As the one-year anniversary of the BP drilling disaster nears, the American public has largely turned its attention away from the Gulf Coast.
But for the people and other living creatures who make the region their home, the oil spill's impacts are still being felt acutely today.
In an effort to correct the misperception that the BP disaster is over and the 200 million gallons of oil that spill into the Gulf of Mexico have magically disappeared, staff with the Louisiana-based Gulf Restoration Network last week took reporters on a tour of areas that are still heavily impacted by BP's oil. The tour went from Myrtle Grove, La. to areas including Bay Jimmy, Barataria Bay, Queen Bess Island and Grand Terre Island — many of the same areas that Facing South visited with GRN last summer.
“The marsh in Bay Jimmy is still heavily impacted in most areas that we viewed,” reports GRN organizer Jonathan Henderson. “The grass is coated in oil, roots are exposed, and oil can be seen seeping up through the soil. It was an ugly and disappointing sight indeed.”
The pelicans on Barataria Bay's Queen Bess Island — an important rookery for Louisiana's once-endangered state bird — appear to be doing OK, but Henderson notes that the long-term impacts of oil exposure on birds' reproductive systems remain unknown. And by killing the marsh grass along the island's coastline, the oil is exacerbating the rate of land loss — and raising concerns that the island could disappear into the Gulf within five years.
Meanwhile, Congress has failed to take action to address the problems revealed by the BP disaster. Henderson says that has got to change.
“Congress should put the Clean Water Act fines back into the Gulf ecosystems affected by the BP drilling disaster and establish a Regional Citizens' Advisory Council,” he says. “These reforms are essential to the recovery and protection of the Gulf and the nation.”
GRN has organized a letter-writing campaign calling on Congress to step up and do the right thing for the Gulf. For more information, click here.
Help us Prepare for Trump’s Day One
Trump is busy getting ready for Day One of his presidency – but so is Truthout.
Trump has made it no secret that he is planning a demolition-style attack on both specific communities and democracy as a whole, beginning on his first day in office. With over 25 executive orders and directives queued up for January 20, he’s promised to “launch the largest deportation program in American history,” roll back anti-discrimination protections for transgender students, and implement a “drill, drill, drill” approach to ramp up oil and gas extraction.
Organizations like Truthout are also being threatened by legislation like HR 9495, the “nonprofit killer bill” that would allow the Treasury Secretary to declare any nonprofit a “terrorist-supporting organization” and strip its tax-exempt status without due process. Progressive media like Truthout that has courageously focused on reporting on Israel’s genocide in Gaza are in the bill’s crosshairs.
As journalists, we have a responsibility to look at hard realities and communicate them to you. We hope that you, like us, can use this information to prepare for what’s to come.
And if you feel uncertain about what to do in the face of a second Trump administration, we invite you to be an indispensable part of Truthout’s preparations.
In addition to covering the widespread onslaught of draconian policy, we’re shoring up our resources for what might come next for progressive media: bad-faith lawsuits from far-right ghouls, legislation that seeks to strip us of our ability to receive tax-deductible donations, and further throttling of our reach on social media platforms owned by Trump’s sycophants.
We’re preparing right now for Trump’s Day One: building a brave coalition of movement media; reaching out to the activists, academics, and thinkers we trust to shine a light on the inner workings of authoritarianism; and planning to use journalism as a tool to equip movements to protect the people, lands, and principles most vulnerable to Trump’s destruction.
We urgently need your help to prepare. As you know, our December fundraiser is our most important of the year and will determine the scale of work we’ll be able to do in 2025. We’ve set two goals: to raise $76,000 in one-time donations and to add 1156 new monthly donors by midnight on December 31. And right now, your gift will be matched dollar for dollar.
We’re asking all of our readers to start a monthly donation or make a one-time donation – as a commitment to stand with us on day one of Trump’s presidency, and every day after that, as we produce journalism that combats authoritarianism, censorship, injustice, and misinformation. You’re an essential part of our future – please join the movement by making a tax-deductible donation today.
If you have the means to make a substantial gift, please dig deep during this critical time!
With gratitude and resolve,
Maya, Negin, Saima, and Ziggy