Anik Patel
Should the U.S. continue to drill offshore?
Debate Paper #4
11/4/2012
Word Count:1266
Oil is a precious resource that is used by everyone for many different reasons. Most
of the uses are for fuel to power cars and other modes of transportation. Also the fuels
made from oil are used for energy to power homes. Another use for oil is in plastics and
other everyday items. To keep up with today’s demand for all these goods the need for oil is
rapidly growing and is forcing the U.S. to keep on drilling for more. The negatives of oil
drilling are mostly environmental. If there happens to be an oil spill plants and animals that
become coated in oil perish from mechanical smothering. Birds die from hypothermia as
their feathers lose their waterproofing property when in contact with oil. Turtles die after
ingesting oil-coated food which acts like a poison. When oil or even the chemicals used to
keep the drill running like produced water and drilling mud are released into the
environment it causes a disruption in the food chain and the reproductive cycle. Another
negative on the continuation of drilling for oil is that oil is a major contributor to global
warming. Since oil is a fossil fuel when it’s used it produces carbon dioxide which is the
main contributor to global warming. The earliest known oil wells were drilled in China in
347 CE. They had depths of up to about 800 feet and were drilled using bits attached
to bamboo poles. The oil was burned to evaporate brine and produce salt. By the 10th
century, extensive bamboo pipelines connected oil wells with salt springs. The ancient
records of China and Japan are said to contain many allusions to the use of natural gas for
lighting and heating. Petroleum was known as burning water in Japan in the 7th century. In
the 8th century the Middle Eastern petroleum industry was established when the streets of
the Baghdad were made with tar which is made of from petroleum that became accessible
from natural oil fields in the region. In the 9th century oil was distilled to make kerosene for
lamps. The decision to keep drilling or to stop it effects 4 things. It effects people because
they will have to find ways to live without it. Government, because they have to give
subsidies for alternate energy so people can buy them. The last 2 things affected are the
environment and the animals since if oil drilling stops they will be healthier and it if doesn’t
they wont.
(http://environmentandpoliticsrpi.wikispaces.com/file/view/OffshoreDrillingNo.pdf)
(http://environmentandpoliticsrpi.wikispaces.com/file/view/OffshoreDrillingYes.pdf)
(http://www.ranken-energy.com/Products%20from%20Petroleum.htm)
Nowadays people need oil more than ever and according to Stephen L. Baird’s
Offshore Oil Drilling: Buying energy independence or buying time, oil, if drilled could
improve the economy. An average American comes in contact with a product that contains
oil or is made from oil every day. There are over six thousand everyday products that
contain traces of oil and are so common everyone comes in contact with them. Now society
has gotten used to using these items so much that it couldn’t be stopped. So to keep up with
the use and manufacturing of these products oil would still need to be drilled. Another
reason mentioned by Stephen L. Baird was that drilling for oil would improve the economy.
America produces 10 percent of the world oil and consumes about 24 percent. This means
that America spends on average 20 billion dollars each month for oil. This shows a
dependency on other countries oil and spending more money for oil is putting America in
debt. If America drills for its oil it could kick its dependency on other countries for oil and it
could actually make a profit which would help improve the economy.
(http://environmentandpoliticsrpi.wikispaces.com/file/view/OffshoreDrillingYes)
(http://www.ranken-energy.com/Products%20from%20Petroleum.htm)
Stephen L. Baird’s article on offshore oil drilling gives many great reasons to drill for
oil. One of the reasons was that many of the products people use on a daily basis for
example plastic is made with oil. To ensure that these products will be available to use in
the future more oil has to be drilled. The article also mentions how drilling for oil would
improve the economy because it would stop America from spending so much money on oil.
Also the oil could be sold back for a profit.
While Stephen L. Baird thinks that drilling for oil is a good idea, people like Mary
Annette Rose think that oil drilling should be stopped. Mary Annette Rose’s article the
environmental impact of offshore oil drilling gives many great reasons not to drill for oil.
One of the reasons is that since oil drilling is very isolated what people do there cannot be
monitored. For example 2 large electrical transformers located on Platform Hondo, Exxon’s
Santa Tnez Unit leaked 400 gallons of contaminated fluids into the pacific. On another
occasion it leaked for 2 years without being repaired. Another reason to stop drilling for oil
is that its deadly for the environment. Plants and animals that come in contact with oil die
from smothering. Oil isn’t just toxic to plants and animals, its toxic to people and it could
cause anemia, leukemia, reproductive problems, and developmental disorders. Another
reason is that the constant use of oil is accelerating global warming and if oil stops being
drilled people can focus on using renewable resources.
(http://environmentandpoliticsrpi.wikispaces.com/file/view/OffshoreDrillingNo)
Mary Annette Rose shows us how unsafe oil is and how people could still get energy
if oil production is stopped. This was one of the best points because renewable sources of
energy could constantly provide energy and have little to no environmental effects. This
way people, animals, and plants are safe and there is a sustainable energy source to satisfy
society.
Along with Mary Annette Rose the Natural Resource Defense Council or NRDC
believes that oil should not be drilled. They claim that more domestic drilling would not
affect the current gas price. They say that oil production is at a ten year high and still the
prices for gas go up. Another reason they give to stop drilling is that it is dangerous and it
wont make a difference. Oil rigs are made to be safe but many of the time the things that
are supposed to keep the rig safe fail and that has very negative effects. Projections from
the Energy Information Administration indicate that an expansion of offshore drilling
wouldn't lower gas prices until 2030, and then by only a few cents per gallon. So there is no
point to drill so the prices lower. They close their article by talking about how renewable
resources are the way of the future. (http://www.nrdc.org/energy/oildrilling/)
In my opinion oil drilling should continue. If should continue so people can keep on
using the things they use daily. Oil should not be drilled for use as gas. Instead of using oil
for fuel research for better and more efficient renewable energies should be used instead of
oil. This way people can live their lives the way they do and it’s environmentally friendly.
Works Cited
Baird, Stephen L. "Offshore Oil Drilling: Buying Energy Independence or Buying Time." N.p.,
n.d. Web. 26 Nov. 2012.
<http://environmentandpoliticsrpi.wikispaces.com/file/view/OffshoreDrillingYes.
pdf>.
"Domestic Oil Drilling." Offshore Oil Drilling Cons & Negative Effects. NRDC, n.d. Web. 26
Nov. 2012. <http://www.nrdc.org/energy/oildrilling/>.
"Environmentally Conscious Consumers for Oil Shale." Environmentally Conscious
Consumers for Oil Shale. Eccos.us, n.d. Web. 26 Nov. 2012.
<http://www.eccos.us/index.php?option=com_content>.
"A Partial List of Products Made from Petroleum." N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Nov. 2012.
<http://www.ranken-energy.com/Products%20from%20Petroleum.htm>.
Rose, Mary A. "Environmental Impact of Offshore Oil Drilling." N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Nov. 2012.
<http://environmentandpoliticsrpi.wikispaces.com/file/view/OffshoreDrillingNo.p
df>.