ANWR Oil Drilling Threat Delayed
Alaska Native & Environmental Groups Defeat Shell Oil - This Time
Beaufort Sea and Arctic National Wildlife Refuge protected, at least temporarily. Ongoing struggle over North Slope oil moving in favor of conservation.
The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge has been under fire almost since it was established. An unknown but probably small amount of oil is present in the area. And so are several endangered species, including bowhead whales. Onshore is some of the most pristine habitat left in the USA. A request by Shell oil for further drilling activities is at issue.
History of Oil Spill Damage
Concerns about protecting this area have not changed since the 1989 Exxon Valdez Oil Spill brought ANWR into the limelight. Damage from that spill is still affecting Alaskan beaches. A survey in 2005 found unweathered oil still present on more than half the beaches. Unweathered oil is more dangerous than weathered oil because it remains in liquid form and continues to be toxic, in this case more than 10 years after the original incident. And that oil could be reintroduced by storm activity.
Add to that, the knowledge that an oil spill off of Cape Cod, Massachusetts in 1969 is continuing to affect the health of the impacted marsh nearly 40 years later. How long will the Valdez oil do the same? Meanwhile in 2006 in Alaska, leaks in an aging pipeline in Prudhoe Bay caused British Petroleum to shut down its operations to replace nearly all of the severely corroded line, once again underscoring problems associated with drilling and transporting oil.
Potential Impacts of Oil Exploration on Alaskan Wildlife and Environment
The decision by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals found that the Minerals Management Service (MMS) may not have complied with the National Environmental Policy Act. This is the law which requires environmental impact statements (EIS) be filed when federal actions may have an environmental impact. If Royal Dutch Shell expands their leases into this part of the Beaufort Sea, which is close to the very productive fields of Prudhoe Bay, there would be environmental impacts. And they need to be carefully examined.
Polar bears, already being affected by the loss of sea ice, would face further danger. ANWR's coastal plain hosts a large number of polar bear land dens. Encroachment by humans from land only adds to the danger for this species. Polar bears are also known to be extremely susceptible to damage from oil, suffering from loss of insulation when oil contaminates their fur and liver and kidney damage when oil is ingested, either from grooming or from scavenging on seal and seabird carcasses.
Seabirds, sea otters and seals are also put at risk by oil drilling activities as they live both on the land and on the sea. This puts them at extra risk as a pipeline break or an oil spill from either a tanker accident or a drilling rig blowout could place them in contact with the oil. On land, the extremely fragile tundra and the caribou which depend on it are at risk as well. The environmental consequences of the recent pipeline leak have not yet been evaluated, but should be before any further drilling is considered.
The endangered bowhead whale is hunted by Native Alaskans under a subsistence exemption. Oil exploration involves seismic testing, which may negatively affect those whales, sending them further offshore. The National Congress of American Indians produced a resolution in 2002 stating opposition to oil exploration and development in the Arctic, saying it would negatively affect cultural survival for several tribes in the area. While it may seem wrong to allow hunting of an endangered species, the indigenous tribes only hunt one population. And that population has remained stable despite the hunt. But changing the behavior of the population might have serious negative effects on its stability.
Decision Due in December
The Court will revisit this issue in December, but from preliminary statements is seems they are likely to continue to side with the environmental and indigenous groups and prevent further incursion into ANWR. If it does it will be a step in the right direction for the environment.
