Fresh Crude Oil Washes Ashore In Louisiana In March 2011

BP Oil Spill

Fresh crude oil is washing ashore in Grande Isle Louisiana and must have triggered flashbacks of the Deep Water Horizon oil spill disaster.

Sources report that the slick was two miles offshore during the weekend of March 19 and 20, then it begin to wash up on beaches and other parts of the coastline. In actions that mirror activities during many oil spills the coast guard said it would deploy oil booms.

It appears at least on source of the spill has admitted responsibility. An article titled “One Gulf Oil Spill Source Found But Slicks May Be Spreading” by Rocky Kistner March 23, 2011 and published in The Huffington Post discusses the details of the cause. Anglo-Suisse Offshore Partners is a Houston based company and admitted that a nonproducing well was the source of the spill.

This is just a reality check after many days of reports about the real nuclear power disaster in Japan that our primary source of energy, fossil fuel, is not a poster child for safety. What it really points out is there has to be a better way for man to meet his energy requirement that does not involve on method or another that can unleash forces that can destroy the environment and lives.

GAS PRICE INCREASES HITS THE UNITED STATES

By Danny Pollard February USA- Nothing reminds us of how dependent we are on oil from Northern African and the Middle East more than sharp increases in the price of gasoline at our local service station. Events that are occurring halfway around the world have a direct connection to our pocket books in the United States and it hurts.

Unrest in Libya as the population there has taken a cue from citizens in Egypt and are moving to oust their leader of 40 years, Muammar Abu Minyar al-Gaddafi. Although we are far removed from the actual unrest we see it when driving by the signs at the gas pump as some will increase from the time we drive by on the way out from home and come by on the way back. 

An article titled "Gas prices keep rising in Dallas-Fort Worth, with no relief in sight" by Elena Harding, Jessica L. Huseman and Amber Bel February 23, 2011 and published on the Dallas News .com website detail the rising gas price issue in Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas. That article was a few days ago and prices are even higher now. 

Effect Of Fuel Prices On Economic Recovery

As gas prices increase, the amount of money available to spend on other things will decrease and that means the economic recovery will slow down. If gas prices hit $5 dollars a gallon it will be like throwing cold water on other spending. Not only will the price of filling personal gas tanks go up, but the price of fueling delivery trucks will increase also. Increased cost to deliver everything from food to tires will be passed on to consumers. We must hope that stability returns to those troubled areas that we depend on to keep our country moving.

Time To Break Our Foreign Oil Addiction

Will this become just another drill in complaining about the price of gas or will this be the opportunity to begin to turn the page on our oil addiction. Technology has zoomed forward in many areas such as computers and cell phones, but automobiles are using the same engine and fuel technology as 100 years ago.