Why Oil Rigging is So Bad for the Environment

Posing significant risks to both human health and the environment, the impact of oil rigging could threaten potential ecological, social and economic devastation if left unaddressed.

Oil rig engineer. Mohamed Hassan. CC0

Oil rigs operate everywhere—along highways, on remote islands, in the middle of the ocean, maybe even next door to your own home. Over the years, the oil industry has caused considerable environmental harm, generating air and light pollution while disrupting wildlife habitats and migration patterns. A report by The Guardian revealed that 17 of the 20 biggest carbon emitters are oil companies, with household names like Chevron, Mobil, and Shell making the list. Contributing to carbon emissions and climate change, oil rigs are directly linked to environmental damage.

As of 2022, the oil and gas industry controlled over 34,000 leases on public lands, totaling over 23.7 million acres. The industries also held leases on over 12 million acres of public waters. Gas and oil companies have been repeatedly accused of unethical practices, including defrauding taxpayers and compromising employee safety. Between 2008 and 2017, there were more than 1,500 oil rig-related deaths in America. Pollutants generated by oil and gas wells are also linked to health problems like asthma, heart damage, stunted growth and premature death. The pipelines and steel platforms used in oil rigging disrupt wildlife habitats, causing distress to animals like deer and buffalo displaced by land development. Given these issues, stricter regulations are necessary. Currently, environmentalists are urging the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to revise oil and gas regulations and hold oil companies accountable for misconduct. Oil companies have a history of abandoning wells without proper cleanup, avoiding royalty payments (federal law requires companies to pay landowners a percentage of profits from sales accrued), and failing to address unsafe working conditions. Oil rigs leak tons of pollutants into the environment, degrading the air and water humans and animals depend on to survive. Solutions include using less toxic organic and biodegradable additives in oil rigging and converting gas-operated equipment to electric or solar.

Oil district in L.A. USC Digital Library. CC0

Urban oil rigging has contributed to pollution in major cities like Los Angeles, operating in close proximity to schools, parks and malls. In the 1920s, Los Angeles was a major player in the global oil industry. However, as local opposition grew due to spills and deteriorating air quality, oil companies began to obscure the reality of their operations. They began to disguise production facilities within buildings and set up oil islands off the Long Beach coast. With many active wells located in predominantly Black and Hispanic neighborhoods in South Los Angeles, oil drilling has disproportionately affected BIPOC communities. It wasn’t until Jan. 23, 2024, that the LA County Board of Supervisors voted to ban new oil extraction and phase out existing rigs.

Production and gas prices have a dependent relationship: when production increases, gas prices tend to fall, and when production decreases, gas prices usually drop. In the first half of 2023, the number of new wells increased by 12% (624 wells) compared to the same period in 2022. No U.S. president has slowed down the oil boom. As the 2024 presidential election approaches, the candidates’ stances regarding the oil industry’s environmental, social and economic impacts will be important.

The pervasive presence of oil rigs, especially offshore and in urban areas, underscores the extensive environmental damage wrought by the industry. As politicians confront oil’s complex legacy, the future of regulation will depend on balancing environmental expectations with economic realities.

Agnes Volland

Agnes is a student at UC Berkeley majoring in Interdisciplinary Studies and minoring in Creative Writing, with a research focus on road trip culture in America. She currently writes for BARE Magazine and Caravan Travel & Style Magazine. She is working on a novel that follows two sisters as they road trip down Highway 40, from California to Oklahoma. In the future, she hopes to pursue a career in journalism, publishing, or research.

Eat for Under $15 at these 7 Global Cuisine Restaurants in NYC

Let your tastebuds travel without leaving the Big Apple.

Chinatown in New York City. Norbert Nagel. CC by 3.0.

Beyond its famous museums and fashion, New York City is recognized as the food capital of the United States. Every year foodies flock to the city’s restaurants for unique menus and interpretations of global cuisine. But this top-notch culinary environment typically comes—quite literally— with a price. New York restaurants are often criticized for their exorbitant prices. But fear not, there are plenty of restaurants in the city that offer authentic international cuisine for a reasonable price. Whether you are a college student on a budget or a lifelong fan of global cuisine looking for food made with a lot of love, these restaurants will leave both your stomach and your wallet happy.  

1. Super Taste

Hand-Pulled Noodles with Lamb. Jason Lam. CC by 2.0.

Located in the famous culinary neighborhood of Chinatown, Super Taste may be the most well-known restaurant on this list. If you find yourself craving Chinese food, Super Taste is a classic, must-go stop. The most notable dish on the menu is their hand-pulled noodles. These silky and addictive noodles can be paired with chicken, beef, or mutton at the customer’s request. But if you aren’t in the mood for noodles, the five for $10 pork and chive dumplings drenched in sweet-spicy chili oil are always a crowd pleaser. Although there is limited seating inside, Super Taste is perfect for on-the-go enjoying. Their menu can be found here. 

2. Pyza

Borscht topped with sour cream. Liz West. CC by 2.0.

