Over the summer, HBO began airing its 2010 Summer Series of documentaries; one that I found particularly interesting was Gasland, a film by Josh Fox. This was right around the Deepwaters Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and the public eye was focused down south; however, this documentary was centered in the Midwest. Josh Fox traveled the United States and dissected the practice and effects of drilling in the Midwest through interviews and information. I've seen the images of oil pumps in the blazing flat-lands of Texas and others states, such as the one at the top of this page; but I had never even heard of the spread of Big Oil Company drilling in the Midwest, the destruction and contamination they cause to the land and water, or the loopholes in government policies that allow this to happen.
My blog will focus on the who, what, where, when, why, and hows of this debate. Who is doing this and who is getting affected? What is small oil drilling and where is it happening? When did it start and why hasn't it stopped? How is the government knowingly allowing these companies to destroy the great American Frontier? I will examine these questions and both sides of the argument: the environmentalists that condemn this act and the corporate businessmen who control and instigate it. Through research, video and news postings, and examples I will dissect the practices of the Big Oil Companies and attempt to determine the correct stance on the issue. I aim to give my readers enough knowledge on the topic to have thier own opinions.
I hope you enjoy reading,
HB
Very interesting topic choice, Houston Brown! Your subject is such an important issue that should garner more national attention than it does. In reality, the debate itself does not really gain media attention at all, due to special interest money and the sensationalism of most news sources.
ReplyDeleteI feel that you will have many resources to work with for the oil debate. There are many reports on environmental pollution and incidents of corruption within the Big Oil Companies that lay obscure and need to be brought to the surface. I recommend that you try searching third party sites for initial statistical information as a setup before diving into the crossfire between environmentalists and the corporations. The tricky thing is to check to check the third-party sites for bias. In order to build a more fleshed out understanding of the issue, it’s important to gain statistical information that has not been skewed to represent special interests. Make sure statistics that you source do not originate from “third-party groups” that work in allegiance with oil companies or radical environmentalist groups. The original surveyors generally list affiliations some where on their site---best to check them and see who the groups are involved with.
I am really looking forward to the topics you produce. The issue means much to me personally, so I will follow your blog avidly.
As a huge supporter of national parks I am outraged the government is allowing drilling to extend its reach to the Midwest of the United States. If it is not controlled soon, I am sure it will continue to spread out past the Midwest destroying even more natural landscapes. We live in a world where the demand for oil increases every day because our supply is so limited. In years to come we will become more and more desperate for oil, and will be willing to drill in places we normally would not have allowed it. Not all national parks and landscapes will be affected by this but I am certain a few will. While I knew the U.S. drilled in Texas, I was completely unaware that it was creeping further into the Midwest. Drilling for oil has become a hot topic recently, especially with the disaster in the Gulf Coast, as well as our search for alternative energy sources. Drilling for oil is necessary for energy, but it creates a great deal of pollution and as we have seen can cause extreme environmental tragedies. I hope we can find an alternative energy source soon, so we can eliminate the need for drilling. In the mean time it is necessary to make sure drilling does not extend more into the Midwest (even reducing the amount of current drilling would also be helpful). I would hate to see the natural beauty of America ruined just so we could produce a few gallons of gas. You seem to know much about this topic already and I hope you are able to discover why drilling as spread into the Midwest and the problems it will cause.
ReplyDeleteI had no idea that America was drilling in the Midwest and it contributed to the destruction of the wildlife there. The environment is becoming a bigger issue in the United States every day because of the oil crisis and people are worried that we are abusing our power as human beings. Fossil fuels are being burned at an insatiable rate and people are finally starting to realize that our lifestyle has effects on the environment. It seems like I learn about a new way in which the human race is damaging the environment every day and thanks to you I was enlightened about the damages drilling in the Midwest causes. I’m enraged because it seems like the government is trying to hide what they are doing to the environment all over the country, because all they care about is making money. I am very intrigued in your topic and will be following it closely. I hope that as American people become more informed about what the government is doing to our environment, such as drilling in the Midwest, the government will be more cautious and open about the projects they pursue. I wonder if increased pressure from the constituents cause a change in the governments policies? It seems like everyone in America wants something different from the government, but most people should agree on the fact that we only have one shot at preserving our environment and we should all work together to see that it isn’t exploited.
ReplyDeleteThank you guys for all the comments and support of my blog’s topic. I’m glad my blog is opening the eyes of some people and informing more Americans on the issues that are happening not just in the ocean but in our own public national park land. This is the exact same effect that “GasLand” had on me; it astonished me that so much was happening in our own backyards and the Government was allowing it to continue. Specifically to Mr.Cash, I completely agree; the land that many rigs are already set up on is BLM land that the government set aside for the public use and enjoyment (I’ll have a whole other post dedicated to this later). How can the people enjoy this land when there are oil rigs scattered across it; not only is it destroying the aesthetic value of this land, it is destroying the biological environment as well. In response to Sparky, I agree with your statements as well; with the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico the media is focused almost exclusively on the offshore drilling. Even while searching for information on drilling in the Midwest and recently the Northeast almost seventy five percent of the information is still on Offshore Drilling.
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