Over the last couple of weeks BP has been hit with a bevy of lawsuits over economic and environmental damages relating to the Gulf of Mexico oil spill catastrophe. BP recently proposed that these lawsuits be consolidated to a federal court in Houston.

BP called the Houston court the appropriate forum the cases according to a spokesperson for the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation. The fact that BP’s Gulf of Mexico Drilling operations are based here in Houston does seem to make it a logical venue for the cases; however, in reality Houston would be an extremely favorable venue for BP because many potential jurors may be more sympathetic to big oil due to Houston’s oil driven economy and the historically conservative approach demonstrated by Texas courts.

Attorneys representing local businessmen who have been affected by the oil spill have asked that the litigation be consolidated before one of three federal judges in Louisiana.

The multidistrict-litigation panel will hear arguments on the matter at their July session in Boise, Idaho.

Two weeks after the explosion and subsequent sinking of the Transocean Deepwater Horizonm, oil still continues to pour into the gulf at an alarming rate. The massive oil slick stretches from Louisiana to Florida and it threatening to spread even further.

While the Texas gulf coast is not yet subject to the fishing ban that has been instituted for the Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, and a portion of the Florida gulf coast, some Texans who depend n the seafood for their livelihood are expecting to feel the repercussions.

Stephen Barreth, the owner of Houston-based Airline Seafood, believes that ripple effect from the BP oil spill will echo throughout the seafood industry.

BP has begun the 3 month process of drilling a relief well to relieve the pressure that is forcing hundreds of thousands of gallons of oil into the gulf waters each and every day. Crews are working to contain the oil offshore, but high winds and rough seas have made the task more challenging.

When all is said and done the BP oil spill could be the one of the worst environmental disasters the world has ever seen and could have catastrophic effects on the U.S. seafood market.

Only time will tell the true ramifications of this massive oil spill, but for now I think we should all be living by the old adage, “prepare for the worst and hope for the best.”