How Oil Drilling Works Essay - 1238 Words

People in the U.S. use oil every day. Powering cars, heating homes, and providing electricity are just a few examples of how we use oil fuels in our daily life. Where would we be if we woke up tomorrow and couldnt fly because there was no fuel, or products containing plastic were taken off the market? In fact, oil is a part of everyday items such as crayons, bubble gum, and deodorant (Mooney 19). Oil is the number one source of energy in the U.S. today. However, the U.S. imports 140 billion worth of its oil supply every day from unstable regions such as Canada and Mexico (news desk). This makes our addiction to oil an even more dangerous game. Dependence on foreign oil, also leaves the U.S. vulnerable to fluctuations in global supply and†¦show more content†¦As history has shown, the refining and transporting of oil can sometimes end up releasing oil into the ocean as well. Oil is drilled from the ocean floor through powerful offshore oil rigs. Natural seeps can also occur. This is when crude oil that seeps in the ocean water from geologic formations beneath the ocean floor. Despite these risks, the growth of the global oil businesses continue to grow and our need, and ultimately our dependency on it, grow right along with it. Arguably, the greatest impact of off-shore drilling on the environment is indisputable. There are 3,500 drilling rigs and platforms, 79 of them deep-water wells, in the United States alone (CBSNews). Many of these off-shore rigs are located in the Gulf of Mexico and directly impact these ecosystems with negative impacts ranging from black carbon to blowouts (Oceana). However, larger impacts can be catastrophic such as the 2010 explosion of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig that killed 11 people and destroyed 125 miles of the 400 miles of Louisiana coastline (Bp). The accident continues to mire the company in lawsuits and court hearings. BP settled criminal charges with the Justice Department two years ago for $4.5 billion in penalties, but the oil company faces billions of dollars more in costs from a federal civil trial inShow MoreRelatedWhat Happened At The Macondo Well1007 Words   |  5 Pagesinhabitants. There are many ways we do this, offshore oil drilling being one of them. Offshore oil drilling is the process of drilling into the earth and pulling up petroleum, a natural fuel source made of decomposed organisms. While there are many positive effects, there are too many negative ones for oil drilling to continue. Offshore oil drilling is too dangerous to be considered safe for use in the ecosystem. Not only is it too dangerous, oil rigs are made in an environment many would deem tooRead MoreHow Drilling Should Be Approved For Their Families1614 Words   |  7 PagesHitting an oil well on someone’s land is the dream of a lot of oil miners. Most oil miners have never seen a new well being tapped, that’s because of the technology available to people. Most oil miners will never experience the tapping of a fresh oil well. For the most part, all the untapped oil deposits are in endangered landscapes that are protected by sanctions, and or preservation laws. With all that untapped oil lying dormant in a deposit, it infuriates people that believe in drilling to provideRead MoreCurrent Ethical Issues on Oil Spill1482 Words   |  6 Pagesconsumptions of oil have led to increased prices of gasoline whereby alternative forms of energy production are sought. With this in mind, offshore drilling can be a viable option for satiating the need of oil and also to boost the economy of the nation. In this report, I am going to discuss how the current Deepwater Horizon rig explosion has led to disastrous oil spill into the Gulf of Mexico causing environmental problems and also discuss how the oil spill if resolved a nd with safe and secure drilling techniquesRead MoreOffshore Drilling1527 Words   |  7 Pages Offshore Drilling Does anything out weigh the importance of our planet’s health? You would be surprised by the number of people who look the other way when it comes to keeping the planet clean. Offshore drilling is just one of the major environmental issues that has existed for many years and still continues to be a problem. The topic of offshore drilling not only touches on environmental issues but also political, economic, and ethical issues. All of these tie into the huge debate over offshoreRead MoreOil Drilling Essay examples1403 Words   |  6 PagesCrude oil is black gold that has been even sought out even in the ancient times. The Chinese in the fourth century drilled 800 feet deep oil wells to burn the oil to produce salt. Oil has a long history. America’s has massive oil demands and off-shore drilling has become a temporary solution and scientist are trying to find alternative sources of energy that can last us a very long time. There are many disadvantages and hazards when i t comes to offshore drilling. Theses disadvantages can affect theRead MoreOil Spills Caused By Offshore Drilling Essay1390 Words   |  6 PagesOils spills caused by offshore drilling in California (Santa Barbara) Introduction: This paper is about the effects of offshore drilling particularly it discusses â€Å"oil spills caused by offshore drilling in California†. These oil spills that are caused by offshore drilling affect the environment in the long run. Even some of these impacts on the environment by oil spills last for decades (Larry West). For example when an oil slick arrives at the beach from a huge oil spill then it sticks to eachRead MoreOffshore Oil Drilling and the Deepwater Horizon Spill of the Gulf of Mexico1591 Words   |  7 PagesOil is a very important fossil fuel that is used for various sources of energy. Oil supplies power to industries, fuel for transportation, heat for buildings, and provides raw material for plastics, paints, textiles, and other materials (hybrid cars). To access this fossil fuel, oil drilling is used. Land-based oil drilling became less productive and as the global stipulation for energy increased, technology, law, and geology impacts stepped in and push ed the exploration of oil away from shores (CITE)Read MoreChesapeake Energy Operates Under The Natural Oil And Gas Industry878 Words   |  4 PagesEnergy operates under the natural oil and gas industry. While government’s economic data may separate operations within this industry, the industry covers a broad range of activities and is separated into three segments: upstream, downstream, and midstream. Activities within this industry by oil and gas companies include exploring for crude oil or natural gas, drilling into wells, and such transportation of oil and natural gas. Just as any other industry, the gas and oil industry have major risks thatRead MorePetroleum Engineers : The Natural And Most Economically Sound Method For Success997 Words   |  4 Pagesrecently where it has seen barrels of oil for less than 35 dollars. This is not the first time the oil and gas industry has been in a down turn, and it will probably not be the last. However, petroleum engineers are prob lem solvers and with the many different specialized branches of petroleum engineers this setback is another problem to be solved. Petroleum engineers have a firm background in geology, mathematics, engineering, economics, and physics course work. Consequently, this means a petroleumRead MoreThe Production Of Oil Production910 Words   |  4 PagesAbdullah Althawwad. Topic: oil production. Specific purpose: I want my audience to understand the process of the oil production from the extraction from the field to the oil refinery. Main idea: in this speech, I will discuss the oil production stages from locating the field, to the extraction, and refinery. Type: scientific technical presentation. What I see from my audience that they do not have the enough knowledge about the oil production and what is the process that the oil went through until consumption