Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR)
Oil Development Scenario
Page 1: Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR)
Page 2: Oil Development in America's Arctic, Prudhoe Bay
Page 3: Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Oil Development Scenario
In August of 2001 the House of Representatives passed the Energy Bill HR4, an amendment to which (the Sununu Amendment) allows drilling on the 1.5 million acre Arctic Refuge Coastal Plain. Proponents of drilling have frequently emphasized a 2,000 acre development limit included in the amendment. Yet, as we have seen with footprint calculations for the Prudhoe Bay area, such "limitations" are greatly misleading. Not limited by the amendment are the damage caused by seismic exploration, the extraction of gravel and water for roads and ice roads, the road mileage itself, pipelines (except negligible amount for support posts (VSM's)), or the disturbance of wildlife in its critical habitat.
1984 and 85 saw the 2-D seismic exploration of the Coastal Plain; vehicles created a gridwork of trails at 4 mile distances in order to locate oil deposits. Sixteen years later, damage caused by this exploration still exists in some areas1. Trails can be seen as troughs from the air and vegetation is no longer as diverse or abundant as before. The melting of the permafrost layer has caused some areas to remain wet. 3-D seismic exploration is now proposed for the Coastal Plain, allowing for a more accurate delineation of oil fields. The grid the vehicles must traverse is, however, far denser — ½ mile apart or less.1 Increased grid density obviously portends even greater potential for damage.
The United States Geological Survey proposes that oil underneath the Refuge is not located in one large field but is rather scattered in pockets across the Coastal Plain, requiring a network of roads to connect facilities. Proponents of drilling offer ice roads as a low impact alternative to gravel. However, the water supply of the Coastal Plain is estimated at only about nine million gallons — enough for less than ten miles of ice roads.1 Gravel roads and their associated pits would still be necessary.
The Arctic Refuge Coastal Plain is the location of the major calving ground for the Porcupine Caribou herd. The Plain is unique because it contains the nutritious vegetation necessary for female caribou to build fat reserves and milk. For 15 of the last 18 years, the Plain has been the primary birthing ground for the herd. In 1987, 1988 and 2000, when snow buildup on the tundra forced birthing to take place elsewhere, the calf survival rate was poorer than in those years when the cows calved on the Coastal Plain.1
This map of a speculative scenario for the Arctic Refuge Coastal Plain illustrates development that is consistent with the 2,000-acre "limitation" in the House Energy bill (HR4, Section 6507(a)(3)). It is based on the premise of the United States Geological Survey that oil is scattered in small pockets across the Coastal Plain. The development scenario uses a conservative 4-mile directional drilling reach from drill sites, which is based on industry practice on the North Slope fields such as Alpine and Niakuk. One can see that, in fact, 2,000 acres of development may extend over the entire Coastal Plain.
Alaska Wilderness League Release: The House has Spoken: No Dollars for Drilling, dated July 18, 2002
1 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 2001. Potential impacts of proposed oil and gas development on the Arctic Refuge’s coastal plain: Historical overview and issues of concern. Web page of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Fairbanks, Alaska. 17 January 2001. http://arctic.fws.gov/issues1.htm
Maps by David Pray. Conservation GIS Support Center, a joint project of Ecotrust and the Alaska Conservation Alliance.
