Seriously? Two More Oil Leaks.

For those Americans who haven’t received the memo that we use too much oil and drill it irresponsibly, we have a few more million gallons to dump. This morning a Tugboat collided with an oil rig off the coast of Louisiana.  The crash caused the rig to catch fire and oil to leak, covering a 1 mile radius in only a half day.  The tugboat driver claimed that the rig was not fully illuminated, even though it was 11am in the middle of the day.

In Michigan today, Detroit News reported that an oil pipeline had burst and was flowing into tributary rivers that feed into the Great Lakes.  The oil leaked undetected for hours before local river residents complained of an oily smell.  Local residents have been evacuated as the oil contamination reached dangerous levels. It has been estimated that 1 million gallons have been spilled, the largest oil spill ever in the midwest, according to the EPA.

“The oil spilled into Talmadge Creek, which flows northwest into the Kalamazoo River. The site is in Calhoun County’s Marshall Township near Battle Creek and about 60 miles southeast of Grand Rapids. The pipe may have been leaking for many hours before it was originally reported to have burst Monday morning. Marshall Township fire officials responded to complaints of an oily smell from residents. More than 20 homes have been evacuated.” - Detroit News

When will American’s have enough of their own poison and switch to renewable energy sources?  I fear that money is the determining factor in the oil equation.  We will continue to use it at alarming rates, to the detriment of our environment and ourselves until it becomes too expensive.  When is too expensive?  For everyone, this is a different answer, but for a country in economic crisis and high unemployment, that number may be lower than previously conjectured.