June 14, 2010
Final Research Paper
Offshore Oil Drilling Should Not Be Allowed in the Coast of Florida
The soaring gas prices have been tough on our economy and to the pockets of millions of Americans. The U.S. Government looked at many different ways to provide us with our ongoing demand for oil and gas. Therefore, offshore oil drilling has become a very important topic. Many will find this a very sensible solution since the United States will be less dependent on foreign oil and it will certainly solve most of our oil and gas demand. However, since the Deepwater Horizon disaster on April 20, 2010, the concerns of letting offshore oil drilling on the coast of Florida elevated. The oil spill harmed many animals; pictures of animals covered in oil surfaced the internet. Dozens of professions have been affected such as the fishermen, lifeguards, local businesses, and those in the offshore oil drilling industry. Many will find themselves unemployed. Obviously, one of the main concerns of letting offshore oil drilling on the coast of Florida is oil spill. The State of Florida is dependent on tourism, and commercial and recreational fishing. Therefore, the State cannot afford to have this kind of catastrophe and oil drilling should not be allowed in the Coast of Florida.
However, oil and gas are in high demand in the United States. They are needed to lubricate machinery, make asphalt to pave our roads, make medicines, heat, electricity, and gas for our cars. The U.S. Energy Information Administration projects that U.S. demand for refined petroleum products will grow by over 35 percent in the next two decades. According to Minerals Management Services, there are an estimated 3.88 billion barrels of oil and 21.51 trillion cubic feet of natural gas located in the Eastern Gulf of Mexico (Resources, Economics and Energy Independence). If the estimate of the Minerals Management Services is correct, Florida could generate billions of dollars in revenue. But...