Oil Spills
Essays

Regulating Oil and Gas Drilling and Transport Introduction. The American economy runs on energy produced from oil, coal, natural gas, hydroelectric power, nuclear power and renewable sources like solar and wind energies. In fact according to a report in the Congressional Research Service, oil provides the United States with 40% of its total energy needs. It is used in myriad ways, providing "…fuel for the transportation, industrial, and residential sectors" (Ramseur, 2012). Because of the great need for energy to fuel the American economy, oil in "vast quantities" enters the country and moves through the country by ships and by pipelines, Ramseur explains in the Congressional Research Service. Hence, it is inevitable that some spills will occur, and they certainly do occur, notwithstanding the attempts by the industry to conduct its business safely. The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) reports that the U.S. consumed 6.87 billion barrels (about 18.83 million barrels a day) in 2011, and that was a slight reduction from the 7.0 billion barrels consumed in 2010 (www.eia.gov). As for the amount of natural gas consumed in the U.S. annually, the EIA reports that Americans used approximately 24.38 trillion cubic feet in 2011 (www.eia.gov). There is no doubt that until such time as renewable sources provide far more energy for the nation, oil and natural gas in particular will be in great demand. This paper reviews current environmental problems associated with oil and gas production and offers strategies for safer ways to regulate oil and gas production. Thesis: Because of the risky strategies energy corporations take in retrieving oil and natural gas – and due to the leaks, spills, blowouts, tankers running around and other errors and disasters associated with oil extraction and transport – major new environmental regulations must be put on place regarding the drilling for oil. Moreover, current tactics for producing natural gas from existing wells – a process known as "fracking" – are not safe, do not protect the environment, have the potentiality of bringing harm residents and communities, and should be strictly regulated.

Over the years, oil and gas production companies have been a serious global concern. This is due to impacts on the environment associated with its production. There have been contravenes between energy producing industries and the environmental activists. As much as several efforts have been made to reduce environmental pollution during oil and gas extraction in Norway, still, the state faces the threat of environmental pollution. The firms , especially in Norway, should strictly abide by the international principles laid, in order to minimize the environmental pollution.

Public relations can be a fairly basic task with a non-controversial company and/or in a non-controversial industry, but neither one of those is true with TransCanada. The publics of TransCanada as it pertains to the Keystone XL Pipeline will be discussed as well as a general definition of publics and public relations will also be discussed.

¶ … endangered species' means any species which is in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range other than a species of the Class Insect a determined by the Secretary to constitute a pest…

This is a five page paper on water pollution. The earth is covered by water and, yet, overtime it has become scarce. Over 70% of our earth is covered by water; however, 97.5% of all water on earth is salt water and the rest, 2.5%, is fresh drinking water. Given that there is such a small percentage of drinkable water on the planet, it becomes even more devastating when that water is polluted by human beings who rely on it.

¶ … society has experienced significant technological progress through the years, people are still unable to acknowledge the harm they cause as a result of performing particular activities.

British Petroleum (BP) is one of the largest oil exploring companies in the world. It is recognized for its efficient practices. In recent years it has positioned itself as an environmentally responsible company by stressing its commitment to undertaking exploration activities by causing minimum harm to the natural environment. It has also invested in technologies to make drilling under the seabed more secure so that oil spills do not occur. However, these claims were brought into question on April 20, 2012 when a massive explosion and oil spill took place on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig over the Macondo oil well in the US Gulf. There was huge damage to the marine environment and to the livelihood of people living in the coastal communities in Louisiana and other coastal states. The poor response of the company was shocking to many and suggests a need for reform in its management culture.

The ocean is a food chain and an aquatic agent for cycling water and the life elements that need fresh water to live. Soil and urban runoff introduces all types of pollutants and brings about actions to protect lands and waterfronts. The impacts of these elements are discussed and so possible solutions are considered in response to specific questions.

Water is an important natural resource upon which all the living beings rely for their existence and growth. Nature has blessed the earth with uncountable water resources but usable quantity is limited. Hence, it is important to use water sparingly. The irony is, human activities result is high water pollution which further shortens the water supply for use.

Birth control or family planning is one of the most controversial issues, widely and passionately discussed by the Church and one for which a clear answer or solution has remained elusive.