Offshore DrillingBy: Thomas Schmidt, Edwin Fiscal, Tiffany

Spencer and Puja Gohil

The controversy is......whether or not we should continue offshore drilling

History● The Industrial Revolution

o First oil company was founded in Titusville, Pennsylvania in 1859.

o What contributed to the rise of oil? New modes of transportation Scientific advances

o Standard Oil

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/extremeoil/history/1850.html

● The first offshore drilling platform was created in 1896o By Henry L. Williamso It was a success!

http://aoghs.org/offshore-history/offshore-oil-history/

History

● During the early 20th century, the United States led in the production of oil in the world. o World War 1o World War 2o The U.S. seeking foreign oil.

History

● Santa Barbara Oil Spill o Covered over 800 square mileso Led to the Creation of:

Earth Day National Environmental Policy Act Clean Water Act

http://www.counterspill.org/disaster/santa-barbara-oil-spill

History

● 1970s - the United States replied more and more on foreign oil.

● OPEC oil embargos

History

● Exxon Valdez Oil Spillo 10.8 million barrels of oil spilled off the

shore of Alaska. o Still being clean today.

http://www.counterspill.org/disaster/

History

● BP Oil Spill o 40 Billion barrels of oil spilled.o $3 trillion of oil lost. o Destroyed the economy of states on

the Gulf of Mexico.

http://www.counterspill.org/disaster/

History

learnaboutdolphins.wordpress.com

● The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management

● The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement

Political Institutions that Regulate Offshore Drilling

U.S. Energy information Administration

What is offshore drilling?

Something to look at

Offshore Oil and Gas Resources

Gulf of Mexico federal offshore oil production accounts for 23 percent of total U.S. crude oil production and federal offshore natural gas

production in the Gulf accounts for 7 percent of total U.S. dry production, according to the Energy Information Administration.

Over 40 percent of total U.S. petroleum refining capacity is located along the Gulf coast, as well as 30 percent of total U.S. natural gas

processing plant capacity.

To meet increasing U.S. demand while addressing environmental concerns, new technologies have resulted in drilling rigs capable of

drilling 250 miles offshore to ocean depths exceeding 10,000 feet. At stake are an additional 19 billion barrels of oil and another 86 trillion

cubic feet of gas. Fear of oil spills and heated environmental debates restrict access to many potential areas.

More than 5,000 offshore oil and natural gas platforms operate in the Gulf of Mexico around the clock, seven-days a week. It is the largest

artificial reef system in the world.

http://aoghs.org/offshore-history/offshore-oil-history/

According to the National Academy of Sciences, more than 60 percent of all oil found in seawater is not from wells, but

from natural seepage (the largest emitting 1,000 barrels of oil a week); 32 percent comes from shipping and run-off

from land. Four percent can be attributed to tanker spills.

However, near Santa Barbara, Calif., offshore drilling’s worst environmental disaster occurred in 1969 when an

undersea well blew out. The calamity quickly brought industry changes that have protected the offshore environment

ever since.

Between 1980 and 1999, about 7.4 billion barrels of oil were produced in federal waters, says the U.S. Coast Guard.

Less than a thousandth of one percent spilled – less than the natural seepage of oil from the sea floor.

Something to Look At (Continued...)

1)Offshore drilling processes and equipment are essentially the same as those on land

2)special types of rigs are used depending on water depth.

3)In depths up to 4,000 feet (1,220 meters), drilling takes place on semisubmersible rigs that float on air-filled legs

4)Drillships with very precise navigational instruments are used in deep water with depths to 8,000 feet (2,440 meters).

5)Many advancements have been made in oil-drilling technology. The most advanced rotary cone rock bits presently available can drill about 80 percent faster than bits from the 1920s.

6)Today's drills can reach down more than 30,000 feet (9,150 meters).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=IG7L5lVoqy8

Science Behind OffShore Drilling

Modern offshore structures include (from left to right): 1 and 2 are conventional fixed platforms; 3 is a compliant tower; 4 and 5 are vertically moored tension leg and mini-tension leg platforms; 6 is a spar platform; 7 and 8 are semi-submersibles; 9 is a floating production and offloading facility; 10) sub-sea completion and tie-back to host facility.

