Environmental Issues: Energy

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All Documents in Energy Tagged drilling

The BP Oil Disaster at One Year
A Straightforward Assessment of What We Know, What We Don’t, and What Questions Need to be Answered
Issue Paper

It has been over a year since the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig exploded over a BP well, killing 11 workers and opening a gusher that spewed some 170 million gallons of toxic crude oil and 200,000 metric tons of methane gas into the Gulf of Mexico. The harm has been widespread—to the people, to the environment, and to the wildlife of the region. And we are only beginning to understand what the medium- and long-term effects may be. Our government and the oil and gas industry with whom we have entrusted a precious natural resource have both fallen short of delivering what our nation—and particularly the people of the Gulf—deserve. But it is within our power to change, to restore the Gulf, to make its people whole, and to make deepwater drilling safer while we work to reduce the need to put workers at risk drilling in deeper and more dangerous waters.

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Disaster in the Gulf
Action

The BP oil rig that exploded killed 11 workers and spewed some 170 million gallons of toxic crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico. Whether we look to habitat and wildlife, employment and pay, or basic health and family welfare, the BP oil blowout has devastated the region.

High Gas Prices: Supply, Demand and the Oil Industry’s Monopoly on Transportation
Efficiency and Better Cars Will Fuel America Faster than Drilling
Overview

With such a meager share of global oil, no amount of domestic drilling will make a dent in our dependence on foreign imports, despite what Big Oil would have us believe. The only way to take back control over our energy future is to move toward more efficient cars and trucks, cleaner fuels, and more transportation options for Americans.

Reducing the Need for U.S. Drilling Through Energy Efficiency
Fact Sheet

The toll from the April 20 explosion on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico is devastating. Nearly 4 million barrels of oil have poured into Gulf waters,1 destroying fragile marine and coastal ecosystems and inflicting untold economic damages on businesses and residents in the Gulf region. The effects of this spill -- one of the largest in history -- will be felt for generations. Get document in pdf.

Stop Dirty Fuels
Overview

As cheap, plentiful conventional oil becomes a luxury of the past, we now face a choice: to set a course for a more sustainable energy future of clean, renewable fuels, or to develop ever-dirtier sources of transportation fuel derived from fossil fuels -- at an even greater cost to our health and environment. Looking for fuel in all the wrong places puts wildlands, air, water and climate at risk.

Protecting New Yorkers’ Health and the Environment by Regulating Drilling in the Marcellus Shale
Fact Sheet

With rising energy costs and fears of more volatility in the future, the natural gas industry is now searching for additional fuel sources. One such source is the natural gas-rich Marcellus Shale, an ancient rock formation that spans 600 miles and four states, including New York. While there may be benefits to drilling this large natural gas reserve, doing so without the proper monitoring and regulation by state and local officials will present a number of serious threats to human health and the environment in New York State. NRDC is therefore working with leaders across the state to ensure that if drilling in the Marcellus Shale occurs in New York, it will be done responsibly and only in appropriate areas. This fact sheet includes recommendations for action you can take to help ensure that gas drilling in the Marcellus Shale does not proceed in New York without full protections for New Yorkers’ health and the environment.
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Protecting Our Ocean and Coastal Economies
Avoid Unnecessary Risks from Offshore Drilling
Fact Sheet

Healthy oceans are critically important to marine life and to coastal communities whose economies rely on tourism and fishing. Opening up new offshore areas to drilling risks permanent damage to our oceans and beaches without reducing our dependence on oil. When oil spills occur they can bring catastrophic harm to marine life and devastating losses for local businesses. And even routine exploration and drilling activities bring harm to many marine species. The Administration and Congress must work together to assess the environmental impacts of offshore drilling before making key decisions about offshore oil and gas activities in new areas or Alaska. Get document in pdf.

Clean Energy Saves Americans Money
Clean Energy is the Real Solution to Unpredictable Oil Prices
Fact Sheet

Clean energy is cheaper and cleaner than oil, and the amount of fuel we can get from clean energy measures dwarfs what can be scraped from drilling. New NRDC analysis shows that, unlike dirty fuel options, clean energy strategies can actually save drivers money while reducing our oil dependency and slashing global warming pollution from the transportation sector. Get document in pdf.

Tapping into Stranded Domestic Oil
Enhanced Oil Recovery with Carbon Dioxide Is a Win-Win-Win
Fact Sheet

The country has a significant, untapped win-win-win opportunity to stimulate our economy and reduce our dependence on imported oil while actually helping to protect wild places and reduce global warming pollution: a process known as carbon dioxide enhanced oil recovery (CO2-EOR). According to industry research CO2-EOR would give America access to large, domestic oil resources -- potentially more than four times the proven U.S. reserves, or up to 10 full years of our total national consumption. But without the stimulus of climate protection legislation, CO2 for oil recovery is likely to remain in short supply and most of this domestic oil resource will stay in the ground. Get document in pdf.

Drilling Down
Protecting Western Communities from the Health and Environmental Effects of Oil and Gas Production
Report

Oil and gas production releases pollution that can have serious impacts on people's health and the surrounding air, water, and land. Although these operations are frequently located near homes, schools, and other community resources, the oil and gas industry enjoys numerous exemptions from provisions of federal laws intended to protect human health and the environment.

The Drill in the Backyard
Photo Album

Domestic oil and natural gas production has soared in recent years as our demand for energy continues to rise. Much of this growth is occurring in the Rocky Mountain region, where well pads, waste pits and giant compressors mar the legendary western landscape of wide vistas and soaring peaks.