On Wednesday, June 16, we learned that executives from British Petroleum (BP) had agreed to President Barack Obama’s proposal for the oil giant to setup a $20 billion dollar fund for damage claims from its Gulf of Mexico oil spill.
Now the right thing to do is for the President to ensure that a portion of those funds be set aside for the economic restructuring of those coastal communities that are solely dependent upon the Gulf of Mexico and the subsequent tourist industry for their survival.
A prime example of such a community is the small City of Apalachicola, where the lifeblood of its economy is dependent upon the health of the Gulf, Bay, and River.
A community that has fast become the victim of both the oil spill and the national publicity surrounding the spill, now finds itself faced with economic uncertainties whether the oil reaches its pristine waters or not.
For sustainability, a fiscally constrained Apalachicola will surely have to reinvent itself, something that past generations of Apalachicolians had to undertake.
Whether past transformations were from timber to cotton or from cotton to seafood, Apalachicola has always had the wherewithal to redefine itself around it greatest asset, its waterways.
However, what happens to a small coastal community such as Apalachicola, should its greatest asset become fouled with oil or the national perception is that oil has compromised it estuary and contaminated its natural resources.
Now the right thing to do is for the President to ensure that a portion of those funds be set aside for the economic restructuring of those coastal communities that are solely dependent upon the Gulf of Mexico and the subsequent tourist industry for their survival.
A prime example of such a community is the small City of Apalachicola, where the lifeblood of its economy is dependent upon the health of the Gulf, Bay, and River.
A community that has fast become the victim of both the oil spill and the national publicity surrounding the spill, now finds itself faced with economic uncertainties whether the oil reaches its pristine waters or not.
For sustainability, a fiscally constrained Apalachicola will surely have to reinvent itself, something that past generations of Apalachicolians had to undertake.
Whether past transformations were from timber to cotton or from cotton to seafood, Apalachicola has always had the wherewithal to redefine itself around it greatest asset, its waterways.
However, what happens to a small coastal community such as Apalachicola, should its greatest asset become fouled with oil or the national perception is that oil has compromised it estuary and contaminated its natural resources.
Should that be the case, then a portion of those disaster funds are due the City of Apalachicola, to assist the city in preparing for its next transformation and President Barack Obama should see to it that the city receives its due allotment.
Mayor Van:
ReplyDeleteJust another scary thought: I wonder what will happen if our oyster beds, fish, crabs, and bay shrimp die from the effects of oil "products", i.e. poisoning. What will stand in the way of upstream water consumers taking MORE of our precious Apalachicola Chattahoochee Flint fresh river water, and choking us downstream users off?
This town is like the Rising Phoenix!
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