The Drilling Of The Oil - 922 Words

In the United States, more than 50 percent of oil used is imported from other countries, and is shipped over by large tanker ships (Energy Quest 2012). Petroleum is made into various products such as gasoline/ diesel fuel, home heating oil, fertilizers, and plastic products (Energy Quest 2012). 74 percent of our oil is used for transportation including, trucks, buses, cars, and planes (Energy Quest 2012). Drilling of the oil is a costly process and has severe effects to the environment. Drilling on land requires a lot of space, disturbing the natural animal habitats, while drilling at sea impacts surrounding marine life (ELI 2015). Petroleum is toxic and not biodegradable, so when oil spills at sea, oil slick spreads rapidly over the water killing vast numbers of marine plants and animals (ELI 2015). Refineries emit toxins into the air and water supply as petroleum is processed to a usable oil, as it is used, petroleum products are emitted into the air contributing to global warming (ELI 2015). Additionally, other by-products have been linked to respiratory illness as well as heart disease in humans (ELI 2015). Natural gas is said to be the ‘cleanest’ fossil fuel, burning cleaner once it is processed, and because of its chemistry, produces the most energy per carbon dioxide molecule (U.S. Department of Energy 2013). This natural gas supplies many homes with heat and it can also be used for cooking (ELI 2015). However, drilling for natural gas can be detrimental toShow MoreRelatedThe Drilling For Oil Drilling1490 Words   |  6 PagesEnglish 1A 15 April 2015 Offshore Oil Drilling This day and age, oil is what makes the world go around. Without it, people cannot travel, be able to use fuel oils for electricity and heating, there would not be asphalt roads, and also there would not be chemicals used to make plastics, or other synthetic materials that humans use every day. Oil is a useful resource but the ways that are used to obtain it are not very appealing. One way it is obtained is by offshore drilling. According to an article onRead MoreOil Drilling2003 Words   |  9 PagesOil Drilling Jasmine A. Richardson Freshman Seminar Friday 10:20-11:20 Throughout the years the government has spent millions of dollars on oil drilling. But what is the actual purpose of oil drilling? Is it necessary? Are we spending too much money on this one project or is it useful in the end? These questions have been debated so much over and over again. But the question is am I for or against oil drilling? Oil drilling takes up too much time and money for one simple purpose. It takesRead MoreDrilling For Oil And Gas Drilling1030 Words   |  5 PagesHowever this place is very Fragile and we, as American citizens should not let such thing happen. Drilling for oil in the Artic is just going harm the environment. In addition, there isn’t going to be any major progress in the economy. Oil and gas drilling seems to be a dirty business. The reason I say this is because people don’t really think about what would happen to the wilderness when oil and gas drilling moves in. The First thing we tend to observe is the disruption of wildlife migration routesRead MoreDomestic Oil Drilling1710 Words   |  7 PagesEnglish 102 Monday 6pm 2/13/2012 Domestic Oil Drilling: Benefits and Risks. Senator Everett Dirksen once noted â€Å"The oilcan is mightier than the sword†. In today’s world, it is easy to see why oil can be considered the most important resource to hold. Without oil, many of the common day occurrences we take for granted would be impossible. 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The idea of drilling in the Arctic has been controversial and to the presentRead MoreOil Drilling and Pollution870 Words   |  3 Pages One way that drilling for oil destroys animals homes is that fossil fuels create carbon dioxide, and then that burned carbon dioxide goes into the atmosphere and then Global Warming is starting to melt the ice caps that animals live on. Also, drilling the new wells that we have to drill to get the oil, that makes the amount of land for the animals to make homes go down, and when the land amount goes down so does the length of the animals, like the polar bear, go down. The average length of the polarRead MoreAlaska Oil Drilling1301 Words   |  6 Pagesdegradation. An example that sheds light on the conflict between human interests and environmental responsibility is the controversial approval of the oil drilling in the Northern Slope region of Alaska and the drilling that has already began, in the Tar Sands of Alberta. In this paper I will firstly explain the situation regarding why the drilling for oil is up for debate to take place. Secondly I will assess the benefits and the irreparable damage that could possibly bring forth devastating effectsRead MoreOil Drilling in the Arctic1013 Words   |  5 PagesThe Coastal Plain of the Arctic Refuge is one of Americas last great wilderness areas. It is home to many animals such as polar bears, wolves, and grizzly bears, caribou herds, snow geese, musk oxen, and dozens of other species. If your oil companies keep drilling in the Arctic, most of these beautiful creatures will die, and some will become extinct. The Coastal Plain is home to these animals. Annually, a herd of 129,000 caribou gather on the Coastal Plain to bear and nurse their young. Polar bearsRead MoreBenefits of Oil Drilling825 Words   |  4 PagesBenefits of Oil Drilling I am very intrigued by the oil drilling industry. I really hadn’t put much thought into the industry until around three years ago. Since then I have seen many arguments on the pros and cons of drilling for oil either offshore or inland. Some of which I completely understand and believe changes should be put into place soon so that we do not cause more damage than necessary. . Numerous arguments though are just people looking to place blame and are not seeing the biggerRead MoreOffshore Oil Drilling2562 Words   |  11 PagesOffshore Oil Drilling 1 The Time Has Come For More Offshore Oil Drilling [pic] Figure 1 shows what a typical offshore oil rig looks like. http://jonesact.files.wordpress.com/2009/07/oilrig.jpg Bryce D. Cates EPD 155 Sec 3 â€Å"Research Project† April 15, 2010 Offshore Oil Drilling 2 To: Paul Ross From: Bryce D. Cates Date: April 15, 2010 Subject: Cover Memo What do we do to obtain oil to meet the needs of Americans without having