Lay of the Land

After a Spill: Conclusions and the future

This is part five of a five part series on the dirty legacy of offshore drilling. Read parts one, two, three and four.

BP’s early commitment to accountability has shifted to one of affordability.  Entire ecosystems and the organisms that inhabit them have been irreparably damaged by the worst environmental disaster in the history of the US on the company’s watch. BP has now been reauthorized to bid on leases in the Gulf of Mexico, with settlements still pending and the long term effects of Deepwater Horizon still unknown. This decision is premature; BP has not proven that it will be a responsible contractor. If anything, the opposite is true. BP has just been involved with another spill in Whiting, Indiana that endangered the drinking water of millions of people. Although the spill was tiny in comparison to Deepwater Horizon, it is a spill nonetheless and BP recently spent over $4 billion to overhaul the Whiting facility to process heavy Canadian tar sands oil. BP should know better than anyone the risks of oil spills and their efforts to prevent them, such as the Whiting renovation, do not seem to be working.

After a Spill: Ongoing Spill Costs

This is part four of a five part series on the dirty legacy of offshore drilling. Read parts one, two, and three.

The damage of oil spills is not up for debate—ask anyone who has dealt with a spill first hand. Despite the high costs of post-spill cleanup, oil is still polluting our beaches and poisoning coastal wildlife. Exxon Mobile spent approximately $2.1 billion dollars on their unsuccessful cleanup efforts, yet remains of oil are expected to remain for centuries. Additionally, Exxon may have to provide further compensation under Senate Joint Resolution 25, which was proposed on March 24, 2014. The resolution asks state and federal governments to consider filing a motion to compel ExxonMobil to pay additional damages based upon the reopener provision from the 1991 settlement.

After a Spill: Oil Soaked Animals

This is part three of a five part series on the dirty legacy of offshore drilling. Read parts one and two.

BP has painted spills as fixable, running commercials showing volunteers cleaning oiled birds with Dawn Soap. Although it’s nice to think we can undo the damage done to animal populations, the reality of a spill is much bleaker.

When asked to estimate the number of wildlife damaged by the Exxon Valdez spill, the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council is unable to give an estimate, saying simply “no one knows.” The best estimate for wildlife deaths are as follows: upwards of 250,000 sea birds, 2,800 sea otters, 300 harbor seals, 250 bald eagles, 22 killer whales, and billions of salmon and herring eggs. Many of the species damaged by the initial spill are still reported as recovering by the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council over twenty years later. The above are considered low estimations for the immense amount of deaths caused by the spill. Killer whale researchers monitoring two distinct pods in Prince William Sound before and after the spill have seen the devastating effects of oil on the whale populations. Thirteen out of thirty-five killer whales in the resident pod died after the spill and the population still hasn’t rebounded. Even worse off is the transient pod, the Chugach transients, who due to their status as top predator “accumulate contaminants from everything below them. High levels of PCBs and DDT in their blubber may be causing reproductive problems: The Chugach transients haven't birthed a single surviving calf since 1984.” Twenty five years with no successful offspring is a devastating reality for Alaskan killer whales and extinction is a possibility for a pod that has lived in the area for thousands of years. The extreme disruption caused by the spill continues to affect animal populations as well as local biodiversity and human industry today—despite twenty five years of active monitoring and clean up.

Celebrating the Outdoors

On Monday we celebrated John Muir's legacy on what would have been his 176th birthday with the Filson Company, working together to raise awareness and further our mission of encouraging people to explore, enjoy, and protect the planet. John Muir was a naturalist and a preservationist who founded the Sierra Club in 1892, just five years before the Filson Company began making and selling rugged clothing and gear for outdoorsmen. To this day we both strive to forge a connection between people and nature.

Connecting people to nature is where John Muir excelled. He founded the Sierra Club as a group of alpinists who loved mountaineering.  And he was always an advocate, taking people outside to visit special places in hopes that it would move them to help protect those places.  After more than 100 years, getting outside and into the natural world is still a great way to inspire and engage people.

It is with this in mind that the Sierra Club has provided opportunities for 250,000 people to participate in outings into the outdoors, and also why the Our Wild America campaign has created its Nearby Nature initiative. For many people getting outside is more difficult than ever as more than 80% of the country now lives in suburbs or cities.  Protecting natural places near those densely populated areas is crucial to ensuring that all Americans have the opportunity to explore the natural world and form those connections. They need accessible places to connect with family, friends, community, and the planet.

So thanks to Filson for helping us promote and engage people with the great outdoors. And a happy belated birthday to John Muir! We’ll keep working to ensure that his legacy lives on.

After a Spill: Coastal Damages

This is part two of a five part series on the dirty legacy of offshore drilling. Read part one here. 

