SHELL NO!

On Tuesday, May 19, 2015, an oil pipeline ruptured north of Santa Barbara, California, spilling over 105,000 gallons of crude oil into the Pacific ocean. Unlike the BP Oil spill in 2010, that leaked millions of gallons of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico, the fractured 'Plains All American Pipeline' was shutoff within three hours after it's rupture. Marine mammals offshore and onshore in the vicinity will suffer, but as the Gulf of Mexico's residents would say, "It could have been worse!"

Yes… Much worse..! This brings to mind the near-future oil drilling expeditions of Royal Dutch Shell's 400 ft tall oil rigs, the Polar Pioneer and the Noble Discoverer, that are docked in the port of Seattle, awaiting their move to the Arctic Ocean, off the coast of Alaska. This area is home to many endangered species which are protected by the 'Endangered Species Act of 1973, (ESA)', which is the strongest and most important federal law protecting imperiled wildlife and plants, including Polar Bears, Arctic Foxes, Arctic Wolves, Narwhals, Beluga Whales and Pacific Salmon. Beyond this list of endangered species, this region of the planet has been melting more rapidly in the last hundred years than in thousands of years, which has resulted in extreme weather patterns that threaten and affect an innumerous amounts of humans. We can blame it on the industrial revolution that gave us planes, trains and automobiles, which created our dependency on fossil fuels, but what do we do now that our needs have fueled our dependency and left our Mother Earth gasping for breath? Do we start riding horses again? Or do we urge corporations to realize that investing in sustainable energy is the 'Future Trend'? Will they listen? Do they even care? Or are they just stubborn children that are still attached to their greedy ambition and industrial aged coal woobies that bring in billions of dollars? Yes. That's reality.

"Backed by a controversial decision by the Obama administration to open waters off the coast of Alaska to oil drilling, Shell plans to use the Puget Sound as a home port as it conducts exploratory oil drilling. Critics of Shell say that the company’s efforts to drill in the Arctic’s icy, dangerous waters will result in a serious oil spill. A recent study released by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management affirms this, saying there is a three in four chance that a major oil spill will occur if oil and gas development takes place in the Arctic." (via TckTckTck.Org).

"Shell must still obtain other permits from state and federal agencies, including one to drill from the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement. Both BOEM and BSEE are agencies of the U.S. Department of Interior. The company must also obtain government opinions that find Shell can comply with terms and conditions of the Endangered Species Act." (via TerraMarProgect.org). To add insult to injury, the U.S. Congress, led by presidential candidate, Senator Rand Paul, are attempting to alter the Endangered Species Act. The timing of all of this is obviously conveniently planned.

"Scientists and environmental groups on Monday attacked the decision and warned that Shell’s “risky and ill-conceived exploration” plan could 'lead to a disaster in the Arctic'. Instead of holding Shell accountable and moving the country towards a sustainable future, our federal regulators are catering to an ill-prepared company in a region that doesn’t tolerate cutting corners,” Tim Donaghy, a senior research specialist at Greenpeace, said. “Shell has a history of dangerous malfunctioning in the Arctic while global scientists agree that Arctic oil must stay in the ground if we’re to avoid catastrophic climate change.”(via TheGuardian.com)

::CLICK HERE:: to urge California Attorney General Kamala Harris and local District Attorney Joyce Dudly to file civil and criminal charges against Plains All American and hold them accountable for the Santa Barbara oil spill!

::CLICK HERE:: to sign and help save the Endangered Species Act.

::CLICK HERE:: to sign and help STOP SHELL from their ominous mission to drill into the Arctic.

::CLICK HERE:: to read 5 REASONS WHY SHELL SHOULDN'T DRILL IN THE ARCTIC. (via onEarth)

::CLICK HERE:: to read an article about how marine life in the Gulf of Mexico is still being affected by the BP Oil Spill of 2010.

Thank you for taking the time to read. Please sign these petitions and help spread the word! Even though the outlook of this drilling project is ominous, together we can all help lead an Environmental Revolution. Knowledge and awareness are powerful. If the French brought down the Bastille and the absolute monarchy in the 18th century, then we can make a difference too! Power of the People! Something just has to give!

On Tuesday September 4th, I finally had my electricity restored by Entergy LA after not having it since last Tuesday, August 28th. I am relieved to not have to use my candles and flashlights anymore and I am over joyed to be able to turn on the aircon and refill my fridge after having to throw everything besides my supplements out, but I am still upset by the lack of timely response by Entergy, who happens to have the monopoly on power energy in New Orleans. This power outage was the result of Hurricane Isaac, but the amount of time it took Entergy to restore power was not!

Hurricane Isaac hit New Orleans on the same exact day of the anniversary of Katrina 7 years ago, but thankfully as a category 1 hurricane unlike Katrina which was a category 3. Isaac had dissipated by Friday, August 31st. Isaac's winds howled for two days and knocked down trees and power lines, but from what the locals told me, it wasn't as bad as Hurricane Gustav in 2008, which was a category 2, and power was restored much faster after Gustav than Isaac. For some reason Entergy could not precisely explain exactly why it took so long to restore power in New Orleans. There was a small percentage of people who did not lose their electricity at all, but 85% of the city was in the dark for days.

Many people were told to call Entergy and report their power outages, but that proved to be completely useless. Businesses could not open, restaurants lost their food supplies and remained closed. People could not get back to their normal lives even though Isaac had come and gone. Some restaurants and grocery stores gassed up their generators and were able to open for business, but there was still no air conditioning and in this hot and humid subtropical weather, a battery operated fan just doesn't cut it. Businesses lost thousands upon thousands of dollars the days spent without electricity. And with the heat and humidity without aircon, many New Orleanians were going a bit crazy. Tensions were high, people were stressed out and desperate because they had been unable to work because of their jobs not having electricity. Some elderly folks even died due to heatstrokes.

Over 500,000 people were without electricity throughout Louisiana and in New Orleans alone there was almost 70,000 without power while Entergy trucks were lined up and down streets throughout the city, not doing a thing. What really infuriated me more was the fact that Entergy workers that were brought in from surrounding states were partying late in the French Quarter, knowing that they had a huge job to do the next day. This whole situation made me think.. Why does Entergy have the monopoly on power here? And why aren't more people looking to utilize solar power here where we get so much sunshine? Especially since Louisiana has the highest consumer incentives for solar in the nation. Solar energy panels are expensive, but with 80% state and federal tax credits, it really pays off in the long run to not depend on an unreliable energy company that leaves it's customers in the dark for so long without a proper explanation. Experiencing hurricanes is a part of life here in the south, but tolerating an unreliable energy company should not be. Do I sound like a Solar Energy salesperson? Probably, but I'm not.

This past April during a small Earth Day festival, I discovered The Alliance for Affordable Energy, a non-profit organization that promotes sustainable clean energy in New Orleans. I feel that now more than ever is the perfect time to support and promote their mission in New Orleans.

AAE's statement: "The Alliance for Affordable Energy is a non-profit organization which works to create fair, affordale, environmentally responsible energy policy for Louisiana and the nation. The Alliance also works to promote the sustainable rebuilding of our city, promoting energy efficiency, environmentally responsible building techniques and residential solar power. Since 1985, the Alliance has been working as a watchdog agency to help work toward solutions to our energy problems and ensure that information about these problems is accessible to the public."

::CLICK HERE:: to find out more about Alliance for Affordable Energy.

::CLICK HERE:: to learn more about a New Orleans solar power provider.

Thank you for taking the time to read my rant*