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Offshore oil drilling refers to a process of drilling a wellbore through a seabed to explore and produce natural oil and gas that lie in the rock formations beneath the earths crust. The process of extracting oil and natural gas beneath the seabed requires different types of facilities to explore oil beneath the seabed (Russell 2009). Oil deposits can be found within the Earths crust by drilling through buried oil deposits. Reaching the buried oil deposits beneath the Earths crust is a very dangerous task. However, if the process is done correctly, it can result into huge economic gains. In spite of the gains, offshore oil drilling is associated with many challenges from the extracted hydrocarbons and the materials and equipments used during the off shore drilling process.
There are conflicting issues associated with offshore oil drilling in North Carolina (2010 Offshore Oil Drilling Legislation 2012). For example, environmentalists have raised issues concerning the dangers that are associated with oil spills in the Gulf of Mexico that presented numerous complications to the offshore drilling operations in North Carolinas coast. Before conducting offshore oil drilling, the site must first be identified as a prerequisite; the oil deposits are identified by surveyors through a process that maps the magnetic properties to discover the presence of oil deposits beneath the ocean floor. In order to conduct offshore oil drilling, environmental impact assessment must be carried out in order to identify the potential detrimental impacts and to provide solutions to mitigate the possible detrimental impacts and to enhance the beneficial effects associated with offshore oil drilling.
The process of offshore oil drilling is done by connecting the drill site to a platform with a marine raiser. The actual processing of the crude oil to a refined finished product is done onshore. There are many factors that are associated with offshore oil drilling that causes detrimental effects to the environment. For instance, offshore oil drilling is associated with various environmental impacts ranging from the actual point of locating the oil deposits to the processing stage of drilling and pumping out the oil to the surface of the Earth. Other negative impacts are linked to the infrastructure and equipments used during the actual drilling and transportation of the refined oil.
The detrimental environmental impacts vary in intensity due to various factors involved in the process. Environmentalists argue that when locating the oil deposits, the seismic surveys affect fish and other marine organisms. Moreover, offshore oil drilling is associated with noise pollution that greatly affects aquatic organisms. The process of drilling produces noise that impairs the hearing capacity of marine organisms.
Offshore oil drilling affects the ocean floor due to the physical disruption of the habitat of the benthic organisms. According to various surveys conducted, it is evident that most fossil fuel deposits exist within the ocean floors. These fragile ecosystems require environmental protection because they are habitats to marine life (Easton 2009). Other risks associated with offshore oil drilling include accidents that have led to deaths of workers in the rigs. The accidents also occur when the refined oil is being transported (Matthew 2010).
North Carolinas coast is endowed with many wild animals. Thus, it is important to note that offshore oil drilling can interfere with wild animals along the North Carolinas coast. Oil spills and leaks cause air pollution that adversely affects aquatic ecosystems and wild animals. Water pollution also occurs when the drilling fluids are discharged into the water bodies. The drilling fluids contain substances that are toxic to marine life. These fluids are used to lubricate and maintain the temperatures, as well as, to regulate the pressure when drilling. The toxic substances are derived from heavy metals and hydrocarbon products.
The drilling fluids are associated with varying levels of toxicity because they contain different concentrations of toxic substances that are harmful to aquatic life. The toxic substances cause distortion of the health and reproduction of marine organisms, which affects their population growth rate (Fain 2010). The oils spills on water surfaces affect aquatic life. Furthermore, the release of toxic substances may result into biomagnifications and bioaccumulation of the toxic substances in the food chains and food webs. Consequently, the concentrations of the toxic substances affect the organism in the higher tropic levels. There are effects from oil spills and leaks that expose sea birds and other marine organisms to risks. However, proponents of offshore drilling suggest that some marine organisms are adapted to the effects of oil in the water due to the natural seepage (Fain 2010).
Oil spills may also cause environmental pollution because they spread and take a longer duration on the surface of the water bodies before biodegrading. However, oil biodegrades when influenced by the tidal waves. Oil is a substance that can undergo biodegradation when it weathers under the presence of sunlight or can be biodegraded by the activities of microorganisms. Terrestrial organism can be affected when oil spills are spread up to the littoral zones of the coastal ecosystems.
