The Dead Zone

No, not Bush's skull, the Gulf of Mexico:

Scientists have monitored the growth of these so-called dead zones since the late 1970s. They have tried to promote policies to reduce their size, without much success. Last summer, the dead zone along the Gulf of Mexico coast spanned nearly 8,000 square miles— its third-largest occurrence on record and roughly the size of Massachusetts.

Although states have tried to address the problem, cooperation among them is suffering, and federal leadership and funding are lagging. And now, scientists say, there is a new obstacle: the impact of ethanol production on water quality.

Spurred by recent ethanol mandates and, to a lesser extent, high commodity prices, U.S. farmers are planting record-size crops. From 2006 to 2007, corn acres rose by about 15 million, mostly in the Mississippi River basin. Mid-Atlantic farmers are expected to plant 500,000 more acres of corn, soybeans, and wheat this year than they did in 2006, a 7 percent jump.

Everyone is to blame and no one will take responsibility. Finger pointing resolves nothing. In the mean time the Gulf continues to die. It's up to EIGHT THOUSAND square miles. What will the magic number be to galvanize people to act? It obviously must be from the ground up because politicians by their very nature will do nothing.

So where does one begin?

Update 6/11: RB of The Wicked Witch of the Web has posted on this as well as written an article.