It’s going to be a long road to recovery for the Gulf, and so far, Congress hasn’t passed a single piece of legislation to make sure that the Gulf’s coast and communities are made whole again. With our senators and representatives back in D.C. for one last 2010 session, now is our best chance to make sure that they take action to send BP’s fines back to the Gulf, and give citizens a seat at the decision-making table.Gulf Tides: Long Road to Recovery examines the real impacts of this disaster still being felt by real people, and charts a potential path for the renewal and restoration of the Gulf, and its communities. Although the Obama administration recently released a Gulf restoration plan that calls on Congress to direct billions of dollar in BP fines back to the Gulf, these are just words on paper until our leaders in D.C. take action.This episode features community voices including noted marine conservationist and veteran of the Exxon-Valdez disaster Rick Steiner, Alabama commercial fisherman Paul Nelson, and environmental attorney Robert Wiygul discussing the impacts of this disaster, and other long-term threats to the Gulf of Mexico. Congress must act quickly to create a Gulf of Mexico Regional Citizens Advisory Council in order to make sure that community voices like these can have a formal role in protecting the region from oil and gas impacts.Some great local musicians are also featured in this edition including Helen Gillet, and Clint Maedgen along with the New Orleans Bingo Show. We are also honored to again have Academy Award-winning actor Tim Robbins help with narration.So please watch this episode of Gulf Tides to learn more about the long road to recovery for the Gulf. Then, visit the website at the bottom of the video to urge Congress to act now to send BP’s fines back to the Gulf, and give Gulf citizens a seat at the table when it comes to decisions that will impact their communities.Aaron Viles is GRN’s Campaign Director
