Drill, Spill, Repeat? Breaking Offshore Oil Drilling's Destructive Cycle

The Gulf of Mexico is home

to a wide variety of marine

life. The Atlantic

bluefin tuna stands in these

waters sperm whales

inhabit the area year round

and whale sharks frequent

the northern Gulf after 5

of the world's sea turtle species

were found in the Gulf of Mexico

All of these marine creatures

depend on the solution for survival

Yet there is another species

that depends on something else

something very.

4 years ago. The

Gulf of Mexico is immeasurably

changed.

Fans of oil sheen still

drift along the sea and coastline

We've been continually altering

in the call for many years

Today, the Gulf of Mexico

is a virtual city of oil

and gas platforms this

stretch farther than the eye

can see eclipsing the horizon

Whether the Gulf will ever recover

still remains a mystery

How we got here is not

Of power. The

dream of all well you know what

makes your rival Ron.

For millions of years

this source of powers slept

peacefully in the dark recesses

of the year until modern

magic. The liquid

energy from its subterranean

prison gray areas became

Second only to taxes

while is the greatest revenue

in the US Treasury.

In 1896

the first offshore drilling were

established on the continental

shelf near the coast of Santa

Barbara, California in 1969

Santa Barbara experienced

the worst environmental

disaster of the time

over 2.5 million

gallons of crude oil gushed

into the ocean after a blowout

at enough drilling wreck over 100

miles of pristine California

beach littered with oily dead

birds and marine animals

after Santa Barbara the

nation was divided into

pro offshore drilling and

anti for drilling the debate became

so contentious it

even became a campaign topic

in the 1988 presidential

election.

Little did we know was

waiting for us just around the corner

in March of 1989

The worst oil spill in

this nation's history. It

took place on Friday,

when a super tanker owned by

the Exxon Corporation hit a

reef 25 miles

off the port of Valdez by

today 10 million gallons

of oil covered a hundred square

miles of ocean.

We all know.

That human activities are changing

in the wake of the Exxon President

HW Bush reacted

to the public outcry and

banned offshore drilling that

ban was continued by his successor

and lasted for over 15

years. It wasn't

until 2007

in President George W

Bush's second term

that he lifted his father's 17-year

ban on offshore drilling

We need to take action now to expand

domestic oil production today have

issued them more a memorandum

to lift the exactly prohibition

on oil exploration in DOCS

with this action exactly

branch's restrictions on this exploration

have been cleared away.

By all means horsepower horsepower

using wire.

More power to.

Bonnie Shoemaker PhD physicist

from California's tuition.

I've got my playing out here in April

20-10 if you not pursue actively help

the scientists would take out.

They were actually changed

once I took them out there in the

plane, and they saw with their own eyes

They were flying over miles

and miles and miles

of non-stop oil that's when

they realize that it's easy

behalf.

We probably here really done

the most to force accountability and

these guys because I come back for every flight

report print 20 and actually coast

guard has to answer the oil and gas

company has to answer.

Yeah, so clients

he again, here we go

Not pretty, what I was showing even

even around the site. The

Deepwater Horizon there was extensive

Sheen contingent religion to 20-12

and I'm not sure that anyone else

was wiring that.

That cost them a lot of money,

but they're fix that, if

nobody bothered Norris said there were no

no no.

I was not popular what's wrong

with letting people knowledge.

The people of be made a commitment to

the goal every day sets we

weren't targeting BP has paid over

$23 billion

to help people and businesses who are affected

with paint on our spill related

clean up costs today the beaches and

goal for open for everyone to enjoy

We're making sure people know that the

Gulf is open for business

The beaches are fearful the his solutions

last year in many areas even more

intellectual terrorism.

I was born here and here and

sell it. We were committed to the

for everyone lands in every

1,000.

I thought leave things commercial fishermen

in Southeast Louisiana is not

as good as those BP commercially

would have you believe.

