General information
This study was produced in part with National Petroleum Reserve – Alaska funds made available through the Alaska Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development.
Links
- Oil and Gas Technical Report – Cover
- Acknowledgements
- Chapter 1: Introduction 1
- 1.1 Purpose of this Report 1
- 1.2 Project History and Methodology 3
- 1.3 Public Involvement 4
- 1.4 North Slope Borough Management Authorities and Responsibilities 6
- 1.5 Applicability and Scope of the Technical Report 7
- 1.6 How to Use this Report 7
- Chapter 2: Background 9
- 2.1 Overview of the NPR-A 9
- 2.1.1 Human Environment 10
- 2.1.1.1 Settlement 10
- 2.1.1.2 Historic Use of the NPR-A and Adjacent Area 11
- 2.1.1.3 Current Use of NPR-A by Residents of the North Slope Borough 11
- 2.1.2 Natural Environment 13
- 2.1.2.1 Geography and Geology 13
- 2.1.2.2 Fish and Wildlife Resources 15
- 2.1.2.3 Plants 18
- 2.1.2.4 Climate 19
- 2.1.3 NPR-A Oil and Gas History 21
- 2.1.3.1 Early History – 1900 – 1930 21
- 2.1.3.2 Mid-20th Century Activity 22
- 2.1.3.3 1974 – 1982 Period 22
- 2.1.3.4 Period 1982 – Present 24
- 2.1.4 BLM Management Authority for NPR-A 26
- 2.1.4.1 BLM Planning Documents 28
- 2.2 Management Issues 29
- 2.2.1 Sites Needing Cleanup and Rehabilitation 31
- 2.2.1.1 Legacy Well Clean Up Program 31
- 2.2.1.2 Other Contaminated Sites 33
- 2.2.2 Federal Responsibilities under the Barrow Gas Field Transfer Act of 1984 33
- 2.3 Oil and Gas Regulation 34
- 2.3.1 Overview 34
- 2.3.2 Federal Agencies 35
- 2.3.2.1 Bureau of Land Management (BLM) 35
- 2.3.2.2 Other Federal Agencies 36
- 2.3.3 State of Alaska Agencies 37
- 2.3.3.1 Alaska Department of Natural Resources 37
- 2.3.3.2 Other State Agencies 38
- 2.3.4 North Slope Borough 39
- Chapter 3: Oil and Gas Resource Base in the NSB 41
- 3.1 Introduction 41
- 3.2 Existing Development 44
- 3.2.2 Existing North Slope Infrastructure 49
- 3.2.2.1 Airports and Landing Strips 49
- 3.2.2.2 Permanent Industrial Roads 52
- 3.2.2.3 Available Staging Areas 53
- 3.2.2.4 Major Production Facilities 55
- 3.2.2.5 Pipelines 55
- 3.2.2.6 Gravel Islands 57
- 3.3 Imminent Development and Evaluation Activity 58
- 3.3.1 Mustang Project (Southern Miluveach Unit) 59
- 3.3.2 Kuparuk DS-2S (Sharktooth) 59
- 3.3.3 Alpine CD-5 59
- 3.3.4 Nuna Discovery (Oooguruk Field) 59
- 3.3.5 Point Thomson Project 60
- 3.3.6 Tofkat Discovery (Tofkat Unit) 60
- 3.3.7 Umiat Prospect 61
- 3.3.8 Mooses Tooth Unit (MTU) 61
- 3.3.9 New Fairway Unit-To Be Named 63
- 3.3.10 Fiord West 63
- 3.3.11 Kachemach Unit 64
- 3.3.12 Bear Tooth Unit 64
- 3.3.13 Liberty Development Project 64
- 3.4 Known Undeveloped Resources – NPR-A 65
- 3.5 Known Undeveloped Resources – Outside NPR-A 65
- 3.5.1 Point Thomson Satellites 66
- 3.5.2 Beechey Point Unit 67
- 3.5.3 Placer Unit 67
- 3.5.4 Qugruk Unit 67
- 3.5.5 Hammerhead 67
- 3.5.6 Kuvlum 68
- 3.5.7 Sandpiper 68
- 3.6 Unconventional Oil and Gas 69
- 3.7 Prospective Resource Development 70
- 3.7.1 Northwest NPR-A 70
- 3.7.2 Offshore State Waters adjacent to NPR-A 71
- 3.7.2.1 Harrison Bay 71
- 3.7.2.2 Smith Bay 71
- 3.7.3 Offshore – Federal OCS Waters 71
- 3.7.3.1 Chukchi Sea – Federal OCS Waters 72
- 3.7.3.2 Beaufort Sea – Federal OCS Waters 73
- Chapter 4: Major Issues Related to Oil and Gas Activities 75
- 4.1 Introduction 75
- 4.2 Communication and Coordination 76
- 4.2.1 Overview of Issues Related to Communication and Coordination 76
- 4.2.1.1 Incorporation of Local and Traditional Knowledge 78
- 4.2.1.2 Alaska Coastal Management Program (ACMP) 79
- 4.2.2 Agency Measures to Promote Communication and Coordination 80
