Industrial Pollution And Monitoring On The Gulf Coast Essay - 991 words

Industrial Pollution and Monitoring on the Gulf Coast The Industrial Pollution and Monitoring on the Gulf Coast has raised heated debates in the society. The society has divided in two groups: one group supports monitoring and the other seems to be against it. Those who stand for privatization believe that this is the way out of the current situation. But there is the whole range of objections of those who dont support the intention to monitor the existing situation: There even exists an opinion that there is no need in a change at all, as there is no crisis, only temporary problem and the only reasonable thing to do is just to wait. Some people call the Gulf a national treasure. The 600,000 square mile Gulf is bordered by Texas, Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi and Florida.


According to Citizens' Pollution Prevention Handbook, nearly half of all U.S. import/export shipping tonnage passes through Gulf waters. Four of the nation's 10 busiest ports are located on the Gulf Coast, with the Port of New Orleans at the top of the list, handling some 170 million tons of freight annually. The Gulf is the major hub of oil production and refining. Despite of Gulfs importance, the widespread chemical and industrial pollution has gotten very little attention. According to the recent information, hazardous industrial pollution can make the Gulf a massive dead zone (Calvin Jones, n.p.). Pollution: Sources and threats Marine debris: The garbage from ships becomes a dangerous source of pollution.


Within three hours on a single day in September 1991, volunteers picked up 18 tons of garbage on Alabama beaches, of which 57 percent was plastics. On both coasts of Florida, there were 180 tons of garbage, 60 percent plastics; in Louisiana, 133 tons, 68 percent plastics; Mississippi, 23 tons, 53 percent plastics; and in Texas, 199 tons, 72 percent plastics (Dave Burrage, n.p.) Nutrient enrichment: Excessive quantity of nitrogen and phosphorus coming from different plants and factories and industrial marine operations make the water unsuitable for fish, schrimps and other forms of life. A 3,600-square-mile oxygen-deficient "dead zone," located off the coasts of Texas and Louisiana (Dave Burrage, n.p.) Toxic and pesticides: Industries in the same area annually release 2.3 billion pounds of toxins into the marine environment. Offshore oil and gas operations have released an estimated 14 million gallons of oil into the Gulf as a result of well blowouts and explosions on drilling platforms. (Dave Burrage, n.p.). Large industrial plants, barges, tankers also make contribution to the problem of industrial pollution of the Gulf Clean-air experts consider that the GOP's Gasoline for America's Security (GAS) Act will ease permitting rules for oil refineries (Juliet Eilperin, A08) Command and control approach supported by our opponents, seem to be ineffective and expensive to enforce. Because polluters can pay for pollution charges (calculated out of the basis of opportunity cost of forgone or destroyed resource), the incentives to prevent pollution is absent (IFCS/EXP.POPs8, n.p.).


Activities and programs of protection and monitoring on the Gulf Coast Still, there are many programs, which are aimed to protect and restore the Gulf and its resources. UN Development Programme (UNDP) (Global Environment Fac ...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

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Essay Tags: industrial pollution, gulf coast, gulf, pollution, coast

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