Russian production is down still

down between 40% to 60%

in my area and make a living

like more myself of 29 years

remote. I can't do

it anymore of production is down

at least 93%

in the last 4 years on my the

about 1500 sacks

in 40 years.

I used to sell that week and 204

remained out of BP commercials

as a lot of people believe in that

we're okay. We're

not people are losing

it because of they they can do

they want to follow. So you

get a total, let's go through

some out to give their action here

I in China, India by style either one

of socks. You know I

don't have the education brains gone

style cable. If

you take me and put me

in the coffin the field on

well then one putting somebody else

out of a job.

So here come the domino effect will

tell you about a production is

like the canary in a mine

again canary dies in trouble you

down here until we get to population

back with filters the waters.

We're not gonna have a good vibe of commercial

fishermen in the new W

highs and lows economics

highs and lows of whether hurricanes

you know, but this man-made

disasters Langer still in trouble

The spill has brought

light to a lot

of the issues in the golf

of of the ancillary businesses

family that.

The that ice house in this the transportation

companies people will provide

snacks and groceries

to store all of that

is a direct reflection

of what can happen

when things cease

But after oil spill.

You know the issue recreational fishing

ship to barge information and

and that just you killed ever by

the of former world rally.

That's a fact. Our Italy and

it's affecting every business around

That's how we cannot the seasons

that gets oyster season are its

crab season that's you know

crop this season. You know

and even that we're having

some issues with we've taken it

for granted for so

long that it's it's

a little disconcerting

And it feels different.

How you approach things.

It's affecting my my life

and my culture.

This is not a normal

situation.

Please see what it was lie

and to see what it is like

for debt. My name's

Howson co-owner and president

of T and J Oyster Company

and in business here 438

years and with my brother

We all know business

since the mid 1980s

fitness.

House has been in operation

since 1921

you'll see today that

there is no one in here,

we'd have 4 people here

6 on that side

and 7 over here

we $120 and 40

sacks of voice of the day

Now it you know

if we do a 3rd of that that's

plenty were are heaven The

Gap, what we can and

our that is of higher quality

and its limited. We're

not going to just

sell enemy:

we're not gonna do it on for our,

we've been doing this 438

years to do

something that's inferior

wouldn't be the right thing to do

for our families.

Why use to get very

emotional talking about this

but have began to be able

to compartmentalize

the whole thing and not think

about it as the people

that worked out here

and processed are always we

all grew up work this cooler

used to always be filled

up with pride.

I got a few shells that

that we over the last 10

days.

Louisiana used to produce

40% of

all the market our

oysters from their public

oyster grounds public grounds

used to produce almost

100% of all seen

and since the

All disaster those

areas had been non productive

more and more processors

like ourselves have gone

out of business and

as time goes on

Is gonna be less of us doing

this because we can hold out

We haven't received anything

from BP, we've

been able and go through

all those years operation

our failings over 1-5

generations through all

those different up Sunday

owns a war as the natural

disasters and this

man named disaster about the

biggest hurdle we've ever and

overcome.

11 men died that

day. Don't forget it

Every one of those men they

had families they had wound

send parents and children

And all those families have

been deprived of their loved

ones.

Everybody thinks about the long-term

pollution in the Gulf and

it's out there.

But don't forget, we're talking

about human lie.

The industry over and

over and has proven itself

to be exceedingly

irresponsible irresponsibility

includes covering

up how much they pollute

BP did not want

any outside help an expert

outside help from around

the world was offered

And reject it.

And the reason they turned them down

it's because they didn't want

anybody to know

exactly how much

oil was being released

from that explosion.

The reason they didn't want

anybody to know how much

they were polluting is because

the fire and is based

on the amount of pollution

Ban apologize.

I do not want to live in the country

Were any time a citizen

or a corporation does

something that is legitimately

wrong.

Is subject to some

sort of political pressure

That is again in my

words.

Amounts to a shakedown.

Local communities and those

who joined a response team

to help with the cleanup has not

Their communities have not recovered

Life as they know it has changed

indefinitely.

