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Spirit of the Gulf Coast
A photo journey into the aftermath of the BP oil spill
Last August, a group of five young volunteers from Atlanta were concerned enough about the Gulf Coast that they made the journey south to hear directly from the people most impacted by the oil spill. They visited Grand Isle, Louisiana, Pearlington, Mississippi, and Dauphin Island, Alabama, and documented their travels and interactions with coastal residents in an exhibit entitled The Spirit of the Gulf Coast. Their goal was to raise awareness of the complex issues created by our dependence on oil, as it was manifest during the oil spill. They also wanted to keep the Gulf Coast’s spill-created problems in the public’s mind, even after the national media packed up and went home. The images accompanying this article were taken during their journey and show the beauty and complexity of our Gulf Coast.
Brandon Sutton was the initiator of the project. He described his inspiration, “I was devastated by the disaster and I wanted to raise awareness of the societal costs of our dependence on oil. I felt compelled to go down to the coast and document the conditions on the ground and bring back the firsthand accounts of what was going on along the coast. I felt that this would give me an opportunity to have more meaningful discussions with people that I come in contact with in my daily life and help bring the perspective of the local communities to those who might not otherwise hear their point of view. I also wanted to support the communities by showing up and spending money in the communities that had seen such a huge adverse impact.”
Joining Brandon were Vanessa Keating, photographer Terrell Clark, Kim Campbell and videographer Nathan Black. They combined to record not just the trials and tribulations that people were enduring, but also the generous nature and resiliency of the Coast and its residents.
“One of the most incredible people we met was Josie Cheramie of the Grand Isle, LA Port Commission,” said Brandon. “I mistakenly assumed that there would be plenty of lodging . . . what I didn’t realize was that Grand Isle was essentially Ground Zero for the cleanup effort, so all the rooms on the island were occupied with cleanup workers.” Brandon was directed to Josie, who referred him to a local gentlemen who had a home for rent nearby. “He didn’t ask many questions,” Brandon said. “He told us where the key would be located, and 24 hours later, we were in his home. I can’t stress enough what a major impact this had on me. This man welcomed a group of complete strangers into his home with no deposit, no documentation, nothing – just a friendly voice on the other end of the phone.”
Another Gulf Coast resident the group encountered was Kenny Heikamp from Bentrod Offshore Fishing Charters. Described Brandon, “Kenny took us out in the Gulf and showed us around the area, giving us the perspective of an offshore fisherman. This was a big piece of the experience for us, and Captain Kenny was helpful, informative, and gracious with us.”
As they journeyed on, the group met more residents with compelling stories. “Daryl Arnold and his family in Pearlington, MS were gracious hosts, and gave us a very personal account of not only the oil spill impact, but also the ongoing struggle after hurricanes Katrina and Gustav. And of course Lori Bosarge from Coden, Alabama was an incredible individual,” relayed Brandon. “We were on our way to Dauphin Island when we passed her house and the provocative signs that she had out in the yard. We turned the car around, and shortly thereafter we were engaged in a 2-hour conversation about what was happening along the Alabama coast and the ongoing use of chemical dispersants a mere 1/2 mile from her front door.”
The trip revealed some surprises. According to Brandon, “One of the most surprising insights was that the local fishermen did not blame the oil industry overall, but were instead quite supportive of the industry. I thought we would hear a lot more bitterness toward BP and the industry overall.”
Something else surprised him, Brandon said. “A big revelation for me personally was that the people in the area just wanted to be heard; they wanted to tell their stories.” Thanks to Brandon and the Spirit of the Gulf Coast project, they got their chance.
BP Follow the Money
Rick Kalke and Sandra Arismendez taking subsamples of deepwater cores from the bottom adjacent to the Deepwater Horizon spill site. The samples will be tested for presence of oil and for toxicity. Photo courtesty of Harte Research Institute.
Where the funds for the recovery and clean up of the Gulf are coming from …
By now, everyone knows about the claim process for business folk damaged by the oil spill. And about the $20 billion BP set aside to pay those claims. But there’s more going on in terms of money, some of which we can still influence.
The EPA will eventually levy fines against the company or companies they find to have caused the spill, which could be a huge amount of money. Where will that money go? Since it was the Gulf Coast that was damaged, common sense says the fine money should be used to help the Gulf Coast recover. Unfortunately, the money isn’t earmarked to remain for use just on the Gulf Coast, so the U.S. Government could spend it anywhere. To keep that money for Gulf Coast recovery will require a large push by the general public. Help from local U.S. Representatives and Senators will be necessary. If pressure isn’t put on the Federal Government to keep the money here, look for it to go into the general Federal budget, which means the money will be spent all over the country.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is in charge of evaluating the damage caused by the spill and restoring damaged areas. NOAA does this under the Damage Assessment, Remediation, and Restoration Program (DARRP), which was created after the Exxon Valdez spill to put in place a program to respond to oil spills along our coasts. After initial cleanup, the DARRP program initiates a National Resource Damage Assessment, known as NRDA. The NDRA determines what needs to be done to restore the environment, such as replanting wetlands, and how much it will cost. The evaluation process could take up to ten years. During the evaluation, state and federal agencies, who act as Trustees for DARRP, will seek public input as to what needs to be done to complete the restoration. Keep your eye out for public meetings if you’d like to have some input. After the cost of restoration is determined the violator is charged for cost. NOAA’s website says the violator is often a “key participant” in the restoration process. Significant oversight will be needed if the violator is the “key participant” in the restoration project, since it isn’t in the violator’s monetary interest to spend any more than it has to to get by.
