Offshore+Oil+Drilling+along+the+Coast+of+Virginia

summary of Problem On March 31, 2010, President Barack Obama prepared a plan that would allow the U.S. to drill offshore of the East Coast. Under this plan, waters along the Atlantic coastline and the North coast of Alaska will be opened for natural gas and oil drilling. This covers over 165 million acres of ocean, much of it for the **FIRST** time. This plan is sure to please oil companies and drilling advocates but anger environmental organizations. This would end a longstanding moratorium on offshore drilling along the East Coast. Obama has said that this plan is intended to reduce America’s reliance on oil from other countries and generate money for the government from offshore oil rig leases. Under this plan, the northern part of the coastline of New Jersey would remain closed to oil and gas activity. Also the Pacific Coast, from Mexico to the Canadian border would be closed to oil and gas activity. Officials also say the Bristol Bay in southwestern Alaska would be protected and no drilling would be allowed. But large areas in the Chukchi Sea and Beaufort Sea north of Alaska — over 130 million acres — would be ok for exploration and drilling after intensive studies. The plan adopts some drilling proposals formed by former President George W. Bush near the end of his term, including allowing much of the Atlantic and Arctic Coasts. These proposals were challenged in court by environmentalists but set aside by President Obama shortly after he became president.

Pros:

WHY OFFSHORE DRILLING SHOULD BE DONE

Offshore drilling is the finding and expansion of oil underneath the ocean. Drilling usually occurs hundreds of miles off of the coast and thousands of feet beneath sea level. Offshore drilling has become a serious and over analyzed debate in the United States due to the fact that these spills could possibly cause negative environmental and ecological effects. There are many reasons as to why this drilling should be done but like any new idea there are those who are against it but for reasons that are based on assumptions and unlikely things to occur. My group and I however have complete faith in it and believe it will do our country justice.

With offshore drilling, it will lead to more oil production for the country therefore reducing the dependence of importing oil from additional countries. The United States may also be capable of not keeping so much of their military in the Middle East and other countries which produce oil.

Another pro of going through with this will be the fact that it will provide jobs for unemployed Americans and in the end fuels the economy. Those who become oil workers actually make more money than those who have land based jobs. The reason why they make more is because their job are a lot more hazardous and they actually have to live under these conditions every day because they are in the middle of the ocean. Along with the main required jobs of these oil workers, there are also opportunities for chefs, maintenance workers, doctors and scientists to get a job on these oil rigs; so it is not limited for just one group of people.

Finally more production of oil in the United States will eventually decrease gas prices. In2008, President Bush lifted a ban on offshore drilling that caused the price of crude oil to drop from $147 a barrel to $132 a barrel. Not only does offshore drilling in the U.S. prevent the country from purchasing oil from other countries, it also saves on the transportation cost of the oil([]).

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 * [|http://energytomorrow.org/energy/offshore-drilling/?gclid=CMzw8N2c9awCFcHe4AoduFvfSA#/type/all]

Let's Drill Off the Coast of Virginia

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 * Let's Not Drill

On March 31, 2010 Obama reversed a ban on oil drilling off most U.S. shores. The abolishing of this ban could put oil and natural gas vessels in our oceans along the South Atlantic coastline, the Eastern Gulf of Mexico and parts of Alaska. Officials say "The drilling can only be done at least 50 miles off the Virgina coast. The area may contain 130 million barrels of oil and an abundance of natural gas." Enviromentalists believe that we need to adopt alternative energy sources rather than using the drill. But the drilling supporters believe cutting our dependance from foreign oil is an absolute necessity. This is where the two sides bump heads.

However, less than 1 month after this announcement, an oil rig exploded about 40 miles SE of the Louisiana Gulf coast shorelines. Rising from the sea-floor, the rig, operated by Britsh Petroleum (BP), caught fire, killing 11 workers and injuring 17 others. For 3 months, oil gushed from the underwater pipe at an estimated rate of 53,000 barrels a day. On July, 15, 2010, BP announced the pipe had been capped but an estimated 5 million barrels had spilled into the Gulf of Mexico. This spill caused damage to marine and wildlife habitats as well as the Gulf States' commercial fishing and tourism industries.

There is 64.1 billion dllars in positive benefits assoiated with offshore drilling. This is money that should be used for other projects not offshore drilling. Further research shows the expected lost from tourism and fishing industries. Mississippi is expected to lose 1.23 million, Alabama expected to lose 5.14 million, Louisiana expected to lose 7.84 million, and Florida expected to lose 10.24 million dollars. The damage to the ecosystem from drilling oil was determined to be $37,141,314. With the expected lost from the Gulf States', the total cost is 68.2 billion dollars. Just imagine if something as catastrophic as this happens on our coast. We should not risk the chance becuase no one ever knows what can happen.

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