Posted on 03/06/2002 2:14:05 PM PST by cogitator
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
You are absolutely spot on. Too bad journalists will never give us an honest context, preferring instead to leave much unsaid that might otherwise create a different perspective.
"More than 270,000 gallons of oil, produced water and other contaminants have been released into the wildlife refuge," the report notes.
By this statement it could be 269,998 gallons of produced water spilled, one gallon of water and one gallon of 'other'.
Yeah, Coal Oil Point has produced oil for gosh only knows how many millinnia before there was even an oil industry.
There isn't much point in trying to reason with econuts. They have a socialist agenda, and facts are just something to be ignored.
Their demonstration of wielding irrationality and deception gives evidence that they could easily grasp the nanotechnology concepts and the implications at a layman's level.
Hard to imagine that side of McMahon, the Hulkster, and Macho Man Savage...
ANWR is on the North Slope. Did you sail all the way around Alaska to Barrow and Prudhoe? By golly, that would be a trip!
It's been a while since I've been to the oil patch, but my recollection is that water is mixed with bentonite to produce 'drillers mud' a lubricant pumped into the shaft.
Bentonite is a naturally occurring volcanic substance that lays over most Wyoming. Commonly used in cat litter, women's makeup, etc.
Wouldn't want any of that to get loose in the enviroment.
The report says 270,000 gallons.
Presumably the people living nearby. Quite a bit of it isn't cleaned up; I've been to an atoll in the Pacific that I have to leave unnamed where you can still see rusting landing craft offshore.
As for oil, when it spills, the volatile component evaporates and the heavy component (tar) eventually sinks. If it sinks into the deep ocean, like every other organic material it'll eventually get broken down by bacteria. But that takes time.
I have no doubt of that. But -- a couple gallons here, a couple gallons there, and eventually it could accumulate into a problem.
The PDF document linked in the article has a timeline of the major events. There was a 2,000 gallon oil spill and a 200,000 gallon oil spill in the timeline.
See reply 55 or read the linked PDF document, which describes the major incidents. The major spill in the refuge was 200,000 gallons of oil.
See reply 55 or read the linked PDF docuement for a timeline of major incidents in the Kenai Refuge.
Crude oil seeps off of Louisiana have the same kind of organisms that populate deep-sea hot springs on mid-ocean ridges.
See reply 55 or read the linked PDF document. The major spill in the refuge was a 200,000 gallon spill. Other spills have been 1-2,000 gallons.
A 5,630 gallon oil spill took place in 1991. The 200,000 gallon spill (which I now note was a mix of oil and "produced water") took place in 1999.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.