Our CONSUMER ENERGY ALLIANCE friends warn us that, “Alaska is under attack!”
CEA Alaska President Anne Seneca reports that, “After convincing the Obama Administration to remove the Atlantic from the 2017-2022 offshore oil and gas leasing program (Proposed Program), anti-energy extremists are now trying to remove Alaska as well.” (Note that these are the nationally elected and appointed democrats whose socialist presidential candidates Alaska democrats now support. -dh)
Seneca says that the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management is holding public meetings next week in Anchorage (Tuesday, April 5 from 3:00 pm – 7:00 pm) and Fairbanks (Monday, April 4 from 7:00 pm – 10:00 pm) on the Draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) for the Proposed Program, and anti-energy forces are encouraging their supporters to turn out. As one example, the Sierra Club is rallying their troops for an anti-OCS rally at 7 pm after the Anchorage meeting on Tuesday.
In addition to conveying support for access to BOEM officials our readers will have an opportunity to submit written comments at these meetings. We’re not quite sure why, but the Fairbanks meeting and one in Ninilchik on Wednesday will also include a facilitated group format that provides a more formal opportunity to make oral comments.
Here is more information from CEA for those wishing to weigh in:
MEETING INFORMATION
Anchorage, AK April 5, 2016
3:00-7:00 PM, AKSTEmbassy Suites
600 East Benson Boulevard, Anchorage, AK 99503Fairbanks, AK April 4, 2016
7:00-10:00 PM, AKSTMorris Thompson Cultural & Visitors Center
101 Dunkel St, Fairbanks, AK 99701Ninilchik, AK April 6, 2016
7:00-10:00 PM, AKSTNinilchik School
15735 Sterling Highway, Ninilchik, AKPOINTS OF EMPHASIS
A Resource Critical to Our Energy, Economic, and National Security Supported by Alaskans
- As a federal advisory committee reported to the U.S. Energy Secretary last year, exploration in the Alaskan Arctic must ramp up now in order to offset a forecasted long-term production decline in the Lower 48 and ensure our long-term energy security
- Alaskan OCS is a primary component of Alaska’s enormous oil and gas potential, with an estimated mean ~27 billion barrels of undiscovered oil and 132 trillion cubic feet of undiscovered natural gas, most of which of which is located in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas in the U.S. Arctic; the Alaskan Arctic OCS would constitute the 8th largest oil resources in the world, ahead of Nigeria, Libya, Russia and Norway.
- The Chukchi Sea, off Alaska’s northwest coast, offers more resources than any other undeveloped U.S. energy basin, and, according to experts, may be one of the largest untapped oil and gas sources in the entire world
- Development of Alaska’s Arctic resources could generate an annual average of 54,700 jobs nationwide with an estimated $145 billion cumulative payroll, as well as $193 billion in public revenue; in 2008, Lease Sale 193 netted the federal government greater than $2.6 billion in bonus bids, and, moving forward, revenues generated from Arctic OCS oil and natural gas resources could amount to nearly $200 billion in revenues to federal, state and local governments
- Access to Alaska’s offshore resources is critical to the survival of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System, which may be forced to close without a significant new source of oil; 25 years ago, oil production derived from Alaska’s North Slope exceeded two million barrels a day, but TAPS currently transports just ~500,000 barrels per day; a closure would be another significant hit to the Alaskan economy and pose an energy and national security threat to the country
- 73 percent of voters in Alaska support OCS development
No Further Reductions or Restrictions
- As the Draft PEIS notes, more specific environmental information and review will be considered at later decision stages; it would be premature to exclude additional areas or adopt new mitigation measures at this stage
- In recent years, the federal government has removed over 42 million acres of Alaskan waters from potential oil and natural gas leasing
- If BOEM were to take action now to exclude or add seasonal restrictions to areas identified as “Environmentally Important” at this stage, it would unnecessarily take millions of additional acres off the table; BOEM itself acknowledges that doing so may make leasing in the Arctic economically infeasible
- Combined with other recent actions that have raised regulatory uncertainty and discouraged prospects for Alaskan offshore development, further winnowing down the potential leasing area at this stage would deliver a major blow to the energy and economic security of Alaska and the nation
Environmentally Safe and Responsible
- As a federal advisory committee to the U.S. Energy Secretary concluded last year, activity since the 1970’s has proven that Arctic energy development can be conducted safely and effectively
- There has never been a blowout in the Alaskan or the Canadian Arctic. Since 1971, 85 wells have been drilled in the Alaskan OCS – all without incident
- In light of what Interior Sec. Jewell has called “the most aggressive and comprehensive offshore oil and gas regulatory reforms in the nation’s history” and continued safety and technological advances, it is no surprise that the draft PEIS finds that a very large spill is not expected to occur as a result of offshore leasing
- The North Slope and its offshore are now perhaps the most studied energy basins in the United States. In the past decade, over 250 studies have been funded in the Arctic, with the majority focused on the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas
Alaska OCS Threatened. Here’s How To Weigh In!
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About the Author: wpnorthern
Dave Harbour, publisher of Northern Gas Pipelines, is a former Chairman of the Regulatory Commission of Alaska, a Commissioner Emeritus of NARUC, NARUC's Official Representative to IOGCC and Vice Chairman of NARUC's Gas Committee. He served as Gas Committee Chairman of the Western Conference of Public Service Commissioners. He also served as commissioner of the Anchorage Bicentennial Commission and the Anchorage Heritage Land Bank Commission.
He earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree: English, at Colorado State University, a Master of Science Degree: Communications-Journalism at Murray State University and graduated from Utility Regulatory School for Commissioners at Michigan State University. He served as a Vice President for Communications and Public Affairs at Alaska Pacific University, taught bank marketing classes at the University of Alaska and was an English teacher at Los Alamos High School.
Harbour served in ranks of Private - Captain during a 4-year assignment with the Army in Korea, Idaho, Georgia and Fort Meade and received the Meritorious Service Medal among other commendations.
Harbour is also a past Chairman of the Alaska Council on Economic Education, the Alaska Oil & Gas Association Government Affairs Committee, the Anchorage Chamber of Commerce, the Export Council of Alaska and the Department of Commerce's District Export Council. He is a past President of the Alaska Press Club, American Bald Eagle Foundation, Consumer Energy Alliance-Alaska and Common Sense for Alaska.
Harbour was instrumental in founding the American Bald Eagle Research Institute (UAS), the Alaska Support Industry Alliance, the Downtown Anchorage Business Partnership, and Arctic Power.
He also served as CEO of several small Alaska organizations, including the Anchorage Parking Authority and Action Security, Inc. Harbour is also Chairman Emeritus of the Alaska Oil & Gas Congress.
Harbour's wife, Nancy, is a professional, performing arts administrator and his three boys, Todd, Benjamin and William work in the fields of environmental management, energy marketing and medicine.
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