Offshore Oil Drilling Environmental Facts

An offshore oil rig

Offshore oil drilling rigs in the United States can be found in the Gulf of Mexico, off the West and East coasts and in Alaska. There are a number of potentially serious environmental impacts from offshore oil rigs.

Drilling Process

Offshore oil rigs discharge tens of thousands of gallons of drilling muds and water that contain toxic metals and chemicals. Much of this contaminated waste is discharged into the sea, but some efforts are made to re-insert the waste in the drilled hole or transport it to shore for disposal.

Spills

Serious damage can result from spills both from the offshore rigs and from tankers transporting oil from the rigs. The Minerals Management Service predicts that, in the Gulf of Mexico alone, there will be one spill per year of at least a thousand barrels and one spill every three to four years of at least 10,000 barrels. Cleanup efforts do not remove all of the oil.

Marine Impacts

Oil kills and damages marine life, including reproductive damage that can last for many years after the discharge occurs. The damage can be more serious over time because the toxic chemicals are bio-accumulated, meaning that they become concentrated when marine life consumes plants and fish that are contaminated.

Construction

Construction of onshore infrastructure and operation of the oil rigs and pipelines cause damage to ocean formations and coastal lands that are used as habitat by marine life.

Natural Disasters

Hurricanes can result in significant releases from offshore oil rigs and pipelines. Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and Ike in 2008 each caused the release of more than a half-million gallons of oil from offshore rigs and pipelines.

Drilling Ban

There was a moratorium on offshore oil drilling in federal waters between 1981 and October 2008 to protect environmentally sensitive areas. States own the near-shore ocean rights and must decide whether to approve opening those areas for drilling.

References

• Global Marine Oil Pollution Information Gateway: Operational discharges of oil
• Treehugger: Offshore Oil Drilling
• Natural Resources Defense Council: Protecting Our Ocean and Coastal Economies