DING-DONG, THE SPILL IS DEAD…OR IS IT? Australia’s oil spill stops, but the clean-up effort’s only beginning

It only took 74 days and five attempts, but they managed to plug the “Montara/West Atlas” oil spill off Australia’s coast – only to watch the buggah catch fire. But this is just the first phase. The next step? Assessing damage. Environmentalists say 9 million gallons spilled. The Aussie government says 6 million. The oil company? One million. Somewhere between cleaning up seabirds and helping sick Indonesian fisherman, they’ll figure out how big of a mess they made. But here’s what we do know, according to NotTheAnswer.org:

The cleanup of the pollution from the oil spill will take 7 years to complete.

PTTEP Australasia, the oil company responsible for the ten week long oil spill will begin drilling again in the same oil field in a matter of months.

A PTTEP spokesperson says that his company knows what caused the oil spill, but won’t tell anyone else what that cause was.

In the meantime, the Environment America just released a report called Oceans Under the Gun: Living Seas or Drilling Seas? that compares the financial value of ‘sustainable activities’ – think tourism, commercial and recreational fishing — along America’s coasts to “non-renewable oil and gas distraction.” No surprise that in every case, the sustainable wins, the biggest margin being the South Atlantic (SC, GA, FL) by a ratio of 20.8 to 1. (The smallest being the Gulf states.) The Mid-Atlantic? 3.7 — $10 billion dollar more every single year.

This region’s most compelling because the wind potential there so dwarfs the petroleum resources. Not just financially — NC alone stands to get 9100 jobs and $22.5 billion in 20 years compared to petroleum 6700 and $24 billion after 30 years – but in terms of clean, renewable energy:

“At recent prices and usage, the oil and natural gas economically available for recovery from the Mid-Atlantic could supply the nation with less than two months of oil use and three months of natural gas use at a value of $92 billion. [But] The Mid-Atlantic has the best marine offshore wind resource in shallow waters in the country. Wind farms off the Mid-Atlantic planning area could provide 15% of the current total national generating capacity or more than the entire electrical generating capacity of the Mid-Atlantic and North Atlantic states. There is so much wind energy available in the shallow waters offshore that this area could generate enough to run everything that uses electricity in the Mid-Atlantic and North Atlantic states, an area from Maine to North Carolina with approximately 60 million people in 2008.”


So, we can bolster our energy independence and our economy, or stick with petroleum – and quite possibly watch it all go up in flames. Literally.

Keep tabs on the spill crisis at blogskytruth.org.

DICK DRAGGERS UNITE! (And ‘sea sweepers’, ‘goat-boaters,’ ‘wiggle sticks’…)

5500. That’s the number of surveys Surf-First managed to muster in just 11 months, covering every age, gender, location and discipline. So pat yourselves on the back for a job well done. We’ll update you as we move forward, but let me say thanks to all who helped from individuals to media outlets to fellow activist groups. You all are responsible for what will surely be an education on who we are and how we behave as a user group. In fact, I’m already learning things about myself: namely, that I’m an insensitive prick.

Okay, so I knew that already. But thanks to Robbie “G-Nutz” Gennet for the reminder. RG’s a keyboard-player, music writer, Huff Po blogger and rabid sponger who expressed some disappointment with the tone of our questions, which seemed to assume everyone who rides waves does so standing up on foam and fiberglass. I understand the feeling. I used to be the only dad in the local “Mommy and Me” group where I frequently received pre-fab written invites to “bring my hubby” to parties and questionnaires asking me to describe “what responsibilities the father handled” and whether “breast feeding left my nipples sore.“ It was almost enough to make me tear off my apron and cancel my Rachel Ray subscription. But I persevered because it was good for my son.

