ENVIRONMENTAL IMPROVEMENTS IN THE ALASKA OIL & GAS INDUSTRY

MINIMIZING IMPACTS FROM THE OIL & GAS INDUSTRY IN ALASKA

The oil and gas industry in Alaska is a model for using technologies and business practices that minimize impacts to the environment. This presentation will touch on just some of the technology-related improvements and good business practices that are now the norm for working in the Arctic tundra environment. Examples include:

•using temporary ice roads and pads to protect tundra during exploration activities •using seismic vehicles with rubber tracks or large, low-pressure, tundra tires •extended-reach and horizontal drilling to reduce gravel pad footprint and allow for extracting hydrocarbons from significantly larger subsurface areas •underground injection of liquid waste streams •using screens on lake water withdrawal hoses to avoid fish entrapment •working with Native villages to schedule activities to minimize interference with subsistence hunting and fishing •conducting environmental studies beyond what is required by regulation and permit •controlling the presence of predators like ravens, bears and foxes •monitoring pipelines for leaks by regular surveys with a plane-mounted forward looking infrared radar technology •raising heights of new pipelines to facilitate passage of caribou and subsistence hunters