There are two opinions on offshore drilling in which focus on the controversial topics, the economy and environment. Some may suggest that oil drilling benefits the economy while some argue that the negative impacts it has on the environment isn’t worth the risk.  It is well known that Oil and petroleum are used very much in present-day society due to important uses such as fuel for cars, machines, and electricity.   Though oil is a necessity to us, it is also very dangerous and risky.  Not only does drilling wreck havoc on land, but also at sea.  Especially in cases where spills have occurred while drilling off-shore. Nearly 70% of the earth is filled with water, this factor of indispensability has not only helped us but it also led to us exploiting the oceanic resources without any second thoughts (Mi News Network, 2016). Oil spills can be detrimental to our precious environment and cause many long lasting effects. These negative environmental effects can also lead to economic issues. We are stewards of this earth and should take care of our precious environment. With that being said, the long lasting negative environmental, economical and health effects of oil spills are not worth the risk of offshore drilling. 

There are many hazards to our environment that come with drilling for oil. In recent years, because of detrimental oil spills that have happened around the world, laws have been passed to ban drilling because of endangered species. Obama banned drilling in Artic waters which is 98% federally owned and makes up about 115 acres, he did this because it is inhibited by endangered species such as polar bears and bowhead whales (Davenport, p. 13). This ban would also revoke the access of drilling off the Atlantic Coast which would work to protect 3.8 million acres of coral off the shore of Norfolk, Virginia to the Canadian border leading to the protection of rare fish (Davenport, p. 13). We have only one world, so we should remain focused on taking care of it. Endangered species, such as polar bears and rare fish, could be directly effected by drilling conditions. Barack Obama argues, “These actions, and Canada’s parallel actions, protect a sensitive and unique ecosystem that is unlike any other region on earth” (Davenport,16). Meaning, by banning certain areas of drilling, it benefits the ecosystem. With the fight to ban offshore drilling, Obama used an old law from 1953 to back up the act because he sought to “nail down the environmental legacy” (Davenport, 1). President Obama wanted to be known as an environmental president. He was instrumental in banning of offshore drilling when he used this old law to to that. Our current administration does not agree that offshore drilling is detrimental to our environment. 

Offshore drilling has more cons than pros. As discussed earlier, with drilling comes a negative impact on the environment. Though it may have an immediate effect in the economy, the effect on the environment is lasting and also dangerous. For instance, the risk of having an oil spill may be low but when spills do happen it has a lasting ecological impact because it is nearly impossible to clean up 100% of the oil.  While some may believe that oil spills are completely cleaned up after a disaster happens because people stop talking about it, but it unfortunately continues to effect the environment because it is not possible to clean up every drop of the lethal oil.  The leftover oil that sits in our precious oceans and seas is very toxic and kills marine animals, birds and other sea life. Not only do spills damage the environment but so does the process of starting the drilling area.  Melissa Wage who is a part of the Natural Resource Defense Council explains that the drilling process itself pollutes the environment because the water brought up, known as “produced water”, contains its own toxic brew of benzene, arsenic, lead, toluene, and radioactive pollutants (Waage, 2009). It is not well known that the process of extracting the oil puts toxic waste into the environment because of the material used which is why it is important to educate society on every end of the offshore drilling spectrum. If killing marine animals and polluting the environment was not enough, contrary to popular belief offshore drilling does not lower oil prices because oil prices are determined internationally (Waage, 2009). 

 Along with the environmental risks of off-shore drilling, there are financial risks as well. Clean up costs are very expensive, but the environment is priceless which is why the act of drilling should be thought out. “The damage and clean up costs following the Exxon Valadez spill were so expensive that Exxon paid out more than one million dollars to the federal and state governments for damages and clean up costs – and still owes fisherman, Alaska Natives, business owners etc. one billion dollars to redress the spills harm” (Waage, 2009). The other side of this argument is that drilling benefits the economy because of the job benefits and with import and export factors. One may argue that having our resources in the country is much better than importing it from oversea. Don’t get me wrong, yes the oil is cheaper coming from our home land but really we are not saving money because of the expense it takes to just start drilling and have all the correct equipment. 

The economy can also be effected by offshore drilling because tourism declines significantly especially when an oil spill takes place. The Deepwater Horizon Spill in 2010 resulted in a huge loss of tourism because of how big the spill was. “Tripadvisor.com reports that in the 20-day period after the spill, consumers searched 52% less for Pensacola, Fl., 65% less for Gulf Shores, Al., and 48% less for Destin, Fl.  26% of those who had plans to visit Louisiana had postponed or canceled” (OCEANA.org, 2010). No one wants to be in an area with polluted air and water because those chemicals could lead to health problems. The Deep water horizon is marked one of the worst environmental disasters in our nations history. 

