Oil Drilling Risks

Oil drilling involves boring through the Earth's crust on land and offshore areas and, as such, poses significant risks to the terrestrial and marine environment.

Drilling Operations

Oil drilling operations offshore typically create waste in the form of drilling muds, drill cuttings and wastewater, all of which can pollute the marine environment, contaminate fish and damage benthic (bottom dwelling) communities of organisms.

Oil Spills

Oil spills from drilling platforms are an ever-present risk of oil drilling. This was amply illustrated by an explosion on the Deepwater Horizon platform, operated by BP, in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010. The resulting oil slick covered and area of 2,000 square miles and killed over 7,000 birds, sea turtles and dolphins.

Fishing

Oil drilling can also interfere with commercial and subsistence fishing activities. Fishermen in Louisiana -- which produces over 30 percent of the seafood originating in the U.S. -- were predicting in 2010 that they may be unable to fish again until 2017 as a result of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

Terrestial Drilling

Land oil exploration and extraction also causes environmental damage through the extensive infrastructures necessary, pipeline explosions and toxins used for drilling.

References

• Alaskan Marine Conservation Council: Risks of Oil and Gas Drilling
• Business Insider: 8 Ways The Gulf Of Mexico Oil Spill Is Going To Be Felt For Decades
• BBC News: Oil Spill in Gulf of Mexico in Maps and Graphics
• New York Times: The Oil Spill's Effects on Wildlife
• Live Science: Oil Drilling: Risks and Rewards