiiight. No use crying over spilled chocolate milk.
UPDATE: If you live in the region and you want to volunteer, you can contact the Coalition To Restore Coastal Louisiana.
UPDATE: As for the ocean "taking care of this on its own," the residents of Prince William Sound beg to differ:
Crude oil from the [Exxon Valdez] still lingers on some beaches a full 21 years later. Some marine species never recovered. Families and bank accounts were shattered. Alcoholism, suicide and domestic violence rates all rose in hard-hit towns.