Yesterday marked 5 years since the Deepwater Horizon oil drilling platform in the Gulf of Mexico exploded, killing 11 men and unleashing a veritable gusher of oil, letting loose millions of gallons of crude into the Gulf waters.
The use of the dispersal agent with the Orwellian name “Corexit” caused the oil slick that had been floating on top of the once-pristine waters to break up and sink to the bottom. Out of sight, but as deadly as ever.
Five years ago as the oil spewed forth, I had the opportunity to speak with Dr. Riki Ott, marine toxicologist, former commercial fisherwoman who traveled to the Gulf to advocate for people who got sick after the BP spill, author of Not One Drop: Betrayal and Courage in the Wake of the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill, a few times.
As I was reliving the disaster during yesterday’s anniversary, I remembered how much I appreciated Riki’s insight, so I invited her back on my show. The timing was spot on, as tomorrow is an important deadline that we all need to take note of.
The Environmental Protection Agency has been working on updated its National Contingency Plan for Oil Spills, and the window for public comment closes tomorrow! This morning, Riki Ott directed us toward The Alert Project (alertproject.org), where you’ll find all the information, instructions and links to help us weigh in on this dire matter.
Please don’t wait a moment longer, visit The Alert Project now and make your voice heard!
I could listen to Riki Ott speak all day, and our 30 minutes together passed too quickly. She’ll come back on the show again, but we have work to do first!
After that very serious conversation, it was time to laugh (because we all know the alternative!)… So, GottaLaff joined me, as she does each Tuesday morning.
We discussed the news that the Koch Brothers basically voiced their support for Scott Walker to be the GOP 2016 nominee, so I thought it was time to remind everyone that Scott Walker is nothing more than a Koch whore. Need proof? Listen to this… and share it liberally!
