Oil doesn't sit in a big pool underground. It is soaked into the rock like a sponge. Its like taking the water out of a sponge, the sponge remains unharmed.
The sponge is unharmed, but changes physical characteristics. It then becomes dry and more brittle; oil possibly keeps the crust malleable and lubricated, allowing it to bend and slid more, keeping seismic activity from raging out of control?
Well you all know there is a reason they call them fossil fuels? Life had to have been thriving before this oil could even be created and accumulated in the mass quantities we see today, so whatever does happen after drilling for the oil can't be too harmful for the crust of the Earth because life flourished before the oil was even there.
The oil also seems to be replenishing itself. Studies done on abandoned wells shows that the oil level had been partially restored. [ame="http://www.scribd.com/doc/4847745/Oil-Fields-Oil-Are-Refilling-Naturally-Sometimes-Rapidly"]Oil Fields Oil Are Refilling Naturally - Sometimes Rapidly[/ame]
You missed it. He wasn't talking about life biologically flourishing, he's talking about the structural integrity of Earth's crust being tampered with by pumping out Earth's natural lube. We're basically turning it into swiss cheese, but instead of holes in the crust, they're weak/dry spots more prone to cracking and shattering, as opposed to sliding and gliding. And to the guy talking about oil replenishing itself; Oil is fossilized life. We've already bulldozed and eaten much of that life, and replaced it with us. There isn't nearly as many carbon based life forms on this earth to replace what we've already pumped out and burned. You can't seriously say that Earth's natural oil production is speeding up and replacing most of what we've taken, can you? If not, there's no point in stating that the oil reserves are replenishing, as they technically always have, since the dawn of life. It's nothing new, and nothing special, unless it's speeding up. Which it's not.
I like your post. Me and some of my friends have had this discussion too. The location of the Oil spill is interesting because it is between the Continental Shelf. Oil could play a role somehow. Right?