by Carl Safina
19 Beluga whales A. Mayeda, “Whale Sanctuary Open to Oil Drilling; Small Portion Put Aside for Exploration,” Calgary Herald, August 28, 2010; http://www.calgaryherald.com/technology/Whale+sanctuary+open+drilling/3454789/story.html.
20 Indonesia demands $2.4 billion “Indonesia Demands 2.4 Billion Dollar Payout over Oil Spill,” Agence France-Presse, August 31, 2010; http://www.thenewage.co.za/Detail.aspx?news_id=288&cat_id=1026&mid=53.
21 Thai-owned company rejects Indonesia’s demand “Thai Firm Rejects Indonesia’s 2.4-Billion Oil Spill Claim,” Agence France-Presse, September 3, 2010; http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/home/thai-firm-rejects-indonesias-24-billion-oil-spill-claim/394363.
EARLY SEPTEMBER
1 “Yes!” the sign says R. Fausset, “Shrimp and Oil Are Still King at This Louisiana Festival,” Los Angeles Times, September 6, 2010; http://articles.latimes.com/2010/sep/06/nation/la-na-petroleum-festival-20100906.
2 Oil near Panaji, India “Goa on Slippery Slope as Mystery Ship Dumps Oil,” Pioneer (India), September 2, 2010; http://www.dailypioneer.com/280374/Goa-on-slippery-slope-as-mystery-ship-dumps-oil.html.
3 “We are not finding anything” M. Newsom, “Officials Say No Submerged Oil Found,” Biloxi Sun Herald, September 10, 2010.
4 “We haven’t seen any oiled sediments” C. Burdeau, “NOAA Says Sediment on Gulf Floor Not Visibly Oiled,” Associated Press, September 30, 2010; http://www.wkrg.com/gulf_oil_spill/article/noaa-says-sediment-on-gulf-floor-not-visibly-oiled/994300/Sep-30-2010_3-30-pm/.
5 “I’ve never seen anything like this” R. Harris, “Scientists Find Thick Layer of Oil on Seafloor,” National Public Radio, September 10, 2010; http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129782098.
6 “It wasn’t like a drape” “Experts See Oil in Gulf as Threat to Marine Life,” Los Angeles Times, August 18, 2010.
7 Jindal’s berms C. Burdeau, “EPA: Louisiana’s Sand Berms Not Stopping Much Oil,” Associated Press, September 10, 2010; http://www.dailycomet.com/article/20100910/FEATURES12/100919996.
8 Raising the failed blowout preventer H. R. Weber, “Engineers Prepare to Remove Gulf Well’s Cap,” Associated Press, August 28, 2010. See also H. R. Weber, “Risks Remain with Gulf Well Cap Coming Off,” Associated Press, September 2, 2010; http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100902/ap_on_bi_ge/us_gulf_oil_spill.
9 John Wright, and drilling the final stretch J. Collins, “Gulf Relief Well Down to Final, Tricky 100 Feet,” Associated Press, August 9, 2010; http://www.scpr.org/news/2010/08/09/gulf-relief-well-down-final-tricky-100-feet.
THE NEW LIGHT OF AUTUMN
1 The cement stake A. G. Breed, “The Well Is Dead, but Gulf Challenges Live On,” Associated Press, September 19, 2010.
2 Freshwater largely demolished Louisiana’s oysters J. C. Rudolf, “For Oysters, a ‘Remedy’ Turned Catastrophe,” New York Times, July 21, 2010; http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/07/21/for-oysters-a-remedy-turned-catastrophe/.
3 Dead deep-water corals J. C. Rudolf, “Dead Coral Found Near Site of Oil Spill,” New York Times, November 5, 2010; http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/06/science/earth/06coral.html.
4 “effectively dead” “BP Oil Well Declared ‘Dead.’ ” Washington Post, September 21, 2010; http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/09/20/AR2010092005835.html.
5 “like a shadow out there” C. Morgan, “Study: Oil from Spill Has Not Become a Drifting Cloud of Death,” Miami Herald, September 8, 2010; http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/09/07/1813032/study-oil-from-spill-has-not-become.html.
6 “Red snapper are unbelievable” S. Borenstein and Cain Burdeau, “Scientists Lower Gulf Health Grade,” Associated Press, October 19, 2010; http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101019/ap_on_sc/us_gulf_survival.
7 What are scientists finding? B. Raines, “Researcher: Fish Numbers Triple After Oil Spill Fishing Closures,” Mobile Register, November 7, 2010; http://blog.al.com/live/2010/11/researcher_fish_numbers_triple.html.
8 More than 27,000 abandoned wells J. Donn and Mitch Weiss, “Gulf Awash in 27,000 Abandoned Wells,” Associated Press, July 7, 2010; http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38113914/ns/disaster_in_the_gulf.
9 The oil has everyone’s attention A. Revkin, “While Oil Gushes, Invisible Ocean Impacts Build,” Dot Earth blog, New York Times; http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/06/18/while-oil-gushes-invisible-ocean-impacts-build/.
10 The heart and lungs of the planet D. Smith, “Alarm at Speeding Sea Change,” Age (Melbourne, Australia), June 18, 2010; http://newsstore.theage.com.au/
apps/viewDocument.ac?page=1&sy=age&kw=deborah+smith&pb=all_ffx&dt=selectRange&dr=6months&soxd=
relevance&sf=text&sf=author&sf=headline&rc=10&rm=200&sp=
nrm&clsPage=1&docID=AGE100618C649UFM4JOH.