The damages from the Exxon Valdez and Deepwater Horizon oil disasters are extensive and long-lasting. The Deepwater Horizon spill completely devastated the coastal wetlands and marshes of the Gulf of Mexico. The National Wildlife Federation finds that 1,100 miles of shoreline experienced some level of oiling following the blowout, and that oiling persisted along some 200 miles. Between June of 2011 and September of 2013, the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority records indicate that workers removed 12.1 million pounds of oil substances from the state—still nowhere near as much as was spilled. Between the months of March and August, more material was collected and removed in 2013 than in 2012. Not to mention the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) on February 27, 2014 removed over 1,253 pounds of a submerged oil mat, despite that very area being surveyed 9 times since the Deepwater Horizon spill. Our beaches are not getting better.

The fact that new submerged oil mats are still being located confirms that the spill clean-up is far from over. A recent study suggests that significant amounts of oil may be inert on the floor of the Gulf, with the potential to remobilize in the event of severe weather to the further detriment of shore ecosystems. Excess oil in the Gulf not only harms local organisms, but also contributes to the already serious issue of land erosion.

Shoreline erosion, already an urgent concern in the marshes of Louisiana, is accelerated by the presence of crude oil. Washed ashore, it damages or kills the mangroves and marsh grasses that hold the dry land together. In the past 80 years, the Mississippi River Delta has ceded 1,900 square miles of wetlands to open water. In addition to direct contamination, construction of levees and channelization of the Mississippi River have altered the natural silting processes that generate marshland. Further development of canals and channels for energy infrastructure in the Gulf exacerbates the problem. By 2060, the State of Louisiana predicts another 1750 square mile loss of marshland—irreparable and costly damage. To combat this enormous problem the Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority East (SLFPA-E) filed a landmark lawsuit last July against approximately 100 oil and gas companies to hold them accountable for damages caused by industry wells, pipelines and canals. For decades oil and gas companies have profited from local resources while destroying the very ecosystems people rely on. These damaged barrier islands and coastal marshes are critical in climate mitigation; they reduce storm surge and flooding impacts, as well as provide habitat for a vast array of local flora and fauna.

Whether it is in Alaska or the Gulf, oil and gas companies are destroying coastal ecosystems even before a spill occurs. But, when a spill does occur, the damage is widespread and persistent. Four years later the Gulf of Mexico is not cleaned up, and the next big storm could re-oil the precious coasts and beaches so many people rely upon for their livelihoods.

-- By Foley Pfalzgraf

 

 

After a Spill: Oily Decades lie ahead for damaged coasts

This is part one of a five part series on the dirty legacy of offshore drilling.

Four years ago the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig exploded and sank in the Gulf of Mexico. Between April 20^th and July 10^th, the uncapped oil well spewed almost 200 million gallons of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico. This unfortunate anniversary is a cause for reflection on oil and gas development in our country, and what we’re willing to risk for it.

Known as the largest environmental disaster in US history, the Deepwater Horizon spill claimed 11 lives and generated an oil slick that was visible from outer space. Unfortunately, the Deepwater Horizon spill is not the first spill to wreak havoc with coastal ecosystems and economies in America. The Exxon Valdez spill occurred over 25 years ago on March 24^th, 1989 and released roughly 11 million gallons of crude oil into Alaska’s delicate Prince William Sound area. Although BP claims its clean up job is finished in the Gulf, reflecting on the twenty-five years of contamination still ongoing in Alaska paints a different story. Only a few short years have passed since the spill in the Gulf, and oil is still found on beaches; looking northward, oil can still be found on Alaska’s shores 25 years later—the effects of the Deepwater Horizon spill can be expected to endure far longer than many attest.

Previously the worst environmental disaster in U.S. history, the Exxon Valdez spill “is widely considered the number one spill worldwide in terms of damage to the environment.” This is due mostly to the extreme wildlife diversity in the area, the timing of the spill, and the difficulty of the cleanup. Indeed, the cleanup took more than four summers before the effort was called off, additionally “not all beaches were cleaned and some beaches remain oiled today,” according to the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council. In the summer of 2001 (12 years after the spill) the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) found that over 20 acres of beaches were oil-contaminated, this was more than twice the estimate from the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council survey conducted in 1993. Officially, 21,000 gallons of oil remain, but many consider this estimate conservative. Official estimates tend to be far too shortsighted and do not adequately estimate enduring contamination. A report on February 28, 2014 found that Exxon Valdez oil can still be found between boulders and this oil is similar to 11 day old crude and thus highly toxic. Further the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council admits, “The remaining oil will take decades and possibly centuries to disappear entirely.”

Twenty-five years haven’t managed to heal Alaska’s beaches; and four years have not healed the Gulf. The outlook for other and future spills having successful cleanups is becoming increasingly bleak as long-term effects are still coming to light for both the Exxon Valdez and Deepwater Horizon spills. Despite the horrifying results of these spills, there are still calls to open up more areas in the Gulf of Mexico, the Arctic, and down the Atlantic coast for production. Isn’t it time we say enough is enough?

