This is an awful event - not only were 11 people killed in the explosion, but now we have the single largest oil spill in US waters. The crude oil being released is damaging the ecosystem, and the livelihoods of those who depend on it. It is coating beaches, covering animals and making a huge mess. It is a major environmental, social and economic disaster.
Who's to Blame?
That question seems to be on a lot of people's minds. The companies involved with this drilling rig have come under quite a bit of criticism, both on their response (initial and ongoing) and on the events that led up to the explosion and pipe failure. British Petroleum (BP) is the company who owned the oil coming out of the well, and has publicly taken responsibility for repairing the ruptured pipe and cleaning up the oil. There is also the company that operated the rig (Transocean Limited) and another firm doing work at the drill site (Haliburton). The US government is also involved in the cleanup, so they are coming under fire for the timing and force of their response.
But if I am going to be fair, and if I am going to be honest with myself, then I have to admit that I share some portion of the responsibility for this spill. I use oil - every day, in one form or another.
- gasoline and motor oil in my car
- fuels transporting goods to my local stores
- plastic containers and bottles that my food comes in
By the Numbers
According to the US Department of Energy (DOE), 40% of the total energy used in the US comes from oil, mostly for transportation. In 2009, the US produced or imported 5.2 billion barrels of crude oil. Statistics provided by the Energy Information Administration (run by the DOE) shows that about 37% is domestic production. Off-shore drilling (like the Deepwater Horizon) accounts for about 6% of US production, or about 2.3% of US crude oil consumption.
So the key question now, is what's next...Oil industry representatives have spent a lot of time explaining how this kind of thing won't happen again. The accident is being studied, and there will likely be a large set of recommendations that are issued to all oil drilling platforms once the study is concluded. But what we can't overlook is that humans are not perfect - there will probably be another accident on another drilling rig. It may not be as severe, but it will happen.
Put another way, do I find this risk acceptable to keep doing what I am doing? Looking at the numbers, if the US could reduce its demand for oil by 3%, then logically we could end off-shore drilling (I realize that there is a whole other argument related to eliminating the import of oil from nation's that don't like us and are a threat to national security, but that's a different post).
Am I willing to drive 3% fewer miles? Willing to buy 3% fewer plastic containers? Or is the spill in the Gulf of Mexico an acceptable consequence of my consumption and habits...
