Hum-111 Week 2 Assignment
To Drill or Not To Drill
My view on the subject of looking for more oil by drilling in places that have not been checked before is it is unnecessary. If the companies that put such effort toward blocking attempts to phase in more alternative sources for power put the effort into developing these alternatives sources the world would be much healthier. The oil industry is one of the richest and most powerful industries in the world today and this industry is fighting against the change to cleaner and more environmentally safe energy alternatives. The reason for the oil industry to resist this change is pure greed. The industry stands to lose a great deal of money if the United States government phases out the use of fossil fuels.
To illustrate the political tug-of-war played out in the field of power generation consider the following; Thirty years ago then President Jimmy Carter had solar panels installed on the White House roof then, after President Ronald Reagan took office, the solar panels disappeared. The only reason for this that I can see would be the anti-oil industry image created by the existence of the solar panels on top of the White House did not fit into Ronald Reagan and George Bush’s agenda, especially because George Bush is an oil baron. This is proof of resistance to change from the highest level of the United States government.
I live close to a closed down oil refinery that was operated by Amoco in Sugar Creek, Missouri. The surrounding neighborhoods once thriving and full of families currently stands desolate and empty because of the pollutants from the now closed refinery. The property values dropped and Amoco bought the homes in the surrounding neighborhoods. I have taken several drives through these areas just out of curiosity and I see the homes as a sign of the carelessness of the oil industry. Amoco claims the ground water is polluted but there is no trace of the pollutants in the drinking water. When I was a child I would drink water
My view on the subject of looking for more oil by drilling in places that have not been checked before is it is unnecessary. If the companies that put such effort toward blocking attempts to phase in more alternative sources for power put the effort into developing these alternatives sources the world would be much healthier. The oil industry is one of the richest and most powerful industries in the world today and this industry is fighting against the change to cleaner and more environmentally safe energy alternatives. The reason for the oil industry to resist this change is pure greed. The industry stands to lose a great deal of money if the United States government phases out the use of fossil fuels.
To illustrate the political tug-of-war played out in the field of power generation consider the following; Thirty years ago then President Jimmy Carter had solar panels installed on the White House roof then, after President Ronald Reagan took office, the solar panels disappeared. The only reason for this that I can see would be the anti-oil industry image created by the existence of the solar panels on top of the White House did not fit into Ronald Reagan and George Bush’s agenda, especially because George Bush is an oil baron. This is proof of resistance to change from the highest level of the United States government.
I live close to a closed down oil refinery that was operated by Amoco in Sugar Creek, Missouri. The surrounding neighborhoods once thriving and full of families currently stands desolate and empty because of the pollutants from the now closed refinery. The property values dropped and Amoco bought the homes in the surrounding neighborhoods. I have taken several drives through these areas just out of curiosity and I see the homes as a sign of the carelessness of the oil industry. Amoco claims the ground water is polluted but there is no trace of the pollutants in the drinking water. When I was a child I would drink water
References: Hormsy, G. (July, 24, 2001). Power To the People. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db-f5h&AN=4827494&site=ehost-live Orshal, J. (May, 12, 1999). Brain Tumors Stump BP Amoco. Chemical Week, Vol. 161(Issue 19), p48.