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Offshore Arctic Oil Spills Not so Easy to Clean up, Study Finds
Anchorage, AK (Vocus) December 23, 2009
A World Wildlife Fund report released today reinforces widespread doubts about the oil industryâs ability to clean-up an offshore oil spill in arctic conditions. The authors counter conclusions in a recent report from the Interior Departmentâs Minerals Management Service (MMS) that the technology and expertise exist to clean up a major offshore oil spill.
âThe MMS touted its findings as âlook, we can do it,â but after taking a closer look at their research, they probably shouldâve said âweâre making progress, but weâre still a long way from being able to clean up oil from an icy ocean,ââ said World Wildlife Fund Vice President Bill Eichbaum.
The WWF report highlights a series of instances where the government ignored real-world variables that affect the ability to detect, access, and effectively respond to an offshore oil spill in Alaskaâs arctic waters.
WWFâs report brings to light challenges that commonly occur in the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas including extreme weather and variable ice conditions, along with vast distances between drilling and response infrastructure. These circumstances severely limit the industryâs ability to detect oil before it spreads, get necessary equipment and personnel to the spill, and operate the spill response equipment effectively without putting responders at great risk.
The report also highlights the lack of ice class vessels in Alaskaâs arctic and the fact that much of the new technology touted by the industry is not commercially available or adequately tested in the arctic.
According to the report, âCurrent arctic mechanical response technology will leave most oil in the seaâ¦Oil skimmers are not effective in ice conditions if they cannot reach the spilled oilâ¦Oil trapped under ice is nearly impossible to recover.â
âThe weakest link in the response chain will limit response capability,â the authors add. âThe inability to track and logistically access the oil under typically severe arctic weather conditions are major weak links in the spill response chain.â
Recent large oil spills in Australiaâs Timor Sea and on Alaskaâs north slope demonstrate the difficulty of containing and cleaning up oil even under favorable conditions. Oil flowed into the ocean from the blown well in the temperate Timor Sea for 74 days before it could be contained. The Alaska BP spill occurred on land only 1.5 miles from the Prudhoe Bay infrastructure and it took responders several days to build ice roads and ice pads necessary to access the spill.
âIf a company thatâs been operating in the arctic for decades canât reach a spill on land only a few miles from its base of operations, what makes MMS think industry can effectively get to a spill thatâs hundreds of miles across ice-filled waters from the nearest infrastructure?â Eichbaum said, referring to the BP spill. âCitizens deserve information thatâs accurate, not cherry-picked.â
Editorâs Note
The report can be found at: http://www.worldwildlife.org/oilspillreport. It was written by Susan Harvey, who has 22 years of experience in the Alaska Oil and Gas Industry, and holds a Bachelorâs of Science in Petroleum Engineering and a Masterâs of Science in Environmental Engineering. She served as the Industry Preparedness and Pipeline Program Manager in the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, Division of Spill Prevention and Response. She has also held engineering and supervisory positions at both Arco Alaska, Inc. and BP Exploration (Alaska), Inc.
About World Wildlife Fund
WWF is the worldâs leading conservation organization, working in 100 countries for nearly half a century. With the support of almost 5 million members worldwide, WWF is dedicated to delivering science-based solutions to preserve the diversity and abundance of life on Earth, halt the degradation of the environment and combat climate change. Visit http://www.worldwildlife.org to learn more.
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