Offshore Drilling is a Dirty Business. At each stage of testing, exploration, and production, the oil and gas business produces contaminated water, uses toxic drilling muds, and periodically spills oil and toxic liquids into the ocean. Pollutants like mercury and persistent hydrocarbons contaminate fish and sea life near platforms and massive spills kill seabirds, sea turtles, fish and marine mammals.
Accidents Happen. Based on the experience of other Gulf drilling operations, small spills, like the 500 gallon spill off a Louisiana rig a few years ago, would be common. A catastrophic spill—one that could close down coastal tourism for weeks or months, is a real possibility. Even if they drill only for natural gas, the tankers, pipelines, and on-shore facilities can experience accidents. Accidents aren’t always from a rig blowout – they can also include pipeline ruptures, tanker collisions, and other leaks.
- There have been 187 oil spills offshore just in the Gulf of Mexico between 1981 and 2005 – about 1 per month.
- Spills under 1,000 barrels (42,000 gallons) make up 97% of all spills, yet are not required to be reported in the federal Oil Spill Risk Analysis.
- Most accidents on rigs are due to human error, not technology. Thus, the question is not whether an accident will occur, but when.
Routine Pollution Can Be as Damaging as a Spill. Even if no spills occur, rigs produce substantial "routine" pollution, including:
- Discharging, on average, 180,000 gallons per well-start of toxic drilling fluids, cuttings, and "produced waters,” containing arsenic, lead, cadmium and mercury.
- Generating large volumes of air emissions, including benzene and napthalene.
- Bringing to the surface and releasing naturally occurring radioactive materials at levels higher than those legally released from nuclear power plants.
- Spilling diesel oil during the rig-refueling process.
Learn more about the environmental impacts and pollution caused by offshore drilling:
Outer Continental Shelf Drilling: Impacts to Air, Water, Wildlife, Coastal Economies and Climate
