Massive Oil Slick Could Have Devastating Impact on Economy in Gulf States
FOXNews.com
As a massive oil slick creeps ever closer to the Gulf Coast, officials in Louisiana, Alabama, Texas, Mississippi and Florida are bracing for the worst. The economic impact over miles of prime coast land has the potential to be catastrophic.
As a massive oil slick creeps ever closer to the Gulf Coast, officials in Louisiana, Alabama, Texas, Mississippi and Florida are bracing for the worst. The economic impact over miles of prime coast land has the potential to be catastrophic.
Officials say the slick from last week's offshore drilling rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico may have a devastating impact on one of the coastal states' most precious commodities — shrimp — and the entire industry that surrounds it. And state officials acknowledge that the oil's effect on travel and tourism to the area could be equally destructive.
"Common sense would tell us that if the shrimp and oyster beds are impacted, that could potentially affect one of the signature items for Louisiana — our shrimp," Louisiana's assistant secretary of tourism, Jim Hutchinson, told FoxNews.com.
About 5,000 barrels of oil a day are coming up from the seabed after a BP-operated rig, the Deepwater Horizon, exploded and sank last week about 40 miles offshore, leaving 11 workers missing and presumed dead. Federal officials say the leading edge of the spill was expected to reach the Mississippi River delta by Thursday night.
...
