Drilling for Oil and Gas and its effects on Geology
...g an average of 19.5 million barrels of oil per day (Sundance Resources Inc., 2002) Next I would like to tell you about an uncommon but scary event that happened while a company was drilling a well on Padre Island. BNP petroleum was drilling a well on Padre Island and was using a tool to measure ground density around the hole that contained radioactive elements, americium and beryllium and lost the tool about 10,000 feet down the hole. ¡§The radioactive isotopes in the hole will remain radioactive for over 4.000 years (The Sierra Club, 2002).¡¨ As you can tell there are some major risks involved in some operations in this industry. ¡§Documents obtained by the Sierra Club show that on February 4, 2002 BNP sent a letter to the Texas Railroad Commission requesting permission to abandon the americium/ beryllium tool 10,565 feet down the hole and cover it with a 100 foot red dyed cement plug (The Sierra Club, 2002).¡¨ As with all industries the environment you are working around has to be considered. The Bedford Institute of Oceanography has done extensive research on the interactions between offshore oil and gas operations and the marine environment. ¡§Offshore oil and gas operations off the east coast of Canada have increased dramatically within the last decade and are expanding to include shallow coastal and deep slope waters. Environmental factors such as ice, waves, currents and seabed structure and stability can greatly affect these activities. Conversely, there is also the potential that some oil and gas activities may impact the environment (The Bedford Institute, 2002).¡¨ As we have learned in geology almost anything that changes a wave¡¦s path or a currents path can have a negative effect on the overall structure of the area, due to erosion and deposition. Offshore drilling can not only affect the topography and water patterns in the area, but it can affect the life in the surrounding waters. ¡§Laboratory studies of the behavior of fine drilling waste particles in seawater suggest that flocculation could result in the rapid transport of this material to the seafloor. This is in contrast to the previous view that these particles settle too slowly to accumulate to levels that can impact benthic organisms (The Bedford Institute, 2002).¡¨ ¡§Scallops feed on particles in the benthic boundary layer, where wastes can accumulate, and exposures to different drilling wastes showed that important biological effects can result at waste levels that are lower than previously reported for other species tested (The Bedford Institute, 2002).¡¨ As with all issues today you have groups devoted to outlaw certain processes in certain areas, like animal rights activists. ¡§Some special places, such as the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, are too wild to waste and should be off limits to oil and gas exploration. Other special places, such as the Great Lakes, are too precious to risk with hasty decisions and inadequate protections (National Wildlife Foundation, 2001).¡¨ Many people feel that drilling under the Great lakes is too risky right now without some safeguards in place. ¡§The Great Lakes and their shorelines are the crown jewels of Michigan. Their value ¡V for drinking water, boating, fishing, orchards and vineyards, tourism, quality places to live and work, and as critical habitat for fish and wildlife ¡V is priceless (National Wildlife Foundation, 2001).¡¨ The NWF has proposed some criteria that they feel should be met in order to drill in this area. ¡§To protect people and wildlife, the National Wildlife Federation believes we should not resume drilling for oil and gas under the Great Lakes until the following criteria are met: No directional drilling without sound science, No directional drilling without proof, no directional drilling until we have a national energy plan that reduces pollution, Additional Background on directional drilling in Michigan (National Wildlife Foundation, 2001).¡¨ As you can see the NWF wants the process to become more diffic...