When I found out about the blog project over a month ago, I wasn’t very enthused to say the least. I couldn’t think of a topic that would possibly have enough news coverage or enough of an impact on me that I would want to write and read about it every day. However, quickly after just glancing at the news of the day I knew exactly what I would write about: off-shore drilling. Over the last six months, I, like many other Americans had followed the Deepwater Horizon spill coverage. Prior to this event, I never really thought about the dangers drilling in the open waters could have. I assumed there were enough precautions, rules, and regulations in place so that if an oil spill were to occur, not a lot of damage would happen. Therefore, previously I supported off shore drilling. I mean, logically, it seemed to me like more oil would mean lower gas prices… right? WRONG!
I began my research, which turned out to be extremely easy and difficult at the same time. From the one side, off-shore drilling had become a daily news topic that left many questions lingering on citizen’s minds, “when will the drill officially be closed?” and “what endangered species has been found dead this week?”. It was a never ending battle that didn’t seem to even have an effect on the U.S. government, as nothing was being done. However, researching was also difficult as news articles prior to the spill and after the spill were completely different. Beforehand, more people endorsed off-shore drilling just as I had, because who doesn’t want to improve the US economy and lower gasoline prices while getting out of that mess in the Middle East? But after April’s destruction of the Gulf, people’s opinions on the matter swung to the other side of the spectrum. No one wants to be responsible for killing a dolphin, and nearly all articles and blogs after the spill were extremely biased.
I’ve found this project to be extremely beneficial, not only in developing my writing abilities but it has also forced me to pay attention to the news topics that beforehand, I couldn’t care less about. I’ve realized these issues being discussed on TV, in newspapers, and in Washington actually do have effects on me. I can’t imagine gasoline prices being any higher than they are now. But at the same time, I don’t want my beaches to be covered in oil slick. By reading my blog, you can tell a definite shift in my opinion as I continued to research and find out more about the topic. In the beginning, I was very uneducated and assumed there were regulations on the oil industry by the government and therefore off-shore oil drilling needed to be stopped immediately. The propagandist images of the sea turtles and birds had definitely gotten to me. However, my views on the matter have shifted tremendously. Our country cannot exist without off-shore drilling, it would only worsen the economy and it would be disastrous for the dependent Gulf Region. In the future, to avoid another catastrophe, more government regulation on the oil industry needs to be in place.
Call me pessimistic, but I just don’t see cars running off of anything but gasoline for many years to come. Off-shore drilling was one of the key issues in yesterday’s election. This will not change, I predict in the elections to come, and as energy sources dwindle down, the off-shore drilling topic will become even more important.
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