Author: redib

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Star Petroleum Promises to Pay for Oil Spill Cleanup South of Bangkok

Over a week ago, a breach occurred in a pipeline for a refinery’s loading buoy. This resulted in over 40,000 gallons of oil spilling along the coast of Thailand’s Rayong Province. In addition, the oil has drifted ashore at Mae Ramphueng, a popular beach destination. Since then, the governor has declared the beach as a “disaster zone” and it is completely affecting the entire area around it.  Because of this, Thailand’s Pollution Control Department is asking for the Star Petroleum company to pay for “every penny” of the cost to remediate the spill. Furthermore, the hope is now that more oil doesn’t spread to nearby beaches. 

 

Reading this story, it is deeply disappointing that more of these oil spills are going on. Oil spills are so harmful to the ecosystems in these oceans as the wildlife succumb to thousands of deadly chemicals and pollutants. This is more than just a temporary ban of not going to the beach today as each oil spill is contributing more to hurting our planet. Even more so, not only do the chemicals in the oil affect the plants, animals, ph/salinity levels, but it also affects the air we breathe. It’s a good thing that Thailand’s Pollution Control Department is holding Star Petroleum accountable. 

 

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Navy Recovers 3m Litres of Crude Oil, Arrests 13 Pipeline Vandals

The past week, the Nigerian Navy troops arrested 13 people for suspected  pipeline vandals and recovered about three million liters of crude oil and diesel in a major operation in Rivers. The suspects were arrested in  Akuku Toru by troops attached to “Operation River Dominance. ” These troops have been supportive of the State Government’s fight against the illegal refineries. The men are said to have destroyed over 44 illegal refineries and seized 14 large wooden boats. One of the men states “We are gaining more grounds as we dismantle more illegal refining sites in the ongoing operations”. 

 

This was an unusual positive story about Petroleum/oil in which we never see. These troops are doing an exceptional job as they are eliminating criminals as well as helping and caring for the environment. The fact that they have destroyed “over 44 illegal refeiners” shows how productive they have been and how they are doing more than their part for helping all of the pollution that is being a result of Petroleum/oil. Glad to see that they are continuing to help in all that they can. 

 

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Peru opens probe of oil spill blamed on Tonga volcano and Tsunami

Following the Volcanic eruption at Tonga, powerful tsunami’s swept the Pacific Ocean. Peru, being near Tonga, was hit with waves causing an oil spill at a local refinery. A black mass of crude oil could be seen in the water extending some 3 km along the shoreline. In addition, the oil spill has been affecting the beaches of three coastal districts, which is causing danger to the ecosystems of the marine life that lives there. There is said to be 33 million dollars in fines due to environmental damage towards the  companies of the oil operation. “Work is being done to return the coastal area to its original state. More than 200 people divided into crews with specialized equipment are carrying out” – Pampilla Refinery. 

 

It’s very unfortunate that this situation had to happen. Natural disasters are bound to happen which is something we cannot control. My question is why are there so many oil drilling operations near the ocean. I understand that the ocean sea floor most likely has an abundance of oil but it seems to be very unsafe. As I do more research on Petroleum/oil, I am regularly finding oil spills in the news. There has to be better ways of retrieving oil.

 

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Uganda, Tanzania Finalize Terms for Oil Drilling and Pipeline Project

Starting by 2025, African countries have agreed to terms for oil drilling and pipeline projects. These countries include Uganda and Tanzania who are finalizing a 10 billion dollar deal with Chinese and French oil companies. They plan on the pipeline carrying about 60,000 barrels of oil to Tainzina alone. For Uganda, they are estimated to have around 6.5 billion barrels of oil. Because of this, civil society organizations have been outraged and are protesting this agreement. The oil drilling is taking place close to Lake Albert which is violating the rights of those communities near the lake. In fact, the French company taking part in the deal, Total Energies, is facing a lawsuit for failing to protect human rights. This project was supposed to start years sooner but due to the backlash from civil society groups, they had to delay.

 

This article further details how these big, powerful companies will always have their way over the people. Yes, Uganda and Tanzania are poor countries so this deal would help them financially but the rights and safety of the people is much more important. These oil drills and pipeline constructions take up a substantial amount of space. That space is inherently for the people that live near Lake Alberta so doing this will put those communities homeless. Hopefully if they do go through with this project, they’ll find a way to keep those communities and families safe and happy. 

