oil and gas operations & research in the u.s. arctic...
TRANSCRIPT
Oil and Gas Operations & Research in the U.S. Arctic OCS
Dr. James (Jim) KendallRegional Director, Alaska
Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE)
Transportation Research Board National Academies
Marine Board Fall MeetingAnchorage, Alaska September 7, 2011
Oil and gas leasing, regulation, monitoring, inspection and enforcement
Environmental studies and technical research
Sand, gravel, gold and other minerals
Renewable energy
BOEMRE: What We Do
National Environmental Policy Act
Environmental Laws
Federal Water Pollution Control Act (Clean Water Act)
Clean Air Act
Coastal Zone Management Act
Endangered Species Act
Marine Mammal Protection Act
Fishery Conservation & Management Act
National Historic Preservation Act
Includes environmental analysis & protection in project planning
Regulates discharges from oil & gas activities into marine waters
Regulates air emissions from industrial activities
Assures compliance with state coastal area protection plans
Protects threatened & endangered species
Protects marine mammals
Protects essential fish habitat
Protects archaeological resources, including those on the ocean floor
OCS Lands Act/Oil Pollution Act Regulates pre- and post-lease oiland gas activities on the OCS
Multiple Agencies Involved U.S. Coast Guard
Oil-spill response, port and vessel security and inspections Environmental Protection Agency
Air and water quality US Fish and Wildlife Service
Marine mammals/endangered species National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration
Coastal zone programs/Research Marine mammals/endangered species MOU on OCS Energy and Environmental Stewardship
US Army Corps of Engineers Navigation, dredge and fill
US Geological Survey Research
SolicitComments
45-day CommentPeriod
Draft Proposed Program
Published
60-DayCommentPeriod
Proposed ProgramDraft EISPublished
90-DayComment Period
Proposed Final
ProgramFinal EIS Published
60-DayPeriodfor Congress
Final 5-YearProgram
Announced
Call forInformationPublished
45-Day CommentPeriod
DefineSaleArea
Draft EISPublished
45- to 90-DayCommentPeriod
Final EISPublished, Proposed Notice and CD sent to
States
30-Day CommentPeriod
60-Day Comment Period
90-Day Review
Final Noticeof Sale
Published
30-DayPeriod Sale Leases
Issued
Pre-lease Develop 5-Year Program
Planning for Specific Sale
ExplorationPlan
Submitted
EnvironmentalAssessment
ExplorationPlan
Review
90-Day CZMReview
APDDecisionPermitsGranted
ExplorationDrillingStarts
FirstExploration
Well(s)Completed
DelineationWell
Drilling
Post-lease Exploration Plan Approval
Development& Production
Plan Submitted
CompanySubmits CZMConsistencyCertification
BOEMRE Prepares
NEPA Analysis
CZM ConsistencyConcurrence from State
Then Development andProduction Plan Decision
Production WellApplication
FirstOil/Gas
Production
Abbreviations: APD - Application for Permit to Drill CD - Consistency Determination CZM - Coastal Zone Management EIS - Environmental Impact Statement NEPA - National Environmental Policy Act
Development and Production Plan Approval
Maritime ActivitiesSeismic: Activities peaked in
early 1980s 15 Arctic permits
since 1998 Bering Sea seismic
ended 20 years ago
Drilling: 35 exploration wells since 1981 3 between 1993-2001 None in 10 years
Development and Production: BP’s Northstar Field
Potential or Planned Activities Production from BP’s
Liberty Field Industry remains interested
in exploratory drilling in both the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas in 2012 and beyond.
Litigation, permitting requirements, and other administrative actions will affect the level and timing of any future near-term exploration activities.
Environmental and Socioeconomic Research $350M, 425 reports since
1973 $50M for Chukchi since
2007 Long-term whale
monitoring, sediment chemistry and bethos
Multiple partnerships and coordination
Scope includes Physical Oceanography, Biology, Protected Species, Subsistence Activities, Social Indicators, and Economic Modeling
Marine Mammal/Physical Oceanography Synthesis
Understanding relationships of oceanographic conditions, lower trophic prey species and marine mammals
Help predict changes in oceanographic features and changes in the behavior of marine mammals and their prey
OHMSETT
Effectiveness of dispersants in cold water Testing use of oil herders in ice Detection of oil under sea ice
Research demonstrates that dispersants work on North Slope crudes in cold-water and broken-ice conditions
http://www.boemre.gov/tarprojectcategories/ArcticOilSpillResponseResearch.htm
Field-scale tests conducted by Sintef under Oil in Ice - Joint Industry Project in the Barents Sea confirm dispersants can be effective in cold-water and broken-ice conditions
http://www.sintef.no/Projectweb/JIP-Oil-In-Ice/Publications
Dispersants
NOAA Photo
Advancements in Regulatory Enforcement (Safety & Environment)
Implement BOEMRE reorganization Recruit and train new employees Continue to review and update safety
regulations Work with newly established Ocean Energy
Safety Advisory Committee
Research Priority Recommendations for the Arctic OCS
National Academy of Sciences Reportsrelated to the OCS Oil and Gas Program Environmental Information for Outer Continental
Shelf Oil and Gas Decisions in Alaska (1994) Assessment of the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf
Environmental Studies Program: I. Physical Oceanography (1990); II. Ecology (1992); III. Social and Economic Studies (1992)
Alternatives for Inspecting Outer Continental Shelf Operations (1990)
Improving the Safety of Marine Pipelines (1994) Ocean Noise and Marine Mammals (2003) Oil Spill Dispersants: Efficacy and Effects (2005) Managing Troubled Waters: The Role of Marine
Environmental Monitoring (1990)
Research Priority Recommendations for the Arctic OCS
National Academy of Sciences Reportsrelated to the OCS Oil and Gas Program Science, Policy, and the Coast: Improving
Decisionmaking (1995) Oil in the Sea III: Inputs, Fates, and Effects (2003) Bridging Boundaries through Regional Marine
Research (2000) Environmental Science in the Coastal Zone: Issues
for Further Research (1994) Environmental Impacts of Wind-Energy Projects
(2007) Science and the Endangered Species Act (1995)
Research Priority Recommendations for the Arctic OCS
Environmental Studies Plan Priority Areas USGS Circular 1370 Recommendations for the Beaufort
and Chukchi Seas Presidential Commission on the Deepwater Horizon Oil
Spill US-Canada Northern Oil and Gas Research Forum
Research Priorities for the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas Arctic Council Oil and Gas Effects Assessment National Ocean Policy Strategic Action Plan for Action #8
Changing Conditions in the Arctic IARPC 5-Year Research Plan CMTS Arctic Integrated Action Team Recommendations Canadian National Energy Board Arctic Research Needs
report