Remember the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill? Well BP wishes you didn’t. They’d rather you think, “BP = Olympics.” Warm fuzzies.
Over in the Gulf, BP’s big money was up for grabs for early restoration projects. $1 billion is on the table right now, and that’s just a down-payment of what could be $50+ billion. In April, $60 million of that got allocated to projects in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida (see projects on ES-8). But where was Texas? Officials wanted to take more time to evaluate the 172 project proposals submitted. Some of the proposed projects sound like great restoration projects (coastal/oyster/dune/reef restoration). The least-sexy award goes to a project that will buy a toilet in a state park (no kidding).
Why am I writing about this on a blog about the intersection of nature+economics? I’ve heard the New Zealand term ‘lolly scramble’ used to describe the tragedy of the commons. Meaning, when you’ve got a common pool resource (a bunch of candy, owned by no one) that’s up for grabs, the natural response is to grab as much as you can until it’s all gone.
There’s a similar thing happening with BP’s money. Call it a pinata scramble.
Get the booty! Photo source.
All the states went for the money (save Texas). Hopefully, the objectives of the money – to restore the Gulf – are not forgotten in the scramble.
Madsen Environmental 