Here's What the Oil Spill Would Look Like at the Mouth of Chesapeake Bay

A picture is worth a thousand barrels of oil.

 At left is a satellite image of the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.  At right is a computerized image (by my talented CBF colleague Mike Dougherty) of what an oil spill of the same size would look like at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay, where offshore drilling is now proposed.  Notice the threat posed by the blob's oily tentacles to the Assateague National Seashore, Virginia Beach, Ocean City and the blue crab spawning grounds of the southern Chesapeake Bay.

If you ever needed a reason to oppose offshore drilling in our region, here it is... in vivid color.

Worth noting is the fact that the blob would not just stay put in this location. It would likely ooze ashore, and devastate wetlands and wildlife, as the oil in the Gulf of Mexico is now doing.

Bloggers, friends and others, feel free to use this image in your blogs or publications, giving credit to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and linking to this blog.

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By Tom Pelton

Chesapeake Bay Foundation

Image at left from NASA.  At right, CBF/Mike Dougherty.

Comments

[Susan Wichamnn]

This is a big concern of mine. I contacted Senator Cardin's office yesterday and was told that Senator Cardin would not vote for a bill that contains off-shore drilling. They didn't seem to understand what I was talking about. It is my understanding that no bill is necessary for the VA drilling. I want to take action and I want my representatives to do all they can to stop it as well.

[Tom Pelton]

I'm going to look into this for you, Susan. I suspect you are right, that Congress already lifted its ban on East Coast offshore drilling, and now this is an Obama Administration issue.

I heard on public radio this morning that the Obama Administration is putting its new offshore drilling plans on temporary hold until it can investigate the cause of the Gulf explosion and spill.

The governors of Virginia and Maryland I believe also have some power over what is allowed in waters closer to shore.

Anyone out there want to weigh in on this issue?

[Daniel "The Whig Man" Vovak]

Thanks for the pictures. It has now been added to Montgomery County Daily, a website covering Maryland's largest county.

[Scott Burger]

And people got mad at me when I got mad at Obama for his agreement to offshore drilling and nuclear...they said it was for "political expediency" and votes in Congress for healthcare- well screw that! That won't make up for the damage of this spill and future spills (in Virginia). VOTE GREEN!

[Tom Pelton]

So who is your green candidate for president, Scott?

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It's a shame to see how these accidents affects our environment.

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