Election Project Description/reflection and Essay Two

The purpose of the election project was to expose us to the world of politics. I allowed us time to study all the different issues that the next President has to face. For instance, I researched one of the more controversial topics (offshore drilling). After that we were asked to create a non-biased pamphlet highlighting the pros and cons of drilling. Then we created a voter information night were we informed the public about all the different issues and how they could harm of benefit us.

I thoroughly enjoyed doing the research and presenting that this project required from me. It allowed me to get a taste of some political issues while not being overwhelmed because we were able to focus on one issue rather than trying to tackle every single issue. It was kinda cool that we were able to inform people about the different issues facing our country. It allowed us to truly test what we had learned.




Ellis Orozco
English 4, Team A
Persuasive Essay
October 16th, 2008
America’s Addiction
Oil. It flows throughout the veins of America. People commuting to and from school and work use it on a daily basis and it would be painful to do without it. However, nowadays it is the cause a different type of pain located in so many peoples’ wallets. Oil is used in cars, planes and it is burned on a daily basis to make things such as your toothbrushes, or any things made from plastic. It is currently viewed as a necessity but can we develop the technology to be able to move away from our dependence on oil? To put it in perspective in 2004 America was averaging 21 million barrels of oil per day. Out of that 14.5 percent of that 21 million barrels per day were imported from Saudi Arabia which equals about 3,045,00 barrels (Gibson). Considering the fact that the price for oil as of Friday October 10th was 77.70 dollars a barrel that adds up to about1, 631,700,00 dollars (Oil Price Fall). So we are technically giving them money so they can buy weapons to attack us. If we can develop the technology to create alternate fuel sources, we can reduce a huge amount of money that is exported out of our country. In the process, we can also reduce our negative impact of burning fossil fuels on the environment. If we can find a way to harness the natural resources around us (for example the energy from waves), we can truly become a “green” country devoted to positive environmental change.
Many politicians want to drill offshore for oil because they feel it will truly benefit our economy, offer an option to become less dependent on foreign oil resources and keep us from giving money to foreign countries.
It is a common belief with many lawmakers that offshore drilling will be able to decrease the price of oil. This is a false notion. If we were to drill all the available ocean shelf off America’s coast the amount of oil extracted would be only 3 percent of the global oil level this is not enough to have an impact on the nation wide price for gas. The only reason why prices have so drastically decreased is because oil companies are losing money because so many people are riding their bikes, walking and taking mass transit instead of driving their vehicles. So oil companies are striving to remain competitive. As soon we start drilling and get people to believe that offshore drilling will keep us from having to import oil, the price of oil will increase again. Consider the fact that if oil companies got “the green light” to drill, it would take up to ten years for them to obtain a permit to drill. By this time, we could develop the technology that would free us from our destructive need for oil. Think of the technical advances that we have had in the last ten years and what we are capable of doing. Additionally, if oil companies were able to get gas for over four dollars a gallon from other countries why would they want to sell it for less here? The oil businesses is a game of who can find the most oil and sell it for the most money regardless of the effect on the environment or citizen’s wallet.
It is well known that oil spills cause huge amounts of damage to the environment, and potentially people, if the oilrigs are close enough to another state. For instance, many people are hesitant about rigs being built off the shore of Louisiana due to the fact that if there were a spill it would go straight onto the shores of Florida. However, it isn’t just the spills that are a potential cause for alarm. It is also the chemicals that are unintentionally (or intentionally) released when oil workers try to separate the oil from the water that may have found its way in to the mix as the oil is drilled. These chemicals used to break the water away kill numerous amounts of plankton when leaked into the ocean. The chemicals leak into the ocean lead to a larger problem. Imagine that over the span of a decade, the amount of chemicals leaked doesn’t change and leaks continue killing plankton. This could lead to the reduction in fish populations because a lot of animals rely on plankton as their source of nutrition. To put it in perspective:
“For any spill, only 5-15% can be cleaned up. In addition, 97% of all the spills that occur, many are under 1,000 barrels. It is not required for these spills to be reported in the federal Oil Spill Risk Analysis, because their size is considered "small” (Donatoni)
