Sci 275 - Ocean and Coastal Threats offshore Extraction of Mineral and Energy Resources the Ultimate Price Is Being Paid for offshore Drilling in the Gulf of Mexico

Ocean and Coastal Threats

Offshore extraction of mineral and energy resources

The ultimate price is being paid for offshore drilling in the Gulf of Mexico

SCI/275

July 11, 2010

The need for nonrenewable resources is apparent; the way they are retrieved is the problem. Offshore drilling for oil in the Gulf of Mexico is the situation at hand. Drilling for oil to be refined for consumers has left its mark in the Gulf, there is oil on many shorelines, sludge and oil drifting in the open waters, marine and wildlife are suffering the consequences from the massive amounts of oil that continue to leak into the Gulf daily. There are over 27,000 abandoned wells in the Gulf of Mexico, 600 belong to BP. The losses here seem to mount, of the 126 people on board at the time of the explosion there were 11 people killed, 17 were injured, due to possible faulty equipment that sank the Deepwater Horizon rig (Davies, 2010). The no fishing zone continues to expand; many fishermen have been put out of business. The local businesses along the shore lines are suffering as well, tourists are not visiting despite the efforts that BP has paid for advertisement that the beaches are open along the Gulf shores. With the cleanup effort underway, the use of aerial dispensed chemicals along with barges designed to remove the oil from the surface and refine the water. What will these chemicals do to the aquatic life and humans in the future? Are our waters safe from another disaster? Is the government doing enough? The answer to these questions is to stop offshore drilling in our waters; restore the Gulf, then preserve the open waters for all to enjoy.

Offshore drilling for oil has been ongoing for many years; the need to supply nonrenewable energy in large amounts has grown just as fast as the population has. The unfortunate situation that has occurred in the Gulf of Mexico has shed light on this issue and has given it national attention. The Government has stepped in to facilitate in the cleanup effort, the U.S. Government has subpoenaed all the subsea equipment, particularly the blowout protector designed to seal the bore in the event of such a failure, that failed so disastrously to operate (Davies, 2010). The numbers of people who are affected by the oil spill are countless; the degree of loss is immeasurable, the shore lines and the water in the Gulf may take years before the oil is completely removed.

There is some light at the end of the tunnel with the government stepping in. Investigations are ongoing in to the explosion on April 20, 2010 of the Deepwater Horizon rig. This has thrown the spotlight sharply on BP’s activities in the Gulf of Mexico; environmental safety in the area has been neglected for