They may never get their lives

back.

It was when people swim in the water

Right in front of me sparse and spray

and all the animals are trying

to get out the water.

These animals is a lie.

Suckers was crawl not war prayer

mullet flounder.

Sure.

To Dow's tears in May

I want to work with BP

and the tragic stored in

my life. So on

the 3rd week of program I fell out

Am I had to go. Russian room

pump you can throw no shit

normal self mayors so said

Kimmitt the poison pieces why batch

of respirators and yells

know Simpson yells tape around

yells boots and gloves

and get our contacts

in stuff I said they never never

give us any,

he said. Yeah, I shouldn't be on this war

So I would back Tomas supervised

the pool blood out of me.

Me and my wife a why secondhand

splurge Sarwan back supervisor

What does doctor told me he

told me if I said anything else

I'd be terminated.

In 2000. 11 are supposed

to well by the fall of 2000

the not so sick and it was

a justice. It was all us

coming across those duties nets

and it's in that dispersants

fixed everything touches.

It sticks to the so on

its sticks hands I see

stick to my shoes walking house

and sticking to floor it me inside

And expose my family.

80 90% business was repairs

because mission in Congo trolls

are down turn around over a hole one

they will smile Texas incident drought

down because I no longer handle

he used commercial gear coming

out got from Mexico that's new

a of news used yet found

will touch you know as I don't touch

me, I know it's talks

There's 2 kinds of people,

the ones that get sick and no

one's gonna get so many

different things wrong with

me now. And never

had problems with I've

lost faith in an analysis

system, I think

our government is.

Prostitute in itself.

The people who sell should then

for.

People like myself.

Older people.

We should have been given some

kind of morning they made

victims of victims

I was recovering from a train

and arm that can recover.

There's a human health crisis

raging in the Gulf.

They don't think a lot of people know

they but its traders Gazans

in people who are in very, very sick

is something called Gulf Coast into Rome

that people have in their

so many symptoms

are included in their millions neurological

symptoms rumors memory

loss policy our part an

kidney damage here's skin

damage and skin rashes

years.

Cancer starting to emerge

causes oil to enter the body

more readily correction is

the the solvent opens

up the cell walls

it goes through it. That's

why it breaks up the rail once

it in the body Oriel targets

every organ system the liver

the kidney the heart to the brain

everything the mixture of correction

in oil is highly

toxic, we know this

There have been studies, then

from previous oil spills

particularly the Exxon Valdez

oil spill corrects it 95-27

contains a very toxic

solvent new talks ethanol

it causes internal bleeding

the cleanup workers were suffering

from internal bleeding

hemorrhaging one wing BT choose

to use this toxic

dispersant well first of all, they're

allowed to use it.

Under our current regulations

2 million gallons

of corrective were released.

We're not just talking down oil

spill. We're talking about the

chemical experiment.

It was highly experimental

2 years that by you a

dispersant in this major

oil spill.

This is an industry that

has a track record for running

roughshod over local

and state governments and regulators

And the public.

Most people just aren't aware

how massive of

an enterprise is going

on on the Louisiana coast

and a lot of these pipelines were

meant to be in water and

salt water is very corrosive

So there is, there is

a constant problem with

with leaking pipelines.

So without those wetlands.

You know that that's really what's

necessary for protecting you

know our coastal communities from storm

surge hurricanes.

You know it's now had this stretch

of imagination that we could have a mortal

blow out situation in

the Gulf,

combined with the category 5

hurricane you know washing all

that oil into the short, that's

what keeps me up at night.

BP disaster was

was predictable poorly regulated

industry, you know

maximizing profits cutting

corners taking risks

in some senses, it just happened

to be VP. They're not some

outlier in the industry

The lessons that should have been learned

from the BP disaster have nothing

Dear risky practices

it happen any time you're drilling

in deep water.

In terms of response preparedness

were willfully it unprepared

In fact, we would be

in a similar situation

that we were in 2000

and 10 when it comes to mobilize

in response process is not

a matter of if,

it's a matter of when.

