The Effects Of Drilling On Offshore Drilling

Many seafood companies prices fluctuate because a whole number of reasons. Have you ever thought why though? They even have to take some foods completely off their menus. A lot of the time this is because of an oil spill that kills so much of the environment that a lot of the sea animals die or even become endangered. The BP Deepwater Horizon spill in 2010 is a great example of this. It spilled 200 million gallons of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico in 87 days. The area of the spill alone had over 8,000 species, which already had 39 endangered species and added 14 new species to the endangered list. Not only did we lose animals but “Eleven people died as a result of the accident and 17 others were injured”(BP Staff).

Senator Everett Dirksen once noted “The oilcan is mightier than the sword”. In today’s world, it is easy to see why oil can be considered the most important resource to hold. Without oil, many of the common day occurrences we take for granted would be impossible. Oil is used for almost everything; from the fuel used to drive our vehicles, to the plastics used in every facet of life, and providing the heat needed to live through the winter. In fact, the United States depends so much on oil that as a nation it uses over 20 million barrels a day. Importing oil increases the total costs because of the need to transport it from around the world. It is estimated

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.

Drilling oil in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) is a serious issue for environmentalists and for the future of the United States. Should the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge be opened to oil drilling? This paper will debate whether or not we should allow Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to be opened to oil drilling. This will also show the impact it has on the environment, and I will show a critical analysis of the current issue of whether or not to drill.

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.

Most people probably do not think about how much of their lives depend on oil. This profitable commodity is constantly being used around the world, twenty four hours a day and seven days a week. From the scented creams people use on their bodies, to the airline jets soaring above, oils are being used. Oil is one of three major forms of fossil fuels, coal and natural gas being the rest. Fossil fuels began forming millions of years ago in the Carboniferous Period when trees, plants, and small organisms died (DOE, 2015). Eventually the fossils sank to the bottom of many swamps and oceans forming layers of peat (a brown, soil-like, and spongy material). Over thousands of years, peat was covered by clay, sand, and other minerals which turned into a type of rock called sedimentary. Over thousands of years rocks piled on top of the peat creating more pressure. Eventually the pressure managed to squeeze water out of the peat and over millions of years, this mineral rich water turned into the three major fossil fuels that people know and use today (DOE, 2015). Regardless of its proficiency and success, the oil industry has become one of the most unethical businesses in the world. Their blatant disregard for the environment and its inhabitants have continuously put them in the crosshairs of many conservatives and concerned citizens. This paper primarily focuses on the ethical dilemmas that surround the oil industry.

The Drought, along with a recent string of powerful Earthquakes, has provided the momentum for about a dozen of local Governments across California, the third largest oil producing state in the country. Over concerns with the environmental effects Fracking has. And as the drought continues the amount of water used is troubling. At the same time, a bill that would declare a statewide moratorium on fracking has been gathering support in the State Senate, a year after a similar effort failed. “Even if we don’t get a moratorium, just the threat of a moratorium discourages investment.” (Onishi 1) So the anti-fracking activists will take this fight, whether it’s a big win. Or a narrow defeat.

Last year alone, oil and gas companies put hundreds of millions of gallons of hydraulic fracturing fluids into the earth. Many of these fluids were found to contain harmful chemicals such as carcinogens- substances that directly cause cancer. This is why hydraulic fracking has been the topic of heated debate over the past few years. This process of drilling for natural gas has become increasingly popular over the past decade, and has in turn produced many questions about the safety of its wells and the chemicals that are used in drilling. Under current regulations, hydraulic fracking is permitted to be conducted at drilling sites that are located very close to residential areas. The chemicals used in the drilling process have been leaking out of wells, and have contaminated drinking water for some communities. In addition, it pollutes the air by putting methane, a potent greenhouse gas, into the atmosphere. Concerned about the safety of fracking, cities such as Longmont have shown great opposition to the Colorado Oil and Gas Association (COGA)’s regulations. In fact, Longmont citizens voted to put a ban on fracking within city limits in 2012. This ban has been met with retaliation from COGA, who sued the city because of the ban. If fracking isn’t allowed to be banned by cities that don’t want it, then the regulations need to change in order to make the practice both prosperous and safe for the community.

Over the last thirty years the United States has been faced with the problem of dependence on foreign countries for oil and the tight control that these exercise on the energy policies and economics of America. Many of these instances include: the oil embargos of the 1970s, the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990, and the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in 2001. Since the 1970s, one solution offered to reduce our nation's dependence on foreign countries for oil has been opening up drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). Proponents say that drilling in ANWR would make the United States more self-sufficient in the area of energy, while at the same time not doing excessive damage to the environment of the area.

Worries with the earth have been up front in the United States. Particularly during the presidential race, numerous natural issues are at the bleeding edge of endless discussions. There is an accord between gatherings that residential vitality creation must keep on expanding, yet there are clashing assessments as to where that vitality generation ought to originate from. Should we utilize non-renewable assets or put resources into new and imaginative renewable vitality sources? Our reliance on outside oil puts the U.S. in an exceptionally powerless position on both the political and sparing fronts. Incalculable studies have been led supporting both contentions. While our surroundings is a noteworthy thought for figuring out which sources to use, the monetary ramifications should likewise be weighed. Renewable vitality sources could last uncertainly, however should be repaired and/or supplanted sooner or later. One distinct option for renewable vitality is a practice called "Fracking". Fracking is slang for pressure driven breaking. It is regularly depicted as a strategy used to discharge petroleum, characteristic gas (counting shale gas, tight gas and coal crease gas), or different substances for extraction (Philippe Charlez, 1997).

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

Executive director for Energy and Climate Solutions, Joseph J. Romm accurately declares, “There is no question that today oil companies control the government and incentives to discourage alternatives.” Like in the movie corporations do control the government's choice and actions for the

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).

The issue of whether offshore oil drilling is a safe operation or not has been arguing for a long time in the United States. ( SPE International, N.D.) Drilling on water started in early 1930s in Louisiana by shallow-draft barges. Nevertheless, the first oil well on water was drilled in 9th of September, 1947 by Kerr-McGee’s unit Tender Assist Drilling (TAD) in the Gulf of Mexico (SPE International, N.D.). A year after year, oil companies used more and more sophisticated equipment to drill on water, but the number of spilled accidents has been rising since 1964 (Ivanovich, and Hays, 2008). After all, while

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.