This past week has bore witness to a major evolution in the punishment of BP for the oil spill which decimated the gulf region only a few short years ago, giving more leeway to the oil giant than initially decided by our legal system.

Last Thursday, the U.S. government lifted a legal ban that was placed on BP, disabling them from receiving federal contracts to drill in the oil-rich gulf, which is sure to lead to new exploration in the region by the corporation, in hopes of supplying massive new orders for fuel.

Now, it’s not under my jurisdiction to decide what would responsibly classify as “fair” or “unfair,” but I propose to you as students to decide for yourself and take the proper action. If you don’t object to the news, carry on; you’re in the clear. If you do happen to feel that the ban lift has happened too soon, I encourage you to reach out to your legislators and express your distaste, as well as being selective of where you buy your gas - because at the end of the day, our consumerist buying power is the quickest way to insight meaningful change.

Historically, BP has been a top supplier of federal energy. The ban was established in November 2012, more than two years after the explosion, to serve as a debilitating penalty to a corporation that caused tremendous economic and environmental damage to not only a region, but the world as a whole.

The ban has now been lifted for the most part, because of a lawsuit filed by BP this past August, citing it as “unfair” treatment in response to the spill.

When the Deepwater Horizon well exploded on April 20, 2010, there were 200+ million gallons of oil released in the course of the first 87 days, there was 16,000 miles of coastline affected across five different states and 8,000 animals found harmed within the first month. In response to the negligence, more than 40,000 people gave their time to aid the cleanup efforts, and BP has been charged $56 billion in fines, plus the costs of clean up and legal settlements. Further, many experts remain wary that the well continues to leak to this day. With cleanup costs in mind, be aware of the fact that the well only cost a mere $600,000 million to establish, and further, BP ignored reports the materials had failed proficiency tests in the past.

I don’t write this column as someone who sees himself as holier-than-now in a pursuit against oil; I’m the first to admit that I have a car that I take to the pump, and a house that uses fossil fuel for heat. Hell, I even use a plastic fork on occasion. But it’s up to us as citizens of this country to tune in to the cozy relationship between conglomerate business and government, and speak up when the reasons we’re fed don’t do our country justice. Speak up when the reasons we’re fed don’t do our country justice.

For spring break, I, along with six others, took a road trip down to New Orleans for Mardi Gras. While there, we enjoyed the festivities and it was beautiful to see such color and vibrance in the people, food and music, but I also made sure to remind myself of where this city had recently come from and the hardships it had been forced to endure. Five years before the gulf spill was Hurricane Katrina - one of the most deadly hurricanes on record, which killed thousands, displaced hundreds of thousands and caused billions in environmental and economic damage.

Through local outlets, mainly cab drivers, I attempted to take short tours of the parts which had suffered the most, and when you see water lines that ascend 15 feet up the sides of home after home, you can’t help but understand the terror that city must have felt, if only a bit better than you did before bearing witness.

This tragedy was undoubtedly an act of nature, but the overwhelming evidence supports that this carbon-based damage we’re inflicting on our planet is increasing the frequency, intensity, and unpredictability of these storms; take for instance Hurricane Sandy, which disabled the east coast for weeks.

I propose a further vision: Imagine one of these rigs released as much oil as Deepwater Horizon during the midst of one of these storms, not only causing destruction, but spewing oil hundreds of miles inland, creating further cleanup problems and affecting more people. I don’t cite this possibility to inflict terror or angst, but simply to help us remember nothing is out of the realm of possibility, and the full effects of the damages we’ve already inflicted on our natural habitat haven’t even begun to show their true nature.

The fact that oil remains in the waters due to maliciously negligent behavior and that the ink was hardly dry on the ban’s before they were lifted makes me cringe at the fact that we’re already decided to jump back into bed with BP. For all the dollars spent and all the damage done, we must look to options other than oil; whether this time is overdue, upon us now, or yet to come, is not for me to say, but it remains a looming issue that is deserving of a serious dialogue to be had.

I encourage you to consider this issue; discuss it with your friends, think about the power your dollar holds, and above all, try to imagine yourself living in a part of the country which feels a greater direct effect of this negligence. We’re all not so lucky to debate these issues from the geographical comfort of the Midwest.

Sam Corden is an environmental studies senior. Reach him at cordensa@msu.edu.