Op-Ed Contributor
By ROBERT YOUNG
Published: June 11, 2010
OF the many cleanup solutions being pursued in the Gulf of Mexico, few are as ambitious as Louisiana’s berm project. The Army Corps of Engineers recently authorized the state to construct some 45 miles of artificial berms in an effort to protect Mississippi River Delta wetlands and barrier islands from the oil gushing from the Deepwater Horizon leak, with BP promising to pay the state $360 million for the entire project. Many more miles may be authorized in the coming weeks.
The state understandably wants to move quickly and on a large scale, and no one wants to stop a project like this simply because it is spending too much of BP’s money. The problem, however, is that the berms won’t work as promised, and their construction will monopolize resources that could be used more effectively elsewhere.
The berms, essentially a series of long, low-lying islands made of dredged sand, seem like a good idea for blocking an oil slick. But as any engineer will tell you, the difficulties are often in the details. Although federal and state agencies were given only a short time to respond to the application, their comments, included in the permit documentation, raise serious concerns about the proposal and its potential effects.
<...>
Then there are the environmental risks. A completed berm could potentially increase the impact of storm surges on the coastal lowlands, and instead of blocking oil it could merely redirect the natural tidal flow — and with it thousands of gallons of oil — to even more environmentally important areas. Likewise, by impeding the outflow of water, it could prevent the natural flushing of some oil.
more
Printer-friendly format
Email this thread to a friend
Bookmark this thread
(1000+ posts)
Send PM |
Profile |
Ignore
