Talk:Gulf of Mexico Foundation

To Whom It May Interest: March 19,2013

The Gulf of Mexico Foundation is honored to be included in the pages of Wikipedia. Regarding Dr. Dokken's public position during the Macondo Oil Spill and the support received from vested interests of the oil/gas industry as noted in Wikipedia, the Gulf of Mexico Foundation responds:

The facts presented are for the most part accurate, but taken out of context and present a very uninformed and inaccurate picture of the truth. During the Macondo event Dr. Dokken voiced an opinion not in-line with the media's "the Gulf of Mexico is doomed headlines." These headlines appeared within 48 hours of the blowout and had no basis in science, but rather were based in hysteria. Dokken's viewpoint were based on the history of oil spills in the Gulf of Mexico going back to 1942 when 20+ ships, including tankers with refined hydrocarbon products, were sunk off the Louisiana coast by German U-boats and the 1979 IXTOC spill in the Bay of Campeche. These events were as significant as the Macondo spill, but they did not destroy the Gulf of Mexico. Response and clean up efforts during these events were at best minimal, but the Gulf survived. If one was to further pursue Dokken's public comments during the Macondo event she/he would find that he did indeed acknowledge the significance of the Macondo spill and its potential for long-term damage. His point was that it was scientific investigation that should determine the extent of the impact and not entertainment show hosts scrambling for market share, politicians seeking a stage, or those seeking personal injury awards. In other forums, Dokken noted that if the Macondo well was capped in a short-term time frame and the ecological response to the Macondo spill followed history, the Gulf of Mexico would survive this insult as it had the past events. And, in fact this is what has happened. The Gulf of Mexico did not die. Dokken's opinions and responses were biased toward science and history.

The Gulf of Mexico Foundation does indeed work with the offshore oil/gas industry as-well-as any other industry willing to step up and join its efforts to build a sustainable healthy and productive environment within the Gulf of Mexico. And, the Gulf of Mexico Foundation is not unique in this regard. The truth is that the oil/gas industry is the most generous of all of the industries in supporting conservation efforts. Many organizations have sought and received similar support. There is an incorrect perception within the Gulf of Mexico community that offshore oil/gas activities are the primary threat to the sustainability of the health and productivity of the Gulf of Mexico. Certainly this offshore industry has potential for environmental harm, but no more so than the tourist industry, agriculture, forestry industries, fisheries, military development, and so on. The oil/gas industry is just one of many threats to the Gulf of Mexico; and, to date science indicates that the greatest environmental impacts are coming from human activities above the high-tide line.

Conservation organizations serious about fulfilling their missions and reaching their goals in conservation cannot isolate and ignore those industries that have vested interests from the discussions and efforts of conservation. Economic development and robustness is inseparable from environmental health, productivity, and sustainability. Economy and environment are two cornerstones of quality of life. It is quality of life that is the ultimate objective for today and the future.

The Gulf of Mexico Foundation has in the past and will continue to base its opinions and efforts on scientific fact. The Gulf of Mexico Foundation will not be led by hysteria, regardless of any criticism this stance may receive. The Foundation's goal is to ensure that our grandchildren's grandchildren have access to a Gulf of Mexico environment every bit as healthy and productive as it is today. This goal can only be achieved working in tandem with those seeking to establish strong economic structures.