Olivia Krzeminski, Hillsborough
The recent BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is quickly ranking up as one of the worst oil spills our country has had to face. Many are predicting it could prove to be worse than the Exxon Valdez spill that occurred in 1989, in which over 10 million gallons of oil were spilled.
Not only is the recent oil spill detrimental to our economy, but the environment as well. Despite all the negative effects of it and the necessary action that needs to be put forth, no one is big enough to admit it’s their fault. The clean-up costs have reached over one billion dollars already, and over 12,000 barrels of oil continue to pour into the Gulf daily. The Deepwater Horizon explosion occurred in April, and despite “best” efforts, many are outraged at the slow progress.
I don’t believe the blame should be put on just one person, it’s more of a collaboration of mistakes that contributed to this accident. For example, oil rigs are supposed to be inspected monthly, the Deepwater Horizon had only been inspected six times since 2008. So it can be said it’s the oil companies fault for not following proper protocol and it can also be said that it’s the government’s fault for not cracking down on the required inspections. I do feel strongly however that the government should strengthen its restrictions and policies regarding oil rigs. Drilling oil from thousands of feet underwater is not a matter that should be taken lightly, something everyone has recently learned.
The rules and restrictions should not only become stricter, but enforced, inspections should be more frequent, and oil drilling permits should be distributed with more caution.
Despite all of these things that should come into play, it won’t stop the fact that accidents can occur. With such a large and complex piece of technology in the middle of the ocean, it’s impossible to say that all accidents can be avoided. It’s like flying in an airplane: the amount of accidents that actually occur are disproportionately low to the frequency of actual usage, but accidents are nevertheless, inevitable.
Perhaps this is a sign: the world needs to start weaning off its oil dependency. The U.S. consumes over 6 billion barrels of oil a year. The rest of the world consumes its billions of barrels, and all the while, oil resources are diminishing. The Middle East is being exhausted of its oil reserves, and though they will last for many more years, quantities of oil will be decreasing while the demand for oil will be increasing at an astonishing rate.
Finding an alternative won’t happen over night, that is why new ideas and options should start being put on the table. So that way in the future when oil is no longer an abundance, the world will still be able to function.
