Offshore Drilling in 2018: Coastal Communities, Sealife, and Climate

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GREEN ZINE

5 min readFeb 14, 2018

“Under President Trump, we are going to become the strongest energy superpower this world has ever known.” ~Ryan Zinke, Secretary of the Interior

Not if we can help it.

In 2010, the Deepwater Horizon exploded, leaving 200 million gallons of oil forty miles off the coast of Louisiana; tragically killing eleven crew members, and injuring seventeen more, along with the decimation of marine life for miles. Toxic chemicals lingered for years, resulting in the destruction of the fishing industry on which the residents rely, and a myriad of other devastating ramifications, all caused by this event deemed the worst environmental accident in history.

Although there was a moratorium on offshore drilling for a few years after the Horizon explosion, the Donald is now proposing an opposite approach. Our country’s administration has made it clear their dream is to open up all offshore waters to oil and gas drilling. The reason given is to reduce our reliance on foreign oil by boosting domestic production. We all know that is unfounded rhetoric and is a case of slick moves to grease already full pockets (lots of puns intended). Not only is offshore oil drilling insanely expensive it has proven to be unsafe with massive consequences for our coastal communities, sea life, and our climate.

Coastal Communities and Sea Life

Offshore drilling leaves coastal communities under stress as they worry about job losses and seafood safety. Also, oil is poisonous (duh) and can cause:

Air pollution: Volatile organic compounds contaminate the air and leave a trail of breathing issues.
Direct contact: Marine life and humans alike may suffer skin irritations or worse as the epidermis absorbs the poison.
Contaminated water: Bathing, drinking, and or using water affected by offshore drilling can be deadly to humans and marine life
Eating contaminated food: The bioaccumulation of toxins in the fat of fish affects the entire food chain.

These consequences, singularly or combined, add up to a negative economic impact on coastal towns, a hit these struggling regions just can’t bear. Coastal cities are populated densely by fishermen who are left jobless after an oil spill. Also, the value of their homes drops drastically, and tourism can come to a halt. Finally, the importing and exporting of goods is affected as waterway traffic is altered to avoid the spill area.

Oil spills leave an even more extensive path of destruction on sea life. Birds and small fish are often smothered by a coat of oil. Sea otters lose their ability to maintain their body temperature and will die from hypothermia. Smaller animals on shore such as snails and crabs unknowingly travel through the path of poison.

Climate

We often only think about the end product of oil drilling, burning in our vehicles and emitting carbon into the atmosphere. However, the real problem starts right at the source. Our ocean floors are a storehouse of natural gas. The technology associated with drilling is not capable of containing that byproduct during the drilling process. This comes in the form of methane, the most impactful greenhouse gas known (23 times more potent than carbon). While BP and Exxon are harvesting oil from deep below our precious waters, they are also releasing a climate-altering combination of methane and petroleum compounds. But wait there’s more, in the event of a spill, as the oil evaporates, aerosols make their way into the atmosphere further exacerbating air pollution and in turn, global climate change.

Offshore Drilling in 2018

Our president loves helping big oil and offshore drilling is no exception to the rule. Currently, his Interior Department is hoping to declare nearly 90 percent of the US outer continental shelf open for oil exploration. We have never seen a proposal of this magnitude. His plan includes areas that just two years ago were deemed “permanently protected” after President Obama received two million public comments opposing expansion.

Florida: NIMS

As we see with so many environmental issues as of late, our states are stepping up to the plate. I like to call this phenomenon NIMS: Not in My State. Rick Scott, the governor of Florida, reacted to the Trump offshore drilling plan, in what seemed like hours, winning Florida an immediate exemption. Some are discrediting the victory as merely a political move on the part of Trump’s crew. It may be but, environmental policy is one colossal chess game of political movements. Florida moved its pawn, and now pretty much every other coastal state is ready to move too.

“New York doesn’t want to drill off our coast either,” the state’s governor, Andrew Cuomo, said on Twitter. “Where do we sign up for a waiver?”

What you can do.

Florida has framed the issue for us and provided media attention; offshore drilling has detrimental effects on coastal communities, sealife, and the climate. Their exemption may even be considered a focusing event. We must move quickly to take advantage of this opportunity. Historically, this is the time hands get forced, and political chess games are won. We must back our coastal states with our voices and actions now.

Actions:

Use this Greenpeace quick action form to submit a public comment the Department of Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, demanding offshore drilling not be expanded!
Use this Greenpeace quick action for to submit a public comment against the Secure Act to protect our coastal communities, sealife, and climate!
Call your representative and voice your opinion against Trump’s five year expansion plan. Call the House switchboard at (202) 224–3121 and ask for your representative’s office.

Additional resources:

Thank you:

This post was created by an amazing GREEN ZINE volunteer contributor, and opinions expressed may not represent the views of Greenpeace. If you are interested in volunteering as a GREEN ZINE contributor, visit this link.

Offshore Drilling in 2018: Coastal Communities, Sealife, and Climate

Written by April Schroeder