By the time you read this I will be actively engaged in a non-violent direct action designed to bring awareness to the construction of the southern leg of the Keystone XL Pipeline, to this country's continuing use of our cherished Gulf Coast as the nation's energy sacrifice zone, and in defense of our Mother Earth.
If TransCanada has its way, almost 1.1 million barrels of tar sands oil - the world’s dirtiest, most toxic, and most difficult-to-clean-up-when-it-spills oil - will roll down the Keystone XL pipeline to the Gulf of Mexico.
Baton Rouge, Louisiana - A June 14th release of Naphtha – a mixture of flammable liquid hydrocarbon – from ExxonMobil's Baton Rouge Chemical Plant is under investigation for being severely under-reported by the corporation.
Through updates from local residents, Bridge the Gulf learned neighborhoods in and around Laplace, Louisiana were especially hard-hit by flooding from Hurricane Isaac. As soon as it was safe, Cherri Foytlin traveled to Laplace and the surrounding area.
On August 3rd, a nearly 400-foot wide sinkhole opened up near Bayou Corne and Grand Bayou in Assumption Parish, Louisiana, turning cypress forest into a massive slurry-filled hole. Residents have been evacuated, and officials are scrambling to identify the cause and solution to the sinkhole. Are we watching a disaster unfold? Has anything like this happened before? When will evacuated residents be able to return home?
A couple of days ago a friend of mine and I decided to embark on a fateful trip. We had heard that not far from our current location, (a fisherman’s meeting about the BP settlement, near New Orleans), a sink hole approximately 200 feet wide had formed and that it was threatening a nearby bayou community.
According to our sources, the depression was forcing the evacuation of 150 families.
One thing is for sure: When it comes to how the billions of dollars in BP fines slated for the Gulf Coast is used by the states, advocates, watch-dog groups and citizens alike best keep their nose on the money trail. Businesses and political leaders are already making plans for the use of those funds.
Often times when I go to speak, I tell the story of how I became involved in issues involving the Gulf Coast and its seemingly permanent trek down the road of man-made and natural disaster. For me the moment of awakening came on a boat floating around in thousands of gallons of oil soaking into Barataria Bay.
By the time you read this I will be actively engaged in a non-violent direct action designed to bring awareness to the construction of the southern leg of the Keystone XL Pipeline, to this country's continuing use of our cherished Gulf Coast as the nation's energy sacrifice zone, and in defense of our Mother Earth.
If TransCanada has its way, almost 1.1 million barrels of tar sands oil - the world’s dirtiest, most toxic, and most difficult-to-clean-up-when-it-spills oil - will roll down the Keystone XL pipeline to the Gulf of Mexico.
Baton Rouge, Louisiana - A June 14th release of Naphtha – a mixture of flammable liquid hydrocarbon – from ExxonMobil's Baton Rouge Chemical Plant is under investigation for being severely under-reported by the corporation.
On August 30th and September 1st, I took a ride out to document some of the South Louisiana communities that have been effected by Hurricane Isaac.
On August 3rd, a nearly 400-foot wide sinkhole opened up near Bayou Corne and Grand Bayou in Assumption Parish, Louisiana, turning cypress forest into a massive slurry-filled hole. Residents have been evacuated, and officials are scrambling to identify the cause and solution to the sinkhole. Are we watching a disaster unfold? Has anything like this happened before? When will evacuated residents be able to return home?
had formed and that it was threatening a nearby bayou community.
One thing is for sure: When it comes to how the billions of dollars in BP fines slated for the Gulf Coast is used by the states, advocates, watch-dog groups and citizens alike best keep their nose on the money trail. Businesses and political leaders are already making plans for the use of those funds.
Often times when I go to speak, I tell the story of how I became involved in issues involving the Gulf Coast and its seemingly permanent trek down the road of man-made and natural disaster. For me the moment of awakening came on a boat floating around in thousands of gallons of oil soaking into Barataria Bay.
