Oil Drilling Contaminates Kenai Refuge

Lycos Environmental News Service ^ | 03/05/2002

[cogitator]

Ameriscan, March 5, 2002

OIL DRILLING CONTAMINATES KENAI REFUGE

WASHINGTON, DC, March 5, 2002 (ENS) - Oil drilling in the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska has resulted in more than 350 spills, explosions and fires, according to government studies released by the National Audubon Society and Defenders of Wildlife.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) studies also found that oil drilling is linked with high numbers of deformed wood frogs.

The groups' report, "Toxic Tundra," details a contaminants study and a frog study, which was obtained through the Freedom of Information Act. The studies point to the need for further study of damage caused by oil production in Kenai and other National Wildlife Refuges, as well as the importance of keeping industrial development out of the pristine Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, the groups say.

"In spite of all the industry's promises, oil drilling in Kenai and other national wildlife refuges has left behind a disgraceful legacy of contamination, toxic chemical spills, and lasting damage to wildlife and wildlife habitat," said Robert Dewey, vice president for government relations at Defenders of Wildlife. "With such a sorry record, does anyone honestly believe the oil companies' fatuous claims that they'll do better next time, if we just throw open the doors to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge?"

Established in 1941 by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt to protect the large population of moose on the Kenai Peninsula, the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge provides habitat for 200 species of birds and wildlife, including bald eagles, trumpeter swans, brown and black bear, caribou and wolves.

Industrial oil development within the refuge includes almost 200 wells within three oil and gas fields that total 30 square miles. The wells are supported by 46 miles of oil and gas feeder pipelines, a 3,500 foot airstrip, 44 miles of roads and more than 60 individual well pads.

"More than 270,000 gallons of oil, produced water and other contaminants have been released into the wildlife refuge," the report notes. "Groundwater in some areas of the wildlife refuge shows contamination at 10 times the legal limit established by the Environmental Protection Agency."

"Oil drilling in a national wildlife refuge is simply an awful idea," said Lois Schiffer, Audubon's senior vice president for public policy. "There can be no question, in light of these studies, that oil drilling would be a disaster for the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge."

The analysis by Audubon and Defenders of Wildlife is available at:

PDF Document: http://www.defenders.org/habitat/toxictundra.pdf

[alaskanfan]

As an Alaskan, I have a vested interest in an Alaskan economy that provides something more than service sector jobs.

Anyone that believes that ANWR is a "pristine wilderness" needs to spend a week there in February.

[LarryLied]

I have a vested interest in Alaska being preserved for it's beauty, pristine natural areas and its glaciers and all the other things that make it the wonderful state it is.

Who says oil drilling will change any of that? Should we shut down Prudhoe Bay? Dismantle the pipeline? Continue to buy 700,000 barrels of oil a day from Saddam Hussein? Think about what will happen to the environment with what he buys with that money from Americans.

[LarryLied]

A few oil spills didn't hurt Truk Lagoon:

In February 1944, U.S. aircraft carriers launched a surprise attack on a remote South Pacific harbor housing several Japanese transport ships.

The World War II offensive, called "Operation Hailstorm," dealt a devastating blow to the Imperial fleet, sinking over 45 ships, including armed cargo ships, huge tankers, small destroyers and a submarine. Several planes were also sent to their final resting place, the tranquil ocean floor of Truk Lagoon. Fifty years later, these relics of war are magnificent reefs housing countless tropical fish, anemones and macro critters. Antiaircraft guns and tank turrets are now cloaked in plumes of colorful soft corals. It is truly a wreck diver's paradise. . .

Throughout the week, the Truk Aggressor II explores the most beautiful wrecks in the lagoon including the Nippo Maru, Fujikawa Maru and Fumitzuki Destroyer. Tanks, tractors, trucks, planes, artillery shells, dinner ware and saki bottles are just a fraction of the artifacts awaiting your discovery in the holds of these sunken ships. Truk Aggressor II divers even have the opportunity to pilot a Japanese bomber, or at least pretend to, on the well-intact plane wreck, Betty Bomber.

