Sunday, December 03, 2006
Salmon Rivers
- Bush Threatens World's Greatest
According to a recent CNN article, "Drilling may resume in Alaska Bay", U.S. President Bush is deciding whether to lift a ban on oil and gas drilling in federal waters off Alaska's Bristol Bay, home to endangered whales and sea lions and the world's largest sockeye salmon run.
Leasing in a portion of the area rich in oil and natural gas ended nearly two decades ago -- while Bush's father was president -- in the outcry after the Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1989."
Essentially Bush has allowed big oil to set policy -- what big oil has wants, big oil gets. And it now wants to drill off shore in Alaska, where it is estimated there are only 40 million barrels of economically recoverable oil (assuming $30 per barrel). This is enough to supply the U.S. for a little over two days at the current rate of oil consumption. There's 1.27 trillion cubic feet of estimated economically recoverable (assuming $3.52 per million cubic feet). This is enough to supply the U.S. for only 20 days at the current rate of gas consumption.On the other hand, the Bristol Bay Watershed produces the world’s greatest commercial salmon fishery and internationally renowned salmon and trout runs that attract anglers from all over the world. The waters in this region have long been an integral part of the State’s economy and have provided sustainable jobs, subsistence foods and other benefits to Alaskans for generations. Alaska's Bristol Bay supplies 50 percent of US seafood.
Recently, however, adult sockeye runs in Bristol Bay have declined dramatically, even though counts of both juvenile fish leaving the rivers for the ocean, and adults returning to the rivers to spawn, have indicated strong sockeye salmon production in the freshwater tributaries to the Bay. The last thing this sensitive ecosystem needs is another oil spill.
Even President Bush's brother, Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, who recognizes that Florida's coastline is of major concern to Florida voters, has been fighting for restrictions on oil drilling in the Gulf for at least 150 miles off the Florida coast.
If Bush and Congress allow drilling in Bristol Bay, it illustrates how deep they are in the pocket of Big Oil. Exxon-Mobil (Esso) ($2.470.000) and Texaco-Chevron ($2.200.000) are some of the biggest donors to the Republican Party coffers.
I have to say this i write letters emails have been writing letters for years .I have sence stoped.Sence i learned how thay treat baby cows in the veal trade.Now we hear about posions in the water animals thay feed other animals Plantion are being killed off.We have the knolage to slowly stop using major oil and to save our world.But so many self consummed people who say thay are caring leaders are not.Thay dont hear the needs of our own country in health .I will add tho some people are caring and thay do all thay know how to help people so them bless you for what you do.I can only truly speak of the usa .What makes any one think any change will happen .I am just 1 you are 2 there may be 1000s but when we as a whole learn to block out truth does it mater any more .Like pocho says the fight was before us and will be after us .I for one love my IDEA of my country .But i think untill people learn to care for earth as a whole we are doomed as a whole earth .The butterfly affect in action .Just take a true look at history in the last 80 years .We have destroyed more life in that time in the water ways in the ground and in the air then could be fixed naturaly.When we as the world come togther in healing I think is when all our countrys will be better for it and the world.But then what do i know im not a collage grad nore even a high school grad im just a me 1.Millions my see what is happening like i do but when leaders dont hear .leaders dont care because of some blind faith in there ideas and no care for plant and animal life we under them are nothing.We should all be special plants animals and people we are in the end nothing but animals just read the news look to the sheep . baba black sheep have you any wool .Yes but its breaking up so unhealthy am i.