 

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U.S. oil prices top $90 a barrel for the first time since 2014

For the first time since 2014, the United States oil price has reached 90 dollars a barrel.  This is by far the most expensive oil has been in the last couple of years and it is mostly due to our pandemic. During our pandemic, the number of people driving to work decreased a substantial amount which resulted in people using less oil. As a result, oil prices dropped exponentially which damaged our economy greatly.  Presently, we are still trying to recover from that deep fall which is the primary reason why the prices are so high. Furthermore, the prices are still increasing  “oil seems like it’s going to make a run towards $100 oil pretty soon” 

 

This article overviews how problematic the prices for oil are in today’s day and age. If you ask any person especially in the bay area, they’ll complain to you on how much they are spending on gas. I did an article on the rising prices in the beginning of the year and since then, the prices have reached another 10-15 dollars a barrel. That is a dramatic increase. I understand how we are still making up for how much our pandemic contributed to this but hopefully these prices won’t jump any higher. 

 

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Exxon’s oil drilling gamble off Guyana coast ‘poses major environmental risk

Juhasz, Antonia. (2021, August 17). Exxon’s oil drilling gamble off Guyana coast ‘poses major environmental risk.’ The Guardian, pp. 1–4. From https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/aug/17/exxon-oil-drilling-guyana-disaster-risk

In South America, the powerful oiling company Exxon,  has been extracting oil from the coast of Guyana. Their operation has been going since 2019 where they have been deepwater drilling for vast amounts of oil. They have now received charges for disregard for safety from experts who believe that  the company has “failed to adequately prepare for possible disaster”.  In addition, experts have been reporting that the company has been taking advantage of the weak Guyana government by abusing their resources and being extremely unsafe. By 2025, the company hopes to produce over 800,00o gallons of oil per day which would make them the largest single source of fossil fuel production anywhere in the world.

 

This article demonstrates the overwhelming amount of power these big companies have throughout the world. They are taking advantage of a weak, poor country for the use of its oil while destroying its land. The article has illustrated numerous times of how destructive these oil drilling are to the environment as they are polluting the water. Furthermore, the enormous amounts of oil they are expected to produce by 2025 is unbelievable as they are taking the lead into worsening global warming.

 

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Oil pipeline protest in Green Bay aimed at stopping construction, protecting land and water

Krall, Allie. (2021, August 7). Oil pipeline protest in Green Bay aimed at stopping construction, protecting land and water. First Alert, pp. 1–2. From https://www.wbay.com/2021/08/07/oil-pipeline-protest-green-bay-stop-construction-protect-land-water/

In Green Bay,  Wisconsin, there are numerous protests going on over the construction of oil pipelines. These pipelines are very poorly built and according to the JOSHUA Environmental Justice Task Force,  Justice Peche,  “There has never been a pipeline that doesn’t leak.” The leakage of these oil pipelines has been extremely destructive to the wild rice fields in Minnesota, Michigan, and Wisconsin. Furthermore, these pipelines are coming all the way from Alberta, Canada to Wisconsin,  transporting crude oil and natural gas liquids.  Additionally, they’re violating the rights of the citizens that live there by destroying their land and ability to hunt, fish, and gather on. Overall, this issue not only affects climate change, but it affects the importance of human rights as well. 

 

Unfortunately, this article details another instance of oil leakage in the US and how badly it is affecting the people around it. I completely stand for the people protesting for the removal of these oil pipelines as it has been creating problems for everyone living near that area of Green Bay. The toxicity of oil is ridiculously unhealthy as it can create a lot of health problems and even cancer if the people are overly exposed. Moreover, the fact that the oil could be potentially getting into your food such as the rice is just plainly unacceptable.  In all, oil is just so bad in all cases as it affects our environment, our health, and our world. 

