BP Oil Spill Warfare in the Gulf of Mexico—Vast National Damage

June 12, 2010 (LPAC)—The Gulf of Mexico BP oil spill, and the continuation of BP-Obama inaction and prevarication, constitute a "warfare-like intention by the British Empire against the United States," said Lyndon LaRouche on June 8. LaRouche's political action committee is leading the drive for expropriating BP America Inc., and launching emergency measures to deal with the the BP out-of-control deepwater well, to wage a military-style clean-up, and conduct full-scale rebuilding of the Gulf and U.S. economy. President Obama must resign, or be impeached.

The extent of the damage toll from BP warfare is indicated by a few features of the region, given below, and updates from officials in the Gulf states. The economic activity centered on the Gulf of Mexico is vital to the United States and to the Americas, despite the terrible economic degradation which this region has suffered in recent decades, under globalization by the North American Free Trade Agreement, the Caribbean Free Trade Zone, and related London-serving policies.

Ports, Transportation

The Port of South Louisiana (New Orleans) and Port of Houston are the two U.S. seaports which rank among the top 15 in the world, ranking 13th and 10th respectively in terms of tonnage of total cargo handled. Besides bulk oil and refined petroleum product going through these two Gulf ports, South Louisiana-Port of New Orleans is the transit zone for handling most of the bulk and water-borne manufactured product of the entire Mississippi-Missouri-Ohio River Basin—wheat, corn, soybeans, fertilizer, coal, aggregate, and many other commodities.

But now, the communities in South Louisiana—involving 2 million people who support port activities, as well as all else, from chemical processing, to fishing to tourism—are being completely undermined.

The port facilities themselves are physically jeopardized, along with general impact, by destruction of the working wetlands that constitute protection from storm surges.

On June 10, Mark A. Cooper, Director of the Louisiana Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, stressed to a Congressional hearing "the potential rerouting of marine vessels that will impact the transportation and logistics industry" in New Orleans, if the do-nothing response continues. His testimony:

"While water transportation directly constitutes about .6% of gross state product, this sector and the related port activities are essential to petroleum and coal products manufacturing, fertilizer and substantial chemical manufacturing. Oil intrusion into the Mississippi River and intercoastal waterways will have an enormous economic impact beyond the mere income derived from the transportation sector. Ports up and down the Mississippi River and across the Gulf Coast will be dramatically affected, as will the labor that supports those ports and the indirect services that support the business sector."

Fisheries

Gulf fisheries have ranked among the most productive in the world. In 2008, the commercial fish and shellfish harvest for the United States amounted to 1.3 billion pounds, from the five Gulf states. The Gulf of Mexico has four of the top seven fishing ports in the United States, by weight.

The Gulf area as a whole accounted for 73%—188.8 million pounds—of the U.S. national shrimp landings in 2008. The Gulf area accounted for close to 60%—20.6 million pounds—of all domestically supplied oyster meat in the United States in 2008. This capacity is now being destroyed.

Cooper testified on the BP oil spill threat to fisheries: "One of the most acutely affected sectors is commercial fishing. Louisiana's offshore waters supply nearly one-third of all commercial seafood harvested in the lower 48 states, with values in excess of $2.85 billion annually. As the largest provider of domestic seafood in the continental United States, protection of Louisiana's fisheries, habitats and catch are critical to our nation's economy and food supply." But the destruction has begun.

"With the normal shrimping season virtually at a standstill in many offshore areas of the state due to closures, only an estimated 15% to 20% of shrimpers are able to actively harvest, resulting in a dramatically decreased supply of local shrimp to processors.

"Due to closures directly related to the oil spill, processors are now experiencing a decrease in local product which is necessary to supply long term demands. If the inability to supply this long term demand continues, it will cause a widespread relocation of components of the supply chain that have built up over generations."

Americas Ecosystems

The Gulf of Mexico is the ninth-largest body of water in the world, and sometimes called, the "Mediterranean of the Americas." It borders five U.S. states, five Mexican states, and the island of Cuba to the southeast. Its habitats include coastal wetlands, submerged vegetation, and all kinds of marine offshore systems.

The Louisiana coastline—with the extensive Mississippi Delta and intercoastal features—is the principal nursery ground for marine life for the entire Gulf of Mexico.

The Louisiana coastline provides the wildlife habitat for the second largest bird flyway in the United States—the Mississippi Flyway, which involves international migration of all kinds of waterfowl.

All of this is now in jeopardy.