Keep in mind the fine from the EPA is completely separate from the charges under NRDA. And both programs are completely separate from the claims process used by businesses to collect damage for lost profits.
BP Funding Gulf Research
Dr. Sylvia Earle will lead an National GeographicHRI January 2011 expedition to assess deep coral communities that may have been affected by the Gulf oil spill. Dr. Tom Shirley of HRI (pictured) will act as chief scientist on the expedition. Look for an article on the expedition's findings in the April issue of Gulfscapes. Photo Credit â Living Ocean Society.
British Petroleum has pledge $500 million to fund independent research on the Gulf of Mexico and the oil spills effects. The money will be doled out $50 million per year for the next ten years. To be considered for the research grants, scientists will submit proposals, with the winners being selected through a process that purportedly will be free of major influence from BP.
Dr. Larry McKinney, Executive Director of the Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies, says BP has consulted with scientists in the area to set up a selection process. The Harte Research Institute is helping to devise the evaluation system to be used in selecting the recipients. Concern over BP’s influence on the research is natural, but is being addressed. The only conditions set by BP appear to be that any research be peer reviewed (the regular process in which scholarly research is subjected to review and correction by scientific experts in the field before the research is printed), and that during the first three years the research must be about the oil spill, its effects, or ways to prevent future spills. There is no limitation on the focus of the research for the remaining seven years.
“The Gulf has traditionally been underfunded in terms of research,” said Dr. McKinney, who added that these grants “will set the research agenda for the Gulf for the next ten years.”
Categories: BP, NOAA Tags: bp, coast, gulf, Gulf Coast States, noaa, research, scientific
Harte Research Institute
The Hart Research Institute. Photo courtesy of Texas A & M - Corpus Christi.
The Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies, Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi to Evaluate the Gulf
In 2000, Texas A&M University -Corpus Christi took a giant step forward as a research university. Until then, the University had existed quietly on a small island on the edge of Corpus Christi Bay, offering gorgeous waterfront views and its own beach. But Mr. Edward H. Harte changed all that in an instant. That year Mr. Harte, former owner of the local newspaper and noted philanthropist, donated $46 million dollars to establish a new Gulf of Mexico research institute, the Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies (HRI). The gift established endowed research chairs, endowed graduate research fellowships and an endowed operating budget. Current University President Flavius C. Killebrew says the endowment “transformed the University into a major research institution.”
Mr. Harte became inspired to make this gift after reading Dr. Sylvia Earle’s book, Sea Change: A Message of the Oceans. Dr. Earle is a world-renowned marine biologist, ocean explorer, author and lecturer. She was the first woman to serve as NOAA’s Chief Scientist and is now an Explorer-in-Residence at the National Geographic Society. After meeting with Mr. Harte and University officials, Dr. Earle agreed to become the chairwoman of the Institute’s Advisory Council, bringing instant world-class credibility to the fledgling organization.
“Make a difference!” That was Mr. Harte’s admonishment to the new institute. To realize that directive, a different organizational model was established. According to Dr. Larry McKinney, who became Executive Director of HRI in the spring of 2008, “The primary distinction between HRI and other marine institutions is that our focus is on what is done with the science, rather than just the science itself.” The Harte Model created a link between the science world and the Gulf community at large, with two of its six endowed chairs being in non-marine science disciplines. The four marine science chairs are: Coastal and Marine Geospatial Sciences; Ecosystems and Modeling; Biodiversity and Conservation; and Ocean Health. The other two chairs are: Marine Policy and Law; and Socio-Economics. The later two chairs attempt to bridge the gap between scientific research and how it is used for economic, social and ecological benefit.
The HRI was thrust into the national spotlight by the Deepwater oil spill. “We didn’t realize until we all sat down to discuss the spill that every endowed chair had previous oil spill experience. And Dr. Earle led the oil spill response after the Gulf War,” said Dr. McKinney, who previously led oil spill responses for the State of Texas before coming to the HRI.
HRI scientists were asked to assist in mapping the oil spill after government scientists became overwhelmed by the magnitude of the disaster. And Dr. Paul Montagna, the endowed chair of Ecosystems & Modeling is still getting samples daily from the Gulf bottom to check for oil to see where and how much oil was deposited on the ocean floor. The HRI has also been asked to establish criteria for selecting research grants to be awarded from a $500 million fund established by BP, which will lend credibility to the process since the HRI chairs all agreed early on not to accept any work as expert witnesses in the coming lawsuits over the spill. Such expert witness jobs could easily double a scientist’s salary, but it could also create bias in favor of the party that hired them. This is a nice glimmer of integrity in a very corrupt looking situation.
The focus of the HRI doesn’t stop at the U.S. maritime boundry. As Dr. Killebrew puts it, “Fish don’t know national boundries.” And the Gulf of Mexico borders two other nations. So the HRI has helped coordinate Gulf policy and research with both Mexico and Cuba. And the Gulf of Mexico Alliance, a partnership between all five Gulf Coast states, was formed during an RHI conference in 2005. That Alliance helps coordinate the states’ plans aimed at improving the health of the Gulf.
By its actions in addressing and evaluating the oil spill, by its numerous other research projects, and by helping to coordinate the actions of the governments that border the Gulf of Mexico, the HRI has, and will continue to, “Make a difference.”