Therefore, the oil spills are very dangerous to both marine and terrestrial ecosystems; hence, their presence can cause adverse effects on the populations of wild animals and other species on the North Carolinas coast. Moreover, due to the toxicity of oil and gas, the exposure of living organism to the oil spills can have a long lasting effect to the food chains and food webs. It is also evident that the clean ups of the oil spills can also cause detrimental effects to the environment. Decontamination of oil can affect marine organisms in a number of ways. For instance, the use of chemical methods, such as the addition of dispersants can introduce toxic materials to the marine ecosystems, hence, can endanger biodiversity.
Air pollution is another environmental impact that can occur as a result of offshore oil drilling in North Carolinas coast. Environmental pollution occurs during the process of drilling due to the emissions of greenhouse gases from the hydrocarbons released from the machinery and equipments used during the offshore drilling process (Is Offshore Drilling in North Carolinas Future? 2012). Moreover, air pollution is caused by the products that may affect air quality through emissions that increase greenhouse gas concentration in the atmosphere. It is estimated that a single rig can cause greater air pollution that can be felt by many people. Thus, the expanded offshore drilling in North Carolina will not reduce the greenhouse gas emissions but will contribute to climate change due to an increase in the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere (Russell 2009).
The positive impacts of offshore oil drilling in North Carolina include the reduction on the reliance of foreign oil. It is estimated that offshore oil drilling would drastically reduce oil imports in the U.S. Globally, the U.S. is the largest consumer of oil, but it produces little oil per day. Therefore, it is vital to improve oil production, in order to reduce the large import deficit that the country is facing. It is also predicted that the increase in oil production through offshore oil drilling may significantly reduce oil prices in international markets (Amato and Giordano 1982).
Furthermore, offshore oil drilling may increase government revenues through taxation. For instance, the bill by President Obama could increase North Carolina economy through raising taxes on energy, and the revenues obtained may be used as foreign aid to developing countries to create green industries that may reduce environmental degradation by enhancing a clean and healthy environment. According to a report by the congress, it is important to make available under leasing program, a five-year oil, and gas leasing program in the outer continental shelf areas that are approximated to contain numerous cubic feet of natural gas (Russell 2009).
The report by the congress also stated that the production for the five-year oil and gas leasing plan will increase by 2027 in daily production of approximately over three million barrels of oil and billions of cubic feet of natural gas (Amato and Giordano 1982). The congress made such a declaration following the high prices of gasoline that obtained millions of gallons, hence, the ban on offshore drilling was lifted. Individuals who encourage the extraction of oil through the process of offshore oil drilling claim that the business generates a lot of income to the federal government (Russell 2009).
Offshore oil drilling is a major issue that has caused various conflicts as states consider environmental safety with the economic gains that may be obtained from the economic activity. However, offshore oil drilling has been banned in some nations, while it is a legal, operation in some states. The offshore drilling in coastlines enhances economic development as the state governments obtain significant amounts of revenue from oil production. Many coastal states such as North Carolina have considered various mitigation measures including the adoption of bills that are linked to oil spills clean ups, and the recovery for dangers related to offshore oil drilling.
In North Carolina, there are laws that are implemented to protect the environment from negative effects from activities, projects, or developments on the environment. Moreover, these legislations require that an environmental impact assessment should be conducted on any development activity that may have potential negative impacts to the coastal regions (2010 Offshore Oil Drilling Legislation 2012). Due accidents that are linked with rig explosion, some states have introduced bills that would allow or prohibit offshore oil drilling.
For instance, in North Carolina, any responsible party associated with offshore oil drilling is liable for any damage caused by oil spills. The law requires that any responsible party for any negative effect to be responsible for all the clean ups and the costs associated with the removal o f wastes that arise from oil discharges in the fishing grounds, platforms, as well as rigs (2010 Offshore Oil Drilling Legislation 2012).
