Shame on the Coast Guard

This is too outrageous to ignore! Last year, in the wake of the BP drilling disaster, President Obama made a promise to the people of the Gulf that his administration would hold BP accountable for the massive amounts of damage the company caused. Well, that promise has been broken.

Under an agreement entered into between BP and the Coast Guard, BP is being given the “all clean” signal in many areas and will not be required to conduct any long-term monitoring. Check out this NOLA Times-Picayune article for the head-shaking details:
http://www.nola.com/news/gulf-oil-spill/index.ssf/2011/11/louisiana_refuses_to_sign_bp-c.html

Our frequent field monitoring trips, and the daily experiences of many residents along the Gulf coast, continue to show BP’s oil is still here. We find tarballs, tar mats, and gooey oil in our marshes, on our beaches, in our bays and estuaries, and we know it’s on the ocean floor. The Coast Guard must continue to make BP clean it up.

Gulf Restoration Network Photo: Tarball found on Elmers Island on November 12th, 2011

While we honor the heroism of the Coast Guard during the devastating aftermath of Katrina, we cannot ignore that they are letting BP off the hook.

Even worse, we fear that BP will hold early restoration dollars hostage until states agree the oil is gone, even if it is not. After putting up $1 billion for early restoration, BP has been showing its true colors in many instances since then, working to limit their liability and hide their true impacts.

The Coast Guard must hold BP accountable.

Learn more from the Gulf Restoration Network.

Aaron Viles is the Gulf Restoration Network's Deputy Director.  Follow him on Twitter here.