Warm and delicious, Pyza serves Polish food so good it could be mistaken for a home-cooked meal. Located in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, this restaurant specializes in plates piled high with food that makes you feel like family. Its menu features traditional dishes like stuffed cabbage, tongue in horseradish sauce, and various types of pierogies. A stand-out dish is their chicken cutlet, breaded and paired with a dollop of sour cream. Their soups range from a reasonable $5-$8, so tuck in with a bowl of borscht and enjoy the homey atmosphere. Additional items and prices can be found here. 

3. Birria-Landia

Brooklyn location of Birria-Landia. Andre Carrotflower. CC by 4.0.

This Mexican spot may differ from most foodies’ perceptions of a typical restaurant. Instead of a usual sit-down experience, Birria-Landia started as a single Jackson Heights food truck. The operation has since expanded to include additional trucks in the Lower East Side, the Bronx, Jackson Heights, and Williamsburg. Their specialty dish, birria, features tacos topped with fresh cilantro and salsa paired with a rich, smooth dipping broth. The meat of the tacos—often beef—is first marinated in mixtures of spices and dried chillies before being cooked low and slow in broth. This lengthy process creates mouth-watering and juicy tacos that can be enjoyed for only $4.50. In addition to their exceptional tacos, their consummé broths, tostadas, and quesadillas can be found here.

4. Kassim’s Bakery

Aalu Roti. Guarav Dhwaj Khadka. CC by 4.0.

Whether you prefer your dishes savory or sweet, there is something for everyone at this Queens restaurant. Kassim’s serves a wide variety of Caribbean lunch and dinner foods, but also offers a tasty variety of pastries and baked goods. One of the menu’s highlights is the selection of roti; each variation of the dish is under $10. Roti is a wheat flatbread that at Kassim’s is paired with beef, chicken, duck, goat, and pachownie (innards of lamb). After finishing a main dish, customers can explore Kassim’s dessert menu. Their cassava pone is perfect for those with a sweet tooth; cassava, also called yuca, has an edible root often used to make starchy desserts. More of Kassim’s sweet and savory treats can be found here.

5. Punjabi Grocery & Deli

Samosas paired with chutney. K Spoddar. CC by 4.0.

Can you claim to have visited New York if you didn’t find yourself in a deli at some point during the trip? Although it also doubles as a grocery store, this Lower East Side joint’s Indian food makes it stand out. Even better, the deli only serves vegetarian food, making it the perfect spot for travelers with this dietary restriction. At only 50 cents, Punjabi Deli might have the most affordable Samosas in the city. They also offer an assortment of rice dishes where customers can mix and match different vegetable options to create the perfect bowl for only $6 or $8, depending on if you want a small or large meal. The $2 chai is a perfect way to wash everything down. More exciting dishes and beverages can be found here. 

6. SVL Souvlaki Bar

Grilled kebabs. Glen Edelson. CC by 2.0.

From spanakopita to greek fries, SVL Souvlaki Bar combines tradition with innovation to create unique Greek food. They have two Queens locations, with one on Steinway Street and the other on Astoria Boulevard. Perhaps the most exciting aspect of this quick and fresh spot is their “build your own” options. You can customize salads and bowls, or even create entire plates filled with pita, kebabs, vegetables, and sauces. Their iconic SVL sauce combines sweet, tangy, and creamy flavors— it is the perfect way to top off any customized dish. Or, if the extent of customization is intimidating, you can always enjoy classic chicken souvlaki kebab for only $4.50. Even better, the Bar’s food is made with hormone-free meat and fresh produce. Read more about their ingredients, mission, and menu here. 

7. Bunna Cafe

Injera topped with assorted vegetables. Kurt Kaiser. CC by 2.0.

If you’re looking for more of a sit-down experience, Bunna Cafe is the perfect destination. They are a Black-owned and vegan Ethiopian restaurant located in Bushwick, Brooklyn. The restaurant’s family-style meal environment creates the perfect atmosphere for hearty food paired with good conversation. Scoops of vegetables are served in piles on injera, a fermented sourdough flatbread. Customers can select a variety of different sides, mixing to create new flavors and combinations. Or, if you’re dining alone, the $12 lunch special comes with individual scoops of four different items. Although, with such generous portions, you may want to bring a friend to share. Further details about their menu and strong variety of sides can be found here.

Carina Cole

Carina Cole is a Media Studies student with a Correlate in Creative Writing at Vassar College. She is an avid journalist and occasional flash fiction writer. Her passion for writing overlaps with environmentalism, feminism, social justice, and a desire to travel beyond the United States. When she’s not writing, you can find her meticulously curating playlists or picking up a paintbrush. 

Street Artists Save Protest Masterpieces

Artists adorned New York City with Black Lives Matter tributes. But what becomes of graffiti when the world tries to erase it?

A mural in Minneapolis remembers George Floyd’s life. Lorie Shaull. CC BY-SA 2.0.