Likewise, Robbie still completed his survey because it was good for bodyboarders. He recognized that wave-riders can only win these fights by working together as single ‘user group.’ That the enemy isn’t a “sea sweeper” or “goat boater" — or even a “butt wiggler" or "wigglestick.’ (That's what spongers call surfers, according to my speed bump buddy Ryan Rhodes — pictured above thanks to Mickey "2M" McCarthy). It’s companies and people who sees the ocean as a financial resource to exploit or covet at the expense of others. In other words, he understands what I was talking about almost a year go when I wrote the piece that first spawned Surf-First. Probably better than I do.

See below for our full back-and-forth. And thanks, Robbie, for both the reality check and encouraging fellow spongers to finally stand up — at least when it comes to defending all of our rights.

-----Original Message-----
From: RG
Subject: re: Surf survey
Hey there~ I took your survey and as a waverider and ocean lover, I was happy to contribute to your study. However, as a bodyboarder, I was incensed at your slant toward standup surfing & surfboards, which is a pervasive slant on most wave report websites.

Bodyboarding is a global sport with contests, stars of its own, magazines and tons of devotees. We go surf our favorite breaks, support their local economies and buy all the merchandise in the mags, from wetsuits to surfwear, sunglasses to shoes, and still there is this kind of social apartheid that we are separate and unequal.

This has to stop; the ocean we love needs us to band together and help her be healthy and survive. From global warming we'll get rising seas and every wave we know will be altered beyond recognition; an imaginary hierarchy where stand-up surfing rules all does nothing but stroke egos and marginalize your brothers of the ocean. Include bodysurfers, skimboarders, kitesurfers and yes, even stand-up paddleboarders and we can all be a powerful force to protect the resource we all depend on for the activity we love.


Thanks
RG




-----Original Message-----

From: Walker, Matt
Subject: RE: Surf survey

first rg: thank you for taking the survey; your input is crucial to its accuracy and success
second: allow me to apologize for the 'institutional prejudice'. we do put 'bodyboarders' on the first page, but i'm sure the survey still suffers from slanted phrasing (stuff i may not even notice)

if we get another chance at doing it, i'll got through and try to make it more balanced. and at the risk at sounding even more 'insensitive': some of my best friends are spongers

thanks again for your help
much, much appreciated
matt

-----Original Message-----
From: RG
Subject: Re: Surf survey

Hey there Matt~ awesome to hear from you, thanks for the reply; I am interested to see how the results of the survey turn out. I actually had written a slightly longer piece which I encapsulated in my letter to you. I buy your mag often on newsstands, usually when going on a plane somewhere, and dig your coverage of all things surfing, though I realize there is still an anti-bodyboarding pulse among surfers out there, which is a shame. Wish there was a cool article where some bodyboarders and surfers got together, rode waves, maybe did some humanitarian goodness out there too~ Mike Stewart and Kelly Slater head to head on a sick Tahitian slab? A boosting contest with Jeff Hubbard and Dane Reynolds? Something to show people having fun regardless of the board they ride.

We need less enemies, and all the friends we can get. I respect Surfing mag and knowing some of your best friends are spongers is a heartening fact (though I think we are called "dick-draggers" nowadays, which is only unfortunate for the ladies of bodyboarding). I'm sure you can understand that as a bodyboarder, checking Surfline (or Wetsand or Swellwatch etc) and seeing our sport practically ignored is rough. All our US pro riders could use the industry support and sponsorship that stand up surfers get but they all struggle here; in Australia, Brazil and the rest of the world, they are well regarded and taken care of. It's a shame to see but it doesn't have to be that way. Aside from different boards, every company that advertises in Surfing mag appeals to bodyboarders. And yet, Bodyboarding Magazine struggles for support and advertising sponsors. It doesn't have to be that way. Some feel that the Surfing Industry doesn't want bodyboarding to gain market share amongst new wave riders, perhaps after seeing what Snowboarding did to Skiing. Bodyboarding is easier to "get" at first but is in no way a "stepping stone" to standing up, as it's made out to be by stand up surfers. Both sports can and do coexist well.

