Ten months have passed since the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and by now most of the nation has shifted its focus away from the gulf to more recent and pressing topics. But for many who live in the Gulf Coast region, the tragedy of last April is one they must relive every day as they come to terms with the destructive economic and environmental ramifications of the disaster within their communities.

Despite the relatively short attention span of our nation, the oil spill has once again become the topic of conversation in recent weeks as the presidential panel investigating the causes of the BP disaster has released its results. The National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling included in its findings a detailed account of the factors which laid the groundwork for the disaster. It also enumerated the effects of the spill and issued strong warnings that such a catastrophe could occur again if industry practices and regulations do not improve dramatically. (more…)