The warm waters of Truk Lagoon are home to large variety of marine life including lionfish, clownfish, tuna, freckled frogfish, turtles, grouper and grey reef and white tip sharks.

[neverquit]

The folks who report contamination should check out the area. I have. They will not find damage or contamination on the Kenai Refuge. And frogs, in Alaska! Who are we kidding here?

[Antoninus II]

That's 350 spills, explosions and fires. NOT 350 spills PLUS explosions and fires. You need to read properly. There is no breakdown in this total. And by today's standard you can have a 'spill' just from a trip out.

[RightWhale]

And frogs, in Alaska!

There are frogs, or maybe toads. I am here, I have seen them. No snakes, though.

[RightWhale]

You need to read properly

Okay, 349 spills, 1 fire, and no explosions. How many gallons were spilled from oil drilling operations, and how many were spilled when the nozzle fell out of the filler pipe on the pickup truck and the can of Heat fell off the fender?

[Dog Gone]

350 oil spills, which total how many gallons? Not counting volume recovered by soaking up with Scottowels.

Even a teaspoon counts and requires an incident report. Never mind that you probably have more "oil spills" on the floor of your garage.

And whatever you do, don't remind these wackos that oil seeps to the ocean surface offshore California today like it has for thousands of years.

[Antoninus II]

I'm still not getting your point. R U in favor of drilling ANWR?

[Jhoffa_]

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) studies also found that oil drilling is linked with high numbers of deformed wood frogs.

If I told you that I just, flat don't care.. would you call me insensitive?

[RightWhale]

Kenai is not ANWR. ANWR is dead for the year anyway.

[Jhoffa_]

It sounds to me like he's just making the point that every "spill" isn't necessarily an environmental disaster..

[Carry_Okie]

Cabrillo reported that the rocks along the Pacific Coast were black with the stuff. There is evidence that drilling has reduced the seepage. That doesn't mean that it was necessarily a bad thing. Crude oil could well serve as a foundation nutrient of the marine food chain in that area. I don't think modern scientists really know and sure as heck wouldn't speak their frank opinions on the record if they did.

[tet68]

Notice that there is no time frame mentioned
349 spills over how many years? 10 ? 20? 30? 40? 50?
Say 30,that comes to 11.6 per year for 200 wells. Not too shabby,only one in twenty per year.

And lets see 270,000 gallons divided by 200 wells,over 30 years, 45 gallons per well per year.OH the Horror!!

Earth First !!
We'll mine the other planets later.

[Dog Gone]

They are hoping that people equate this with ANWR, but the Kenai Refuge is west of Anchorage on the opposite side of the state. The oil and gas activities there bear as much relationship to what would happen in ANWR as drilling in West Texas does to drilling in Vermont.

It's much older than drilling on the North Slope, which is one reason this study didn't focus on Prudhoe Bay, where the environmental record can't be distorted. It's practically perfect.

This is a horribly distorted picture, which is exactly what they had planned when they wrote it.

[NilesJo]

I believe that many of these so-called spills and explosions happened many years ago, perhaps even before much of the environmental legislation was put into effective practice. I don't believe that over the last 15 years you will find much contribution to pollution. Most of these things probably happened in the 70s and earlier. I was part of a team that sited a Hazardous waste incinerator in the Kenai Refuge in 1989 and decontaminated 60,000 cu yards of soil contaminated with PCBs.

How did it get contaminated? A large gas compressor building exploded spewing PCB-containing oil over a large area. In addition, it was common practice to "oil down" the dirt roads leading into the refuge with the waste oil resulting from compressor maintenance.

Sounds terrible, right? You would never know it from driving through there. It still looked pristine with moose, bear and eagles overhead and lakes teaming with fish. An absolutely beautiful area.

[lepton]

350 oil spills

That's not what it says. There are multiple categories lumped together: "350 spills, explosions and fires."

[RightWhale]

multiple categories lumped together

A standard environmentalist tactic. They argue with aesthetics, not logic.