No one in Mayflower, Arkansas expected
it. But it happened. On March 29, 2013 crude oil began to flood out
into a beautiful subdivision of homes, oozing across lawns and
carrying with it a stink foreshadowing an impact continuing to this
day.
The company responsible was Exxon, the
same company now publicly exposed for covering up the impact of oil
on the environment in the early 80s and complicit
in the Refugio Spill with Plains All American Pipelines near Santa
Barbara last year.
These are the incidents which broke
though the silence which once protected oil companies from bad
publicity and accountability. We are determined to stop this.
Every day oil spills, gas seeps, explosions, frackquakes
and other oil disasters happen. Their incidence is more common than
normal earthquakes or other natural disasters. Oil disasters are
very unnatural, bringing with them life changing shocks and enormous
losses to those on the receiving end. Mayflower made the news. Most
of these disasters do not – but they harm people and destroy the land, air and water common to all of us just the same.
We have seen the petroleum industry lie
for decades, showing no trace of conscience for the wastelands they
have created out of pristine meadows, lakes, neighborhoods which are
home to families.
Oil is the cause. We face a driving
need to fight back against Big Oil. With this dawning also comes the
reality government is firmly in the pocket of these and other
corporate interests. Petitioning and protesting alone will not work.
If we are going to enact real change we have to organize locally and
do it ourselves.
When an oil disaster strikes the PR
campaign rolls out, telling frightened victims there is no threat to
their health or the health of their children just because they can
smell the stench of oil everywhere. Residents are told the nose
bleeds, sinus infections, trouble with breathing, and other symptoms
of petroleum poisoning are caused by something, anything, else.
We have the tools to help communities protect people and enforce accountability for Big Oil. This can only happen with local activism, finding people committed to returning our world to clean air, water, and land.
Our Director for Research, Dave
Lincoln, worked for most of the major oil companies, leaving in 1996
when he gave up on believing they would ever change. Dave knows the
practices, culture and science of Big Oil like no one else in the
business. Added to this he understands the strategy they use to
evade accountability. This happens by multiple avenues. First, they lie. Second, they play
the Wait 'til They Die Game, watching as class action lawsuits
collapse and victims accept gift certificates for pizza instead of
being compensated for their losses. Third, they destroy the body of evidence necessary to obtain justice through our court system. We can change all of this. We will show you what to do to protect your community and win this war.
Dave is starting the EcoAlert Tour, starting as the honored speaker at the United Nations Earth Day Event on Sunday, March 20, 2016, Equinox at 12:31 AM EDT. From there, he will be speaking first in Gloucester, Mass. Contact us to schedule Dave for your local area or group.
Get basic facts and videos at Get the Facts.
We repost important articles, and our own articles, at:
Arthur C. Pillsbury Vision & Action Newsletter ( Arthur C. Pillsbury was an original inspiration).
Our hub and training site is: EcoAlert - Justice & Accountability.
It is time to come together, past all boundaries and barriers for Peace, Justice & Care of the Earth.
