Environmental Issues: Oceans
Oceans Main Page
All Documents in Oceans Tagged drilling
- 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.
Documents Tagged drilling in All Sections
- Environmental Risks with Proposed Offshore Oil and Gas Development off Alaska’s North Slope
Issue Paper - In August 2012, Royal Dutch Shell Oil (Shell) plans to begin exploratory drilling in the Arctic Ocean off Alaska's northern coast. This paper argues that drilling and related industrial activity would create an unacceptable risk of irreparable damage to this unique part of the planet and should be postponed until comprehensive research can be performed and a credible system for responding to spills is put into place.
- Arctic Wildlife Refuge: Why Trash an American Treasure for a Tiny Percentage of Our Oil Needs?
Drilling for oil in America's premier wildlife sanctuary would deface the pristine landscape and threaten Alaskan wildlife.
News - Drilling for oil in America's premier wildlife sanctuary would deface the pristine landscape and threaten Alaskan wildlife.
- Don't Get Fracked!
Steps to Keep You and Your Family Safe from Drilling
Overview - Drilling for natural gas and the use of hydraulic fracturing is growing across the United States. Although drilling can create jobs and income, many fear the effects of drilling on their health, land and quality of life. Current laws need to be changed to catch up with the drilling explosion. In the meantime, you can act now to protect you and your family.
- 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.Get document in pdf.
For additional policy documents, see the NRDC Document Bank.
For older publications available only in print, click here.
Sign up for NRDC's online newsletter
Oceans on Switchboard
NRDC experts write about the growing risks to the health of our oceans on the NRDC blog.
Recent Oceans Posts
- A Brighter Blue Budget
- posted by Alexandra Adams, 4/26/13
- New England Is Leading the Way in Regional Ocean Planning
- posted by Ali Chase, 4/24/13
- Cooperation: Where Parenting and Smart Ocean Planning Meet
- posted by Ali Chase, 4/10/13
NRDC Gets Top Ratings from the Charity Watchdogs

- Charity Navigator awards NRDC its 4-star top rating.
- Worth magazine named NRDC one of America's 100 best charities.
- NRDC meets the highest standards of the Wise Giving Alliance of the Better Business Bureau.


