Could Gulf oil spill lead to a larger drilling ban?

The oil slick formed by a leak from the drilling rig that exploded and sank in the Gulf of Mexico last week now covers an area 50 by 80 miles in length and is drifting towards sensitive ecosystems along the Gulf Coast. As talk arises of setting the slick afire to contain the damage, the prospect that this accident could choke off recent efforts to expand offshore oil drilling becomes very real.

National Public Radio reports today that U.S. Coast Guard officials are considering controlled burns of some of the oil spewing from the leak caused by the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon drilling platform 50 miles off the Louisiana coast. Pools of oil far offshore would be enclosed within fire-retardant containment booms and set ablaze, according to news reports. The Houston Chronicle reports that a similar burn off the Newfoundland coast in 1993 removed 50 to 99 percent of the captured oil. But the burn is not without its own problems, including air pollution, and its effect on marine life is not clear.

Past Stories Related To Oil Spill

* Arctic Region Underprepared for Maritime Accidents
* Oil spill clean-up agents threaten coral reefs
* Oil Slimed Birds are Appearing off the Coast of Oregon

The leaking well is discharging 42,000 gallons (1,000 barrels) of oil a day into the Gulf. The rig's owner, BP, is trying to shut off the well with robot submarines but has had no success thus far. Coast Guard officials warn that it could take 90 days or more to seal the leak, and Rear Admiral Mary Landry warned that the spill could become "one of the most serious oil spills in U.S. history" at a news conference yesterday afternoon

Should the oil reach the Louisiana and Mississippi coasts, it would wipe out the area's tourism industry, its oyster beds and its shrimp fisheries for years to come.

The disaster comes on the heels of the Obama Administration's announcement that it was lifting a 20-year-old ban on drilling off the Virginia coast and studying the feasibility of opening more Atlantic Ocean waters to drilling. If Adm. Landry's fears come to pass, if the leak is not sealed soon, and if the burns fail to prevent oil from washing ashore, the disaster could spark calls for a total ban on offshore drilling, setting back efforts to reduce America's dependence on foreign energy sources.

Written by Sandy Smith
For HULIQ.com

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