Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour has a unique view of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. For him, the tar balls are "no big deal". He is concerned about the news media and the coverage that the news outlets are giving to this problem:
"... we have had virtually no oil. If you were on the Mississippi gulf coast any time in the last 48 days you didn't see any oil at all. We've had a few tar balls, but we've had — we have tar balls every year as a natural product of the Gulf of Mexico. Two hundred and fifty thousand to 750,000 barrels of oil seep into the Gulf of Mexico through the floor every year, so tar balls are no big deal.
In fact, I read that Pensacola or the Florida beaches, when they had tar balls yesterday, they didn't even close. They just sent people out to pick them up and throw them in the bag.
The biggest — the biggest negative impact for us has been the news coverage..."
Perhaps there are a few locations along the Gulf Coast where Governor Barbour can roll up his sleeves and toss a few tar balls in a bag. Undoubtedly, the Gulf Coast residents would appreciate his help and find a few bags for him.
Catherine Forsythe
Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour - May 14, 2010
[photo from UPI/Nell Redmond]
some additional links:
NAACP head: Miss. gov falls short in oil response
BP oil spill: Mississippi governor says press coverage is more damaging than slick
Mississippi Gov. Barbour skips Obama meeting for Central Park picnic
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rugrat
ccdarling
Erica K
Director of Studies
Stephanie Russell-Kraft
Jeremiah Horrigan
Salon.com
Comments
Since they are mostly clean and clear, it makes sense to try to support the Gulf region by vacationing IF THE AREA IS NOT SEVERELY IMPACTED.
My understanding is that conditions are still good for vacationers, and Barbour and Obama and everyone needs to be totally honest about this.
That is, if the beaches are good, then theoretical future damage or small amounts of oil washing up on a few miles (out of hundreds) of coastline needs to be kept in perspective.
The currents have kept the oil from thoroughly fouling the Mississippi Gulf Coast so far, but it is unlikely to remain clean. There is simply too much oil floating toward shore. I think that there is also a sense among many here that he is being dismissive of the problems this is causing the coastal areas of Louisiana and Alabama and Florida as well. Just because our own beaches are not yet oil-slicked doesn't mean the oil disaster warrants the shrug Barbour is giving.