Environmental Impacts Of Building A Hotel

For the sake of a single hotel, a coastal Alabama community risks the future of its ecosystem and ultimately its economy. After Hurricane Ivan and the destruction it caused to the Gulf of Mexico states, Alabama is hoping to use the $60 million of the $1 billion received after the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill in 2010 to rebuild one of its beachfront hotels. Council members say that in building the hotel it would bring back the recreational services and help rebuild the economy in Alabama. However, environmentalists are not pleased with the idea of building a hotel as they are concerned for the state of the environment. What council members do not recognize is that building such a hotel would have environmental risks; this money could be used …show more content…
Council members in Alabama are hoping that in building a hotel, it will once again bring people to their beaches. However, building the hotel would have an impact on the environment. Jeff Amy writes, “The trustees asserted it would not need a separate environmental impact statement, despite concerns that its construction might harm endangered beach mice and sea turtles.” If the construction of the hotel takes place and the ecosystem around the hotel is affected, then the economy will also be affected. Everything has a chain reaction. The beach mice and sea turtles are part of a food chain that supports the environment and ultimately the economy. If these species are wiped out then the fishing industries in the Gulf States will deteriorate. This will not only impact the states surrounding the Gulf of Mexico but the United States as a whole. The council members should also consider the money could be used to restore the …show more content…
In an article on the New Orleans Times- Picayune Jeff Amy writes, “Environmentalists remain unhappy about Alabama 's plans to spend $85.5 million. Many environmentalists are trying to restore marshes, create oyster reefs and reduce the erosion that has begun to take place after the spill.” These projects all cost a significant amount of money. Tom Hutching notes, “The irony of dune restoration signs that warn visitors to keep off. That 's the exact ecosystem they are talking about destroying. It 's crazy.” Hutchings has started a petition against the hotel. He says, “The state conservation department should be preserving this lone stretch of natural beachfront, not getting into the hotel business” (Elliot). If the environment is not fully restored, it will affect other states and businesses. In an article about the social and economic impact of the oil spill it states, “Oil now blankets the wetlands of Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana, where fishing, hunting and trapping still represent a significant sector of the economy. Commercial fish stocks live some or all of their lives in the wetlands” (Betinis). Ignoring the environment will affect the economy, because the ecosystem in the Gulf is a large production source for the fishing industry and provides the United States with about half of the total United States harvest in its high season. The National Wildlife