I know that erasing the social boundaries between surfers and bodyboarders can only benefit our common causes. Joining further with other ocean-related organizations (scuba, etc) can only make us a stronger and more effective force. We all love the ocean and for her sake, I hope we all can not just get along but really unite.


Anyhow, whatever the cause, whatever the history, all divides among waveriders need to be put aside for the Ocean, who needs us all united and out in force.

Off to surf waist high waves with a smile...

Robbie "G-Nutz" Gennet

SPEAK NOW OR FOREVER HOLD YOUR PEACE: DOI public comment on offshore energy ends Sept. 21

Four days.That’s all you got to let the feds now how you feel about offshore energy. Do you want oil or wind? Solar or hydrokinetics? It’s all up for grabs along with a shitload of leases. One thing we can say as surfers: with a "blowout” in the Timor Sea off of Australia gushing oil for the past three weeks –and expected to gush for two more to the tune of an estimated 5800 square miles (the size of Connecticut and Rhode Island combined ) and 150,000 gallons (that’s more than half the amount of the Valdez spill) — from “state of the art” technology built and installed in 2007 and 2008, the cries that we can drill ”cleaner and safer” are starting to sound like more slick promises. (And that’s without a hurricane or major storm.) And with every coastal state earning more from clean beaches than they ever will from Big Oil – and green industry producing three time the jobs per dollar as petroleum — there’s not much economic motivation unless you’re paycheck says Exxon/Mobil. But we won’t tell you how to think. Do the research yourself. But do it quick. Just remember, once you climb into bed with “big oil”, you’re married forever.

Submit your public comment by September 21.

For an aerial image of the Aussie spill, click here.

ONE DOLLAR OF EVERY EIGHT-BALL GOES TO DRUG-USE AWARENESS AND PREVENTION

Just kidding. But can you imagine any politician making such an illogical promise? Well, they will if it meets our oil addiction. One of the main arguments toward allowing offshore drilling is states can use the proceeds to encourage environmental education and preserve habitats.

According to the Tampa Tribune Florida state legislator Dean Cannon “wants to channel revenue from drilling into renewable energy initiatives and environmental programs such as the Florida Forever land conservation program. Beach restoration and even public education could also benefit.”

So, this guy’s suggesting we risk a two-month spill like the one in Australia — with 2008 rigs, by the way (so much for newer, cleaner technology) — and actively pump toxic, cadmium- and mercury-laden "drilling muds" into the water while encouraging global warming, all to help save the planet?

He must be high, right? Nope just greedy. The story continues: “Florida Energy Associates, which is bankrolling much of the push for drilling in state waters . . . has contributed $20,000 to the state Democratic Party and $35,000 to the state GOP.”

Just goes to show whether it’s oil, cash or power, our entire political system’s full of junkies who'll do anything for a fix.

Stage your own intervention by submitting public comment to the DOI by Sept. 21 And for the best quote yet on this doped-up idea, check the following TC Palm column, which notes: "Florida Energy Associates touts polls claiming that most Floridians support drilling 'if it doesn't harm the environment.' In the same way, I suppose, most of us would support cigarettes that don't make people sick, pies than don't make us fat and texting-while-driving that doesn't cause wrecks."

DON’T GET WORKED: Take the Surf-First survey by Labor Day – or leave your homebreak unprotected

Work is good. But some work is better than others. And we can think of no better way to honor Labor Day than spending 20 minutes describing your wave-riding habits to help all surfers defend their breaks in years to come.

But you better do it fast. Next Monday’s holiday not only signifies the end of summer — it’s the official cut-off for the Surf-First survey. (Actually, in the spirit of surfing slackness we’ll give you to midnight Tuesday.) At that point we’ll stop gathering info and start crunching the data. Our goal? To better depict how the average American surfer spends their lives — and cash — on a spot-by-spot basis in hopes of keeping every US break clean and accessible forever. We’re even going to put that info live online, state-by-state, so anyone, anywhere, can arm themselves to meet any fight head on. And in case you think such fights are rare — or the info unnecessary — just check out New Smyrna where there’s an effort to extend Ponce Inlet, potentially wrecking one of Florida’s most popular breaks where surfers generate more than $6 million each year.

