For over half a century, oil rigs have lined Louisiana like skyscrapers floating in the Gulf driving tourists from beaches. Decaying drive-thru daiquiri shops and snowball stands in desolate coastal communities are proof that few industries can compete with oil – Louisiana is the fourth leading producer in the U.S. And a rival is suffering losses due to the recent accident, which is considered more disastrous than the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill.
Media highlights potential losses to Louisiana’s $2.4 billion seafood industry that supplies treasure to Cajun and Creole dishes luring tourists from around the world. But many people overlook a priceless resource threatened by the oil: Louisiana’s wetlands.
“If you get too much oil and toxic materials into the wetlands, there’s also potential for the wetlands themselves to be injured,” says Matt Rota, water resources program director for the Gulf Restoration Network. “The coastal wetlands in Louisiana are extremely fragile.”
Referring to the wetlands as a “natural storm defense” that slows wave action, Rota says the wetlands are “intrinsically very important” to coastal Louisiana. Every one to four square miles of wetland decreases storm surge by a foot protecting the state from hurricanes. But the state is already losing its wetlands at the rate of a football field every 38 minutes, and oil seeping into marshes could increase that pace.
President Obama has assured taxpayers that BP will pay for any damages caused by the oil rig explosion. But if another lethal hurricane makes landfall ravaging communities in its path, will BP pay to restore infrastructure which could have been spared had oil not damaged an important storm barrier? The bill will be much larger than New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival presented by petroleum giant Royal Dutch Shell.
