West Alpine on hold {Fed delays Alaska development}
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2429842/posts
January 16, 2010
Posted on 02/11/2010 4:50:34 AM PST by thackney
Federal regulators have denied a request by U.S. oil major ConocoPhillips to build a system of bridges to expand oil drilling on Alaska's North Slope, saying the project would harm aquatic wildlife.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers denied ConocoPhillips' application to build the bridges over the Colville River, in a decision Friday, saying other alternatives would meet overall project goals while better preserving marine wildlife.
Houston-based Conoco plans to appeal the decision, company spokeswoman Natalie M. Lowman said Monday. She added that the company is "disappointed with their decision."
Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski and the state's governor, Sean Parnell, both Republicans, criticized the agency's decision, saying it would set back the project.
The agency said that Conoco's proposal to discharge fill material over 62 acres of wetland tundra in the Colville River Delta ran up against federal rules that prohibit discharging dredged or fill material if there are other alternatives that would have "less adverse impact on the aquatic ecosystem."
The agency added that the Colville River Delta is the largest and "most complex" delta on the Artic Coastal Plain, is home to 80 bird species, numerous fish and migrating caribou, and provides subsistence hunting and fishing resources for inhabitants of the village of Nuiqsut.
The company would have to file a new application to pursue an alternative, which could include horizontal directional drilling, the agency said.
Conoco hasn't made any decisions about the project, aside from its plan to appeal the Army Corps of Engineers' decision, Lowman said.
West Alpine on hold {Fed delays Alaska development}
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2429842/posts
January 16, 2010
Marine life on the Colville? It remains frozen to the bottom 9 months out of the year, empties out into a bay only 20 feet deep for hundreds of square miles, and the “bird life” they claim solely relies on it, only live there for 3 months out of every year.
Bridges would not harm the runs of Char in any way and would actually help to attract them as have all the other bridges over other rivers in the area.
The Obama Corpse of Engineers is purely in line with the EPA and dictating unreasonable policy like they always have.
You and I both know that a bridge over the Coleville will open up a direct route to ANWR, only 25 miles away and cannot even be considered.
bump
But they’ll build Bridges to Nowhere.................
Obumbum is out there telling the public he supports more drilling, all the while stopping it at every level.
Call his bluff Conoco, drill baby drill!
I would like to know on what basis the federal gov't justifies itself in this matter.
Conoco’s proposal to discharge fill material over 62 acres of wetland tundra in the Colville River Delta
A third of a mile square.
That’s hugh.
btt
I believe that is actually less than a 10th of a square mile which is 640 acres the last time I checked.
The Colville river never completely freezes. I have personally rode across the ice bridge used to cross it. The permafrost starts deeper because of the constant river heat.
This is a route into NPRA, not ANWR.
I do agree it would do no harm and the proposal to take three phase fluid below the river has more potential for spills than the bridge.
It is the NPRA, federal land, for starters.
I believe they also get to approve bridges over navigable water ways.
0.3^2
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