On April 20, 2010, when I first heard about the BP leak from the Deepwater Horizon oil rig off
the coast of Venice, Louisiana, I tried to ignore it. It brought back such horrible memories from
the Exxon Valdez oil spill, which devastated the coastlines where I fished commercially and the
community in which I lived. I remembered the agony of not knowing what would happen to us
or our beloved Prince William Sound, or who to trust among the lawyers, scientists, oilmen,
public officials, spill responders, media, and “used bug” (cleanup product) salesmen who flooded
into our towns. Even twenty years later, the memories are still haunting.
Besides, when the Gulf oil rig blew, I was on national tour, advocating a people’s movement to
amend the U.S. Constitution to affirm that only human beings are entitled to constitutional
protection—not corporations. Our democracy – rule by the people – has been hijacked by giant
Fortune 500 corporations like Exxon and BP that masquerade as “persons” in U.S. courtrooms. I
talk about this in the last chapter of Not One Drop. After 20 years of fighting for justice for the
Valdez spill survivors, my life had moved on from Exxon’s spill (www.ultimatecivics.org ) – or so I thought. The articles about the BP catastrophe trailed me from Stevens Point, Wisconsin, to Salt Lake
City, and finally to Denver. The media calls became more urgent when it became evident that the
oil would make landfall. The media frenzy also brought back bad memories, but I cringed at the
thought of oil in the marshes and the devastation that might befall generations of sea life – and
fishing families.
Then I remembered the promise I made on March 24, 1989, after flying over theExxon Valdez
wreck and seeing millions of gallons of oil in our Sound: I would work to transition our nation
off fossil fuels in my lifetime. Again, the thoughts that flashed into my mind in 1989, came back:
“I know enough to make a difference. Do I care enough?”
In a sudden shock of recognition, I realized that I knew more now than I did twenty-one years
ago about oil spills, spill response, industry damage-control shenanigans, impacts to
communities and ecosystems, litigation, and more – and it was all information that was
desperately needed by people in coastal communities in the Gulf. I booked a one-way ticket to
New Orleans on May 3.
I’m writing now from Grand Isle, the only (human) inhabited barrier island in Louisiana, and a
thriving community of 1,500 based on fishing, tourism, and oilfield service. Fishermen here and
in the small communities dotting the southern marshes and swamplands of what is
euphemistically Barataria “Bay,” refer to BP as “Bayou Polluter.” They say BP spills oil every
year and they point out marshes still dead from dispersants that were sprayed there. They are
very afraid of the potential long-term impacts of 300,000 gallons of toxic chemicals to sensitive
young life forms – eggs, larvae, and juveniles – not just fish and shellfish, but the myriad life
forms that nurture and sustain the intricate marsh and open-ocean food web. What will happen?
What can be done to assess and mitigate the harm? And what about stopping future spills?
Based on my experience with the Exxon Valdez oil spill and background as a marine toxicologist,
I can answer those questions and more. But I can’t be in every coastal community along the
Gulf. To make the critical information more accessible, my publisher Chelsea Green and I are
offering Not One Drop as an eBook.
Most importantly, my publisher, Chelsea Green, and I are giving these e-books away for free in hopes that you will donate $1, $5, $10 or more to Global Green USA (
http://globalgreen.org ), an
environmental non-profit with a mission of reconnecting humanity to the environment in order to
create a more secure & sustainable future. Global Green opened a New Orleans office almost 5
years ago, in response to Hurricane Katrina, and is leading the green rebuilding of the city by
creating healthy green schools, homes and communities that save money, improve health and
help fight global warming.
In response to the Gulf oil spill, Global Green is co-chairing the local Green
Collaborative -- a network of 65 organizations working to build a strong green economy
in Louisiana -- to assess the greatest needs to help in the clean up, and to support those
families devastated by the spill. Funds will go toward delivering healthy food and support
for the fishermen and families whose lives depend on a thriving coastal economy.
If 100,000 people download and give even $1, we’ll be able to raise a significant amount
for the relief efforts. At $10/download, that’s a million dollars! Just hit the “Donate Now”
button beside Not One Drop on Scribd. Funds will go toward mitigating social trauma
from the spill, because I remember how much the Exxon Valdez hurt my town, Cordova.
Our story of harm and recovery is told in Not One Drop. Let’s work together to help mitigate the effects of corporate-disaster trauma on communities in the Gulf. Thank you.
Riki Ott
Grand Isle, Louisiana
May 12, 2010
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