After the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico during April of last year, President Obama issued a moratorium on permits to drill new deepwater wells. As prices have risen at the gas pump to over $4.00 and the job market continues to suffer, Obama reversed his decision this past May and now says that the United States will seek to expand domestic oil production, including in the Gulf, in an attempt to reduce dependence on imported oil and bring down fuel prices.

Offshore Drilling Necessary for a Better Economy

by Jenni Kenel ‘14

As gas prices and the unemployment rate both continue to stay stuck at historically high levels, Americans are searching for ways to save money. Offshore drilling is a reasonable solution that will lower gas prices and provide more job opportunities in communities that have been hit hard by the economic recession. While the oil spill last April in the Gulf of Mexico was tragic, future incidents are preventable and the time has come to untap the massive supplies of oil in the Gulf. With President Obama lifting the ban on drilling in the Gulf of Mexico, gas prices will slowly decrease and employees of the oil companies will receive higher wages.

The environment is something that should strongly be taken into account when restarting offshore drilling. During last year’s oil spill, BP was not properly equipped to fix a spill that happened that deep in the ocean. Therefore, when the oil started gushing out into the ocean, nobody knew what to do.

BP also has committed to putting $1 billion into projects to keep the environment safe and secure during its drilling process. With this money in addition to the correct equipment to correct any mistakes made, the risk of another accident is nearly non-existent.

In addition, other countries such as China and Brazil already have been allowed to drill in the Gulf even after the spill occurred. If other countries are able to drill in American waters, then the United States should be able to as well. Instead of getting the majority of our oil from OPEC nations in the Middle East, we can ease our dependence on oil from foreign countries by drilling in both the eastern and western sections of the gulf.

Citizens are saying that there is no quick fix to the high gas prices, but if the United States drills more in the Gulf then the price for gas will slowly decrease. By avoiding getting oil from other countries, there will be lower gas costs and possibly less of a reason for the United States to be entangled in the Middle East.

The government has started to give permits to companies whose plans for deepwater drilling have been approved. Fourteen companies have gained permits to restart offshore drilling in the Gulf, giving jobs back to the men and women who have lost them due to the ban in May 2010. Around 35,000 people had jobs on the oil rigs in the deep water of the Gulf. The smaller rigs in the shallower employ only half as many as the larger rigs do. Therefore, half of the people that lost their jobs are now gaining them back because of the lift of the ban on deepwater drilling in the Gulf.