We are a society that depends heavily upon oil. We need oil — and the gasoline that is produced from it — in huge quantities. Our way of life runs on oil, which has countless manufacturing and other uses. But oil “out of control” can create terrible and costly problems.
An oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico off Louisiana has blown up and sunk, releasing oil from the gulf floor, with the gooey stuff spreading for miles over the water and beginning to touch land. In addition to huge economic concerns, there are big environmental ones, as birds, fish and shores are threatened.
How can the spill be dealt with? Those in the oil business are applying available options to limit the scope of the disaster. But there will be no quick solution. The many expensive and environmental ramifications of the spill will affect us, directly and indirectly, in many ways for a long time to come.