While describing BP’s desperate efforts to contain their massive oil spill off the coast of Louisiana, the NYT lets drop this gem: “The impact of chemical dispersants on deepwater ecology is unclear.”
I’ve read that one way to prevent the extinction of a species is to make it into a delicious dish. People will care more for it. I don’t think you can make a dish out of deepwater ecology but finding ways for the public to invest in the environment might be a way to drive innovation or, at least, force companies to pay for wrecking that environment:
He stopped to speak to several fishermen, assuring them that BP would reimburse them for lost earnings. But reimbursement may be one of the largest battles to come, given that federal law sets a limit of $75 million on BP’s liability for damages, apart from the cleanup costs.
“It’s going to be extremely tricky” to reimburse fishermen and others if economic damages tally above $75 million, said Stuart Smith, a New Orleans-based lawyer who is pushing for Congressional action to amend the law. “They may not be obligated to pay more than that unless they agree to do it.”