Past and present Governor candidates from Mississippi: on Environment

Vicki Slater: Use BP settlement money to rehabilitate marine life

A: The purpose of the settlement was not for schools--it was for the environment, for rehabilitation of oyster beds, for the fishing industry on the Coast that has suffered so much. That seems like a reallocation of the purpose of the whole settlement. So at first glance, it seems like not such a good idea. Now, the governor was out beating his chest about what a great settlement this was, and this is the same guy when he visited the Coast during the oil spill said, 'I don't smell anything but lawnmowers running.' This is the same governor who took other BP money and instead of giving it to fishermen to make up for lost income like they did in Louisiana, built a softball field. That's ridiculous. I think the settlement money should be used for what the settlement was for--rehabilitating marine life and making up for lost income to the seafood industry.