Green Options » offshore oil drilling

Russia Plans a Deadly Mix of Offshore Oil Drilling & Floating Nuclear Reactors in the Arctic

Mridul Chadha — Wed, 06 May 2009 13:58:42 +0000

Russia is planning to build floating and submersible nuclear reactors to power oil drilling platforms which it intends to use to extract the untouched oil and gas reverses of the Arctic.

A floating nuclear power plant is being constructed at the SevMash shipyard in Severodvins located in north-east of Russia.The reactors will provide power to drilling platforms of Gazprom, Russia’s leading oil & gas company. The reactors are described to be capable of storing the nuclear waste on board and would require maintenance once 12 to 14 years.

Environmentalists are up in arms against this move by Russia as such a move could spell doomsday for the pristine and untouched environment of the Arctic region.

Environmental Disaster

Just recently there were calls by environmentalists that the number of tourists visiting Antarctica need to be reduced as the fragile Antarctic ecosystem needed to be protected. Scientists have also raised concerns about the alien or non-native species arriving in Antarctic seas and affecting the balance of the region’s ecosystem. During his research, environmental scientist John Priscu found the adverse effects of the presence of humans, limited to researchers of various countries, on the frozen island.

U.S. Starts Process of Offshore Oil Drilling Near Virginia Coast

Timothy B. Hurst — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 21:34:41 +0000

The federal government took steps on Thursday to begin oil and natural gas exploration off the coast of Virginia. The Minerals Management Service (MMS) estimates that this area under consideration, beginning at least 50 miles offshore, may contain 130 million barrels of oil and 1.14 trillion cubic feet of natural gas.

Bush Urges Congress to Move on Energy Policy

Timothy B. Hurst — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 07:18:44 +0000

In his weekly radio address on Saturday, President Bush said Congress was ignoring the American public’s wishes by not expanding offshore drilling on the outer continental shelf.

“If members of Congress do not support the American people at the gas pump, then they should not expect the American people to support them at the ballot box,” Bush warned.

President Bush said before members of Congress begin their heavy campaigning, they shouldn’t leave Washington without addressing high gas prices. “At the very least,” the President suggested, “Congress should take action on three common sense energy solutions that enjoy bipartisan support.” Those are: