I recently had the privilege to speak with the President of Heal the Bay, Mark Gold. It was a frank discussion about the Gulf oil spill and the state of water conservation initiatives.
Mark has been working on water pollution for over 20 years. I wanted to find out how someone with such deep knowledge felt about the recent crisis in the Gulf of Mexico. “It feels like a hostage crisis,” Gold responded when I asked for his general thoughts. His view is not far from the general public’s of helplessness, anger, and frustration.
When I asked Mark what action can people take when they see this tragedy, he relinquished, “this is what keeps me up at night.” He described the challenges that we face at the legislative and corporate levels. Through the oil companies, “we are subsidizing the destruction of our oceans.” There is a massive conflict of interest between the Minerals Management Agency and the oil industry. They have been bedfellows for far too long. Even though we all recognize SOMETHING has to be done, “it is hard to get the public excited about (legislation) reform,” Mark stated emphatically.
The oil industry is one of, if not THE most powerful lobby in DC. “Tourism and Fishing need to be the spokes people for this tragedy,” Mark insightfully suggested. The people who depend on the Gulf for their livelihood need to be driving the messaging to the public. They are the ones who will suffer from the horrible negligence of British Petroleum.
-Joe
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