Environmental costs of oil exploration in the arctic books

Department of the interiors assistant secretary for land and minerals management janice schneider announced final regulations to ensure that any future exploratory drilling activities on the u. A survey conducted in 1995 by the american petroleum institute api found that the u. The arctic national wildlife refuge anwr or arctic refuge, located in northeastern alaska is a approximately 20 million acres in area and is the largest national wildlife refuge in the united states. At the same time, environmental risks and popular opposition to oil and gas activity in the arctic are factors that could undermine. Climate change slows oil company plan to drill in the arctic. Offshore drillings environmental impacts, from the gulf. The environmental impacts of offshore oil drilling soapboxie. Denmark through greenland has not been a major player in hydrocarbon development. So far, most exploration in the arctic has occurred on land. May 15, 2015 and when talking about offshore arctic drilling, theres one thing oil companies and environmental groups agree on. Oct 02, 20 oil magazine, an energy industry quarterly, devoted the whole of its march 20 issue to arctic energy exploration. The coming costs of oil andgas exploration in the 1002 area of the arctic national wildlife refuge authors benjamin k.

Opponents of offshore oil drilling claim that one oil rig can dump more than 90,000 metric tons of drilling fluid and metal cuttings into the ocean over its lifetime data from culture change. Democratic state attorneys general are urging the federal energy regulatory commission to stop permitting natural gas pipelines, lng facilities and other fossil fuel projects until the end of. A pyrrhic environmental victory in the arctic the seattle times. However, for almost four decades, it has been in the middle of political and media controversies because of the drillings done in search. Shell drops arctic oil exploration scientific american.

Costs of mining, oil and gas drilling in the far north are still very high, and there are considerable risks of major disasters. The threat to antarctica from mining and exploiting oil. An arctic spill could be even more disastrous than the deepwater horizon disaster in 2010. But the environmental impact of any widespread drilling in the region is a key worry for green. Shell scraps oil exploration in arctic off alaska over costs. The city of barow, the most northerly city in the us, is ground zero for the world. Aug 28, 2015 the impact of offshore oil drilling in the arctic by e. Offshore hydrocarbon resources in the arctic february 2016 6.

It is mostly occupied by indigenous peoples and has unique environmental. In filing a final environmental impact statement, the interior departments bureau of land management blm took a key step closer to holding an oil and gas lease sale for the nearly 1. Arctic oil and gas routledge explorations in environmental. News shell scraps oil exploration in arctic off alaska over costs. The debate over oil and gas development in the arctic national wildlife refuge is part of a larger push to develop energy resources throughout the arctic circle. Offshore oil and gas drilling in the arctic presents both opportunities and challenges. Purchase the natural history of an arctic oil field 1st edition.

The negative environmental effects of anwr oil exploration and production, mostly from vehicle traffic and road and other infrastructure construction, such as pipelines, and oil spills could include disruptions to the porcupine caribou herds migration patterns and calving rates and survival. How science got trampled in the rush to drill in the arctic. My own view is that the environmental impact needs to be juxtaposed. Dec 03, 2015 another major consequence of oil drilling is the potential of a major spill. The environmental damage and the harm to the local economy caused by the recent deepwater horizon spill in the gulf of mexico illustrate the environmental and economic risks of offshore oil drilling. This list contains excellent books related to offshore oil drilling, and its economic, environmental, and political implications. May 25, 20 natural resources are extremely abundant in the arctic, but they have remained largely untapped. The chukchi sea is one of the worlds most dangerous places to drill for oil. Some are worried an oil spill would harm protected species while others are concerned about the cost. Tensions around natural gas pipelines increase with.

In recent studies, kotchen and burger 2007 investigated that there has been a total of three major spills in the history of the transalaska pipeline system. Executives book examines alaska oil costs and benefits. The impact of offshore oil drilling in the arctic peace palace library. The threat of a major arctic oil spill and the potential impacts on the regions. Environmental campaigners and shareholders have also pressured shell to drop arctic drilling. Banking giant morgan stanley updated its environmental policy late last week, vowing that it will not directly finance new oil and gas exploration and development in the arctic. In 2017, the trump administration announced plans to sell oil leases in anwr. Norway opens up record 93 blocks for arctic oil exploration.

