158. BP Oil Spill: The Toxic Dispersant Corexit Still Being Used in the Gulf of Mexico

The following is a January 16, 2011 letter from Louisiana State Senator, District 1, A. G. Crowe to President Obama about the continued use of the toxic dispersant Corexit in the Gulf of Mexico.  The federal government with complicity of the mass media has engineered the myth that the BP oil spill disaster has come to an end.  The evidence of continued damage to the ecosystems and protest by local communities in the affected states has received scant national attention.  Senator Crowe's letter serves to remind us how the government and mass media place profits of the oil and gas industry ahead of the integrity of ecosystems and American communities. 

--KN

1/16/2011

The Honorable Barack Obama
The President of the United States
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, D.C. 20500

Re: The environmental impact of dispersing Corexit during and after the oil spill

Dear Mr. President;

The BP incident in the Gulf of Mexico has now been acknowledged as the greatest manmade disaster in history but there is yet another manmade disaster that must not be overlooked and has not been adequately addressed in the recently released report of the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon oil disaster.

That second major disaster has been caused by the unnecessary use of the toxin Corexit dispersant. In early May of 2010 just after the crisis began, I requested that our Louisiana Attorney General Buddy Caldwell use whatever legal means were necessary to stop the use of this toxin. Shortly thereafter, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal requested that the use of this toxic dispersant be discontinued because of the long-term environmental damage. And still later, it was reported in the media that you also ordered BP to stop using Corexit. Surprisingly, I also read in the media that they even refused your request.

Mr. President, my concern is that this toxic and damaging chemical is still being used and it will compound the long-term damage to our state, our citizens, our eco-system, our economy, our seafood industry, our wildlife and our culture.

I am well aware that our emphasis, resources and energy is currently engaged working through the administrative and legal proceedings of the oil disaster but we must also recognize and begin the same process to address the damage Corexit has done and will continue to do as we go forward. 

[to read the rest of the letter click here].