Red, White, and Oil

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The industrial parts of the world depend on oil. The world uses oil to make gas that powers cars machines upon other things. The way big countries get oil is buying oil from big oil companies like Bp and the Exxon mobile. These big companies are very well known. Both of these major companies have had massive oil spills. The Exxon Valdez oil spill happened in Alaska in 1989. Bp had an even more oil spill in 2010. Oil spills are dangerous for the environment. The oil spills mainly happen in the ocean where there are many animals like fish and microscopic bacteria. The oil ruins their habitation and makes it difficult for the animals to live there. There is also plant life that lives in the ocean like seaweed and coral. When oil spills happen the oil companies clean it up; but some of the chemicals they use to clean the oil spill up can also be harmful. The way that the oil company’s clean it up is just as dangerous. The wild life and oceans that were already harmed, are being harmed farther during clean up.
Congressional Digest wrote, “Oil is the dominant source of energy in the United States, supplying the Nation with approximately 40 percent of its energy needs.” Oil is a necessity for the world right now. The problem is that the way they extract oil is dangerous. The same article wrote that, “Even a relatively minor oil spill can cause significant harm to individual organisms and entire populations.” Oil is so harmful and needs to be cleaned up effectively and quickly. The problem is that the chemicals they use to clean the oil up are not a quick fix. They use things like skimmers and boom. The other problem with the cleanup process is that all the oil isn’t cleaned up. It is almost impossible for all the o...

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...er Continental Shelf Lands Act Amendments, and the national oil and hazardous substances pollution contingency plan. Most of these laws made it so the companies were held to full liability instead of other people, places or companies.

Works Cited

"BP Oil Spill -- Not Over Yet. (Cover Story)." Oil Spill Intelligence Report 33.33 (2010): 1- 3. Academic Search Premier. Web. 23 Apr. 2014.
Dudley, Bob. "BP Is In The Gulf To Stay." Vital Speeches Of The Day 76.11 (2010): 487- 489. Academic Search Premier. Web. 23 Apr. 2014.
Gandel, Stephen. "Cleaning Up On The Spill." Time 176.3 (2010): 24-27. Academic Search Premier. Web. 23 Apr. 2014.
"Impact Of Oil Spills."Congressional Digest 89.6 (2010): 167-192. Academic Search Premier. Web. 23 Apr. 2014.
MacKenzie, Dana. "Operation Clean-Up." New Scientist 212.2836 (2011): 46-49. Academic Search Premier. Web. 23 Apr. 2014.

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