The Gulf of Mexico is an especially hazardous location for new drilling rigs, given the frequency of hurricanes.

• Hurricanes Katrina and Rita destroyed over 100 drilling rigs and platforms and over 450 pipelines. Interactive map of platforms and rigs destroyed by Katrina; by Rita.
• Hurricanes Katrina and Rita resulted in 125 spills from platforms, rigs, and pipelines, totaling 685,000 gallons.
• The Minerals Management Service estimated almost one million gallons spilled during hurricane Katrina from offshore facilities.
• The Coast Guard documented an estimated nine million gallons from onshore and offshore oil facilities were spilled during Hurricane Katrina.

Sources:

U.S. Minerals Management Service. Estimated Petroleum Spillage from Facilities Associated with Federal Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Oil and Gas Activities Resulting from Damages Caused by Hurricanes Rita and Katrina in 2005. 8 August 2006.
U.S. Minerals Management Service. News Release. MMS Updates Hurricanes Katrina and Rita Damage. 1 May 2006.
Houston Chronicle. “Industry Says There Was No Way to Prepare for Spills.” 13 November 2005.
USA Today. “Worth the Risk? Debate on offshore drilling heats up.” 15 July 2008.

U.S. Coast Guard Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund Hurricane Impact Report to Congress, May 2006.

Impact Assessment of Offshore Facilities from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, Minerals Management Service.

The Realities of Offshore Drilling The Aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, By the Numbers, National Audubon Society

Environment America report on spills from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, August 2005 – relies on Coast Guard and NOAA data