Got Gas? Essay example

Environmentalists are one the biggest critics against the notion of increasing domestic oil drilling. By increasing the amount of drilling we do in the United States, we increase the risk of disasters like the Deepwater Horizon spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Disasters are hardly the only source of economic damage either, to find oil reserves under the ocean, seismic waves are generated into the ground. These waves bounce off the ground back up to the ship, where computers and scientist can use the results to make educated guesses on whether or not oil is located under the surface. These seismic waves can wreak havoc with marine animals like whales; where in one case over 100 whales beached themselves to get away from the painful experience (Nixon). Using seismic waves does not even guarantee that oil might be located underneath the surface, the only way to tell is to actually drill into the potential finds causing even more destruction for what might be for no gain. Once oil is found and drilling has begun, the amount of damage done to the environment can become unimaginable. The recent example is that of the Deepwater

Offshore drilling has become an essential part of today’s oil production and demand for energy. With the growth of population comes the increasing demand for oil. The oil industry today, is one of the most used providers of energy. Today in the 20th century the majority of the population in America has a car and cars needs gas to run. The oil reserves in the earth that are easily accessible via land are starting to run dry and are becoming harder to find. This is why we have begun to see more and more offshore oil drills. Although there are benefits of offshore drilling such as profit, lower gas prices, and becoming less dependent on foreign oil. There are also many drawbacks in which if something were to go wrong, the mistake would be catastrophic impacting the environment, the nature, and have trickling effects all around the world.

Offshore oil drilling is a big contribution to obtaining oil for the U.S., but it is also a big controversy to continue offshore drilling or to stop the drilling. most of the world’s energy comes from the use of oil, even though there are other resources to use oil is the most commonly used, But there is a shortage in oil especially in the U.S. so they suggest drilling for oil in the ocean to reach unexplored oil wells. There are benefits in offshore oil drilling such as jobs, domestic fuel, and environmental benefits. Those that argue the U.S. should expand the offshore oil drilling believe that the benefits drilling brings will help the U.S. out of its foreign oil dependency. Although the side effects are have big impacts just like the benefits. The side effects include environmental risks, oil dependency, and whether or not there is enough oil. Offshore oil drilling is a subject not many know about, there is a lot of research that still needs to be done and a lot of research that still does not give positive conclusions. All in all I believe Energy Efficiency is the best solution to offshore drilling an example would be using electric cars, using solar, and wind power for electricity, and changing how we obtain energy altogether.

If the government decides to continue with the drilling of new sites or expand the Keystone XL Pipeline there are environmental dangers and concerns to follow and still not enough oil production to fuel the countries demand. The importing of oil from foreign countries would still be a necessity. For now the prices of gasoline are still on the rise and with use of the oil money future tool prices are sure to continue rising. As it seems in this current economic crisis, consumers need to make their voice heard with the government and hope something will change with the way oil is produced and imported to lower the cost for everyone.

     For a drug addict to quit a drug, the best solutions for the addict would be to slowly wean them self off the drug periodically. America can be viewed in a parallel way on its dependency for oil. America needs another source of oil to slowly lessen its overwhelming dependency on foreign oil and to help the process of finding another mass energy source. The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge better known as the ANWR is a rich treasure of oil and gas that can help lessen Americas need for foreign resources. Drilling on the ANWR will not only help the American economy, but will also help aid America in the future.

Those that argue against the statement that offshore drilling benefits the economy say that the potential damage from the BP blowout had the costs estimated at $2.2 billion with the highest possible adjustments, paraphrased from the paper written by Bailey, Ronald, titled "Offshore Drilling Remains a Risk worth Economy". Contrary to what the title states, just by looking at the summary of a passage from the text, it's clear that offshore drilling can really hurt the economy through damaging the environment, and that it is not a sound decision to continue because of the chance of a spill. The second point they argue against is whether or not offshore drilling really lowers energy prices in the U.S. From the article written by Hassett, Kevin A., titled "Offshore Drilling Will Lower Energy Prices", a quote from President Barrack Obama is referenced, "Offshore drilling would not lower gas prices today, it would not lower gas prices five years from now." - President Barrack Obama. The president believes that energy prices will not lower because of offshore drilling even in the future. The third and final point that some would argue against, is offshore

Another reason against drilling much research has shown that all the oil that will be produced will only last for about six months. The fact that the British Petroleum has greater potential to produce more oil and natural gasses (Markey 2004) than ANWR so why bother with it , supporting the case that drilling is pointless. Then there is the percentage that after oil production of ANWR, the foreign oil dependency will only drop from 56% to 50% (Markey 2004).Then the oil produced would reach the market ten years later after it was produced, leaving the gas price decrease to one percent(Lamar and Markey 12). There was also the reality of natural gases. ANWR does not confirm any sign of them, when President Bush ordered exploration for natural gasses (Klyza and Ford-Martin 1).Again proving drilling pointless.

