Closer and closer comes the time that outer continental shelf drilling will happen, and I for one am not happy about it. The Sierra Club aptly describes the history of this form of drilling and how it became banned. The ban on off shore drilling was in response to a series of oil spills in the 1980s. Further restraints were imposed by President Bush in 1989 after the spill of an Exxon Valdez oil tanker in the Prince William Sound of Alaska. As soon as 2012 the moratoriums placed on these waters will be extinct if we don’t do something about it.
Let’s take a look at the Exxon Valdez spill in 1989. This tanker released over 11 million gallons of crude oil into the surrounding waters. In 1993 this aquatic area was confirmed to still be contaminated with oil. A recent study done in 2001 by the NOAA showed that there were still residual amounts of oil trapped in the environment.
We have a government who does not like to keep big business accountable. Seven hundred billion dollar buyout for some banks that we knew were making shifty deals? No problem! What will happen when we let big business control the environment of our shores? How can we buyout a massive environmental disaster like a devastating oil spill? Oh yeah, Superfund.
Whether it’s terrorists or the economy, America loves the pre-emptive strike. Let’s keep this problem stopped before it can start again.
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3 comments:
It seems to me that off-shore drilling is simply an excuse keeping us from putting time and money into finding efficient renewable sources of energy. The money that will be spent on off-shore drilling should be put to harnessing these more environmentally friendly energy sources. Why should we continue our , to use an already overly used word, addiction to oil when we should be putting all our efforts on ending it.
debt crisis, I don't think it is the right time to spend on these other resources yet.
I think what we should be doing at present is encouraging people to use less energy, e.g. asking people to use public transport more, asking people to switch off their lights when they are not using them etc. Easy steps that will help us use less energy in the meantime.
Laurel, I agree with you, continuing our lust for oil is deadly. It is almost a good thing we had this financial crisis because of the reduced the price of oil products. If there is anytime to break free of our oil dependence it is now.
r.c. you have a view of government I share. Be critical of your government time in and time out. If there is anything history has shown it is power corrupts and we love to elect the corrupted.
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