Also….

● —Creates jobs

● Domestic fuel

● Environmentally friendly

● —Profitable

“Drill Baby Drill”

Offshore oil rigs provide many types of jobs:

●Primary

●Secondary

●Refiners

Jobs

● Offshore drilling helps the United States harvest rich deposits of oil that are located on domestic soil.

● This reduces dependency on foreign oil and brings the cost of oil down for the average American.

● Very expensive to drill offshore

● Expensive transportation fees are avoided as oil harvested and refined domestically costs much less to transport.

Domestic fuel

● Offshore rigs are massive structures in the ocean that attract a wide variety of marine life.

● Fish, birds and other sea creatures come to the rig and make it their home.

● The rig acts as an artificial reef that helps life flourish as many animals use it for breeding.

● About 27% of our crude oil comes from offshore waters in present day.

http://www.ehow.com/list_6693280_benefits-offshore-drilling_.html

Environmentally Friendly

Profitable

http://www.themixoilandwater.com/2011/01/deepwater-discovery-today-for-tomorrow.html

● Proposed to drill 50 miles off the shore

● Not drilling would be more dangerous than drilling

● Undersea pressure causes oil to seep through cracks in the sea floor.

● One six-mile stretch off the coast of Santa Barbara releases 240 barrels of oil a day, equivalent to 87,000 barrels a year.

● Drilling will reduce the undersea pressure thereby reducing the amount of seepage into the ocean.

California supports offshore drilling

Drawbacks (Offshore)- Habitat destruction- Creates pollution - Regulations

http://alternativeenergy.procon.org/view.answers.php?questionID=001255

Drawback Examples1) In the BP oil spill, more than 200 million gallons of crude oil was pumped into the gulf of Mexico

for a total of 87 days, making it the biggest oil spill in U.S. history. 16,000 total miles of coastline have been affected including the coasts of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida. Oil is still washing up on shores.

2) The Exxon Valdez oil spill resulted in 10.8 million gallons. This oil spill killed over 250,000 animals. This oil spill is still considered one of the world’s worst oil spills in history taking it spot in the top 50. The economic losses were totaled up to 31 million.

3) The Santa Barbara oil spill ended up spilling over 3 million gallons of crude oil. Hundreds of miles of oceans were covered with thick crude oil along with over 35 miles of coastline. This oil spill led to laws and regulations dealing with preserving the environment.

How does it affect us?

1) Oil spills destroy ecosystems and kill wildlife, but people’s health is directly affected too.

1) Oil is semi-volatile, which means that it can evaporate into the air and create a heavy vapor that stay near the ground - in the human breathing zone. When winds whip up oily sea water, the spray contains tiny droplets - basically a fume - of oil, which are small enough to be inhaled deep into the lungs.

1) Oil contains petroleum hydrocarbons, which are toxic and irritating to the skin and airways, It also contains volatile chemicals called VOCs, which can cause acute health effects such as headaches, dizziness, and nausea. Over the long term, many of these chemicals have been linked to cancer, so there are lots of reasons to worry about inhaling them.

What did we learn?The bottom line is that when you drill for oil, there is always a risk that not only puts lives in the line, but a risk that puts miles of coastline and the economy on the line as well.

There is no complete safe way to drill for oil offshore.

America has only 1.6% of the world’s oil supply, but we use 24% - so drilling is not much of a solution.

Bibliography www.captainsvoyage-forum.comwww.behance.nethttp://www.epa.gov/bpspill/http://www.themixoilandwater.com/2011/01/deepwater-discovery-today-for-tomorrow.html

http://www.ehow.com/list_6693280_benefits-offshore-drilling_.htm l

http://www.scienceclarified.com/Mu-Oi/Oil-Drilling.html#ixzz3KnGWhRqW

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/extremeoil/history/1850.html

http://www.history.com/topics/oil-industry

http://aoghs.org/offshore-history/offshore-oil-history/

http://www.counterspill.org/disaster/santa-barbara-oil-spill