11 Science has just published a series J. Smith et al., “Changing Oceans,” Science 328, no. 5985, June 18, 2010: 1497.
12 Drawbacks of renewable energy sources, and “they don’t offer new services” “Scaling Up Alternative Energy,” special section of Science magazine 329, August 13, 2010: 779–803.
13 A CBS News/New York Times poll “Poll: Vast Majority Say U.S. Energy Policy Needs Major Changes,” CBCnews, June 21, 2010; http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20008368-503544.html.
14 Gannets “BP Spill Threatens a Third of Canadian Gannets,” CBCnews, October 21, 2010; http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2010/10/21/nl-montevecchi-gannets-1021.html.
15 “oil everywhere” S. Davis, “La. Coast Hit by More Oil,” Advocate, September 25, 2010.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Mark Loehr’s herculean devotion to getting the story of what happened in the well and on the rig absolutely right has immensely benefitted both this book and me. As a researcher, he stands in a class of his own. I believe it is likely that for most of the summer Mark understood the totality of what happened to cause the blowout, the specific details of events, and the role of different personnel in the various companies better than any other single person, period. I could never have truly afforded him.
On the science side, John Angier was exceptionally generous, prompt, and entertainingly attuned to debunking hype and hysteria and setting records straight. I thank also William Semple for his expertise and insight.
Admiral Thad Allen, the national incident commander, and Dr. Jane Lubchenco, the chief of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration—neither of whom had time to spare and both of whom had much better things to do—generously gave me two hours of their time, during which they efficiently conveyed months of experience and years of wisdom.
In and around the Gulf region, I benefited from the generous assistance of the National Wildlife Federation’s Karla Raettig, Amanda Moore, Emily Guidry Schatzel, and Larry Schweiger.
Jo Billups, a singer and activist, was extremely generous in helping arrange my aerial perspective and in welcoming me into her home and community. I also thank filmmaker Bill Mills, Marion Laney, Frank Campo, Charlie Robin, Jeff Wolkart, James Fox, Gary Skinner, Reverend Chris Schansberg, and Julian MacQueen of the Hampton Inn in Pensacola Beach. George Brower graciously hosted me on my first night in New Orleans. I thank Campbell Robertson for introducing me to Oliver Houck. For other logistical assistance, I thank the Gulf Restoration Network, especially Jonathan Henderson. And photographer Jeffrey Dubinsky. Jennifer Godwin of the Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary, near Tampa, told me about the gannets.
All season long, my understanding of the Gulf-wide picture benefitted greatly from the constant stream of reporting from the dedicated professional journalists at the New York Times, the Associated Press, the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, Agence France-Presse, and elsewhere, whose importance to society is now so undervalued. If not for the news they uncover and deliver, there’d be little to huff about. I thank Connie Murtagh of SeaWeb for sending hundreds of articles my way.
Sylvia Earle and Charlotte Vick provided continual encouragement. I was first persuaded to overcome my initial reluctance to go to the Gulf by Steve Dishart and Myra “Just go”
Sarli. As always, the indefatigable and always reliable Megan Smith arranged and backstopped my logistics. I thank also Kate McLaughlin, Alan Duckworth, and the staff of Blue Ocean Institute for their patience in my absence. Jesse Bruschini provided feedback and feed. For interest and encouragement and discussion, I thank the faculty and staff of Stony Brook University’s School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences and School of Journalism’s Center for Communicating Science. I thank Judy Bergsma for introducing me to Mark Loehr. When I bemoaned my deadline, Joanna Burger provided her usual “you can do it” encouragement. I thank Jack Macrae for his graciousness, Jean Naggar for her diligence, and John Glusman for his confidence.
For their interest in my impressions and opinions, I thank congressional representatives Ed Markey, Lois Capps, and their able staffs, as well as the hosts and staffs of Democracy Now, PBS’s Need to Know, CNN, and, particularly, Richard Galant, MSNBC’s Keith Olbermann, Audubon magazine, the Blue Ocean Film Festival, the organizers and participants at the TEDxOilSpill conference, and Stephen Colbert and the producers of The Colbert Report.
I thank my family, Patricia and Alexandra, for dealing with a serially difficult summer on the home front. Being seventeen is not for the faint of heart, but as the saying goes, what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger, and Alex has made us proud. Things were at times more difficult because of my absences and, at times, because of my presence. Not least, while I was in the Gulf, Pat had to deal alone with a middle-of-the-night decision to end the life of our dog, Kenzie. Sad though that was, we were again touched by the healing powers of the new young furred and feathered creatures who came—and literally fell—into our lives this year. Each time I returned home drained after confronting the grief in the Gulf, those young lives were my smile factory. The topography of life includes much rough terrain. When big things go off the rails, it’s the little things that keep one sane.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Carl Safina has studied the ocean as a scientist, stood for it as an advocate, and conveyed his travels among the sea’s creatures and fishing people in lyrical nonfiction. His first book, Song for the Blue Ocean, was chosen as a New York Times Notable Book of the Year, and in 2000 he won the Lannan Literary Award for nonfiction. Dr. Safina’s second book, Eye of the Albatross, won the John Burroughs Medal for the year’s best nature book; it was chosen by the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine as the “Year’s Best Book for Communicating Science.” The New York Times selected both his Voyage of the Turtle as well as The View from Lazy Point: A Natural Year in an Unnatural World as “Editors’ Choices.” Safina is founding president of Blue Ocean Institute and adjunct professor at Stony Brook University, where he is involved with its School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences and its Center for Communicating Science. He has been named among “100 Notable Conservationists of the Twentieth Century” by Audubon magazine.
