How would offshore drilling effect the Florida environment?

Answer 1

This is a controversial area. I will try to provide a neutral and balanced answer. Also, I have included a number of media stories on this issue.

No one has a crystal ball to see into the future, but there are certainly a lot of opinions of what could happen if the oil companies were to drill in Florida's offshore waters.

The primary concern expressed those opposed to offshore drilling is contamination of sea water by normal operations and the potential for contamination as a result of damage to platforms by hurricanes. I believe that most experts agree that some spillage or unintentional release is possible. The question then becomes how much could be spilled, and the consequences.

Below is a quote from an evironmental group opposed drilling (Environment Florida, see third link):

At each stage of testing, exploration, and production, the oil and gas business produces contaminated water, uses toxic drilling mud, 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.

Hurricanes Katrina and Rita destroyed over 100 drilling rigs and platforms and over 450 pipelines. The Minerals Management Service estimated almost one million gallons spilled during the hurricane from offshore facilities; the Coast Guard documented an estimated nine million gallons from onshore and offshore oil facilities were spilled.

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.

The MMS study of hurricane impacts done by Det Norske Veritas, (DNV) an oil service company, can be downloaded from the Internet. It is found in the related link, at the bottom of the page, marked AA in red letters. I would recommend downloading it (right click, then save target as ...) and then opening it with your acrobat reader.

The table of statistics (Report 448- 14183, page 27) shows the following:

1. Katrina - Platform + Rigs spillage= 95,000 gallons

2. Rita - Platform + Rigs spillage = 152,000 gallons

Note: There are 42 gallons in a barrel

A final tally of all spillage (refineries, onshore and offshore pipe, rigs and platforms) from both hurricanes is 741, 384 gallons). The MMS report concludes:

Offshore environmental impacts as a result of hurricane events in the GOMR have typically been minor due to the downhole safety valves at wells and operating practices conducted by the oil and gas industry with respect to platforms and pipelines in advance of approaching hurricanes and the Oil Spill Response Plans that are developed by operators and submitted to the MMS.

The impacts from Hurricanes Karina and Rita were typical of this historical experience. While clean up was required, the volume of oil spilled were categorized as minor. Onshore impacts from localized tank failures resulting from flooding were more significant but are not in the scope of the damage assessment carried out by DNV.

The impact of a spills depends on the area. For Katrina, there were 70 separate spills from platforms and rigs, or approximately 1400 gallons per spill. The Gulf of Mexico, OCS leased area is 42 million acres (65,000 square miles). There were 3917 platforms in the leased area in 2006.

The second value or hurricane related spilled oil, given by the Environment Florida on their website of 9 million gallons as estimated by the US Coast Guard, is not from offshore platforms or pipelines, but oil leaked from onshore tanks during Hurricane Katrina. They did report 9 million gallons leaked from these tanks, but much of this was being recovered at the time. Related link is the last one on the list.

Opposition to drilling is not only confined to hurricanes, but potential damage due to release of toxic drilling mud. The drilling mud can contain additives which are harmful, but regulations exist to minimize damage to the environment through offshore disposal.

How effective are regulations to keep operations from contaminating sea water? This will be an open question for some time.

Also, if exploration starts tomorrow it could be years or never before a discovery is made that is large enough to consider development. The first steps will be more seismic, followed by exploratory well drilling.

So, I haven't given you a simple answer, because one does not exist! See related links. MMS study is given in second link.