The Environmental Effects of The Oil Industry
The worst imaginable environmental catastrophe that could occur in Maryland has just become a reality. The lifeblood of Southern Maryland's Watermen has been forever affected. The ecosystems of the Patuxtent River and Chesapeake Bay have been irreversibly contaminated. The Three Mile Island and Chernobyl Nuclear Accidents have affected the world ecosystems; but the Chalk Point oil spill has reached us here in Southern Maryland. The ethical considerations with generating electricity from fossil fuels, specifically oil, has a profound impact on us all. We all use electricity to make our lives easier and more productive. By using this electricity have we given our permission for the oil companies free reign in order to provide us with the service we demand?? Are we just as responsible for the oil spill as the corporate leaders who run the companies? As citizens we are in a position to develop and enforce regulations to protect ourselves. Do we also protect the environment; or is the environment just something for us to use? These and many other moral dilemmas exist for modern man.
The world wide oil industry supplies mankind with many life improving products and services. At the same time these technological advances challenge us with numerous ethical considerations.
Electricity is one of the chief products of the oil industry. We use oil to heat our homes and businesses. We use oil to produce electricity to light our homes and businesses also.
Transportation is another benefit of oil. Of course we all know that we use oil to run our vehicles, but that is not the only benefit. Oil is also used in combustion engines.
The oil industry ha...
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...emonstrated above each group identified has a chance to police and control the operation of these facilities. They all can choose to pass the buck and blame someone else; or they can step up and take control. We all have an ethical responsibility to do what is right. We need to protect the environment while ensuring human prosperity. The Government is here for us, they work for us and we must ensure that they do what we want, not what is best for industry or big business.
Work Cited
"Facts about Oil." American Petroleum Institute. Online American Petroleum Institute October 21 1999
"Frequently Asked Questions." American Petroleum Institute. Online 1995-2000, American Petroleum Institute June 17 1998
United States. Cong. Constitution of the United States of America. Washington: GPO 1999
Beavers, Patsy. Telephone interview. 2 October 2000
Exxon/Mobil, one of the nation’s leading oil producers, has its main refinery located in Beaumont, Texas. Each year, the residents of Beaumont/Port Arthur have to contend with the 39,000 pounds of pollution spewed each year by the Exxon refinery. Exxon’s emissions are 385% above the state refinery average. In 1999, the Texas Natural Resources Conservation Committee (TNRCC) allowed the plant to increase their emissions, without allowing the public to have a say in the matter. Interestingly, 95% of the people living near the plant are of African American descent and are in the poverty range. Some believe that this, along with the lack of education in the area, allows Exxon to get away with such high emissions. Residents in nearby neighborhoods have been complaining of headaches, nausea, eye, and throat irritation for years. Since 1997, Mobil has repeatedly violated health standards in its emissions of two key air pollutants: sulfur dioxide and hydrogen sulfide, These “rotten egg” smells are so strong, one can smell it through a car driving past the refinery. After numerous complaints and one record of a refinery worker becoming unconscious because of the fumes, the EPA awarded Exxon with a $100,000 environmental justice grant in October of 1998. Hopefully, Exxon has put the money to good use and cleaned up their emissions.
The Environmental Protection Agency, or EPA is the result of a 1970 executive order by President Richard Nixon for the purpose of protecting the environment of the United States through regulation on business and citizens. Public opinion on the Environmental Protection Agency has been divided fairly evenly across the population of the United States as of recently, as compared to the widespread public concern of the 50’s and 60’s that led to the agency’s creation. Recently the agency has come under scrutiny for its contributions of millions of dollars in grants to researchers in order to hide the potential trade off of its actions in order to further the agency’s agenda. The EPA’s ever-expanding regulation could end up harming more than it actually
There is an abundance of oil underneath earth’s crust on land and in the water but getting to that oil can be proven as a challenge and a negative impact on the earth. Many of these oil reservoirs lie in federally protected land or water to minimize the negative impact on the earth. But should those restrictions be removed? Removing the restrictions can allow the US to tap into domestic reserves rather than rely on imported oil from the Middle East and Asia but tapping these reservoirs can also leave behind an impact that is harmful to this planet. “Critics oppose this move for fear that it will cause irreparable harm environmental harm. They point to the April 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico as evidence of the risks associated with offshore drilling” (SIRS).
In some shape or form, nearly all aspects of American life contribute to unnecessary exploitation of natural resources. The automobile is a staple of American life and culture, and perhaps best exemplifies Americans’ dependence on gross quantities of raw materials. On any given day, over 235 million vehicles travel 11 billion miles on U.S. highways, consuming nearly 20 million barrels of oil daily 1,2,3. Worldwide, oil consumption has reached a 16-year high of 80.6 million barrels per day 17. Most important of all, proven oil reserves around the world only provide roughly 40 years of production at these current rates 18. Oil consumers ignore this reality either through lack of education or simple apathy, because right now there are no immediate consequences to consuming such vast volumes of a polluting, non-renewable resource. Numbers like those mentioned above are so large it is difficult for one to fathom their true magnitude, however they still convey the reliance average Americans have on their automobiles and oil.
In the Macondo blowout case, (Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill), leaders within Transocean and British Petroleum (BP) processed a “by any means necessary” mentality as well. The company cultures promoted doing whatever was possible to enhance profits. This oil leak and explosion, resulted in the loss of 11 lives, destroyed beaches and wetlands, and killed multiple wildlife species. The most telling piece of information throughout this case is that the oil spill and explosion could ...
