I've said a few times that the spill won't be real until it hits land, will be more real if it hits Florida, will be even more real if it hits Atlantic coast states. Exxon Valdez was less real because it was off in that crazy Russia bordering state. I'm not saying that I think that makes any sense, just that there is a certain hierarchy to these things and to people who don't live in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and the Florida panhandle, such places are ranked pretty low in importance.
