BP showed link between environment, economy

It used to be that environmental issues were on the back burner in Alabama. Alabama defaulted to the side of industry and economics, believing jobs are the only thing that matters, and the damage to the water, air and land is just the price of doing business. 

That attitude did come with real costs. 

We saw unmitigated pollution hurt communities and families around the state. An example is Anniston, where manufacturing toxic chemicals left dangerous traces not only in the ground, but also in some of the people nearby. It has taken years of effort through the state courts to see that citizens affected were compensated, and even after the rulings, it is still a work in progress to make people whole. 

Yet nothing could have prepared us for the catastrophe of the BP oil spill in the gulf. It will go down as the worst environmental disaster in US history, and certainly will be a watershed moment for our understanding of the economic importance of a clean and healthy environment.

The oil washing up on our pristine beaches and threatening the estuaries that our fisheries depend on was a shock to every Alabamian. 

There was a real possibility that we could lose some of the most critical and beautiful places in our state.

For years we accepted the oil and gas rigs off of our own coast as just the price of business. They may have spoiled the view somewhat, but the jobs and revenue of drilling far outweighed the environmental and visual concerns. 

We look at those rigs differently today. We see the downside of the industry, and probably we will never again default to the idea that risking the environment for business is justified. 

A recent report by the University of Alabama’s Center for Business and Economic Research Now is now outlining the economic cost to Alabama the environmental disaster. The numbers are striking. 

The BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill up to this point has cost Alabama a minimum of $1 billion and 13,600 jobs this year, according to the economic impact study. University officials note the report is preliminary because the year hasn’t ended, and estimates could end up being higher. 

The figure is of course an estimate, and the spill’s impact could be even more devastating. A worst-case scenario included in the study estimated the spill could result in losses of $3.3 billion and nearly 49,000 jobs this year.

Such economic hits and losses of jobs affect everyone in the state, regardless of whether you have a connection to anything on the coast. For example, such loss of economic activity directly impacts education revenue, and could cause further cuts in schools. October education receipts were more than 12 percent below last year, a trend that began over the summer. 

There is little doubt that the spill hurt every classroom in the state. 

Attorney General Troy King sued BP to gain back lost revenue. Governor Bob Riley heavily criticized King, saying the lawsuit hindered negotiating with BP to pay the state what it was owed. 

Now Riley is unhappy with BP, saying the compensation system set up by the company amounts to extortion. King fired back and said that if the governor wants to find the person who enabled BP’s exploitation and extortion, he need look no further than the nearest mirror. 

King has repeatedly said BP is not negotiating in good faith, and they have yet to pay one dime to the state for lost revenue. 

Hopefully, the incoming administration and attorney general can get on the same page about getting proper compensation. Much depends on it.  

We lost a lot in the spill. 

One thing that may be forever lost is the idea that the environment and economy are two separate issues. We now know they are linked, and that may do us much good in the long run.   

Johnny Mack Morrow is a state representative for Franklin County. His column appears each Wednesday.