The Myths Behind Offshore Drilling

In terms of hot topics, offshore drilling is kin to a raging forest fire. It is one of the more vehemently opposed, or supported, solutions to our accelerating energy crisis. The GOP ticket sure has plenty of experience in offshore drilling or, at least, in talking about it and voting for it. The Democrats have long opposed offshore drilling and have fought vigorously to keep it from expansion, claiming that it’s a short-term solution at best because there just isn’t enough oil off our shores (relative to our demand). Although, the Obama/Biden campaign has recently come out in support of some offshore drilling. So what’s the deal? Is offshore drilling suddenly a unifying force in politics? Could it really be safe now? Not likely. Still, risks are high and rewards are low. And yet a lot of myths persist in presidential debates and media discussions. Here are three big ones that I hear most and why they fall apart with just a little investigation:

Drilling offshore will reduce our dependence on foreign oil. Sure there is oil off our coasts, most notably in the Atlantic, and they could be harvested. But to what end? Experts widely agree that the U.S. has but 3% of the world’s oil in reserve (including ANWR), but we consume 25%. Where will the other 22% come from? Foreign countries. There is no erasing our dependence on foreign oil with an energy policy focused on oil, on or off shore.

Offshore drilling is finally safe. The oil industry and drilling supporters claim that technology is so far advanced now that drilling can be done with little or no environmental impact. Yes the machinery is more high-tech and less likely for failure. But they are ignoring natural forces. Like a huge slap in the face to offshore drilling, Hurricane Ike wreaked havoc on oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico, which spilled over a half-million gallons of crude oil into the Gulf and bordering wetlands. This is not to mention that Katrina and Rita, from a few years back, caused 734,400 gallons of oil to be spilled. Bear in mind that 100,000 gallons is considered a major spill. (more…)

The Myths Behind Offshore Drilling