25% of the oil and gas that North America uses comes through various ports in south Louisiana - from international sources, such as Nigeria, where they don't have the environmental restrictions that we have. Yeah we have a permitting process, which was given a Catorgical Exemption for the Deepwater Horizion, and then there were mistakes. The point I'm trying, badly, to make is that we at least have laws to protect our evironment and agencies to enforce them, where some of our oil and gas comes from the international market where what laws they have are often overlooked. They haven't had a spill of this magnitude, but things aren't pristine either.

Yes we should use less, canvas bags at the grocery, drive less, more fuel efficient cars, reuse, recycle, etc. Maybe we, as a nation, will learn something from this. But I doubt it. Seems if it isn't happening in your backyard, to someone you know, then it can quickly be forgotten.

I suppose the most fustrating thing is that there is little to nothing most of us can do about it. After other disasters, the bad event is over, and then the clean-up and rebuilding process can begin. This damn thing keeps going and going.