Offshore oil drilling can be improved through the implementation of sustainable technologies in oil exploration and offshore oil drilling processes. Thus, instead of putting a ban on offshore oil drilling, it is necessary to incorporate various ways to reduce the potential negative impacts and enhance the beneficial impacts of offshore oil drilling. For instance, it is vital to implement vigorous environmental impact assessment procedures before beginning the surveys and actual offshore oil drilling. Environmental impact assessment is very important in ecologically sensitive areas such as the marine and the coastal environments.
An important solution is to develop new technologies to survey the presence of oil deposits that will not interfere with marine habitat or disturb marine life. Moreover, it is advantageous to use drilling fluids that have substances with low toxicity levels and that can biodegrade easily to avoid bioaccumulation and biomagnifications of toxic substance in the food chains and the food webs (Rosenbaum 2008). Companies that are involved in offshore oil drilling should develop and implement a comprehensive waste management plans that allow for proper waste disposal. They should adhere to environmental standards in order to maintain environmentally health and safety through minimizing oil spills.
Those who oppose offshore drilling argue that improved energy efficiency will lead to savings of millions of barrels of oil than could be obtained from the US (Russell 2009). Moreover, Russell (2009) posits that improved fuel efficiency standards may save millions of barrels daily more than the amount, which would be tapped from the offshore oil deposits (Russell 2009). There are many sources of clean and renewable energy such as wind and geothermal power. These are renewable energy sources that have the potential to meet the rising global energy demands. Therefore, it is important to implement an effective and efficient way of utilizing the alternative sources of energy sustainably (Mathew 2010).
In conclusion, the evaluation of potential impacts of offshore oil drilling does not consider the ecological and economic benefits of the coastlines. Therefore, it is important to conserve energy, protect the environment, and develop alternative sources of clean energy. The North Carolina coastlines are a major source of revenue and a beneficial recreational area that may face pollution from offshore drilling. In the past, environmentalists have raised alarms on the continued harmful effects of oil spills on the environment and biodiversity.
This explains the dangers of offshore oil drilling having many detrimental effects to the health of the environment and biodiversity. Moreover, even with environmental impact assessment and audit in the daily operations, offshore drilling is very costly to the environment, particularly the coastal biodiversity and due to the catastrophic accidental oil spills and leakages as well. The increase in global human population has increased energy demands, hence, there is need to increase energy production through exploration and utilization of alternative sources of energy (Rosenbaum 2008). It is important to put more emphasis on renewable energy sources such as wind energy and geothermal power.
A better solution is to increase the fuel efficiency standards and improve technologies that can enhance the development of alternative sources of renewable and clean energy. For instance, the idea of opening up the coast to offshore oil drilling can be replaced by wind energy that is abundantly available and sustainable. However, critics still maintain their argument that fossil fuels will still be required in order to meet the energy requirements for the growing population. Thus, it is important to focus on energy conservation and management in order to achieve sustainability, and to enhance environmental protection for offshore drilling to be sustainable in order to meet the growing energy demands.
References
2010 Offshore Oil Drilling Legislation. 2012. National conference of state legislatures. Web.
Amato, Roger V, and Giordano Anthony C. 1982. Oil and gas developments in Atlantic coastal plain and outer continental shelf in 1981, American Association of Petroleum Geologists Bulletin, v.66, n.11, p.2006-2010.
Easton, Thomas A. 2009. Taking sides: clashing views on environmental issues, Fourteenth Edition. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Fain, Travis. 2010. Gulf oil spill casts shadow over drilling off N.C. coast. Winston-Salem Journal. Web.
Is Offshore Drilling in North Carolinas Future? 2012, Carolina Journal Radio. Web.
Matthew W. Daly. 2010. Obama restores eastern Gulf drilling ban, Washington Post. Web.
Rosenbaum, Walter A. 2008. Environmental politics and policy, Eighth Edition. Washington, DC: CQ Press.
Russell, Gold. 2009. Drill, Baby, Drill: Does Virginias Gov-Elects Call For Offshore Drilling Add Up? Wall Street Journal. Web.
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