This is not an environmental disaster, and I will say that again and again because it is a national[sic] phenomena. Oil has seeped into this ocean for centuries, will continue to do it...
Because similar claims were brought up by others, it is time to put natural oil seepage into perspective. Recent research indicates that natural seepage accounts for 600,000 metric tons of crude oil released into the world's oceans annually. This corresponds to a daily rate of 1,650 tons. One of the most spectacular natural seeps, Coal Oil Point offshore Goleta, California, is releasing 20-25 tons of oil daily.
The leaking Deepwater Horizon well in the Gulf of Mexico is estimated to discharge approximately 95,000 barrels of oil per day. Assuming a specific gravity of 0.9, this rate corresponds to nearly 14,000 metric tons per day. This is almost 10 times the global natural oil seepage. And whereas natural oil seepage is absorbed by the oceans worldwide, this spill will primarily impact the Gulf of Mexico which holds less than 0.2% of the oceans' water. The environmental impact of this oil spill is thus substantially more severe than natural seepage.
Congressman Young is either poorly informed or willfully misleading. But this should be no surprise given the fact that his campaign is primarily financed by the oil and gas industry.
