Environmental Armageddon: the Gulf oil disaster

After one quick visit on May 2 — slightly less than two weeks after the Deepwater Horizon explosion — President Barack Obama returned to coastal Louisiana last Friday, May 28, to survey the worst environmental calamity in U.S. history. His visit came right after BP's initial "top kill" attempt failed to stop the flow of oil in the midst of the ongoing disaster, which was then in its 38th day. Even if subsequent top kill efforts succeed — and everyone in south Louisiana has been praying that they would — the oil that has already gushed forth from the Gulf floor is wreaking unprecedented damage on America's wetlands. If early efforts to cap the well fail, it may well take until August to stop the flow via a relief well that is still being drilled. Whenever the oil flow stops, Louisiana faces a heretofore unequaled environmental disaster.

The reaction across America to the mounting crisis has been one of shock and disbelief, but here in Louisiana there's a large dose of anger to go with it. Our anger should be America's anger, because what happens to our coast happens to all of America — environmentally, economically and culturally.

As a sign that America "gets it," the president's visit was welcome, if a bit overdue. A CNN poll last week showed that a slim majority of Americans disapproved of the Obama administration's handling of the crisis. A poll of Louisiana voters no doubt would have given the president even lower marks. The president himself admitted on the eve of his visit last week that "it took too long for us" to accurately gauge the extent of the oil leak, and he accepted full responsibility for the efforts going forward. The really bad news for the president is that there's little his administration can do to cap the gusher in the Gulf. Unfortunately, the people who caused this disaster are also the folks with the technology needed to stop the flow and clean up the mess. For his part, the president should focus on four long-term responses:

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