We would like to see them held

fully accountable for causing

the largest man made environmental

disaster in US history

The exploration side,

the industry is moving far

too fast for the response

side and it should be the other

way around. There's also this

absurd honored system

by the industry to report

their own violations the leaks

and suppose that we're finding on a regular

basis. I

played out in vastly

underreported in terms of size

and allowed Tanzania reported are.

The oil and gas industry

is pressuring the federal government

to allow the first step

in offshore drilling in the Atlantic

as soon as possible

This first step known as

seismic air again blasting

not only leads the way for risky

drilling but threatens the survival

of marine species, caught

in the crossfire of these blasts

Seismic air guns towed

by ships and faster

raise in mid blasts

of compressed air into the

ocean mapping the sea floor

for deeply buried pockets

of oil and gas.

The blasts from these air

guns are almost incomprehensible

lout 100,000

times louder than a jet

plane Amgen and powerful

enough to penetrate several

miles deep into the sea

floor the dynamite

like blasts are repeated

every 10 seconds

24 hours a day

3 days to weeks

to even months on end

seismic blasts threaten

not only the hearing of marine

life they threaten their very

survival.

More than half a million people

in coastal communities on the

east coast of the United States

depend on a healthy vibrant

Ocean for their livelihoods seismic

air again blasting will put the

stability of the regional

fisheries and those that

depend on them in jeopardy

Our government is currently

taking steps to open the Atlantic

to offshore drilling in every

single ocean where we have derailed

time and time again

we have spell.

It's scary for me here

that they want put offshore

oil platforms, off the coast

of the Atlantic it is pretty irresponsible

think they're well you know we've learned our

lessons it'll be fine.

If anybody would like to

find out about the

real cost for drilling

offshore they should come see us here

in Louisiana.

When you don't have a life form

a wreath at the reef is dead

The habitats dead I use the

kits ÂŁ10,000 a week

We're down ÂŁ3,000 a week

It's not gonna be pretty light

is they know it will, will

be changed.

Mississippi has seen a 50%

drop in the number

of wetlands along our

coast in a 100

year period.

Any time you move in the oil

and gas will move in America

You then have problems.

You don't have spilled.

At what point are we willing

to say enough.

Democracy is not

a spectator sport.

It sounds sort of rhetorical

and cliched but I've lived

it. I've seen it happen. I've

seen communities come together build

coalitions eyeing that we can work

together and we can break this cycle

On January 20-7

20 4-team trade

Beach North Carolina did

just that this small

community came together

to oppose their mayor's support

for seismic blasting off their

coast citizen after

citizens spoke up and

shared their vision for the.

All we now revealed in here

and say, you know, I have to say

I hope that you will think

again at SATs testing times hard

hats. I want to

have to sell things just first

down steeply Patel might the

them there of players that mean testing

In in the cost of this the incident

to to trade seismic testing

The group also huge residents really

can't see how and I respect

that you offered on its side and the,

but as an elected rappers I believe

through their representatives and I think

people need. It was pretty clear.

Was there they witnessed the

public outcry.

The next week they spoke

for their citizens and unanimously

voted to oppose seismic

blasting.

Resolution Council Eurovision worker

is it poses who does is our mission

and the role the oh.

Really good.

We're gonna start after and

the White House makes sense. There

are many other economically

productive ways that we can

work with our coastline so many

places are heavily dependent on

tourism, which employs

more people. So this is about

dollars and cents.

You know, people need to be thinking about protecting

assets that have.

Our communities,

our oceans our economies

Our future is our choice

Let's not let the wants of the

few outweigh the needs of the

many to your elected officials

stop Atlantic drilling before

it starts joined ICI

a and those have already taken

action and visit W

W W.spilled

repeat.

Politicians that

represent are keen to make

sure that whatever is

going to happen is done

in a manner so that people

are protected.

Because that's what their responsibility

is.