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BP Oil Spill Article Review

In the article entitled “New US oil drilling regulations aim to prevent another Deepwater disaster” by Oliver Milman, the author discusses the novel drilling regulations outlined by the Obama administration and how such policies conflict with the interests of the oil industry. In relation to this, the paper discusses the social and environmental issues highlighted in the article and ways of handling these issues.

Whereas the novel drilling policies are aimed at preventing oil-related disasters, as was witnessed in 2010 following the occurrence of the Deepwater Horizon catastrophe within the Gulf of Mexico, these regulations will result in social and environmental issues (Milman, 2016). The new drilling policies will lead to a loss of up to 50, 000 jobs within the Gulf of Mexico and 20,000 jobs within the fisheries industry (Milman, 2016). As such, this situation will lead to inequality by creating massive unemployment. Families and individuals depending on workers, who will lose their jobs from the oil and fisheries industries, will experience a lowered social status arising from decreased economic potential or class. Businesses in the oil sector will also be adversely impacted by these changes in terms of decreased oil production. Milman’s article also highlights consumerism as a social issue. The proposed policies are expected to negatively impact oil production, which in turn will negatively impact the interests of consumers, especially industries and individuals whose operations and business depend on energy derived from oil. The aspect of human rights is also among the social issues discussed in the article in that the novel regulations will disadvantage numerous workers by denying them employment. Health risks, especially diseases that are associated with oil drilling, are included in the social issues highlighted in the article. Such risk impact the reputation of oil firms in a negative way.

Addressing the social issues discussed in the article would call for the involvement of all stakeholders in the oil sector and the federal government. Some of the measures that can be embraced to address these issues are liaising with the government to provide more time to allow for the compensation of workers, who are to lose their jobs, embracing industry standards of safety in order to limit negative impacts on human health and disaster occurrence, and maintaining oil production levels to meet needs or demands of consumers.

In conclusion, the novel regulations for oil drilling proposed by the Obama administration highlight social issues that can negatively impact businesses and employees within the oil sector. These issues are human health risks, inequalities, consumerism, and human rights challenges. Embracing the measures proposed in the paper will ensure that these issues are addressed.