Freshly Out of Stock: HEB Gulf Oysters

Day 83 of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is reaching Texas in more ways than washed up tar balls on the beaches of Galveston.  HEB grocery stores in Austin are announcing their supplies of Gulf oysters have diminished as a result of the spill.

Seafood restaurants are also monitoring the situation closely.  Quality Seafood, 5621 Airport Boulevard, is offering oysters from other regions.  A sign near the cash register informs customers that Gulf oysters are no longer an option, but employees are quick to offer oysters from areas like the east coast.

"We need to be looking toward other areas of the country, other oceans, but also other farm-raised products that are domestic, like Texas shrimp," said Sarah Harper, a fishmonger at Quality Seafood.

Harper said restaurants will have to rely more heavily on products that come from Texas, which would help strengthen the economy.

"We do have other options, and that's encouraging for Texas business," Harper said.

Meantime, customers are changing their eating habits as they wonder when the spill will be contained.  A new strategy is giving some people hope that it could come as soon as Monday, July 12.

Picture above courtesy Ryan O'Keefe (Twitter user @sainthero)

Watch the oil spill live, courtesy WKRG TV.

Watch live streaming video from wkrg_oil_spill at livestream.com

Editorial: BP Tab Being Picked Up by Taxpayers?

by Melissa Cubria
TexPIRG Advocate

BP CEO Tony Hayward said that he is brokenhearted over the Gulf oil spill. So am I. He also said BP would pay "every dime" for the cleanup, but unfortunately, you and I are actually paying a part of that tab, too.

Over the next ten years, the oil and gas industry will receive $40 billion in subsidies -- courtesy of the American taxpayer. Because of these subsidies, and despite BP's talk, you and I have already started paying, and will continue to pay for a disaster that has destroyed the ecosystem and livelihood of a region for untold years. Congress can't undo the damage, but it can make BP pay.

By improving the American Jobs and Closing Tax Loopholes Act, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid can stop sending our tax dollars to subsidize Big Oil's mistakes.

The Senate votes this week. We are working with our federation to gather signatures from Americans across the country, demanding that Sen. Reid hold BP accountable. Sign our petition right now and get three friends to join, and we will show Sen. Reid your support before the vote.

BP announced $6.1 billion in profits in April for its first quarter -- double last year's number and roughly six times the amount it has spent on the cleanup so far.

We've long opposed these taxpayer giveaways to the highly profitable oil industry, but subsidizing the oil spill is even more outrageous.

We can make BP pay for the mess it made, and we can ensure that you and I no longer subsidize or encourage the kind of irresponsible risk-taking that could lead to the next catastrophe.

I urge you to sign the petition today.