Recurring Offshore Rig Accidents Suggest U.S. Policymakers Should Reject New Offshore Drilling Proposals

Washington, D.C., Sept. 4, 2009 — New satellite photographs of the massive oil spill from the Montara offshore oil platform off Western Australia's pristine Kimberley Coast reveal that the area covered by spreading oil is much larger than previously estimated.

Dramatic remote-sensing photographs provided by NASA and other federal agencies are available to view online at:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/skytruth/sets/72157622226354812/

http://blog.skytruth.org/2009/09/timor-sea-drilling-spill-more-images.html

Undersea Repair Difficult; Spill May Continue for Weeks

Because the equipment needed to drill a relief well to curtail the West Atlas blowout is located in Singapore, stopping the oil flow may take at least seven weeks.

Drilling the necessary relief well near the existing rig is risky, as the current flow contains highly flammable methane and natural gas condensate, as well as oil. Therefore, a relief well must be drilled from a location far from the blowout on the existing rig.

“Even new drilling technology is not safe, in spite of the oil industry's claims. Spills happen, so it's time to reconsider proposals to expand drilling off our coasts and focus instead on renewable ocean energy to protect our oceans, said Oceana Senior Campaign Director Jackie Savitz.

The West Atlas drilling rig involved in this offshore blowout was built in 2007. The Montara oil platform was constructed in 2008.

"This so-called modern offshore drilling operation has allowed a tragic oil spill in Australian waters. Even industry's best available technology cannot stop it for weeks," said Richard Charter, Co-Chair of the National Outer Continental Shelf Coalition.

Marine Wilderness at Risk

The West Kimberley region of the Timor Sea is one of Earth's last untouched marine wilderness areas. Migration routes of whales and sea turtles lie in the path of the spreading slick. The nearby Kimberley Coast is a remote mangrove-dotted coastline, with countless islands and shoals where oil contamination amidst mudflats and dense shoreline vegetation would be impossible to clean up.

Offshore Drilling in U.S. Waters

State legislatures in Florida and California, as well as the United States Senate, are expected to debate proposals for expansion of offshore drilling in protected waters on the U.S. Pacific Coast, Atlantic Coast and in the Eastern Gulf of Mexico during the next few weeks. International and U.S. conservation groups are closely monitoring news about the effects of the West Atlas blowout, gathering updated information from satellites and local observations.

“Oil will still be spewing from the Montara platform when the U.S. Congress returns from its summer recess next Tuesday. Members of Congress should view photos of the Australian blowout before they decide whether to allow drilling ten miles from Florida’s white sugar-sand beaches,” said Mark Ferrulo, Executive Director of Progress Florida. “A similar spill off Florida's coastline would harm our global reputation for spectacular beaches and wildlife, as well as our state economy,” Ferrulo added.

“Offshore drilling is risky business. This spill shows what could happen if we open more of America’s coasts to drilling,” said Sierra Club executive director Carl Pope. “We don’t need to risk this kind of disaster. Instead of drilling near our coasts, we can create safe, clean energy through wind and solar power and efficiency measures.”

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