Clay Hamilton

Oil Drilling
The British Petroleum oil spill in 2011 caused much discussion on the topic of oil
drilling. It made people wonder whether or not we should allow oil drilling of any kind in the
United States of America or United States waters. Most people would say that the government
should not allow any oil drilling. However, if the oil drilling companies would use the
technology and update the systems used to prevent oil spills then oil drilling would become
much safer. Also we have the technology to know where to drill to have the least likely hood of
spills. Oil drilling in the United States needs to continue because it helps the economy grow and
lessens the United Statess reliance on foreign oil, but it doesn't have to be offshore drilling. We
can use the new process of fracking to drill for oil on land in the United States.
The United States have the ability to lessen our dependence on foreign oil. They have the
resources available to cut our foreign oil imports by sixty percent if they would allow drilling to
occur. Yes, the government allows certain companies to drill for oil but if it was opened up as a
free market the oil business would boom. Look at what oil drilling has done in North Dakota,
according to Gary Jason, the author of Dangerous Thoughts, the unemployment rate of North
Dakota is the lowest in the United States, because they started to drill oil using the fracking
process. The United States has access to oil deposits that can be used if they allow the drilling
process that is used in North Dakota to be used. The process used is called fracking, it uses
water pressure to expose oil that is found in rocks and then it is collected (Jason). The process is
much safer then offshore drilling and would allow a huge decrease in the amount of oil that we
import.

Offshore drilling meantime does not need to stop. The British Petroleum oil spill scared
some people into believing that there was not a need for offshore drilling in the United States.
However, Ronald Bailey argues that the cost to benefit ratio of offshore drilling is too great to
just overlook. Oil companies make more profit in a year than the cost that it takes to clean up the
oil spills that might happen to occur. The cost of drilling is about 255 billion dollars but the
profit from drilling is 578 billion. That makes a profit margin for the company of 323 billion
dollars (Bailey). Just imagine the benefits of that 323 billion being invested into the United
Statess economy, not only that but gas prices would also drop across the whole entire country.
There are many risks of offshore drilling. The article, Offshore Drilling Still Urgently
Needs Reform, argues that we need to hold of on offshore drilling in the United States until we
have the technology to prevent oil spills. Bailey would argue against this because there will
always be a little bit of risk involved in what you do. You don't know that you will survive your
drive to work everyday but you still drive. Why do you drive? You drive because the benefit
outweighs the risk of the drive. You would not be able to survive without working so you make
the drive. Bailey wouldn't argue that offshore drilling is necessary or the United States will die,
but he would say that the benefit of offshore drilling outweighs the risks.
The United States is wary of offshore drilling, but we don't need to increase any of the
offshore drilling projects to reduce foreign oil dependence. There are shale oil fields that can be
accessed by the process of fracking in Texas, North Dakota, and California. As of right now the
only ones being drilled are in Texas and North Dakota, we could access all three of these and
reduce the price of oil and boost the United Statess Economy. Jason states that, using only the
Texas and North Dakota fields, the United States could reduce foreign oil imports by sixty
percent by the year 2020 (Jason).

Many people argue that fracking causes contamination to drinking water in the places
where the process is used. However, "Hydraulic Fracturing Can Be Done Responsibly argues
that hydraulic fracturing has already been being used for over forty years by ExxonMobil and
they have the experience it takes to safely use the process of fracking. ExxonMobil uses a
system called Operations Integrity Management System or OIMS. OIMS reports all potential
safety, environmental, and social problems. Through this system ExxonMobil ensures that their
strategies for drilling is the safest that it can possibly be. This system is why ExxonMobil has
been successfully using the process of hydraulic fracturing since the 1940s (Hydraulic
Fracturing).
The advancements in technology in the field of oil drilling have increased greatly over
the years. These advancements have only made oil drilling safer and more effective. If the
United States would increase the amount of oil fracking in the United States then it would not
only reduce our dependence on foreign oil, but it would also help the economy of the United
States as a whole as we have seen an example of what it can do in North Dakota.

Works Cited
Bailey, Ronald. "Offshore Drilling Remains a Risk Worth Taking." Oil Spills. Ed. Tamara
Thompson. Farmington Hills, MI: Greenhaven Press, 2014. Current
Controversies. Rpt. from "Weighing the Benefits & Costs of Offshore Drilling."
Reason Foundation. 2010. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 26 Oct. 2014.
"Hydraulic Fracturing Can Be Done Responsibly." Fracking. Ed. Tamara Thompson. Detroit:
Greenhaven Press, 2013. At Issue. Rpt. from "Hydraulic Fracturing." 2012. Opposing
Viewpoints in Context. Web. 8 Nov. 2014.
Jason, Gary. "Domestic Oil Resources Will Reduce Foreign Dependence." Foreign Oil
Dependence. Ed. Ronald D. Lankford, Jr. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2013. At Issue. Rpt.
from "Green Dreams, Green Nightmares." 2011. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web.
8 Nov. 2014.
"Offshore Drilling Still Urgently Needs Reform." Oil Spills. Ed. Tamara Thompson. Farmington
Hills, MI: Greenhaven Press, 2014. Current Controversies. Rpt. from "Lingering Threats:
One Year After Gulf Oil Disaster, Offshore Drilling Still Urgently Needs
Reform."
Oct. 2014.

Biologicaldiversity.org. 2011. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 26