This is a graded discussion: 20 points possible due Feb 25 at 6pm 28 Discussion
ID: 200612 • Letter: T
Question
This is a graded discussion: 20 points possible due Feb 25 at 6pm 28 Discussion Forum 3: Rigs to Reefs Now that you have had an opportunity to discuss the expansion of offshore drilling and how it affects (and is affected by) the oceans, I want you to turn yourfocus to what we should do with the existing offshore oil platforms once they no longer produce oil. This is the premise for one of the most controversial coastal issues that the California state government has debated in recent years. This is a complex issue that you will need to do some background research to appreciate the many players and concerns To briefly introduce you to the problem: When oil companies initially received the rights to drill off of the California coast, the legal contract said they had to completely remove the structures once they were no longer producing oil. However, we have now found that the rigs seem to make excellent artificial reefs that house large amounts of marine life. While some think we should now allow the oil companies to leave them for their potential ecological benefit, others feel like they are eyesores, that they do more harm than good and thus should be removed. Those who are opposed also do not want to let the oil companies off the hook for the removal costs which they had legally agreed to. Back in 2010, a bill (AB 2503) was passed and signed by then-governor Arnold Schwarzenegger which "allows a platform owner or operator to design a 'partial removal' plan for a platform and to apply for permission to implement it. However, due to significant resistance from opposing environmental groups in addition to legal requirements that were not so financially attractive to the oil companies, the plan of converting rigs to permanent reefs in California never really came to fruition. Many people still think that too many questions remain unaddressed DIRECTIONS: Read the information available in the following links that include a cross-section of background information, local news, and agency reports. After reading through all of the recommended material as well as anything you can find on the web, post your opinion on what you think should be done with the local off-shore oil rigs along with your reasoning (at least 200 words). Then, after reading additional posts from your classmates choose two that interest you and respectfully explain why you support or disagree with their position (at least 100 words for each response).Explanation / Answer
Should the rigs be allowed to stay?
On the basis of conserving the biodiversity, the rigs shall be allowed to stay, as it serves as a habitat for many marine species. As these marine species pose a wide variety of medicinal and commercial value. But on the other hand, the presence of rigs may be advantageous to the companies that built, by not penalising them.
If so, in which form should they stay?
As mentioned above, the rigs serve as a habitat for a huge number of species, so in order to maintain the biodiversity the rigs should not be completely removed, therefore partial removal of the rigs may be encouraged where around 85 % of the population will be retained. According to a literature published in 2015, a method called toppling has been discussed, which suggests the removal of rigs and dropping them onto the sea floor in a horizontal manner, which would result in retaining the population as such to a maximum extent.
What effect would each of the option have on marine life?
Complete removal of rigs would result in loss of the whole marine population that were thriving on the rigs, as these rigs are said to be more productive than coral reefs and estuaries.
Partial removal of the rigs would also affect the marine life while mechanically removing the top region of the rigs, but around 85% of the population would remain unaffected.
In case of toppling method in which the rigs are made to lie horizontally also needs an explosion of the structure, during which a certain percentage of species may get affected.
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