 

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U.S. Still 2020 Global Leader in Petroleum, Natural Gas Production Despite Pandemic Drop-Off. Natural Gas Intel

Shelor, Jeremiah. (2021, July 22). U.S. Still 2020 Global Leader in Petroleum, Natural Gas Production Despite Pandemic Drop-Off. Natural Gas Intel , pp. 1–2. From https://www.naturalgasintel.com/u-s-still-2020-global-leader-in-petroleum-natural-gas-production-despite-pandemic-drop-off/

 

For the seventh year in a row, the US has held globe status as the  leading producer of petroleum and natural gas. Even through the decline in production during the Pandemic, the US was still able to maintain their dominance in the oil industry. The countries trailing the US include Russia and Saudi Arabia. All three countries saw a decline in 2020 as the spread of the coronavirus deeply affected the use of oil.  Crude oil (Petroleum) took the biggest hit as it fell 1.9 quads compared to natural gas actually increasing .4 quads in 2020.  Following 2020, the production in oil and natural gas has been increasing exponentially and will keep doing so if unaccompanied by another covid lockdown. 

 

Similarly to the first article above,  this article details the effect the pandemic had on the production of oil with not only the US but other countries as well.  Among those countries, the US was still the leader in production and has been for quite a while.  Although economically, this is very good for the US, but evidence like this has shown time and time again that they have done a poor job in handling the global warming crisis. In other words, they are additionally leading in the production of fossil fuels into our air and the rising temperatures we see today. Natural gas, oil, coal, etc. are all fossil fuels, and when burned, they release CO2 and other greenhouse gases that traps heat in our atmosphere. 

 

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Section 6 separated from Golden Ray; oil discharged from the ship

Hobbs, Larry. (2021, July 31). Section 6 separated from Golden Ray; oil discharged from the ship. The Brunswick News, pp. 1–3. From https://thebrunswicknews.com/breaking/section-6-separated-from-golden-ray-oil-discharged-from-ship/article_2409adb7-13a5-5ff6-a315-59ea8f677629.html

 

In BRUNSWICK, Georgia, the Cargo ship known as the Golden Ray sank almost two years ago from today. Since then, workers are still trying to remove the massive ship off of the coast of Georgia. Unfortunately in the removal of the section 6 (ship is split into sections for removal) part of the ship, large amounts of oil leaked through the ship and into the ocean. The ocean shores have darkened which appears to look like an “ink blotter” of oil on the surface of the water. Because of this,  the Coastal Health District is urging swimmers and recreational fishers to stay away from the water as the oil can cause immense damage to your skin.  

 

This article demonstrates how destructive oil is to our environment. Not only do we use oil to pollute the air we breathe, but it also can pollute our very own oceans with mistakes like these.  The entire Georgia coast has completely shut down with the ocean surface looking more dark than blue. The worst part is to think about the wildlife living in those parts of the ocean and to have their whole habitat destroyed. In addition, the amount of chemicals from the oil is very harmful toward the health of these animals in the ocean. It is very shocking how this story is being depicted as a daily occurrence which summarizes lack of care for our environment. 

 

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Oil climbs, notches fourth monthly gain on growing demand

Kumar, Devika. K. (2021,  July 30). Oil climbs, notches fourth monthly gain on growing demand. Reuter’s, pp. 1–3.  From https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/oil-falls-heads-strong-weekly-gain-demand-growth-2021-07-30/

 

Following the Pandemic, the prices of oil have seen to be increasing dramatically. For the fourth month this year, the leading internationally traded crude oil, Brent, has seen a huge increase in their prices. In May of 2021, the highest price of crude oil was 70.05 dollars per barrel compared to 77.81 dollars per barrel in July. That’s over a 10 percent increase over the course of the last 2 months. This is in all of a resurgence of our demand for oil due to our country opening up again. In November/December, the range of prices was around 35-45 dollars per barrel compared to it being almost doubled now. In addition, prices are only going to rise even further before the pandemic due to the fact that they need to make up for last year’s fall.

 

This article illustrated the before and after effects of the post Pandemic. The difference between oil prices in last year’s fall compared to now is remarkable. It displays how big of a difference staying inside all day working at home compared to our normal daily life has on our consumption of oil. Oil or petroleum, has an additional impact on the environment as well as the economy being our leading source to global warming. That being said, I think the use of less oil is actually one of the bright sides of our Pandemic. Less people driving and using fossil fuels is one of the keys to decreasing the rising temperatures of global warming. Sadly, the article above presented the increase in oil prices which is detrimental to helping the cause of global warming.