Photo Credit: Matthew Brown/Associated Press
I vividly recall watching the enormous amounts of crude washing up on shores, wrapped around wildlife, and painting the pristine Alaskan waters black, via television. That oil disaster re-branded Exxon forever. Well, they have done it again, and once again they downplay the extent of the situation.
The oil leak that occurred over the weekend (if you buy that the leak has already been fixed and stopped, I don't buy it) has released thousands of crude into the river, whose origins trace to Yellowstone National Park.
I first read about the story HERE, before beginning my celebrations for our Independence Day activities. I thought that I was the only one that was sickened to hear of this. The first estimates placed the quantity of barrels at around 750 barrels (~42 gallons or ~159 liters per barrel). We are now told that it is in the ballpark of 1000 barrels of crude which has been detected almost 250 miles from the site!
Tons of sites are circulating published reports on the story but the heart of the issue remains: the damage to wildlife, vegetation, and populations that hold an interest in the river and surrounding ecosystems. Exxon strikes again!
As much as we enjoy the conveniences of technology (and oil), our accompanying dependence upon these comforts leaves us vulnerable if adequate backups are not prepared in anticipation. This article demonstrates another example of companies and individuals seeking to downplay their collective and individual accountability. The take-away for the rest of us is to do our best to provide for our own. It is in our best interest to achieve a little more self-reliance each and every day.
-The Berkey Guy
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