Arctic Offshore Drilling
Disadvantages of Arctic Offshore Drilling
Leaks and Oil Spills
The biggest risk in any kind of offshore drilling operation is the risk of oil spills, leaks, and blowouts. Even in the warmest of climates, it is impossible to fully and completely recover from an oil spill. The world saw that with BP. Effects are still seen today in the Gulf. If a spill were to happen in the Arctic, the difficulty to clean-up would increase ten-fold. The waters are more dangerous and treacherous and sea ice proves to be a significant obstacle (10 Oceana). And even worse is that these things not only complicate cleaning up, but make spills more likely to happen.
Certaintly, there is no gaurantee that a spill is going to happen. Oil companies might do everything right and this might never be a concern. But with how disastrous it could be, is it worth the risk? This shows what oil looks like as it is burned off the ocean surface. Do we really want that pollution in the air? Are people okay to resort to this?
Seismic Testing and Traffic
Offshore drilling would affect the environment in more ways than just oil spills. For example, seismic testing and vessel traffic are two significant effects to animals in the environment (12 Ocean Conservancy). In order to find the optimal place to drill, companies use seismic testing. Basically, they drill holes in the sea floor and use dynamite to create sound waves. These waves are then analyzed to predict where the best oil reserves are located. The major sound waves and vibrations cause incredible damage to surrounding marine animals and wildlife (21 "What is Seismic Testing"). For example, whales can go deaf because of this process. Which is a problem, because their whole livelihood depends on surrounding sounds.
Any company that enters the arctic area brings numerous vessels and equipment to complete the operation. This includes fleets of ships, oil rigs, and oil transportation vessels. All of these things greatly affect and disrupt the environment (12 Ocean Conservancy). The traffic could kill marine animals and destroy their homes.
Shell's Past Mistakes
Shell is the main company pursuing the Arctic. They have been doing so for a while now, since 2008 to be exact. They have made plenty of costly mistakes. Should they even be allowed to continue at this point? They have lost control of, and consequently wrecked, various ships and vessels. To the right is a picture of the Kulluk when it wrecked and grounded on a nearby island.
In the past, their plans have been denied by regulatory agencies because they did not meet Coast Guard standards. Both Shell and the Obama Administration have confirmed that only the highest and strictest regulations are in place. However, this means that they weren't following these strict regulations in the first place. History can repeat itself (3 Rosen)
Animals & Toxic Pollutants
Everytime we bring oil to the surface in these delicate environments, we expose innocent animals to toxic chemicals and further harm their livelihood. Many gases are released as this process is undertaken and animals are vulnerable to take in these toxic gases (12 Ocean Conservancy).
Offshore drilling promotes the use of oil, which could quicken climate change and increase the effects. The whole reason the US is persuing this operation is so that we can continue to use oil as we always do. This is not to promote clean energy (11 Greenpeace). Should we be promoting this? Should we spend our money on other things? Or is it important to explore both options? For example, as we persue cleaner energy, we still need access to crude oil.
Seismic Testing Visual
How does it work?
Page Citations
Image - Leaks and Oil Spills: Sartore, Joel. “Gulf Oil Spill.” Image. National Geographic. National Geographic Society. Oct. 2010. Web. 18 Nov. 2015.
Image - Seismic Testing and Traffic: “How A Seismic Test Works.” Champions for Cetaceans. WordPress. n.d. Web. 24 Nov. 2015.
Image - Animals & Toxic Pollutants: Golubenko, Roman. “Adorable Photos of Sea Otters Snuggling.” Image. My Modern Met. My Modern Met. 31 Dec. 2014. Web. 24 Nov. 2015.
Image - Shell's Past Mistakes: Francis, Sara. “The Kulluk off the coast of Sitkalidak.” Image. Boreal Bites. WordPress. 5 Jan 2013. Web. 24 Nov. 2015.
3 - Textual Information: 3. Rosen, Yereth. “Shell in Alaska: A Timeline.” Alaska Dispatch News. Alaska Dispatch Publishing. 28 Sep. 2015. Web. 17. Nov. 2015.
10 - Textual Information: 10. “Ocean Pollution and Climate Change, Addressing Ocean Pollution and Climate Change.” Oceana. Oceana, n.d. Web. 24 Oct. 2015.
11 - Textual Information: “Stopping Offshore Drilling.” Greenpeace. Greenpeace, n.d. Web. 24 Oct. 2015.
12 - Textual Information: “The Arctic.” Ocean Conservancy. Ocean Conservancy, n.d. Web. 24 Oct. 2015.
13 - Textual Information: Unger, Jacob D. “Regulating The Arctic Gold Rush: Recommended Regulatory Reforms to Protect Alaska’s Arctic Environment FromOffshore Oil Drilling
Pollution.” Alaska Law Review 32.2 (2014): 263-294. Academic Search Complete. Web. 24 Oct. 2015.
21 - Textual Information: “What is Seismic Testing?” WiseGeek. Conjecture Corporation. n.d. Web. 24 Nov. 2015.
"Gulf Oil Spill" by Joel Sartore
"Adorable Photos of Sea Otters Snuggling" by Roman Golubenko
"The Kulluk off the coast of Sitkalidak" by Sara Francis
"How a Seismic Test Works" by Champions for Cetaceans