Rescind Shell oil companies’ artic drilling permits and Declare a moratorium on all off shore drilling in the artic and North Aleutian basin. Because of the threat it will pose to wild life and for the following reasons
Spill response plans are incapable of dealing with the rough icy and remote environment throughout the entire year. Not enough is known about the stability of possible methane hydrates on the artic sea floor. Methane hydrates in these areas that may become more unstable as the artic sea warms. Drilling in these regions could exasperate that instability resulting in a catastrophic methane release.
In the article Shell overcomes legal obstacles to Arctic drilling, by Sara Reardon from the New Scientist Environment blog, reference 1, These problems where identified.
The GAO Government Accountability office has raised these questions as well reference 2
Also methane hydrates in the artic are starting to become unstable do to climate change, see this link. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/vast-methane-plumes-seen-in-arctic-ocean-as-sea-ice-retreats-6276278.html
"The decision by BP and many other energy companies to drill through possible areas of unusual ice-like crystals -- called methane hydrates -- is a risky one fraught with huge consequences for failure."
In the article Volatile Methane Ice Could Spark More Drilling Disasters reference 3 by Eric Niiler Wed May 12, 2010 07:00 AM ET
· "Methane hydrates are a geological hazard, Energy companies used to avoid methane hydrates no matter what. Now the industry may be drilling right into danger."
"The rush to produce more oil for domestic consumption has forced companies like BP to take bigger risks by drilling in deep waters that are a breeding ground of hydrates. And they worry that a new drilling push into the Arctic Ocean -- which President Barack Obama has authorized to begin next month -- could expose a fragile and remote environment to additional risks from catastrophic oil spills."
References’:
1. New Scientist Environment blog, Title: Shell overcomes legal obstacles to Arctic drilling, Author: Sara Reardon 17:58 30 March 2012 © 2012 Copyright Reed Business Information Ltd. http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn21654-shell-overcomes-legal-obstacles-to-arctic-
2. Titled: Interior Has Strengthened Its Oversight of Subsea Well Containment, but Should Improve Its Documentation GAO-12-244, Feb 29, 2012 http://www.gao.gov/assets/590/588961.pdf
3. Volatile Methane Ice Could Spark More Drilling Disasters ..news.discovery.com › Earth News By Eric Niiler Wed May 12, 2010 07:00 AM ET
http://news.discovery.com/earth/oil-spill-methane-hydrates.html
Dear Mr President,
I am writing to you in order to draw attention to concerns that the environmental community has about off shore drilling in the artic.
These Concerns are Justifiable fact-based and echoed by many scientists and the G.A.O. More importantly they are rooted in direct experience of the 2010 gulf oil spill whose full biological environmental and economic impact of the Gulf region is yet to be realized. In light of the recent approval of shell to drill in the Chuckchi and Beaufort Seas above the Arctic Circle, we as a country must question the wisdom of this decision based on difficult environment of the artic and its remote access.
The wisdom and timing of decision in light of our recent discovery of the role additional atmospheric carbon is playing in the acidification of the ocean. (ref 1 below)as well as possible massive release of methane from the ocean floor of the artic by disturbing of methane hydrates. Metahe Hydrates played a significant role in the initial explosion of the Deep water horizon disaster, and impededed a successful response to a blowout. (Ref 2 and 3 Below)
Just as importantly the timing of this makes no sense when our country is currently exporting oil and has so much natural gas that there is not enough storage capacity for it. We should be using this short time of plenty to develop renewable resources that do not destroy the enviroment.
The Following are Some of the concerns
Spill response plans are incapable of dealing with the rough icy and remote environment throughout the entire year. Not enough is known about the stability of possible methane hydrates on the artic sea floor. Methane hydrates in these areas that may become more unstable as the artic sea warms. Drilling in these regions could exasperate that instability resulting in a catastrophic methane release.
In the article Shell overcomes legal obstacles to Arctic drilling, by Sara Reardon from the New Scientist Environment blog, reference 1, These problems where identified.
The GAO Government Accountability office has raised these questions as well reference 2
Also methane hydrates in the artic are starting to become unstable do to climate change, see this link. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/vast-methane-plumes-seen-in-arctic-ocean-as-sea-ice-retreats-6276278.html
"The decision by BP and many other energy companies to drill through possible areas of unusual ice-like crystals -- called methane hydrates -- is a risky one fraught with huge consequences for failure."
In the article Volatile Methane Ice Could Spark More Drilling Disasters reference 3 by Eric Niiler Wed May 12, 2010 07:00 AM ET
· "Methane hydrates are a geological hazard, Energy companies used to avoid methane hydrates no matter what. Now the industry may be drilling right into danger."
· "The rush to produce more oil for domestic consumption has forced companies like BP to take bigger risks by drilling in deep waters that are a breeding ground of hydrates. And they worry that a new drilling push into the Arctic Ocean -- which President Barack Obama has authorized to begin next month -- could expose a fragile and remote environment to additional risks from catastrophic oil spills."
References’:
1. New Scientist Environment blog, Title: Shell overcomes legal obstacles to Arctic drilling, Author: Sara Reardon 17:58 30 March 2012 © 2012 Copyright Reed Business Information Ltd. http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn21654-shell-overcomes-legal-obstacles-to-arctic-
2. Titled: Interior Has Strengthened Its Oversight of Subsea Well Containment, but Should Improve Its Documentation GAO-12-244, Feb 29, 2012 http://www.gao.gov/assets/590/588961.pdf
3. Volatile Methane Ice Could Spark More Drilling Disasters ..news.discovery.com › Earth News By Eric Niiler Wed May 12, 2010 07:00 AM ET
http://news.discovery.com/earth/oil-spill-methane-hydrates.html
References:
1. Title: ACID TEST, a film produced by NRDC, (Natural Resources Defense Council) was made to raise awareness about the largely unknown problem of ocean acidification, which poses a fundamental challenge to life in the seas and the health of the entire planet. http://www.nrdc.org/oceans/acidification/aboutthefilm.asp
2. "Methane hydrates are a geological hazard,” Energy companies used to avoid methane hydrates no matter what. Now the industry may be drilling right into danger .By Eric Niiler Wed May 12, 2010 07:00 AM ET Copyright © 2012 Discovery Communications, LLC. http://news.discovery.com/earth/oil-spill-methane-hydrates.html
3. “ Vast methane 'plumes' seen in Arctic ocean as sea ice retreats” From the independent, Author: Steve Connor Tuesday 13 December 2011 www.independent.co.uk/news/science/vast-methane-plumes-seen-in-arctic-ocean-as-sea-ice-retreats-6276278.html
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