Every single one of us could one day face a similar issue. Whether we have the hard data and dollar signs to convince decision-makers to seriously surfers’ interests and impact depends on whether you take the survey (assuming you haven’t already). And with two tropical swells back east, and two weeks of surf out west right now’s the best time to do your part. Because as of midnight on Tuesday, the next stage of our job begins. And you’ll have one less opportunity to stand up for your homebreak.

Thanks to Matt Lusk for the Danny shot from S-Turns, another spot surfers could find themselves pushed off without proper representation.

EXTRA CREDIT FOR WILLING WORKERS! Are you an economics major with a passion for surfing? Or a surfing major with a passion for studying economics? Read the info below to find out how to spend this fall working on the Surf-First Economics project and apply by Oct. 2. As a paid intern, you’ll earn college credit, make some cash yourself — and most importantly — help produce the first comprehensive surfing survey of its kind. One that stands to help fellow surfers from years to come.


Surfrider Foundation/ Surf First
Surf Economics Internship
Fall 2009


The Surfrider Foundation and Surfing Magazine seek an undergraduate or graduate student for an internship to work at the Surfrider Foundation on the Surf First surf economics project. The project will include analyzing recreational and economic survey data from surfing areas around the United States to develop state-level profiles of recreational uses and economic impacts of surfing.


Surf Economics:
Surfing is a major recreational and economic activity at diverse coastal environments throughout the United States. The rising popularity of surfing in the United States and significant growth in participation has increased the economic contribution of surfing to local communities. Despite the popularity of surfing, it is often challenging for the sport to be taken seriously in coastal management decisions. Surfing and surfers are very sensitive to environmental conditions and changes in these conditions can negatively impact surfing. At present there is little research on the value of recreational surfing. It is estimated that over three million people surf on a regular basis in the US and surfers are in the ocean more than any other ocean user group. To make informed decisions, coastal professionals require information about surfers and how they will be affected by coastal policies and activities. In recent years, there has been an increase in research on the economics and management of surfing.

In a collaborative effort, the Surf First surf survey – the first national survey of its kind -- was developed to capture socioeconomic and recreational use information about surfers. The survey ran for approximately one year. This internship will help analyze the survey data to develop demographic and economic profiles for surfers from around the US.

You can learn more about this project and surf economics at:
Surf-First.org
surfeconomics.blogspot.com

Preferred education & experience:
Must currently be in enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate school program.
Proven ability to use Microsoft Excel to manipulate large data sets
Knowledge of natural resource economics
Stata experience a plus
Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing


Start Time: Flexible, Fall 2009
Duration: 12 week minimum / full time
Pay: $3500
Location: San Clemente, CA

Please send/email a short cover letter and resume to:

Chad Nelsen
Surfrider Foundation
P.O. Box 6010
San Clemente, CA 92674
Ph: (800) 743-SURF
cnelsen@surfrider.org
Email preferred. Please title resume and cover letter documents using this convention: lastname_resume.doc & lastname_cover.doc

Applications due October 2nd, 2009

The Surfrider Foundation is a 501(c)3 organization dedicated to the protection and enjoyment of the world’s ocean, waves and beaches through conservation, activism, research and education. For more info on Surfrider visit: www.surfrider.org

A FORCE TO BE RECKONED WITH: White House seeks your input on new ‘Ocean Task Force”

One of the effects of constantly shooting your mouth off to “the powers that be” is they immediately start firing crap back in hopes of plugging your hole.