Topics covered in this book include a brief historical background of arctic oil and gas development. Environmental and geopolitical issues in the arctic explore. Ultimate resources are estimated at 114 billion barrels of undiscovered oil and 2000 trillion cubic feet of natural. More than a dozen current and former employees at the department of the interior say that the agency has sacrificed the scientific integrity of its environmental.

The arctic national wildlife refuge and americas energy reckoning. The exploration for oil in the arctic over the past 30 years has had profound effects on the plants and. The oil and gas industry is a key economic driver across the arctic amap, 2007. Arctic national wildlife refuge drilling is next chapter. October 2014 the prospects and challenges for arctic oil development 2 between arctic states will be prerequisites for success. Environmental, cost concerns drive arctic oil exploration reticence.

Second major oil company abandons arctic exploration. Arctic national wildlife refuge the environmental literacy. Environmentalists ready to fight anwr drilling cnsnews. The pros and cons of arctic oil drilling and why we should. However, recent technological developments, as well as relatively high oil prices, have allowed for exploration. As a result, the region has received significant interest from the petroleum industry since the onset of the 2010s oil glut in 2014, the commercial interest in arctic exploration has. While advanced technologies are being vigorously pursued to allow for drilling the offshore in deeper waters, an alternate novel location for exploration and production is the arctic. Jun 21, 2017 norway has infuriated environmental groups by opening up a record number of blocks in the arctic for oil exploration. Experts conclude oil drilling has hurt alaskas north slope. Drilling in the arctic what is the environmental impact. The impact of offshore oil drilling in the arctic by e. The oil giant is to halt drilling at the burger j well in the us arctic, saying it cant justify the expense due to low oil prices. Exploration and drilling is widely accepted by environmental groups and by the gwichin as a.

Oil magazine, an energy industry quarterly, devoted the whole of its march 20 issue to arctic energy exploration. But the oslo district court said the governments oil and gas plans were acceptable and ordered the environmental groups to pay the states legal costs of around 60,000 euros. The arctic national wildlife refuge and americas energy reckoning, 23 notre dame j. However, major spills have been fairly uncommon in alaska. Dec 02, 2017 shell calls off 2014 oil exploration in alaskas arctic waters.

A coalition of environmental activist groups has a message for lawmakers who support oil drilling in the arctic national wildlife refuge. The world is running out of elements peak oil news and. The natural history of an arctic oil field synthesizes decades of research on these myriad impacts. Frontiers environmental impacts of the deepwater oil. The vast arctic region is probably the last remaining unexplored source of hydrocarbons on the planet. The impact of offshore oil drilling in the arctic peace. Extensive drilling was done in the canadian arctic during the 1970s and 1980s by such companies as panarctic oils ltd.

While most people would not argue about oil s importance, whether or not we should access and extract oil from below the earths surface is a subject of frequent debate. The industrialization of the deep sea is expanding worldwide. Shell scraps oil exploration in arctic off alaska over. Mar 05, 2003 the panel made no judgment on whether the environmental costs of arctic oil development outweighed the economic benefits of wells that have, on average, supplied about 20 percent of americas. Pros and cons of arctic national wildlife refuge oil drilling. Oil industry mobilization and demobilization alaska. This book provides an overview of the many issues relevant to offshore oil and gas development in the arctic.

Banks become the latest hurdle for arctic oil axios. Increasing oil and gas exploration activities in the absence of sufficient baseline data in deepsea ecosystems has made environmental management challenging. Drilling in the arctic s unforgiving and remote environment could also be dangerous for workers, and the coast guard has said the u. Russia broke the ice, so to speak, in 20 with its prirazlomnaya project, the worlds first stationary oil drilling platform in the arctic ocean. Ultimate resources are estimated at 114 billion barrels of undiscovered oil and 2000 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. Oil companies are seeking to profit from the exploitation of the regions oil reserves. Fossil fuel lobbyists representing uk oil interests are pressuring norway to ignore proposals that would restrict offshore drilling in arctic seas teeming with vulnerable and diverse sea life. The high price of environmental regulations hoover. Environmental damage, abandoned treaties, and fossilfuel dependence. Environmental, cost concerns drive arctic oil exploration. If shell finds oil, it and other oil companies will return to the arctic for additional exploration in the future. The focus is on the territories of the arctic rim where the current and future oil and gas activities in the arctic are and will be located. Barrow, the most northerly city in the us, is ground zero for the worlds most controversial oil drilling campaign.

