BP Oil Spill Day 43: Size Now Compares WV & MD Combined

Environmental groups have expressed concerns over Corexit, which is manufactured for BP by NALCO Energy Services of Sugar Land, Texas.

Look no further than our own back yards. In the coastal cities where so many are employed by the petroleum industry, who would think that someone would speak out and prevent such disasters as this oil spill in the gulf. After all, the employees leave work, and plan family trips to this beautiful coastal region. The silence is deafening.

Yet unlike typical politics where one can pick Republican, or Democrat; this travesty has no sides, it affects us all and for a long time to come. A long time ago, I remember the tar that got between my toes when having family outings to the beach as a kid. My mother would always say clean your feet before getting into the car; and it was never easy to remove the tar so that I would not get into trouble. I am sad now, and mad at myself for not being stewart of this coastal land after having those experiences. Because the tar never went away. When going to the beach as an adult, often I would find this same tar. Now, I find out where this stuff comes from, and see the many mishaps that lax regulation has permitted to cause oil to wash to our beaches. I remember names of some of these beaches, and they had names like Crystal beach, hence implying that once these areas were pristine.

I once was proud of my city, and now I am ashamed. I am also ashamed of myself for not doing something myself, and sooner. I hope others can learn from my mistake.