Rigs-to-Reefs

So, when oil and gas companies extract oil and gas from under the ocean, they use big expensive machines called "rigs" to do it. But once they're done getting all the oil and gas, they don't leave the rigs out in the ocean just floating around, because that could be dangerous for ships and sea animals.

Instead, some people came up with a special plan called "rigs-to-reefs"! This means that instead of taking the rigs out of the ocean completely, the companies can leave them in place and slowly transform them into "artificial reefs."

Reefs are like big colorful underwater gardens that lots of sea animals like to live in. By turning the old rigs into reefs, the companies are giving sea creatures a new place to call home. Plus, it's less expensive for the companies than completely removing the rigs.

But rig-to-reef projects aren't just good for the animals- they're also good for scientists and people who like to go scuba diving. When the rigs are turned into reefs, they become great spots for scientists to study the ocean's ecosystem because they attract lots of different species of fish.

So that's the rig-to-reef plan in simple terms! Instead of completely taking the big machines out of the ocean, they're transformed into new homes for sea creatures and great study spots for scientists.