Essentially, shell halted its arctic oil exploration because the current economics of such activity just dont make sense. Within ten years, we could see the beginning of oil production that could last. The prospects and challenges for arctic oil development. Greenlanders divided on arctic oil, gas exploration.

It also is because of the environmental risks of oil and gas drilling in the fragile far north risks accented by the. Were really just scratching the surface in terms of whats out there. The oil ministry is offering 93 blocks in the barents sea, entirely in the. The gwichin people, most of whom live south of the brooks range and therefore dont work in the oil fields or get oil royalties, and who still depend on caribou for much of their diet, oppose drilling. Arctic rule bureau of safety and environmental enforcement. The results of the drilling, whether it revealed the presence of significant oil or not, have not been made public. Arctic oil drilling plans raise environmental health concerns. May 03, 2017 despite industry optimism, arctic drilling remains controversial in norway, a country of 5. Environmental groups are hailing the announcement that norwegian oil giant statoil is giving up on its oil and gas exploration in the arctic ocean north of alaska. Oil lobbyists representing uk firms push norway to avoid. The arctic includes 25 geologically defined regions that may contain up to 100 billion barrels of oil and trillions of cubic feet of natural gas, some in the form. In 2005, president bush said in a push for drilling in anwr that the regions oil could be extracted by drilling on just 2,000 acres of the refuge. Heres what oil drilling looks like in the arctic refuge. Environmental benefits of advanced oil and gas exploration.

Proposed revising regulations on offshore oil and gas exploration by floating vessels in the arctic that were developed after a 20 accident. Even if this was the case no drilling has taken place to find any it is unlikely that they could ever be exploited commercially. The exploration of the arctic for petroleum is considered to be extremely technically challenging. Hwo the corporation or high arctic is pleased to announce the addition of christopher c. Its not just the environment that sparks debate about oil drilling in the arctic. Innovative policy dialogue on oil and gas drilling in.

Sponsored by the united nations environmental programme, this website compiles graphics, maps, and case studies describing the arctic, its peoples, and threats to the regions well. Norway environmental lawsuit says arctic oil plan violates. Petrobras books hefty 1q impairment on oil, gas assets. The united states geological survey estimates that over 87% of the arctic s oil and natural gas resource about 360 billion barrels oil equivalent is located in seven arctic basin provinces. Dec 30, 2014 the three factors that would make the exploration of arctic reserves attractive to oil and gas companies are high commodity prices and technological feasibility, coupled with favorable environmental conditions. Significantly, the norwegian supreme court is beginning to consider a lawsuit against hydrocarbon exploration in the arctic, which was initiated by greenpeace and other environmental. Less than 1,200 miles from the north pole, barrow is also known. Impacts of oil drilling in the arctic national wildlife refuge. Companies are exploring for minerals and oil and gas reserves. Jul 07, 2016 these rules require oil companies to ensure proper internal controls and planning for oil spill prevention, containment and responses all issues identified by previous interior reports regarding shells 2012 exploration activities in the arctic. What are the challenges of drilling for oil in the arctic.

Shell plans to drill for oil just off the north coast of alaska, pulling the detonator on a carbon bomb. Norway has infuriated environmental groups by opening up a record number of blocks in the arctic for oil exploration. Cameron on august 28, 2015 leave a comment in july 2015 the obama administration has given royal dutch shell plc approval to begin with limited exploratory oil drilling off alaskas northwest coast, in the chukchi sea. In this blog i will give a summary of the history of arctic drilling and i will also discuss shortly the environmental concerns and technological and. As the price of oil, refined petroleum and products, jet fuel, and the potential for a crisis in persian gulf supply due to a potential overt military conflict with iran, the current instability in nigeria, and the global demand for energy resources make this issue. The exploration up in the north is not finished, says janice zinck, the director of green mining innovation with the federal agency natural resources canada. For norway, natural gas exploration in the barents sea is crucial to maintain current levels of production in the future. Routledge explorations in environmental economics kindle edition by mikkelsen, aslaug, langhelle, oluf. What shells arctic exit means for future energy exploration.

