Drilling for Oil in Deep Water
Offshore drilling provides job opportunities to the locals in the coastal states improving their livelihood. Infrastructural construction to facilitate oil production and transportation is another added financial benefit of oil drilling to the state government and the people. The implications of these benefits to the state government form the basis of considering offshore drilling.
On the contrary, other factors apart from financial interest have financial implications for the coastal states. The environmental cost incurred is a major factor that influences decision-making. Pollution from waste disposal and oil spills places an additional economic burden on the coastal states. The cost and social benefits obtained from production, accidents, and environmental destruction are important factors that influence the decision to undertake the extraction of natural resources (Enger and Smith 56). Pollution due to inhalation of poisonous gasses or unsafe water causes health-related problems and requires an extra cost for treatment. Oil spills and disposal of waste products pollute water and destroy aquatic animals, and thus, negating the financial benefit of fishing in the sea. Therefore, the overall cost-benefits analysis forms the basis for deciding whether to undertake offshore drilling or not.
Ways to reduce dependency on oil that would make offshore drilling unnecessary
The shift to the use of renewable resources is one way of providing adequate energy for both commercial and residential needs that would reduce oil dependency. Ethanol energy production, solar energy, wind power, and tidal energy provide perfect alternative energy sources extracted for use in the coastal states. The state government should provide incentives in the form of subsidy and loans to encourage production companies to shift their production and invest in renewable energy.
The state government should come up with policies to regulate the use of nonrenewable resources to prompt citizens to shift their sources of energy to renewable resources that are friendly to the environment (Enger and Smith 182). The production policies include tax emissions and trade permits that encourage the citizens to reduce pollution. The cost of oil production should be increased and no subsidy be given to drilling companies. Strict tax policies including importation requirements and tax on environmental pollution are necessary to reduce over-dependency on oil.
Does Ethanol and Corn Fuel Make Sense?
Yes, it is important to provide ethanol as fuel. The economic energy gain of ethanol production is relatively small and may seem unimportant to produce, but the environmental impact proves worth. The United States produced approximately 13 billion gallons of ethanol in 2013 with a slight energy gain equivalent of 4 billion gallons. The energy gain is worth investing in due to large scale production technologies capable of producing ethanol in large quantities as a renewable resource worth using.
The mixture of ethanol and gasoline enhances engine efficiency. The beneficial component of the mixture in a machine is improved performance and reduced air pollution. The socio-economic factors of production affect the decision of energy resource use (Enger and Smith 56). Resource use is a factor of benefits on the surrounding environment and the economic contribution to the state government. Therefore, the reduced environmental harm from ethanol use and the slight economic benefit provides enough reasons to produce ethanol for fuel use.
Should the public be required to use ethanol?
The public should utilize ethanol as fuel. Public use of ethanol for fuel is a collective contribution to protecting the environment for human existence. The unequal exploitation of natural resources among different communities and the resultant unjust environmental harm through pollution requires the concern to protect the poor communities from the dangers of exposure to pollution. The responsibility of sustainable development requires the protection of the environment and environmental resources for the benefit of both the current and future generations (Enger and Smith 23). The low-income communities need protection from the environmental risk of pollution through regulation of waste disposal and excessive resource exploitation. Thus, the public should be required to use ethanol to meet the sustainable development goal of the nation.
Should the production of ethanol be subsidized?
The production of ethanol should be subsidized as a state government incentive to encourage the energy manufacturing companies to embrace the new idea of ethanol use. The high cost of production discourages energy companies from switching to ethanol production (Enger and Smith 218). Since energy production companies need to meet their business financial benefits, government subsidy as a form of production cost waiver encourages a shift of energy production to ethanol that promotes their economic interest. The subsidized cost will cushion the manufacturers from the low ethanol prices and promote ethanol price competitiveness in the market. Accordingly, ethanol production and use shift the population to use renewable energy that is friendly to the environment.
Work Cited
Enger, Eldon, and Bradley Smith. Environmental Science. McGraw-Hill Education, 2015.