Drilling supporters still argue that there are benefits to drilling that may outweigh environmental harms. In addition to helping America gain energy independence, drilling has economic benefits. For Alaskans, tax money is important. Other Americans worry that gas prices are too high. According to Senator George Allen, these high prices come from a reliance on OPEC   (US Fed News Service

Not only for America, but for the entire world. Because what will any political issue, now or in the future, matter if we don’t have a planet to live on anymore? Or if we’re all dead? The drilling process for oil alone can cause detrimental ecological and health effects that could last for decades. Not to mention the horrible pollution from importing, exporting, and using the

Oil is one of the world’s most used natural resources and America uses a large margin of it. The United States uses 30 percent of the world’s oil and imports most of it. There have been many ideas to reduce the amount of oil the United States imports including one that states The United States should drill in the ANWR of Alaska. The ANWR is a 19 million acre chunk of land that is home to many animals such as bears and otters along the coast. The drilling proposal refers to drilling in about eight percent of the ANWR which is approximately 1.5 million acres. The other rugged terrain would be permanently closed for drilling. This proposed solution is one of the ideas to cut down on the 58 percent of the oil the United States currently imports. As a result of the amount of oil imported into the United States, should the United States drill for oil in Alaska? Drilling for oil in the ANWR could have many pros and cons but would the overall result be a noticeable change for the United States? The United States should not drill in Alaska for oil because of the resulting damage to the natural environment, negative pull on the economy, and how it would affect the native Alaskans.

Americans shouldn’t drill for oil in Alaska because of the economics. The oil will only reduce US oil imports 4% having no real effect on prices and supplies. It would only last six months supply for oil at our consumption rates. The research says that America solve its energy problem by reducing the oil usage.

America must wean itself off of dependence on foreign oil, and one valid solution to this problem is offshore oil drilling and production. America’s economy is heavily based on petroleum, as though it is the nation’s blood; a necessity for survival. About 25% of oil produced in the U.S. comes from offshore rigs. Most of the U.S. coastline has been off limits for oil drilling since the early 1980s. Due to environmental concerns after an oil spill off the coast of California in 1969, an offshore drilling moratorium was imposed. Since then, the U.S. has amplified its energy consumption to where it uses nearly 25% of the world's oil. Meanwhile, the U.S. produces about 10% of the world's oil. That has made the U.S. heavily reliant on imported

Through those effects comes the biggest one of them all, the effect it will have on the citizen of the U.S. If oil is to be drilled the people of America are the mains one in effect, because of this increase of jobs, or decrease in allies the American people will have to live on with the choices they made in which either could be good or bad. Humans have the rights of to deny change and accept it, it is a choice economy we live in not a government obeying system. Because of this process being so influential on the rest of the American lives the effect of oil drilling in the U.S is really more of a problem then is thought of. In the article Used it or Lose it they go to say, “America has a voice of its own, the plan to drill comes down to their decision making, the country lies within their thoughts for the future” (Moulton, 2012).

Oil Drilling has many effects on the environment from the air we breathe to the oceans that inhabit many species. While one of the outcomes of oil drilling is money, it is forgotten that money won’t help repair all of the damage that is done to mother nature. Not only does the outcome of drilling for fossil fuels affect the oceans, rainforest, etc. it also has an effect on local business’ and the health of humans. If people want change, they need to be the

Since the past few decades, owning a car has become a necessity in order to commute from one place to another. However, cars do not work automatically, they require fuel. Since the past decade, the petroleum industry has become one of the leading industries impacting the nation’s economy. Oil has become an essential commodity as it is utilized in transportation vehicles, serves as a raw material for manufacturing plastics, and is utilized in homes for cooking. America’s economy is greatly dependent on petroleum as it is the “black gold” of the nation. The considerable significance of oil has led to the drilling of it, which is not only limited to land, but also the oceans. Offshore drilling is a method in which petroleum is extracted from underneath the seabed. It is one of the significant technological advancements in the past few decades. However, the ones who are involved in the process of offshore oil production are humans, and humans tend to make mistakes. In 1969, due to a human error, an oil spill occurred and natural gas, oil, and mud shot up the well and oozed into the ocean (“Offshore Drilling”). The oil spilled led to an environmental disaster which killed thousands of marine animals and distorted the environment. In order to prevent the same error, the government passed a moratorium in 1981, banning more than 85 percent of the country’s oil drilling sites (“Offshore Drilling”). The moratorium restricted the United States to mass-produce its natural resource.