Posted on 08/16/2006 11:46:19 AM PDT by markomalley
The Interior Department is set to open a vast area of environmentally sensitive wetlands in Alaska to new oil drilling, even as opponents point to corroding pipelines to the east at Prudhoe Bay as a reason to keep the area off-limits.
The tens of thousands of acres in and around Lake Teshekpuk on Alaska's North Slope are part of the oil-rich Barrow Arch that also includes the Prudhoe Bay fields that have kept oil flowing for decades.
The lease sale, opposed by environmentalists and some members of Congress, comes as federal regulators and a House committee investigate inspection and maintenance programs of BP-Alaska where widespread pipeline corrosion forced the partial shutdown of Prudhoe Bay oil production Aug. 6.
Government geologists believe at least 2 billion barrels of oil and huge amounts of natural gas lie beneath the coastal lagoons, river deltas and sedge grass meadows — an area also where caribou give birth to their calves and thousands of geese migrate each summer to molt.
Within days, the Interior Department will open tracts in the lake area for leasing, with the winning bids to be announced in late September.
The lake and its surrounding wetlands are within the federal National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska (NPRA), a vast area of 22 million acres set aside in 1923 by the federal government for its oil and gas resources.
Unlike the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge farther to the east, the NPRA is acknowledged by all sides to be an area for energy development. But environmentalists argue that parts of it — especially the region around Lake Teshekpuk — should be excluded from the lease sales.
They contend that the risks to the environment were reinforced by the recent disclosure of shoddy maintenance, inadequate inspections and corroded pipes that led to the partial shutdown of North Slope oil production. BP Alaska has said it is replacing two thirds of its 22-mile Prudhoe Bay feeder pipeline system because of corrosion.
The company has acknowledged it was wrong to rely on ultrasonic tests to monitor the pipes and not internal tests using so-called smart pig technology, while also allowing a buildup of sludge in the pipes.
But the oil industry says it spends tens of millions of dollars for environmental protection on the North Slope and using modern technology can explore and develop oil fields in sensitive areas without a risk to wildlife and the environment.
"Oil is inherently a dirty business and there are some places where it should not be OK to go," countered Aurah Landau of the Alaska Coalition, an environmental advocacy group. She contends BP's pipeline corrosion and inspection and maintenance lapses are not an aberration and that there are frequent oil spills on the North Slope.
Recently, 19 senators and 10 House members separately urged Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne to reconsider offering leases in the Lake Teshekpuk area.
"Industry already has access to 87 percent of the Northeast area of the Reserve and providing them access to the remainder jeopardizes caribou and waterfowl populations and subsistence resources in one of the most important wetland complexes in the Arctic," the House letter says.
Interior's Bureau of Land Management said that in its upcoming lease offering it will limit the surface areas within the nearly 500,000 acres to protect geese molting and caribou calving areas. The restrictions apply to roads and drilling pads, but not to elevated 30-inch pipelines.
It is just such pipes that are the focus of BP Alaska's Prudhoe Bay problems, including a spill of 270,000 gallons of oil last March and another spill discovered recently, resulting in the shutdown of pipes BP's Prudhoe Bay production.
Edward Bovy, a spokesman for BLM-Alaska, said the agency's restrictions on surface activity are aimed to protect the environment, but that pipeline safety and integrity "are separate issues" and do not affect leasing decisions.
The Transportation Department's Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration will regulate any pipelines extended into the NPRA lease areas. As a result of the BP pipe corrosion problems, the agency said it plans to strengthen federal requirements and standards for operating such pipelines in the coming months.
I don't know the difference.
My dad used to have a book on Alaskan wildlife, and it depicted two kinds of caribou: Barren Ground, which had rather small antlers; and Woodland, which had the majestic racks that are seen in the Alaska-tour folders. I don't know if this distinction still holds, or if they are just two "phases" of the same species.
I appreciate the info. That said, and re-stating I don't know the difference, the caribou I saw yesterday on the North Slope looked like it had a rack as big as those in Southcentral Alaska.
Perhaps RightWhale knows.
Alaska has only the barren-ground subspecies
Caribou
http://www.adfg.state.ak.us/pubs/notebook/biggame/caribou.php
Alaska Department of Fish and Game
Caribou (Rangifer tarandus) live in the arctic tundra, mountain tundra, and northern forests of North America, Russia, and Scandinavia. The world population is about 5 million. Caribou in Alaska are distributed in 32 herds (or populations). A herd uses a calving area that is separate from the calving areas of other herds, but different herds may mix together on winter ranges.
In Europe, caribou are called reindeer, but in Alaska and Canada only the domestic forms are called reindeer. All caribou and reindeer throughout the world are considered to be the same species, but there are 7 subspecies: barrenground (Rangifer tarandus granti), Svalbard (R.t platyrhynchus), European (R.t. tarandus), Finnish forest reindeer (R.t. fennicus), Greenland (R.t. groenlandicus), woodland (R.t. caribou) and Peary (R.t. pearyi). Alaska has only the barren-ground subspecies, but in Canada the barren-ground, woodland, and Peary subspecies are found.
bttt
Caribou is deeeeelicioussssss. My husband and sons prefer moose, but in spite of them saying that, they never seemed to notice whether I had made "boo stew" or "moo stew". And never noticed the difference between boo burritos or moo burritos either. LOL
All caribou look the same to me. Identical. If somebody has them in a corral they are reindeer; if they are running wild through your yard they are caribou.
I've never tried caribou, but people have told me they really liked it. They usually say its a 'toss up' between caribou or moose regarding which is better.
'Boo stew' sounds pretty good. I always like doing making venison & goose stew in the crockpot. I'm starting to get hungry!
Most folks I know prefer moose to caribou. If someone were to offer me a quarter, and I had a choice, I'd take the moose. I've never had goose stew, but I'm sure it's deeelicious. I usually make dumplings to go in my stews, but sometimes I put in homemade egg noodles. yummmmm Now I'm hungry for it too!
Moose hunting season is upon us and I'm praying we'll have fresh meat soon!
When you get up here, I'll take you to the reindeer farm in Palmer. You can feed them out of your hands.
Public/Private partnership! Run for the hills!
I usually do goose legs & thighs in the crockpot with french-onion soup, carrots, & red peppers and let it cook all day. Thicken it, and serve it over mashed potatoes. Its easy & good!
Breasts I usually cut into steaks, wrap in bacon, & grill. I really like goose, even more than duck.
Grouse in the crockpot, with mushroom soup is good too!
I can't wait to go moose hunting sometime, caribou too. I suppose with moose the real fun starts after you take one. Can't imagine packing one out.
Interviewing?
Your recipes sound heavenly! I probably shouldn't hijack this thread with my best smothered moose recipe, so I'll e-mail that to you. You could use it for venison, or even beef. It's deeeeeeeeeelicious.
You're sure right about baggin' a moose. The first time I was actually involved in the gutting, skinning and quartering of one, I remarked that I had never seen a gut pile the size of a Volkswagen! LOL! It was all I could do to just hold the leg back while my hubby worked. Lordy, they're huge! But to get that delicious meat, it's worth every ache 'n pain.
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