In 2010, The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Disaster occurred. This oil spill was the largest one in history. According to Joel T. Bostic, “an estimated 779 million liters of oil were released into the Gulf of Mexico Beginning on April 20, 2010. Large portions of spilled oil and gas were altered and removed through various physical, biological and mechanical processes. However, an estimated 10% of spilled oil formed a surface slick that oiled approximately 850 km of sandy beaches among the northern Gulf of Mexico Coastline” (Bostic, p. 1).   As the author stated above, Lethal oil is not an easy cleanup especially considering how big this spill was. Though it is possible, its very difficult and really does effect our environment economy and overall health.    There are so many procedures and complications that come with offshore drilling and it could take days just to get the process started. British petroleum, also known as BP had leased the oil rig and crew in hopes to have a smooth process. Christina Ingersoll, Richard M. Locke and Cate Reavis explained the story of the Deepwater horizon oil spill in their article explaining that throughout the process, gas levels were running high enough to prohibit any ‘hot’ work like welding or wiring that could cause sparks and because BP pushed the crew to keep drilling, two explosions happened (Igersoll, Locke & Reavis, 2012).  The There were 126 workers on board. 17 of them were injured while 11 were killed (Igersoll, Locke & Revis, 2012). Its hard to believe something so terrible could happen but this comes to show that accidents indeed do happen. “the Deepwater Horizon disaster was the largest marine oil spill ever to occur in U.S. waters. By the time the well was capped on July 15, 2010, nearly five million barrels of oil (205.8 million gallons) had spilled into the Gulf of Mexico. And it was concluded by federal science and engineering teams that between April 20 and July 15, 53,000-62,000 barrels per day spilled into the Gulf (Igersoll, Locke & Revis, 2012). Imagine how polluted the water and air were and still are, seven years later because of this detrimental oil spill. 

Its easy to understand how offshore drilling can be dangerous to workers on an oil rig but its also dangerous to society because of the harsh chemicals in the air that we have no choice but to breathe in if surrounded by it. NOAA Fisheries have researched the impacts on oil spills on human health and their research has shown that oil is made up of a complex mixture of hundreds of chemicals and among these, the Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are recognized as the oil components of greatest health concern. These chemicals are known to be really toxic to humans and animals leading to cancer (NOAA).  NOAA also explains, “PAHs can also persist in the environment for long periods of time, increasing the possibility that people will be exposed” (NOAA, p.1).  Cleaning the air of harsh chemicals is something that is almost impossible. Because of how big an oil spill has potential to be, so much of our fresh air could be polluted. The safety hazards are not worth the risk of offshore drilling. Imagine babies who have no choice but to breathe chemicals in and how those chemicals could effect such a young person’s overall health later down the road.  Not only are the oil chemicals bad for humans to breathe in, it also effects us when we eat seafood that has been effected by the oil. Lethal oil effects so much of our ecosystem which is a big factor in our health. There are limits to how much seafood we should eat because it could be exposed to contamination such as oil from oil spills. According to Larissa J. Graham from the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative, the chemicals and metals from oils can build up in marine organisms and reach levels of concern that make seafood unsafe to eat (Graham,  p. 6).  Oil can travel very far and some animals are effected more than others because some have a greater ability to break down the oil easier or some are not surrounded by as much oil as other. Graham did scientific studies with the help of other researchers and concluded after the Deepwater Horizon, “Of the more than 13,500 samples tested, not a single sample contaminated PAHs or DOSS above the FDA’s level of concern” (Graham, 2015). Even with this being tested, if someone were to consume a large amount of seafood their health could be effected by harsh chemicals. 

However, many people believe that offshore drilling is necessary for our economy because it creates jobs and has vital roles on the U.S. According to Joseph Mason, “increased offshore in- vestment and production would support hundreds of thousands of new careers and provide billions of dollars in new wages and tax revenues” (Mason, 2009). It does indeed create jobs and cash flow but not enough were without it the U.S would be in a bad position. In fact, the U.S is at risk of being in a bad position if an oil spill were to happen because of all the expenses. The Energy API committee researched the benefits of Offshore Oil and Natural gas development finding, “This development could create nearly 840,000 new jobs along coasts and across the country” (Energy API, 2017).  What people don’t seem to understand though is offshore drilling could also lead to losses of jobs in other careers if a spill were to happen. The Ocean studies board assesses the impacts of the Deepwater Horizon Oil spill and explains, “The public is not homogeneous. Individuals are affected by disturbances that alter the flow of ecosystem in different ways” (Ocean Studies Board, 2013).  There are many different opinions on what services are the more important involving offshore drilling. We have such a precious environment and ecosystem that has a big impact on societies overall health. Off shore drilling has a domino effect, when our environment is negatively effected, so is our ecosystem and health. With all of this being said, the negative impacts offshore drilling has on our economy ecosystem and health is not worth it. There are many options for alternate fuel sources that should be investigated further and utilized, such as solar energy, wind, and hydro power. There is also new and improved battery sources. There have been many advancements and improvements made in battery power. According to a very recent article by Live 5 News staff, Low country Mayors Respond to Executive Order on Offshore Drilling, our current president Donald trump, is expected to sign the order reversing the ban of offshore drilling. I hope that our current administration will also look into some of the other fuel sources mentioned above that do not have a negative impact on our environment. 