Growing up near the Chesapeake Bay, I was bombarded with guest speakers since elementary school about protecting the environment. I knew what an ecosystem was by fifth grade, and in seventh grade our class went on a class trip to Smith Island and Port Isabel in the Chesapeake Bay for more intensive education about how humans are connected to ecosystems. Water and ecosystems are important to public health all over the globe, as water touches all of our lives. And when this water is contaminated by oil, many global health issues are caused, but these problems to health may be worth the profits gained from oil.
We find ourselves in unique situation. A debate of whether it is right to dig up oil in the Great Lakes. The lakes are known to contain oil and natural gas, but what risk does that play to our environment? The two sides in this debate both have their valid points. It is right to preserve wildlife, but oil is also a highly valuable commodity in today’s market. People often stress that we must take care of our planet because it is the only one we have. Why then do we destroy thousands of square miles of rainforest for wood? Why is there so much emphasis on industrialization, and not enough on the preservation of our Earth? Why do we need to use so much, nevertheless waste so much? Our environment and world is declining at a rate at which we cannot afford. It will be sad to see our planet in another few hundred years. We need to start preserving our environment, and not drilling our Great Lakes for oil is a great place to start. If we drill for oil, we will lose much wildlife, destroy habitats, have possible oil spills, and in fact endanger ourselves in the long run.
BP was founded in 1908 under the name Anglo-Persian Oil Company. They changed their name to British Petroleum in 1954 and merged with Amoco in 1998. (BP Public Website, 2010) “The Texas City Refinery is BP’s largest and most complex oil refinery... It was owned and operated by Amoco prior to the merger of BP and Amoco.” (Michael P. Broadribb, 2006) Throughout their history, there have been a number of accidents that have been caused by negligence and disregard of safety precautions. Unfortunately many lives have been cut short or seriously injured as a result. My research will focus on the 2005 Texas City Oil Refinery Explosion. I will attempt to look into the ethical implications that surrounded this disaster before and after the event and suggest what BP could have done to prevent the incident then and in the future.
Oil is what is used to lubricate the engine and transmission. Mobil 1 makes a lot of different types of oil. One type of oil is Delvac 1300. Another type that they make is turbo charged engines. Another Mobil 1 product is ESP for catalytic converters & Diesel particulate fluid only. And finally, Mobil 1 Delvac 1 ESP. Oil is a nonrenewable resource, and theres not alot of it. Oil is one of the greatest resources found on earth it is used for lots of things.
Number one of one hundred ninety six countries. The United States tops the list of most oil consumption with our outrageous addiction to fossil fuels. With demand comes price, but there is a silver lining to the nearly $4.00 per gallon cost. The ‘Ecologist’ shares “Above all, cheaper oil would ease concerns about inflation, and so reduce the need for central bankers to increase interest rates. ("The heat is off; Oil.")” Petroleum is everywhere; consumer or commercial, products or fuel. Its the blood of America and has a powerful effect on all commerce. Infla...
" Oil is the life blood of our modern industrial society. It fuels the machines and lubricates the wheels of the world’s production. But when that vital resource is out of control, it can destroy marine life and devastate the environment and economy of an entire region…. The plain facts are that the technology of oil-- its extraction, its transport, its refinery and use-- has outpaced laws to control that technology and prevent oil from polluting the environment…" (Max, 1969). Oil in its many forms has become one of the necessities of modern industrial life. Under control, and serving its intended purpose, oil is efficient, versatile, and productive. On the other hand, when oil becomes out of control, it can be one of the most devastating substances in the environment. When spilled in water, it spreads for miles around leaving a black memory behind (Stanley, 1969).
The world is run on oil, oil is one of the most important resource of our time and as the United States seeks to gain control of the product that they require immensely, corporations are willing to overstep and violate ecosystems and displace and disrupt the lives of certain residents in order to provide the supply. There is a contentious calculation of ecological and legal viability that is balanced with economic benefits that allow corporations to violate the rights of humans and the nature and environment that
Today, many marine animals are in danger because of man’s greed for oil. Many people believe that oil spills should be monitored and that the oil company or person that are responsible for the oil spill, must pay a fine to clean it up. Even more Americans believe that oil spills could be reduced if we put limits on the number of drilling platforms and enforce stronger laws and punishments. Oil spills are a cause of accidents on oil drilling platforms, and these spills affect the environment, economy, and tourism industry. Therefore, because oil spills lead to animal deaths, tax increases, and negatively affect gas prices, we must limit oil drilling and increase oil drilling safety procedures to diminish oil spills. Both land and marine animals are immediately impacted by oil spills.
Ethical issues develop when environmental regulations in a host nation are less than the home nation. Developed nations have established many regulations regarding pollution, where as developing nations often lack regulations. Lack of regulations often causes developing country’s to experience higher levels of pollution. Nigeria, the most populous country in Africa, is a country whose people have experienced environmental problems because foreign multinationals are allowed to operate their businesses while committing human rights violations. In the case study, Shell and Nigerian Oil, by William Newberry and Thomas N Gladwin, Royal Dutch/Shell Group the largest foreign oil producer in Africa has been publically criticized for extracting oil from ethnic communities such the Ogoni people living near the Nigerian River Delta. The once fertile land served as a major source of food for the highly populated region, but was turned into a waste land full of pollution and land degradation caused by the company’s production of oil. In his paper I will discuss role that the people of Nigeria faced and will discuss how a relativist, universalist, Donaldson, Smith, Friedman, Marx and Bowie would view ethical or unethical role that the Shell Oil Company’s played in the situation.
The importance of oil to the modern world is unique in character and far-reaching in scope. It is a singularly autonomous variable in the world economy and it is used inter alia for transportation, heating and production.