To put an even greater emphasis on what drilling can do the marine ecosystem “For every well that is drilled, about 8,000 square feet can be covered by as much as a meter thick of drilling waste, which can remain in the environment for at least two years. If the mud were to get scattered, by a hurricane for example, the waste could ultimately last for as long as forty years (Donatoni)” The bottom line is clear: that the federal government is allowed to take the lives of marine life in order to set up oil rigs. For example, near the site of many rigs sea turtles pass through. When sea turtles make contact with the “weathered oil” they are unable to have babies they become infertile. Also, sea turtles are known to be attracted to light. So you can imagine what they would do once they come across this massive ball of light in the middle of the ocean. This poses a threat in more than one-way. It could a) cause the turtles to be lured in by the light created by the oil rigs, as a result, predator fish eats them; or b) they end up getting hurt by the drilling equipment (Donatoni). These creatures are a valuable asset to scientists studying the field of global warming because they are good indicators of significant changes in weather. For example, it has been proven that when it is warmer on the beaches (and world in general) the ground (or in this case sand) will get warmer. For sea turtles this could pose a problem because they bury their eggs into the sand. Unlike humans, the sex of the turtle is determined by how warm the sand around the buried eggs is. Recently scientists have discovered an increase in the number of female sea turtles being born. Since females are usually born when the back sand is warmer there is obviously a change going on in the global climate. The noise from the drilling could also harm many animals that use sound as a means of communication. For instance the whales and dolphins.
Once the oil is drilled, oil companies need to find a way to bring the oil back to shore for public consummation. The process of transporting oil to shore could result in more pollutants into the ocean due to the ships that would be used to transport the oil. Another possible method of oil transportation from the oilrigs offshore to consumers is running pipes underwater to the shore then try to pump it like that. If these pipes were to spring a leak imagine the damage it could cause to the ocean ecosystem.
Offshore drilling can have a huge negative impact on coral reefs. Currently we don’t have to worry too much about the ones that harbor huge numbers of fish and invertebrates off the coast of Florida and North Carolina because they are being protected by a federal moratorium that is due to stay in place until 2012. As soon as this date passes we have much to fear for the sea life in those corals. There is so much about these reefs and life on the reefs that we don’t know about. If we were to allow oil companies to drill, marine life that exists in coral reefs could vanish before we get the chance to learn about them. Another benefit that these reefs provide is some possible remedies for cancer and general anti-inflammatory. This is because the reefs are home to various different forms of life. Additional benefits that reefs provide include that these are a possible source of “calcium and up to 74 different other life enhancing minerals (Panse)” Scientists are able to extract the DNA from these corals and life on them and clone their genetic make-up to produce drugs such as “AZT, Ara-A, Ara-C, and Dolostatin 10. These drugs have been found to fight against AIDS, cancer, asthma and arthritis (Panse).” Coral reefs provide history of what has happened in the ocean, and physical evidence as to how reefs have managed ocean warming and how they might be able to handle the current conditions later on down the road.
Inspections are put in place to ensure the rigs won’t leak any toxins into the ocean. People who inspect these rigs are often not catching the small leaks on the rigs because there has been much evidence in the ocean of toxins being released from these rigs. In addition, the “code” (used lightly) for rigs to pass as “safe” was created nearly a decade ago (Nancy). In other words, they haven’t even bothered to update the criteria. Technically, the rigs could be “approved” to drill and barely meet the safety requirements to drill.
Investigations of ocean shelves that contain oil worth drilling require large amounts of money. An additional cost is included when oil companies apply to receive the permit to drill and the money needed to build the rigs. Instead this money could be invested in the creation of renewable resources. For example we could use this money to invest in ways to improve solar panels so they can become as close to 100% efficient as possible or develop alternative fuels that are easily accessible and have a minimal (or none at all) negative impact on the environment.
Offshore drilling is a hot topic that is constantly being debated amongst lawmakers and recently between presidential candidates. Support has varied from yes to no to a little bit because we can’t completely abandon the use of oil. Initially, Republican Presidential candidate John McCain said he opposed offshore drilling. Recently, he switched his support from opposed to pro because he (along with Barack Obama) realize that this nation has become so hooked on oil that it would be next to impossible to just completely abandon the use of oil. He states that we should drill and invest in renewable energies. Unfortunately, the fact that America is hooked on oil is undeniable. If America had already been taking more steps toward a cleaner, greener nation we wouldn’t have to make these gigantic leaps because we would already have some technologies available to help us go from and oil nation to some sort of a renewable energy nation.
The issue of drilling is a combination of what is morally right and environmentally friendly. We don’t want to drill in these areas of sea where there is a heavy concentration of reefs, mammals, and plankton. Drilling will not benefit our economy enough to make it worth putting marine life at risk. I thoroughly support the idea of taking the money that would be invested into the drilling process and applying it to greener more environmentally friendly sources of energy.














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