 

-- By Foley Pfalzgraf

 

Obama Administration Restores Clean Water Act Protections to Streams and Wetlands

The Obama administration has proposed a new rule to ensure waterways are clean and safe from pollution, just as weather is warming up so Americans can start enjoying them. For years, confusing Supreme Court rulings and agency guidance have left our country's small streams and wetlands at risk of pollution. This new rule will finally clarify which US waters are protected under the Clean Water Act and restore protections to almost all of the nation's fresh waters – ensuring safe drinking water for 117 million Americans.

When Congress passed the Clean Water Act in 1972 and articulated that it applied to “all waters of the US,” they understood that bodies of water are interconnected. Many of us remember learning this in elementary school – how streams and rivers wind their way to join lakes and wetlands. Prior to 2001, virtually all streams, wetlands, lakes, and other natural water bodies were covered under the Clean Water Act.

However, the Clean Water Act was thrown into confusion by two Supreme Court decisions in 2001 and 2006 and subsequent agency guidance. For more than a decade, lack of clarity around the jurisdiction of the Clean Water Act has left many of our nation's waters unprotected – threatening the public drinking water supplies of more than 117 million Americans, putting 20 million acres of wetlands at risk, and leaving 59% of all stream miles in the continental United States unprotected.

The Sierra Club applauds the Obama administration for this effort to restore a common-sense approach to protecting our nation's lakes, rivers, and streams. Clean water is an undeniable necessity for the enjoyment of these resources – not to mention the health of our families, our environment, and our economy. As the Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have recognized with this rule, ensuring the protection of water bodies upstream is vital to keeping pollution out of our waters downstream.

However, it is critical that this rule protect all of America’s wetlands and waterways. The proposed rule stops short of restoring pre-2001 protections for many regionally important wetland and water bodies located outside floodplains, including prairie potholes, Carolina bays, vernal pools, and playa lakes. The science is clear that these so-called “isolated” wetlands can affect quality of downstream waters, especially when these wetlands are considered in aggregate on a regional or watershed basis.

Today's rule is a major step towards restoring clean water safeguards for all U.S. wetlands and water bodies. We look forward to a robust public comment period and to seeing a strong rule finalized quickly.

-- By Jessica Eckdish

 

p.s.-- Join us in thanking the Obama administration for restoring clean water safeguards. 

The Lacey Act - Leading the Fight Against Illegal Logging

A Siberian tiger cub.

From furniture to paper and pencils, wood products are a part of our everyday lives. Though wood products are now more than ever coming from sustainable sources, up to 30 percent of wood traded internationally has been harvested illegally. Not only does illegal logging damage the environment, it disrupts our climate, hurts communities, and threatens American jobs.

Thankfully, with a landmark law called the Lacey Act, the United States is helping lead the fight against illegal logging. To get a snapshot of the costs of illegal logging and how you can help, take a look at our new webpage.

Deforestation, which is driven in part by illegal logging, is one of the largest sources of climate-disrupting pollution. Each year deforestation accounts for roughly 1.5 billion tons of carbon dioxide, around 17 percent of global climate-disrupting pollution. Further, illegal logging threatens valuable habitat for endangered animals and plants. A great report from the Environmental Investigation Agency details how illegal logging in the Russian Far East, allegedly to supply the flooring giant Lumber Liquidators, is threatening the last 450 Siberian tigers in the wild.

Illegal logging also threatens communities that live in and around forests. The illegal harvesting and removal of timber deprives countries of roughly $15 billion a year in tax revenue. Instead of funding public improvements that benefit communities, revenue from illegal logging funds underground crime.

Trade in illegally harvested timber threatens American jobs by driving down the price of wood products. Cheaper wood might sound good, but it actually places a huge burden on American companies. In fact, it’s estimated that lower prices due to the trade of illegally harvested wood products ends up costing U.S. companies $1 billion annually.

Thankfully, the United States has taken the lead in fighting the trade of illegally harvested wood. In 2008, the U.S. Congress amended the Lacey Act to ban the import of illegally harvested wood. Now, companies that import wood products must identify the species and origin of their products. Violators of the law face fines and jail time. Led by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the federal government has opened investigations into companies that are alleged to knowingly import illegally harvested timber.

Since its amendment, the Lacey Act has shown a strong track record of requiring companies to identify the source of imported wood, both leading to more sustainable supply chains and helping decrease illegal logging. Currently, opponents of the Lacey Act are trying to weaken this landmark law. To help ensure the U.S. continues to lead in the fight against illegal logging and climate disruption, tell the President and Congress to fully enforce the Lacey Act!

--Jesse Prentice-Dunn, Representative, Sierra Club’s Responsible Trade Program