Drilling

To Drill or Not to Drill?

I think we have to become a cleaner more greener nation. The use of foreign oil is hurting the environment and the planet that we live on. Our planet is already in pretty bad condition because of the way we treat it and all the pollution we expose it to. Just because offshore drilling is cheaper doesn’t necessarily mean that it is better or that it will not be more costly at the end once the damage is done to the planet and to our own health.

I suppose the habits that hinder my thinking when looking at the opposing view point is the fact that oil drilling whether it is offshore or not is harmful to the environment and our health. In my opinion I would rather spend more money and know that I am not harming the environment then just drill because at this immediate time it is cheaper to do so. Too many people in this world want instant gratification instead of doing what is best for everyone in the long run.

For many of years we have had one thing right after another happen to make the public aware of just how bad oil drilling can be for the environment. Take for instance the most recent one that has happened this last summer with the BP oil spill in the Gulf. “As the Gulf spill demonstrated, oil spills take an enormous toll on human communities, and are grim reapers of fishes, turtles and other endangered and threatened wildlife that so many people have worked for years to save from extinction” (EarthJustice , 2011).

Another very memorable one is the Exxon Valdez oil spill that happened off Alaska in 1989. “Although the spilled oil can degrade relatively fast, the adverse impact of such accidental oil spills can be considerable, including ecological effects such as soil and water contamination, loss of birds or loss of habitat for aquatic life” ( Oil Pollution, 2002). If we were to stop drilling and become a cleaner and greener planet it would not only be good for the environment but for the American people as well. It would make...