SoHo prepared for the worst. In the days before the election, the Manhattan neighborhood’s famed boutiques and shops barricaded their windows with plywood to protect their merchandise from looters. After a summer of uprising, one more round of rioting seemed inevitable. The wooden boards provided yet another reminder of how unlivable 2020 had become. It was as if the neighborhood shut its eyes to a reality too bleak to bear. 

Enter into this dismal cityscape the artists who first put SoHo on the map. Before high-end shops and wealthy shoppers gentrified this stylish slice of Manhattan, street artists like Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat adorned its concrete buildings with graffiti. In the ‘80s and ‘90s, countless creatives made SoHo an international hub for artists of all stripes. Now, history comes full circle. Street artists see a rare and irresistible opportunity to take the plywood covering SoHo’s shops and create masterpieces. 

Peace, love and police abolition. iamrenny. CCO 1.0.

Among them are Konstance Patton and Trevor Croop. This past summer, Patton focused on her Goddess Project, adorning the streets with vibrant, noble portraits of Black and Indigenous women. Croop spent much of 2020 abroad, leading art workshops and reconnecting with his Lebanese heritage. Within days of his return to the U.S., the two met on the street, throwing up artwork side by side. 

Both seasoned street artists, they knew firsthand how transitory the form can be. An artist might spend hours on a painting that will be erased in a matter of days. The situation in SoHo is much more fraught. When businesses began reopening, they trashed the pieces painted on sheets of plywood. Others scrambled to grab as many panels as they could and loaded them into vans to sell to the highest bidder. 

Can’t we just get along? iamrenny. CCO 1.0.

Recognizing the inestimable value of these pieces of art, Patton and Croop founded the SoHo Renaissance Factory (SRF), which stores wooden boards bearing protest art in an empty SoHo dance studio. It consists of themselves and three fellow artists: Sule, Amir Diop and Brendan McNally. They developed an extensive network of friends, artists and security guards who alert them when a work of art is about to be trashed. They rush to the scene in an attempt to save the piece. Sometimes they arrive in the nick of time; other times they do not.

SRF member Amir Diop experienced the latter firsthand. During the protests demanding justice for the death of George Floyd, Diop painted a mural on the plywood boards covering the Museum of Modern Art’s (MoMA) design store. It showed smiling faces circling around a black hole beneath the words “Take me to a place where Black Lives Matter.” Only days after he painted it, MoMA tore down the piece and shredded it. In the words of Diop, “They said that place doesn’t exist and they just threw it in the garbage.”

Spray their names. drburtoni. CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

Street artists enjoy few legal protections. The Visual Artists Rights Act (VARA) of 1990 protected art from being mutilated or destroyed but only if it reached a “recognized stature.” In the digital age, this term is ambiguous. Instead of a signature, artists leave their social media handles in a painting’s corner, raising the question of whether online fame qualifies under VARA. For the time being, however, artists cannot depend on the art establishment. If the MoMA won’t recognize art, it is unlikely that a court will. 

A moment to remember. drburtoni. CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

The future of the SRF is unclear, but it does look promising. The group recently struck a deal with Mana Contemporary, an arts center in New Jersey, to display the wooden boards in a public show next year when COVID-19 restrictions hopefully ease up. For now, the SRF has moved to a spacious studio in the NoMo SoHo Hotel, where it landed a residency. The new space offers a comfortable environment to create art, but the work of the SRF will always be rooted in the streets.

See the work of the SoHo Renaissance Factory on its website:

https://sohorenaissancefactory.com/

Or check out each artist’s work on their Instagram pages:

Konstance Patton - @konartstudio

Trevor Croop - @light.noise

Sule - @sulecantcook

Amir Diop - @amir.diop99

Brendan McNally - @brendantmcnally

You can also support the mission of the SoHo Renaissance Factory by getting involved with organizations that support racial justice, some of them listed below:

Black Lives Matter - https://secure.actblue.com/donate/ms_blm_homepage_2019

Color of Change - https://secure.actblue.com/contribute/page/support-us?refcode=coc_website_popup

SURJ - https://www.showingupforracialjustice.org/donate-to-surj.html

Organizations for Black Struggle - https://www.obs-stl.org/

Project South - https://projectsouth.org/

Michael McCarthy

Michael is an undergraduate student at Haverford College, dodging the pandemic by taking a gap year. He writes in a variety of genres, and his time in high school debate renders political writing an inevitable fascination. Writing at Catalyst and the Bi-Co News, a student-run newspaper, provides an outlet for this passion. In the future, he intends to keep writing in mediums both informative and creative.

VIDEO: Catalyst Series on Talking with Lineage Project

CATALYST talks with Gabrielle Horowitz-Prisco, Executive Director of Lineage Project, the social action organization bringing mindfulness and meditation to at risk and incarcerated youth in New York City.

CATALYST talks with Gabrielle Horowitz-Prisco, Executive Director of Lineage Project. LP is a social action organization that brings mindfulness and meditation to at-risk and incarcerated youth in New York City.