Specialists with years of field experience have contributed to this volume to create the first widely available synopsis of the ecology and wildlife biology of animals and plants living in close association with an actively producing oil field. The natural history of an arctic oil field 1st edition. Rocks in antarctica have been suggested to contain oil or gas. As royal dutch shell and other oil companies prepare to drill offshore in the alaskan outer continental shelf ocs, a new report commissioned by the washington, dcbased pew environment group concludes current response capabilities arent adequate to contain and clean up a major spill in the area. Jan 01, 2014 scroll through any set of accounting books addressing international or domestic petroleum operations and under the heading of costs will be listed the mobilization and demobilization of oil and gas field drilling machinery, equipment, supplies, and personnel. After 176 wells were drilled at billions of dollars of cost, approximately 1. Greenpeace loses norway arctic oil lawsuit appeal hart. They say the agency did not make sure shell could respond to a worst case oil spill to. Shell calls off 2014 oil exploration in alaskas arctic waters. Kasper says all this will add to the cost of drilling oil in the arctic. Anthony field, arctic expert at wwf, accused the norwegian government of choosing oil drilling over nature. Where the arctic oil industry is booming bloomberg. High commodity prices is of course met due to the rise of crude oil prices and continued investment in drilling technologies.

Underneath the arctic circle lies massive oil and natural gas formations. Amerasian basin, arctic alaska basin, east barents basin, east greenland rift basin, west greenlandeast canada basin, west siberian basin, and the yenisey. The report called for a moratorium on arctic oil and gas drilling, and challenged. An oslo appeals court approved norways plans for more oil exploration in the arctic on jan. Aug 17, 2011 greenlanders divided on arctic oil, gas exploration the fastchanging world is in cringing on the arctic. In the last alaskan barrel, the author analyzes whether arctic alaskan north slope oil was. Although we are all aware of the effects of oil on seabirds, oil is also extremely toxic to marine life see pew trusts the future of oil and water. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. In overcoming the technical challenges of oil production in the arctic, are we making the most of a strategic resource or heading for an environmental and political minefield. Environmental groups continue attempts to thwart arctic oil. Back in 2007, when shell launched its alaskan arctic oil exploration program, oil prices were booming, china was on a roll with a seemingly insatiable growth appetite and the threat of shale oil. Environmental impacts of arctic oil spills and arctic spill response. Trump administration opens huge reserve in alaska to drilling. Securities lawcalgary, alberta, may 19, 2020 globe newswire high arctic energy services inc.

The coming costs of oilandgas exploration in the 1002 area of the arctic national wildlife refuge authors benjamin k. This is likely to be prohibitive for most companies in the current climate, with some analysts predicting that the price of crude could drop in the medium term. The natural history of an arctic oil field 1st edition elsevier. The book raises a number of questions including how sustainable development has been framed in the arctic and the interaction between indigenous peoples, governments and oil and gas companies. But because of warming waters and the melting ice pack, the situation is rapidly changing. With fracking helping fuel an oil glut, oil prices remain relatively low, and the costs and risks of drilling in the region are high especially since there is no pipeline or transportation. Jul 18, 2012 the environmental groups object to the response equipment not having been tested in arctic conditions. Oil and natural gas resources map of the arctic ocean. The high price of environmental regulations hoover institution. Shell plans to drill for oil just off the north coast of alaska, pulling the. The united states geological survey estimates that the arctic contains approximately % of the worlds undiscovered oil resources and about 30% of its undiscovered natural gas resources. Arctic power promotes other drilling techniques, including throughtube rotary drilling, which allows the production tubing of an old well to be used again for a new well.