"Oil sludge oozes into Des Plaines River"
- It's okay though. No worries. It was only between 4500 and 6000 GALLONS of oil sludge this time - last seen "oozing into the Des Plaines River".
"The thousands of gallons that leaked into the river killed an unspecified number of wildlife -- "nothing bigger than your hand," mostly fish and frogs, U.S. Coast Guard spokesman William Mitchell said early Monday."
- Killed an "unspecified" number of wildlife? And size DOES matter?
The company responsible, Caterpillar, hasn't offered specifics. Don't hold your breath on reading them or hearing about them either. One brief headline and the media will make this little news item disappear. Too bad the oil sludge does not leave the scene as quickly.
This is not like accidentally dropping a jar of Bertolli's in the supermarket.
It's an oil spill. It has killed and will kill more fish and frogs. The long-term impacts will never be known. Fines, if any, will be minor for a company the size of Caterpillar - and they will move on with an "Oh well" attitude.
I'm beginning to think no more than a handful of people in this country even care anymore. Those who touted the "Drill baby" b.s. last fall apparently don't care since these little spills seem to be on the increase and the damage is permanent, but the push for more drilling continues.
The whole attitude of the article is "Oh well." There would be more commotion over that dropped jar of Bertolli's in my local grocery store. Cleanup would be immediate even though chances are, no living thing would die.
