An oil spill originating from an overturned barge near Tobago has now reached Grenada's waters and poses a potential threat to neighboring Venezuela. Despite efforts to contain the spill, fuel continues to leak from the sunken vessel, prompting concerns about environmental damage and cleanup efforts. Authorities are urging the barge's owner to step forward and take responsibility for the disaster.
Faculty experts at the George Washington University are available to offer insight and analysis on the environmental impact of this oil spill. If you would like to speak with an expert, please contact GW Media Relations at gwmedia
gwu [dot] edu (gwmedia[at]gwu[dot]edu).
Jonathan Deason is a professor and director of the GW Environmental & Energy Management Institute. His expertise includes environmental and energy management, energy policy, renewable energy, water resources and environmental sustainability. Prior to his time at GW, was Director of the Office of Environmental Policy and Compliance at the U.S. Department of the Interior where he responsible for ensuring that Interior's 81,000 employees complied with environmental laws and regulations in managing 20 percent of the surface area of the U.S. Deason can discuss the overall environmental impact of oil spills.
Kathy Hessler is the Assistant Dean for Animal Law at the GW Law School. As the inaugural dean of animal law at the George Washington University Law School, and has helped to develop and found Animal Law Studies and curriculum at a variety of schools and centers. Dean Hessler has been a clinical law professor for 30 years, 22 of which has been teaching animal law. In addition, Dean Hessler was the chair of the Animal Law Section and the Balance in Legal Education Sections of the American Association of Law Schools.
Alicia Cooperman is an assistant professor of political science and international affairs. Her expertise includes local and global challenges in water politics and policy, political economy of development, civil society and accountability and climate change. Cooperman’s broader research agenda studies the politics of natural disasters, natural resource management, and climate change mitigation and adaptation. Her work has been published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Political Analysis, and Comparative Political Studies, among others.
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