Dead Zone In The Gulf Of Mexico; Cheap Meat And The Drive To Deregulate

     The dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Louisiana is considered the largest ever. This will adversely affect Louisiana's shrimp industry, tourism, recreational fishing and the income that generates, and far more. The wastewater and agricultural runoff that flows from the Mississippi River into the Gulf of Mexico that causes dead zones in the Gulf remains an enormous problem. With significant cuts to the budget and authority of the EPA, the harm to the Gulf of Mexico will not abate.
      Agricultural practices that serve the meat industry are more than inefficient; they are destructive. The demand for cheap meat comes at at an expensive price. The heavy load of nutrient pollution from farms kills the land, rivers, and places like the Gulf of Mexico where much of it ultimately ends up.(And this is to say nothing regarding chemicals, pesticides, herbicides,etc).
        The mantra that deregulation, fewer regulations, or removing regulations is nothing but a positive for business and the economy might be true in some cases, but it is not that simple. The Gulf of Mexico is a jewel that supports jobs, businesses, and much more. Destroy the Gulf, and the economic and environmental harm will be on a scale far worse than can be imagined.
          The fate of the Gulf rests in the hands of the states that keep a blind eye to agricultural practices, large meat producers and fast food corporations that are responsible for how corn and soybeans are grown in order to feed livestock, state and federal governments, and more. Corporations must not be given a free pass to ignore the environmental damage that results from the agricultural and industrial practices that support the meat they are selling.
           Eating beef, pork and other meats are choices, not necessities. But allowing that choice to continue to support unsound agricultural practices that destroy lands and seas means people are cutting their own throats. The Gulf Of Mexico needs protection, including from every state whose runoff ends up there.