And Now the Work Really Begins
This Week’s Crop
This week, BP finally corked up the leaking well that has plagued the Gulf of Mexico for months with cement and the oil leak seems to have come to an end. But it may not be over yet. Retired Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen, has ordered BP to finish the job with a bottom kill just for safe keeping. Allen, the head of the government’s oil spill response, said Friday that BP tentatively expects to intercept the ruptured well through the closer of two relief wells around August 14 or 15. (CNN) But what would seemingly be a sign of better days to come has not made everyone as thrilled as one might assume. BP has begun to pull out and cut back on the amount of workers responding to the spill and locals are worried the government will do the same. The people in the areas most hurt by the spill are asking the government, and BP alike, to stay on for the long haul to make sure the region’s economy and environment are brought back to life again. There fears were exacerbated yesterday, when White House energy adviser Carol Browner said that a new assessment found that about 75 percent of the oil had either been captured, burned off, evaporated or broken down in the Gulf of Mexico. That leaves about 53.5 million gallons in the gulf. The amount remaining – or washed up on the shore – still is more than four times the size of the 1989 Exxon Valdez spill. Its full effects, and that of the dispersant chemicals used during clean up efforts as well as the leaked methane gas from the spill, will not be known for decades to come.
Democrats out of “time and energy.”: Senate Democrats ran out of time in their bid to pass a narrow energy and oil-spill response package this summer. Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) opted to hold off on the Clean Energy Jobs and Oil Accountability Act, to allow ample floor time for the confirmation of now confirmed Supreme Court Justice Elana Kagan. The legislation is now set for revisiting in the fall after the mid-term elections. (NY Times)
Kerry’s Alternative: Having failed to advance a sweeping climate and energy bill this year, Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) is pushing a narrower energy package that would extend tax incentives for renewable energy, natural gas vehicles and energy efficiency. (Environment News) “While we continue the fight to bring comprehensive energy legislation to the floor of the United States Senate, it’s essential that we take action to start moving in the right direction,” Kerry said in a statement. “Providing incentives for clean energy production will drive our economy forward and take us one step closer to reducing our carbon emissions and ending our dependence on foreign oil.” Kerry’s bill would offer tax incentives for energy-efficient homes and businesses, natural gas heavy vehicles, bio-diesel, renewable diesel and energy appliances manufactured in the United States. It would also provide an additional $3.5 billion for renewable energy bonds and extend research and development tax credits retroactively for 2010 through 2012. Kerry may try to add the measure to a scaled-back oil spill response bill that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has said he plans to bring to the floor when the Senate returns in September from its month-long recess.
The Slick
Gulf Coast residents may get a citizen’s oversight council to oversee the oil industry. The Senate’s Securing Health for Ocean Resources and Environment Act mandating such a committee (Wall Street Journal) was marked up for floor debate this week, in a move to create the same kind of local community oversight that was established in Alaska’s Prince William Sound following the 1989 Exxon Valdez spill. This provision to set up Regional Citizens Advisory Councils along both the Gulf Coast and Alaska’s Arctic coast is sponsored by Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D., W.Va.) It would mandate that the councils—which give communities the power to question drilling and production activities—be set up with funding from the industry, as happened when councils in Prince William Sound and Alaska’s Cook Inlet were established 20 years ago.
Community News and Views
Rabbis Converge on Green Resources for Upcoming Holidays: August 9th, 2010 COEJL will host a conversation involving rabbis from five Jewish religious streams – Conservative, Orthodox, Reconstructionist, Reform, and Renewal – discussing Jewish environmental resources and sermon materials for the High Holy Days and shortly thereafter for parshat Noach. Considering how the oil spill and Gulf tragedy have dominated headlines for a full season now, yet comprehensive energy and climate policy remain an ongoing battle on Capitol Hill, what Jewish perspectives can we bring to energy issues during this important time on our calendar? Rabbis from around the country are encouraged to join us as we share ideas, success stories and experiences as well as to elicit input as to how COEJL can help. The call will be chaired by COEJL Governance Committee member Rabbi Fred Scherlinder Dobb of Adat Shalom Reconstructionist Congregation. Rabbis planning to participate in the call should RSVP by emailing COEJL’s Program Director, David L. Marks at: dmarks@coejl.org. Texts and resources will be shared both during and after next Tuesday’s call.
