On Tuesday CWN member organization National Wildlife Federation (NWF) held an important briefing on the tragedy in the Gulf. Speakers included: NWF President and CEO Larry Schweiger; NWF board member, activist, and actress Gloria Rueben; Carl Safina, President and co-founder of the Blue Ocean Institute; Karla Raettig, NWF National Campaign Director for Louisiana Coastal Restoration; and Brittin Eustis, fisherman and professional guide from Venice, LA.

Speakers vividly described their impressions of this environmental catastrophe to a standing room only crowd in the U.S. Capitol Visitors Center. Many expressed particular concern over the fate of Louisiana’s marshes and wetlands and BP’s use of chemical dispersants. Dispersants make it harder to clean up the oil and contain numerous toxic chemicals that can be harmful to wildlife and humans. Carl Safina described the use of dispersants as taking a point source pollution source and recklessly turning it into an enormous non-point pollution problem. Mr. Safina also described the tragedy in the Gulf as “the most colossal failure of preparedness imaginable.”

Larry Schweiger reminded the audience that though the Gulf coast is changed forever, there is a unique opportunity to restore coastal Louisiana as part of a new national climate and energy policy. In addition to passing a climate and energy bill that moves us away from our dependence on fossil fuels, conservation organizations working in the Gulf are calling on Congress to include $19 million in the 2010 Supplemental Appropriations and $155 million in the FY2011 Appropriations for Louisiana coastal restoration projects.

For more information on NWF's response to this ongoing crisis and to learn how you can help, visit their oil spill webpage.  We also recommend you read this recent article written by Carl Safina, entitled We are all Gulf victims now.