Coastal recovery grade:

Almost two years since the Deepwater Horizon Explosion, Louisianans still have a lot of questions:
Where's the rest of the oil? What are these lesions on the fish? And why are dolphins still washing ashore?

State and federal scientists graded the recovery process in Lafourche Parish; giving the coast a grade of "B" for it's rate of recovery, but the story doesn't end with just data and beakers.

"We were sitting at a restaurant, a nice restaurant by the water," Edward Flynn told his story. "I'm hoping it's Louisiana seafood."

Flynn was visiting family in New York City last year when he realized just how much the spill affected Louisiana.

"The manager came over and said, 'no we don't have any Gulf of Mexico seafood,' like he was proud of it." Flynn said, "I asked him, why not? He said, because it's not safe to eat."

Scientists, state officials and the Food and Drug Administration feverishly tested the seafood after the spill and each time, came back with the same results: it's good to go. In nearly all of the cases, levels of contaminants were registered more than 1,000-times below any level of concern.
Others, like Elizabeth Cook remain skeptical.

"Fish with lesions, shrimp with no eyes," she listed the oddities.

Cook says that's widespread in the Gulf even though tests show positive results. Her grade for the recovery? An "F"

"If you didn't know where the oil was you'd have a hard time finding it," Dr. Ed Overton of LSU said.

Dr. Overton teaches Environmental Sciences and heads directly to the coast to study the oil's effects. He says the physical recovery is happening faster than expected but the oil is still buried on the coastline.

"That buried oil is going to stay there," Dr. Overton said. "Is that buried oil causing our environment to be degraded? No."

Dr. Overton's recovery grade?" "B." He says there's no evidence supporting health hazard claims but admits the economy has struggled.

Flynn is just one of many telling a sad story of the state's slow recovery from a bad public perception; perhaps the only place scientists consider the recover "slow."

However, things may get a little easier. In Washington, the House passed a transportation bill that includes a provision Gulf Coast lawmakers have really pulled for.

The bill would invest 80-percent of the fines paid by BP into coastal restoration and economic re-growth. The senate passed a similar bill last month.

Now, it heads to the oval office where advisors are telling President Obama to veto the bill for reasons unrelated to the Gulf Coast oil spill.

 


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