Justin5 20 Posted July 16, 2008 Share Posted July 16, 2008 Now, I have said before that my main concerns about off shore drilling are not environmental, but I figured I would still pass along these facts I received (My job does have some perks I guess) The Truth about Oil Spills and Hurricanes Katrina and RitaProponents of new off shore oil and gas drilling repeatedly claim that there were no oil spills from hurricanes Katrina and Rita. But data from the Bush Administration’s Minerals Management Service tells a different story. • In 2005, Hurricanes Rita and Katrina caused 124 oil spills into the waters of the Gulf of Mexico. During Hurricane Katrina alone 233,000 gallons of oil were spilled. There were 508,000 gallons spilled during Hurricane Rita (1). That means a total of 741,000 gallons were spilled during the storms, or the equivalent of 7 significant spills. • The two hurricanes destroyed 115 petroleum production platforms in the Gulf of Mexico and 457 pipelines that brought the oil to shore(2). • A Houston Chronicle review of data from the National Response Center reports that, including spills on land, the two hurricanes caused 595 spills and spilled approximately 9 million gallons of oil (3). • The Minerals Management Service projects 1 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico per year of at least 1,000 barrels over the next 40 years and 1 spill of at least 10,000 barrels every 3-4 years (4). The satellite images below, taken following Hurrican Katrina, on September 2, 2005, show extensive oil slicks in the Gulf of Mexico. Oil slicks are dark patches; oil platforms are visible as bright dots. Land areas are also very bright. Seafloor oil and gas pipelines overlain in green Offshore drilling is still a dirty business prone to accidents and spills. Unfortunately, the two areas most coveted by the oil industry, the Gulf Coast and the Eastern Seaboard, are the areas most prone to hurricane damage. The bottom line is spills happen, and did happen as a result of hurricanes Rita and Katrina. 1. U.S. Minerals Management Service. Estimated Petroleum Spillage from Facilities Associated with Federal Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Oil and Gas Activities Resulting from Damages Caused by Hurricanes Rita and Katrina in 2005. 8 August 2006. 2. U.S. Minerals Management Service. News Release. MMS Updates Hurricanes Katrina and Rita Damage. 1 May 2006. 3. Houston Chronicle. “Industry Says There Was No Way to Prepare for Spills.†13 November 2005. 4. USA Today. “Worth the Risk? Debate on offshore drilling heats up.†15 July 2008. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tigermike 3,068 Posted July 16, 2008 Share Posted July 16, 2008 Got a link for that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arnaldoabru 11 Posted July 16, 2008 Share Posted July 16, 2008 Got a link for that? Naw, he just made it up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tigermike 3,068 Posted July 16, 2008 Share Posted July 16, 2008 Got a link for that? Naw, he just made it up. If it were you I had asked I would believe that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin5 20 Posted July 16, 2008 Author Share Posted July 16, 2008 Unfortunately I do not have a link. This was on paper. That is why I cited the sources at the bottom. Take it for whatever you think it is worth - it's just the first statistics I had seen that counters a lot of what we have heard. Here is the link to the pictures though: http://skytruth.mediatools.org/gallery/432 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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