Sunday, June 27, 2010
Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtle (photo: Sea Turtle Restoration Project)
BP has conducted numerous controlled burns on the ocean surface to eliminate some of the oil collecting in the Gulf of Mexico. But in the process, the company is also burning alive endangered sea turtles caught in the areas set aflame, according to federal officials.
Environmentalists have been outraged by the killings and BP’s callous actions, which include scaring away boats trying to rescue sea turtles caught in the burns. The company could face fines of up to $50,000 for each sea turtle killed or harmed by the spill or cleanup.
Michael Ziccardi, director of the Oiled Wildlife Care Network, which is leading the turtle rescue program, told The New York Times that his group has not yet seen sea turtles that have been burned.
The National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration estimates that 425 sea turtles have died in the spill zone since the April 30 accident that destroyed the Deepwater Horizon oil platform.
-Noel Brinkerhoff
BP Accused of Killing Endangered Sea Turtles in Cleanup Operation (by Suzanne Goldenberg, Guardian)
Oil Burning Stirs Fear for Sea Turtles (by Leslie Kaufman, New York Times)
BP Blocks Attempt to Save Endangered Sea Turtles from Oil Spill (Sea Turtle Restoration Project)
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