The United States should continue with offshore oil drilling

Thank you, RougeFox, for an impressive second round. As I expected, my opponent has given a worthy argument, however I will rebut and show how off shore drilling should be tapered(as opposed to continuing), and perhaps stopped altogether. My opponent starts with quoting the assistant secretary of energy. This is not the most reliable source, especially when he is making comments on terrorism. This gentleman is not even the secretary of energy. He is the assistant. Also, this man is clearly stating opinions on a subject that he is NOT an expert. Therefore, his quotes are not valid. Please keep in mind that this debate is not about the dependence on foreign oil, but offshore drilling itself. My opponent states that offshore drilling will stabilize gas prices, however that is not the case. Studies have shown that continuing with the current levels of offshore drilling would not stabilize gas prices until 2030. One of the reason we should taper offshore drilling, is to explore cleaner, cheaper, safer means of energy which are already becoming reality. By 2030, with the proper funding and support, these energy sources can overtake crude petroleum products. In fact, one of my opponent sown sources ends with the good doctor describing his electric car, and how the technology is becoming more widely available. Before I start on viable replacement energy sources, I would like to point out the many dangers to our environment that offshore drilling presents. I think we are all well aware of the BP nightmare of late, so I will not focus on that. No reason to beat a dead horse. I'm not sure if people are aware of the inherent pollution caused by offshore drilling. offshore drilling rigs produce routine pollution "in the form of drilling muds and cuttings, produced waters, workover fluids, deck drainage, air emissions from the rig machinery and support vessels, as well as large amounts of trash." In the drilling process, the drilling fluid is used to lubricate the drill bit as it drills through the layer of hard rock of the outer continental shelf. A toxic soup is formed when the fluid blends with rock, mud, and naturally occurring radioactive materials, which can spread at the minimum of a thousand meters from the rigs. These drilling muds and cuttings as well as the produced waters contain, according to the EPA: arsenic, lead, mercury, cadmium, barite, chrome lignosulfate, petroleum hydrocarbons, vanadium, copper, aluminum, chromium, zinc, polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons, radionuclides, and other heavy metals. All of these chemicals pose a threat to the area surrounding the rigs for as many as forty years. Such threats are affecting the quality of the marine water, harming the organisms that stay on the bottom of the ocean, and, ultimately, having negative impacts throughout the region, which includes changes in the abundance richness and diversity of the marine life from both the physical and toxic effects. Oil and grease, ethylbenzene, napthalene, toluene, and zinc are included in the category of workover fluids, with restrictions only having an effect on the dumping of the oil and grease. Draining of oil, grease, drilling fluids, lubricants, ethylene, fuels, surfacants, biocides, detergents, corrosion inhibitors, bleach, cleaning solvents, coagulants, as well as other chemicals off of the rig deck has a disastrous affect on the surrounding marine environment. For every well that is drilled, about 8,000 square feet can be covered by as much as a meter thick of drilling waste, which can remain in the environment for at least two years. If the mud were to get scattered, by a hurricane for example, the waste could ultimately last for as long as forty years. Around an exploratory well that belonged to Chevron, inspectors discovered that shovels, bags, pipes, tubing, hose, and many other forms of debris covered more than three acres. The effects of offshore drilling are not simply felt by the surrounding environment, but also by the marine life. These effects have damaging consequences for our fisheries, food chain, balance of the ecosystem, health, and the enjoyment that we find in the diversity of nature. One compelling fact is that the federal government allows the "taking" (killing) of marine life during the drilling for oil and gas, which in return, has negative effects on various marine mammals, including manatees and dolphins. Furthermore, the extent that contaminants can amplify and bioaccumulate is unknown, and the lack of knowledge in this area has an ensuing impact on many of the marine mammals. One particular example of the effects that these rigs pose to the marine life that inhabits the waters around them, is the sea turtle. When sea turtles come in contact with weathered oil, they become infertile. Moreover, sea turtles are attracted to light, and the lights that are situated on the rigs pose a risk to the hatchlings, for they would be drawn towards the rigs where predator fish could be hiding. It is evident that the offshore rigs are harmful to marine life, and this one example illustrates that they do more harm than good for the environment. Economically, offshore oil drilling is already proving to be an economic catastrophe. The price of real estate properties around the Gulf of Mexico has been projected to fall up to 10 percent -- erasing some $4.3 billion in value -- Bloomberg noted recently. One Wall Street analyst has a very dire projection about the economic effects of the BP oil spill. David Kotok, the co-founder and chief investment officer of Cumberland Advisors, a Sarasota, Florida-based investment advisory firm, has projected that the spill will cost 1 million permanent jobs in the next five years. Also, this does not include the billions of dollars that BP is going to have to pay in reparations. According to a recent USA Today/Gallup poll, 8 in 10 Americans think that the Gulf oil spill will damage the economy and push up commodity prices. States are now suffering because of the BP spill. Florida, Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi are hit by oil slicks that are devastating their fisheries and tourism. This is bound to happen again, if we continue offshore drilling. I'm sorry I must end my round, but in my next round, I will give descriptions of several alternate energy sources, which are absolutely viable. As always, I appreciate my opponent bringing this very important subject to the surface, and look forward to his third round. References http://na.oceana.org... http://www.scientificamerican.com... http://cseserv.engr.scu.edu... http://www.epa.gov... http://www.huffingtonpost.com...