Oil Drilling Research Paper

Words: 463
Pages: 2

Oil Drilling: The Problem That Spills Problems On April 20th, 2010 a the largest oil-spill disaster in the history of the United States occurred off the Gulf of Mexico when the oil-drilling rig Deepwater Horizon exploded and sank 42 miles off the coast of Louisiana , which not only lead to 11 deaths and 17 injuries but also caused over two-hundred million gallons of petroleum oil to spill into the ocean. This led to an environmental crisis with fragile ecosystems such as coral reefs, estuaries, wetland in catastrophe with irreparable ecological damage and millions of organisms dying from the pollution. This oil spill not only brought damage to these havens of biodiversity but also brought adverse effects to coastal US States who heavily depended on ecosystems for their businesses and their natural ability to sponge hurricanes and tropical storms. With …show more content…
Whether it be in the oil crisis of the 1970s to the oil controversy brought about by the Gulf War in the 1990s, it is very apparent that oil drilling remains one of the most controversial subjects of the modern era. However, with disasters like the one described above and the rise of the Trump Administration, who plan to expand drilling sites in undisturbed locations such as various protected coasts and wildlife refuges in Alaska, the debate on oil drilling has resurfaced significantly, bringing new challenges and discussion with it as well. Despite this, it seems that this discussion will bring a stimulate a similar response, an end result of no real definitive answer or change to