In my mind, an oil spill translates to images of dying animals and ruined ecosystems, damaged futures and irreparable destruction.
But to many more people, the image is drastically shifted.
From the slow death of ecosystems to the economic downfall of an entire region, Louisiana’s economy largely depends on the oil industry, which is responsible for about 320,000 jobs and 14 percent of the state budget.
No matter how you spin it, the economic benefits of having 83,000 miles of pipeline in our backyard also comes with a high cost. And it’s not only our wetlands that are being sacrificed, but our safety and education as well.
Thanks to petroleum exploration in our swamps, about 1,900 miles of marshland which can act as a buffer from storms and hurricanes has been destroyed. The exploration has installed more than 8,000 miles of canals in the swamps.
The result of such damage to our ecosystems has been seen over and over again from hurricanes Camille to Andrew to Katrina — it seems we can’t help but put our lives at stake for the sake of progress. But even now that’s lagging.
According to The Los Angeles Times, Louisiana is not only an energy dependent state but also one of the worst off. Wyoming, another energy state that receives about the same amount from the oil and gas industries, uses this funding to push their education system to the third best nationwide. Meanwhile, Louisiana has the nation’s No. 23 education system, higher poverty rates than anywhere else in the country — except for Mississippi — and the second lowest life expectancy nationwide.
Whatever we’re doing with the money we’re receiving, it’s not making for the well-oiled machine it should be, and we’re the ones ultimately paying the price.
In blood, water and oil, we are the ones who have to deal with the consequences. That’s why we should be particularly empathetic to the environmental aspect of the Keystone XL pipeline.
An expansion of the current pipeline put in place could mean an extra 700,000 barrels of oil per day from our friendly and reliable neighbor, Canada, but it could also mean more spills and greenhouse gas emissions than ever before.
And while the spills may be small in size, the marginal emissions are a serious environmental concern.
The fight for fewer emissions and better control of our industries and less environmental damage is a familiar one. It’s a rerun we’ve watched 50 times and it’s getting old.
In a staredown between big business and environmental protection, it seems the obvious winner is not the environment but the oil industry, which continuously lines both our pockets and our marshy coast.
Unless we stop looking for a way to make this dying horse called oil work, we’re going to wake up one morning with a landscape beyond repair and a body we’ll have to bury deep under the damaged rigs and oil slicked surface.
Instead of prioritizing the expansion of dirty oil, we need to prioritize the environment and sources of clean energy to put everyone back on track and back in their place.
Big oil companies have done great things for our region economically, but the arrogance officials have shown has led us to forget the damage they have and will continue to cause, unless we say “stop.”
This is our chance to do that.
 
Priyanka Bhatia is a 19-year-old pre-veterinary medicine sophomore from San Jose, Calif. Follow her on Twitter @TDR_PBhatia.
 
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Contact Priyanka Bhatia at [email protected]