Cleaning Oil-Soaked Wetlands May Be Impossible

[Cetacea]

Source: AP/ABC

Officials are considering some drastic and risky solutions: They could set the wetlands on fire or flood areas in hopes of floating out the oil.

But they warn an aggressive cleanup could ruin the marshes and do more harm than good. The only viable option for many impacted areas is to do nothing and let nature break down the spill.

More than 50 miles of Louisiana's delicate shoreline already have been soiled by the massive slick unleashed after BP's Deepwater Horizon burned and sank last month. Officials fear oil eventually could invade wetlands and beaches from Texas to Florida. Louisiana is expected to be hit hardest.

"Oil in the marshes is the worst-case scenario," said Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen, the head of the federal effort to contain and clean up the spill.

Read more: http://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory?id=10718823

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Not too encouraging...

http://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory?id=10718823

[GreenPartyVoter]

1. :^( Poor Mother Nature. Seems like moms are almost always stuck cleaning up the mess.

(Well, it seems to work that way at my house, anyway.)

[Cetacea]

2. I'm afraid not even moms will be able to clean this mess.

[proudohioan]

12. What a wonderful analogy....

and the same seems to hold true at my house, too!

:)

[Prometheus Bound]

3. "seafloor leak still gushing hundreds of thousands of gallons a day"

I haven't read much about this. I didn't realize it was that much. Like the end of the world for some people and other animals.

[Cetacea]

4. "Sub-surface phenomenon".

This will affect everything from plankton to sperm whales. Mostly away from cameras.

[northernlights]

6. yes. it has been that much since the beginning

so BP bragging about how it's "solution" is sucking up 5,000 gallons/day is a sad attempt to deflect attention away from the hundres of thousands of gallons it is *not* sucking up. :(

[Politicub]

5. BP has transformed us into Iraq

From the OP:

Officials are considering some drastic and risky solutions: They could set the wetlands on fire or flood areas in hopes of floating out the oil.

From another article about Saddam Hussein's destruction of Iraq's marshes:

Iraq's marshes were devastated in the 1980s and 1990s by the Hussein regime's campaign to ditch, dike, drain, and burn them.

Source: http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/good-iraqimarshes.html#cr


I fucking hate BP with all of the fiber of my being. Never again will I get gas at another BP station. I would gladly run out of gas if BP were my only choice.

I would like nothing more than this murderous, destructive company to go bankrupt, and its leadership imprisoned for the rest of their lives.

[DuckBurp]

9. I look for BP to change its name

at least for marketing purposes in the US so those of us who feel like you do will be fooled into buying their product under that name.

[izquierdista]

10. When they add depleted Uranium

the conversion to uninhabitable ruin will be complete.

[laurel46]

7. the repubs were right

deregulation works so well, Louisiana is getting its oil for free.

I worked an oil spill treating wildlife and was so sickened I can't do it again. Most animals die after a very painful death. The oil burns their insides, they get no pain relief, and they use car wash sprayers to get the oil off. I wouldn't hate it so much but the agony is unbearable. I pray that the wildlife response vets, and they are there for these things, have gotten better at humane clean up. If not Euthanize but this is tragic since it is the stupid drug laws that prevent the vets from doing this since they can't let just anyone give tiny amounts of opioids. Thankfully, I am licensed to dose with meds, but most volunteers are not in medicine. stupid drug laws torture wildlife, way to go usa.

[laurel46]

8. oops, euthanize if not using pain management. if meds are used the animals would have greater

survival.

[Name removed]

15. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[ThomThom]

11. They should be working to capture it before it goes ashore.

Spreading dispersants is not the answer. It needs to be cleaned up as close to the release as possible. Sounds like a propaganda piece for BP putting out the idea that they don't have to do anything.

[saigon68]

13. "BRING IT ON" shouted the AWOL CHIMPANZEE

[Odin2005]

14. Thanks, BP, you just anally raped the planet!

:grr: