Our Only Chance.

• Position: Gulf oil spill - Viewpoint essay

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Like most Americans, I am horrified by the unending catastrophe in the Gulf of Mexico, and a short time before that, by the mine disaster in West Virginia. Both of these are products of a failed energy policy, one that puts coal and oil industry profits ahead of people and the environment.

It's heartbreaking what this spill is doing to Gulf fishermen, families, communities, culture, and wildlife. As the story unfolds, it reveals so much about the oil industry's role in American political life.

With their deep pockets, oil companies have purchased loose safety regulations, slack oversight, and support from key lawmakers. Last year alone, the industry spent $168 million on lobbying--$16 million of which came from BP. The blowout on the Deepwater Horizon is symptomatic of this undue influence.

It is time for the collusion to stop. As long as it continues, Americans will pay the price in the form of devastated ecosystems and a fossil fuel addiction that benefits oil companies, not ordinary citizens.

I know what it's like to have a job that depends on toeing the line. I worked in the oil fields when I was a teenager, and my dad worked in the accounting department of Standard Oil. I remember the uneasy feeling that resulted when I heard company representatives claim oil exploration was great for American society, which contrasted with what I actually experienced on the job. The truth was that oil exploration was great for the oil industry.

Long after I left the oil fields, I felt disgusted by the way oil companies advertised themselves as conservationists. While Chevron was selling "Human Energy," BP plugged itself as "Beyond Petroleum," even though oil still accounts for the vast majority of its business. BP claimed its technology was safe, yet eleven men are dead and oil will still permeate the whole coast years after the "cleanup."

Furthermore, the company has a long history of safety violations that have resulted in other deaths and environmental...