Pearl Jam & others send letter to president Obama.
Pap
Serres, Greece Posts: 29,255
http://grungereport.net/?p=1148Louisiana loses a football field worth of wetlands every 45 minutes, and 40 to 60% of that loss is attributed to oil and gas activity, including exploration and dredging pipeline canals. :shock:
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Very nice
Sad, but true. I feel though, that if given the option, man of these bands would embrace alternative energy powered transportation. We as a society have not embraced alternative energy; it will take a while in the good ol' USA.
WAHOOOOO ! now thats bringing it home.
Godfather.
At least Stone is trying to off-set this with his electric/hybrid car push. also I like to think Jeff rides his bike or skateboard everywhere.
http://www.spinner.com/2010/03/31/pearl ... vironment/
http://www.usatoday.com/weather/climate ... ming_x.htm
"Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."
that's not bringing it home ... that's called deflect and divert ...
I don't think a lot of people outside of the Gulf Coast region appreciate how important the coastal wetlands are down here. Louisiana has 30% of the nation's coastal wetlands, and experiences 90% of the nation's coastal land loss. Losing those areas has an impact on a seafood industry that produces 40% of America's seafood harvest.
And then you have the hurricane issue - those areas act as brakes for hurricanes, slowing them down before they reach heavily-populated cities. The more the wetlands erode, the longer the light stays green for hurricanes bearing down on the Gulf Coast (on that note, it would be nice to see the barrier islands in Mississippi and Alabama built back up again to help those guys out).
All of that doesn't even touch on all of the different species of wildlife that were having a hard enough time fighting for their survival with the erosion before the oil spill came along and screwed things up even further.
Pearl Jam does do a great job off-setting their fossil fuel use, much better than other bands. But there is a certain irony to the article, that's all I was trying to point out. I really wasn't trying to call them out, but it certainly came off that way.
The best way to put a stop to the oil companies is to stop buying gas. On average, Pearl Jam consumes more gas than the average person. If there is a demand, someone will always supply. That idea is the basic flaw in this 'war against drugs' and I feel like it's certainly applicable here. Pearl Jam is certainly a environmentally conscious band and they do their part, but at the end of the day, what exactly is this letter accomplishing?
+1, I just had the privilege of watching Bridge School and as amazing as it was, it just seemed like a teaser. It's been over 4 years since my last full concert and I'm ready for a fix.
they HAVE to use oil. everyone does. anyone legitimately trying to get across the country in a reasonable amount of time anyway. affecting policy does more than any individual or group could ever do.
they also do a lot more for the environment than the average person ... same can be said for children with diabilities, violence against women, etc..
the best way to stop oil companies is to stop their subsidies and their control of gov't policy ...
saying pj use a lot of gas is deflecting from the issue at hand which is the loss of wetlands - it's meant to detract from the issue ... the letter is significant in a multitude of ways ... first of all - it shows active citizenry - it's part of the democratic process similar to voting ... if you do not let your voice be heard - you might as well live in a dictatorship ... second, it creates awareness because of their celebrity ... the fact we are talking about it is a positive enough outcome ... if a few people, go out and read about the importance of wetlands to our ecosystems - then it's well worth spending 30 mins to type and send a letter no?
Is Louisiana really that corrupt that they are losing a football field of wetlands every 45 minutes? Or are the oil and gas companies forced to pay credits to the government in return for the destruction of wetlands? Or are they developing new wetlands elsewhere to offset the damage they are doing? Or are they really losing a football field of wetlands every 45 minutes?
It would be interesting to see the source data that this statistic was based on.
A lot of the wetland loss isn't to do with the oil and gas industry, but coastal erosion. Ironically, putting levees up along the Mississippi River is causing problems too, as the river is no longer allowed to change course the way it naturally did. Originally it would move, and the sediments it would displace would help build up a lot more of the coastline. Now it's locked in one place and the coast isn't getting the same sedimentary deposits it used to get. That's amplifying the effects of coastal erosion, because Mother Nature isn't being allowed to fix the problem.
By Juliet Eilperin
Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced Wednesday afternoon that the Obama administration will not allow offshore oil drilling in the eastern Gulf of Mexico or off the Atlantic and Pacific coasts as part of the next five-year drilling plan, reversing two key policy changes President Obama announced in late March.
"We are adjusting our strategy in areas where there are no active leases," Salazar told reporters in a phone call, adding that the administration has decided "not expand to new areas at this time" and instead "focus and expand our critical resources on areas that are currently active" when it comes to oil and gas drilling.
In March--less than a month before the BP oil spill--Obama and Salazar said they would open up the eastern Gulf and parts of the Atlantic, including off the coast of Virginia, to offshore oil and gas exploration. On both of those new areas, the administration said it would start scoping to see if oil and gas drilling would be suitable. The eastern Gulf remains closed to drilling under a congressional moratorium, but the White House indicated it would press to lift the moratorium if necessary.
Wednesday's announcement is sure to please environmentalists while angering oil and gas companies as well as some lawmakers from both parties who have pressed for continued offshore energy exploration in the wake of massive Gulf of Mexico spill...
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/post-c ... l_ban.html