Back in April, when they were scheduling the public rallies on offshore energy, frequent whining weasled me on to the Department of Interior’s mail list, meaning now I get frequent press releases, usually pumping up “big steps forward” and “united visions” — the government equivalent of “acting busy” before the boss can yell at you.


This latest one discusses Obama’s “Interagency Task Force on Ocean Policy,” to better “meet our Nation’s stewardship responsibilities for the oceans, coasts and Great Lakes” but -- instead of stopping there -- it actually asks for “input from interested communities, governments, tribes, businesses, associations, non-governmental organizations and from the general public.” We’re pretty sure that “tribes” means “surfers” – possibly even spongers and kayakers, too. Don’t worry: they’re not asking you to enlist in secret paramilitary operations to defend the Pacific and Atlantic; just give them some public outcry ammo to justify protecting our coasts.

So, read the full release below. And once you stop feeling all flattered and empowered over being asked to construct domestic policy with the POTUS, make sure to hit the link and fire off any and all concerns from water quality to the coastal zoning. And, if writing in complete sentences sounds like too much work, just go to Surf-First.org and fill the survey after your next session. (We’re pretty sure that’s where Barack got this whole ‘ocean task force’ idea to begin with.)




In order to better meet our Nation’s stewardship responsibilities for the oceans, coasts and Great Lakes, President Obama created an Interagency Task Force on Ocean Policy on June 12, 2009.

The Task Force is led by the Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality and the other members are composed of senior-level officials from the agencies, departments and offices on the existing Committee on Ocean Policy. (See attached). The Task Force has been instructed to provide its recommendations in 90 days for the first three issue areas and 120 days for the last.

The Task Force seeks input on its work from interested communities, governments, tribes, businesses, associations, non-governmental organizations and from the general public. If you would like to provide comments, please click here.

We ask that you focus your comments on the issues set forth in the President’s Memorandum:

· National policy for oceans and for coastal and Great Lakes ecosystems;
· Ocean governance framework;
· Implementation Strategy to meet the objectives of the national policy; and
· Coastal and marine spatial planning.

In addition, please feel free to include information about the impact of significant emerging issues on your area of expertise or concern, like climate change or offshore renewable energy development; on jobs and the economics of your business or activity; and any experience you have with current policies and programs—with an emphasis on specific suggestions for improvement where possible.

Please note, that to meet the ambitious timeframe outlined in the President’s Memorandum, the Task Force will build upon the work of the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy and the Pew Oceans Commission. These reports, appendices and the extensive public engagement and records will serve as important foundations for the work of the Ocean Policy Task Force.

PUT LAST WEEK’S SESSIONS TO WORK FOR TOMORROW: You surfed your favorite spots for days on end – make sure you surf them the rest of your life

Arms finally rested-up? Good. You’re gonna need ‘em to to fill out our survey.

Last week was big for US surfers. Four days of fun waves from Miami to Montauk. Twice that in size and duration for most of the West Coast. Do the math and you get tens of thousands of surfers scoring even more sessions across tons of surf spots. Now the time’s come to convert those numbers into hard data to make sure every break stays safe in terms of access and water quality down the road.

If you don’t think those are important issues -- if you think your spot’s automatically protected -- consider the fact that miles of beach still remain closed around Hatteras due to questionable environmental science. That Santa Barbara is in danger of juggling more tar balls. Or look at the latest water quality report which shows just how dirty some of our favorite beaches are. The only way to protect surfers’ interests in such issues is to show them who we are and how we impact these various spots and their surrounding beach towns and economies. It’s also the first step in a battle against existing injustices like board charges and beach badges.

So, while your arms and memories are fresh, please fill out the Surf-First Survey. (Assuming you haven’t already.) We only have until the end of summer before we’ll crunch numbers – and we can only crunch the numbers we have. So if you want to make sure your break’s protected, you better stand-up for it yourself.

Thanks To Mickey McCarthy for this Outer Banks lineup, where last week's crowd alone should add at least a few hundred surveys.