2.  What type of economic impact will the worst-case scenario have on the Louisiana fishing industry dockside - to the people who make their livelihood off of fishing?

3.  What has the Louisiana government done to assist shrimpers (shrimp fishermen) before the oil spill reaches the shrimping areas?

4.  a) According to James Opaluch, a university professor who has studied oil spills including the Exxon Valdez in Alaska, what factors will determine the severity of the damage caused to the environment from the Gulf oil spill?
b)  What does Mr. Opaluch say are the best and worst-case, and intermediate, scenarios for the oil spill?

5.  Read the information about Louisiana under "Background" below. Which of this information is new to you?

6.  John Hocevar of Greenpeace was interviewed for this article. Consider the following points and then answer the questions.

• Greenpeace is an environmental organization. One of its main issues is its promotion to an end to all oil drilling and an end to all use of oil for our energy, as well as an end to the use of coal, which provides 50% of our energy in the U.S.
• From the Greenpeace website: "It's time to quit oil, get clean, and make a permanent switch to renewable energy [wind power, solar power]."
• Patrick Moore, one of the founders of Greenpeace says that environmentalism has been hijacked by extremists opposed to the intensive agriculture and biotechnology needed to feed and clothe the world's population, saying "Environmental extremists are basically anti-human," He also charged that an uncritical news media reports much of what organizations such as Greenpeace and the World Wildlife Fund offer as fact without checking its validity.
• Coal-fired electric power plants today produce more than 50 percent of the electricity in the U.S. at low cost. Inexpensive electricity is essential to maintaining a dynamic competitive U.S. economy and our standard of living.
  In 2002, 98 percent of the U.S. electric system power generation came from: coal-fired (50 percent), nuclear (20 percent), oil and natural gas (21 percent), and hydroelectric (7 percent). (from asme.org/NewsPublicPolicy/GovRelations/PositionStatements/Need_Additional_US_CoalFired.cfm)

a)  What do you think Mr. Hocevar would like to see happen with any future oil drilling?
b)  Do you think if the U.S. ends off-shore oil drilling, Russia and other countries will as well?
c)  The captain of the Exxon Valdez was accused of being intoxicated when his tanker hit a reef and spilled an estimated 10 million gallons of crude oil. The cause of BP's Gulf spill is not certain. Should all oil drilling off U.S. coasts be prohibited because oil spills like these can happen? Explain your answer.

7.  Watch the video under "Resources" below.  What do you think of Mr. MacDonald's explanation?