Allowing deep water offshore oil drilling is in the best interest of the United States.

Resolved: Allowing deep water offshore oil drilling is in the best interest of the United States. My partner and I stand in firm negation of today's resolution because the gamble of deep shore oil drilling has only provided harms and the risk of disaster happening again is undeniable. Our First contention is that deep offshore oil drilling has been disastrous in the past. On April 20, 2010 the deepwater Horizon in the Mocondo well just south of Louisiana blew out killing 11 workers and setting off a massive spill that ultimately led to more than 200 million gallons of oil spewing from BP's undersea well. It took over 86 days to stop the well from gushing oil and its effects were extremely detrimental to the United States. This problem wasn't just the actual spill but the fact that we were unable to safely clean up the gulf and restore the damage done. The main chemical used by the BP rescue effort was Corexit. Studies by the Environmental Research Institute have proven that Corexit dispersants, in combination with crude oil, pose grave health risks to marine life and human health, and threaten to deplete critical niches in the Gulf food web that may never recover." The study went on to say that Oil, when combined with dispersants in the water column is more toxic to marine species than either oil or dispersant alone." Not only are this chemicals toxic but they have failed to rid the ocean of oil. The University of Georgia found that the main plume at roughly 3,600 feet below the surface; still extended for more than 20 miles southwest of the well. It was more than a mile wide in places and 600 feet thick, traveling at about four miles a day on August 19, 2010. This environmental disaster is also an economic one. According to the Energy Policy Foundation on July 2, 2010, "Since the Mocondo blowout and spill, over 35,000 Gulf Coast business owners and workers have filed claims for lost income.". A fallow up study by the University of Central Florida the spill could cost Florida $10.9 billion in lost economic activity and 195,000 jobs due to a loss of economic spending in tourism and fishing. The study said that those figures reflect what would happen if Florida's 23 Gulf Coast counties lose 50 percent of their tourism and leisure jobs and spending. Our second contention is that the risk of another BP spill is too great to handle. Currently based on the standards set by The Outer continental shelf land the oil industry does not have the technology to prevent the event of another large deep oil spill. The devices used in emergencies in deep shore oil rigs are called Blow out prevention systems. Other wise known as BOPs. The problem with this device is the depth of deep shore oil production. The standard BOP used in deep water offshore rigs cannot function under such depths. A recent 2009 mms report found that a standard bops are required by law to handle 15000 pounds per square inch of internal pressure. They are not however required to withstand external water pressure which in deep water adds another 2000 psi to the BOP. This level of uncertainty and risk associated with current BOP technology directly conflicts with OCLA requirements and puts our nation at risk especially by the fact that if they fail (which is very likely as a result of deep water pressure) then the ability to contain a deepwater oil spill is very unlikely to do in a timely manner. These mechanical and logistical problems are quantified in a failure rate provided by the New York Times last month; researchers concluded that in actual practice, blowout preventers used by deepwater rigs had a "failure" rate of 45 percent." The worse part is that the officials who operate these mechanisms know the dangers and completely ignore the risks. According to three studies by the West Engineering Services in 2004, 2006, and 2009, showed 62 instances of BOP failures, four of which were deemed "safety critical." These findings were turned over to the MMS and the drilling continued. In a congressional testimony direct at sub committee on energy and environment, industry executives have admitted that industry is unprepared to effectively stop deep water oil well blow outs and that the attempts made to cap the Mocondo well were improvised and untested. As a result of off shore drilling failing yet another requirement of OCLA requirements, a con ballet is necessary.