Louisiana Oil And Water Documentary Summary

The Deep Horizon oil spill in 2010 created a wake of destructive impacts that not only directly affected the environment but also thousands of livelihoods in Louisiana. In the following years, a documentary titled “Oil and Water” takes a close and personal look at the aftermath of the greatest environmental disaster faced by the United States. The film takes place in Louisiana, with the focus on the wetlands and a series of interviews with a shrimping family, environmental analysists, port workers, and a journalist. In addition, the background of how the Cajuns came to live in the wetlands of Louisiana as well as the birth and growth of the oil industry were explored. Throughout the film, different aspects of the intertwined fishing and oil

Before the disaster, Obama was planning on opening up the eastern seaboard for offshore drilling. This was quickly put to a halt. The government shutdown 88,000 square miles of federal water and 55% of Louisiana coast to fishing following the blow out (“Oil and Water”). In addition, a temporary moratorium of drilling was implemented in the Gulf (“Oil and Water”). Was this the government’s responsibility? Surprisingly, the majority of people living near the BP spill felt the suspension of oil drilling was a bigger impact than the spill itself (“Oil and Water”). The two main revenues of income for the wetlands of Louisiana were shutdown. The locals didn’t want the drilling to stop. Nonetheless, it was. As investigations into the cause of the blow out were being carried out, a scandalous relationship between BP and MMS, an agency set up to regulate the oil companies, came to light (“Oil and Water”). The Deep Water Horizon rig had missed 16 regulations since 2005 (“Oil and Water”). This was due to the oil companies treating MMS employees and inspectors to fancy meals, private jets, sporting events, hunting trips and more (“Oil and Water”). This goes to show how nothing is black and white. The role of government in environmental issues like the BP spill is complicated. If there is too much regulation, jobs are put at risk and the oil industry, which is heavily relied upon by the entire

While I knew that there was some economic benefit to offshore drilling, I believed that it was greatly outweighed by the downsides to it. The film challenged this view. It showed me how interconnected fishing and the oil industry was and that the wetlands depend more on oil than it does of fishing. Fishing and oil drilling are a way of life in Louisiana. I learned that the majority of fishermen actually support the oil companies and rely upon them heavily. I had thought that the solution to offshore drilling was to either heavily restrict it or stop it all together. But the root of the problem and solution lies a lot deeper. Our way of life would not exist without oil. According to Bob Marshall, a Pulitzer Prize-Winning Journalist, the BP spill is, “a temporary problem upon a permanent disaster. It’s like having a cancer patient who gets a cold. Eventually the cold will be curd, it will go away, but the patient will still be dying of cancer” (“Oil and Water”). Before, I had no knowledge that the oil industry had literally chopped up thousands of acres caused a majority of the land loss in the wetlands. People don’t just go away, they depend upon the land to live a normal life. Most of all, I realized how incredibly complex this topic is and how many different factors play a part in it. Oil and gas don’t just go in our cars to