Seattle Aquarium’s Post

⚠️ Deepwater Horizon: A Disaster that Transformed Oil Platform Safety 🛢️ The Deepwater Horizon spill in 2010 was a global wake-up call about the risks associated with offshore drilling. The incident not only had a severe environmental impact but also led to a complete overhaul of safety and regulatory policies for oil platforms. Today, safety is a top priority, but have we truly learned from this tragic accident? 💬 Your Opinion: What more can be done to ensure that such disasters never happen again? #DeepwaterHorizon #OilPlatformSafety #EnergyRegulation #EnvironmentalImpact

There were no bidders in a recent oil and gas lease sale in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. While we hear a lot of political rhetoric about more drilling on public lands, this is a good reminder that there are larger market forces at work. Future demand for oil, in particular, is likely to level off or decline, driven in part by China's transition to electric vehicles. Meanwhile, there has a been a surge in global production, led by the United States, which now produces more oil and gas on an annual basis than any country ever has before. As a result, the price of oil is well below $100, and risky projects in remote areas won't generate much interest from industry or its financial backers. And industry is already sitting on millions of acres of existing leases on federal public lands that haven't been put into production. This is a good reminder that we should be very skeptical when people argue that environmental protections are standing in the way of more oil and gas production. We don't have to sacrifice our special places or our bedrock environmental laws. #anwr #oilandgas #publiclands #climate #climatechange

The Biden administration is set to hold a Congress-mandated oil and gas lease sale in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) on January 9, 2025, offering the minimum 400,000 acres for development. 🌍 This decision aims to balance the protection of wildlife, like polar bears and the porcupine caribou herd, with energy development needs. ❄️ The plan comes after years of policy debate and environmental reviews, ensuring leasing occurs in areas with the highest potential while safeguarding critical habitats. Learn more about these conservation efforts: https://lnkd.in/gW_FrwmS #ANWR #OilAndGas #EnergyDevelopment #Conservation #Alaska #BLM #EnergyPolicy #WildlifeProtection #ArcticEnergy #SustainableEnergy #PolarBears #Caribou #EnergyNews

Big news: President Biden just banned new offshore drilling in along most of the U.S. coastline! These vulnerable areas are now protected from future oil-and-gas leasing. The withdrawals include 625 million acres of public waters off the Atlantic, Pacific, Alaska, and Gulf coasts. With this move, every president this century has recognized that some areas of the ocean are just too risky or too sensitive to drill. "President Biden just made a powerful investment in the resiliency of communities, regional economies, and marine wildlife across the coastal United States," said Earthjustice Vice President of Litigation for Lands, Wildlife, and Oceans Drew Caputo. "These protective policies will ensure safer conditions and more room for prosperity for millions of people living along American coasts, for thousands of businesses that rely on undisturbed oceans, and for vulnerable wildlife. Our work ahead is clear: we'll continue the fight to ensure that Gulf communities in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama can also increasingly live without the threat from offshore drilling on their front doorstep."

How a Biden approval may unlock drilling in Alaska’s pristine arctic refuge: The sale of the oil and gas leases will be held on January 9. The Biden administration has approved plans for a sale of oil and gas leases in Alaska that leaves open the door for drilling in a portion of the pristine Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The sale will be held Jan. 9, less than two weeks before President Joe Biden leaves office. It will include a fraction of the land total that was available for bidding roughly four years ago in a sale held during the Trump administration. President-elect Donald Trump pledged during his latest run for the White House to expand oil drilling in the U.S., and he’s pointed to the passage of a 2017 law that enabled Monday’s announcement as a highlight when it comes to Alaska policy. The 2017 law mandated two lease sales by late 2024, but major oil companies sat out the first sale. The Biden administration reviewed the leasing program, and seven leases from the first sale ultimately were canceled. http://dlvr.it/TGjM58

The Biden administration is set to hold a Congress-mandated oil and gas lease sale in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) on January 9, 2025, offering the minimum 400,000 acres for development. 🌍 This decision aims to balance the protection of wildlife, like polar bears and the porcupine caribou herd, with energy development needs. ❄️ The plan comes after years of policy debate and environmental reviews, ensuring leasing occurs in areas with the highest potential while safeguarding critical habitats. Learn more about these conservation efforts: https://lnkd.in/gW_FrwmS #ANWR #OilAndGas #EnergyDevelopment #Conservation #Alaska #BLM #EnergyPolicy #WildlifeProtection #ArcticEnergy #SustainableEnergy #PolarBears #Caribou #EnergyNews

The Biden administration is set to hold a Congress-mandated oil and gas lease sale in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) on January 9, 2025, offering the minimum 400,000 acres for development. 🌍 This decision aims to balance the protection of wildlife, like polar bears and the porcupine caribou herd, with energy development needs. ❄️ The plan comes after years of policy debate and environmental reviews, ensuring leasing occurs in areas with the highest potential while safeguarding critical habitats. Learn more about these conservation efforts: https://lnkd.in/gW_FrwmS #ANWR #OilAndGas #EnergyDevelopment #Conservation #Alaska #BLM #EnergyPolicy #WildlifeProtection #ArcticEnergy #SustainableEnergy #PolarBears #Caribou #EnergyNews

HUGE WIN 🎉: Department of the Interior has denied an extension of offshore oil and gas leases for the Liberty Unit drilling project. That means the leases will expire — and the disastrous project is dead in the water. Had it been approved, the Liberty project would have been the first oil development project fully within federal waters in the Arctic Ocean — creating massive risk for the Arctic ecosystem and the species that live there like bowhead whales, polar bears, and ice seals. "Oil and gas drilling is antithetical to a healthy Arctic Ocean, and we’ll keep fighting to make sure it never happens in our federal waters,” said Cooper Freeman, our Alaska director. More details ➡️ https://biodiv.us/3Wb9RG2

The Deepwater Horizon oil spill on this day fourteen years ago was a catastrophic environmental disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. Here are the key details: • Date: The disaster spanned from April 20, 2010, to September 19, 2010. • Location: The incident occurred at the Macondo oil prospect in the Mississippi Canyon, approximately 41 miles (66 km) off the coast of Louisiana. • Cause: An explosion on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig, owned by Transocean and leased by BP, was triggered by a surge of natural gas that fractured a concrete core installed by contractor Halliburton. This resulted in the loss of 11 lives and injuries to 17 workers. • Oil Spill: The rig’s sinking led to the largest marine oil spill in history, with around 4 million barrels of oil spilling from the Macondo well over 87 days until the well was capped on July 15, 2010. • Environmental Impact: The spill had a severe impact on the ecosystems of the Gulf of Mexico, affecting wildlife and coastal communities. This tragic incident serves as a powerful reminder of the critical importance of safety and environmental safeguards in offshore drilling operations. 1-pager summary by Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE) describes the lessons learned from this incident. #EnvironmentalImpact #SafetyFirst Source: Britannica, EPA, NOAA, BP, U.S. Coast Guard, Justice.gov, NOAA DARRP.

Our public lands: ✔️ Pristine wildlife habitat ✔️ Incredible fishing ✔️ Beautiful views ❌ Antiquated oil and gas policies It’s time to update our oil and gas policies – our public lands, waters, wildlife, and communities depend on it. The BLM’s Onshore Oil and Gas Leasing Rule will implement responsible fiscal reforms, hold bad actors accountable, protect against frivolous speculative leasing, and safeguard our incredible public lands and waters. Tell Congress to improve the management of oil and gas development on public lands. Take action HERE: https://bit.ly/4b57gCZ