- 4.2.2.1 Federal Measures to Promote Communication and Coordination 80
- 4.2.2.2 State of Alaska Measures to Promote Communication and Coordination 82
- 4.2.2.3 NSB Measures to Promote Communication and Coordination 84
- 4.2.3 Conclusions Related to Communication and Coordination 85
- 4.3 Tundra Travel 86
- 4.3.1 Overview of Issues Related to Tundra Travel 86
- 4.3.1.1 Impacts to Subsistence Use 86
- 4.3.1.2 Impacts to Wildlife 87
- 4.3.1.3 Impacts to Habitat 87
- 4.3.1.4 Social Impacts 88
- 4.3.1.5 Impacts to Industry 89
- 4.3.2 Background 89
- 4.3.2.1 Types of Tundra Travel 89
- 4.3.2.2 Evolution of Tundra Travel Criteria 90
- 4.3.3 Regulation of Tundra Travel and Mitigation Measures 95
- 4.3.3.1 State of Alaska Regulation of Tundra Travel 95
- 4.3.3.2 BLM Mitigation Measures for Tundra Travel 98
- 4.3.3.3 NSB Mitigation Measures for Tundra Travel 99
- 4.3.4 Conclusions Related to Tundra Travel 101
- 4.4 Roads 102
- 4.4.1 Overview of Issues Related to Roads 103
- 4.4.2 Dalton Highway 105
- 4.4.3 Proposed New Roads 106
- 4.4.4 Mitigation of Road Impacts 108
- 4.4.4.1 BLM Measures to Address Road Impacts 108
- 4.4.4.2 State of Alaska Measures to Address Road Impacts 110
- 4.4.4.3 NSB Measures to Address Road Impacts 111
- 4.4.5 Conclusions Related to Roads 112
- 4.5 Pipelines 113
- 4.5.1 Overview of Issues Related to Pipelines 113
- 4.5.2 Background 114
- 4.5.2.1 Potential New Pipelines in or near the NPR-A 116
- 4.5.3 Mitigation of Pipeline-Related Impacts 117
- 4.5.3.1 Scientific Basis for Mitigation 117
- 4.5.3.2 Mitigation of Pipeline Impacts by BLM 118
- 4.5.3.3 Mitigation of Pipeline Impacts by State of Alaska 119
- 4.5.3.4 Mitigation of Pipeline Impacts by NSB 120
- 4.5.4 Conclusions Related to Pipelines 121
- 4.6 Gravel Islands 122
- 4.6.1 Background Related to Gravel Islands 123
- 4.6.2 Overview of Issues Related to Gravel Islands 124
- 4.6.3 Mitigation of Impacts Related to Gravel Islands 124
- 4.6.4 Conclusions Related to Gravel Islands 125
- 4.7 Air Traffic 126
- 4.7.1 Overview of Issues Related to Air Traffic 126
- 4.7.2 Background 127
- 4.7.3 Mitigation of Impacts Related to Air Traffic 129
- 4.7.3.1 FAA Standards 129
- 4.7.3.2 BLM Standards 130
- 4.7.3.3 State of Alaska Standards 131
- 4.7.3.4 North Slope Borough Mitigation Measures 132
- 4.7.4 Conclusions 133
- 4.8 Dismantlement, Removal and Restoration 133
- 4.8.1 Overview of Issues 134
- 4.8.1.1 Timing of DR&R 134
- 4.8.1.2 Unclear Expectations 135
- 4.8.1.3 Lack of a Clear Process 136
- 4.8.1.4 Financial Responsibility 137
- 4.8.2 DR&R Experience on the North Slope 137
- 4.8.3 Mitigation of Impacts Related to DR&R 141
- 4.8.3.1 State of Alaska DR&R Requirements 141
- 4.8.3.2 Federal Agencies Responsible for DR&R in Alaska 144
- 4.8.3.3 North Slope Borough Regulation of DR&R 147
- 4.8.3.4 Native Corporation Authority for DR&R 149
- 4.8.3.5 Other States 149
- 4.8.4 Conclusions for DR&R 149
- Chapter 5: Recommendations 151
- 5.1 Introduction 151
- 5.2 General Recommendations 152
- 5.2.1 Interagency Coordination 152
- 5.2.2 Update Title 19 153
- 5.3 Recommendations for Communication and Coordination 153
- 5.4 Recommendations for Tundra Travel 155
- 5.5 Recommendations for Roads 157
- 5.6 Recommendations for Pipelines 157
- 5.7 Recommendations for Gravel Islands 158
- 5.8 Recommendations for Air Traffic 158
- 5.9 Recommendations for Dismantlement, Removal & Restoration (DR&R) 158
- Chapter 6: Way Forward 161
- 6.1 Implementation 161
- 6.2 Issues Outside of the Scope of this Report 162
- 6.3 Conclusion 164
- References 165
- Appendix A: Summaries of Public Meetings
- Appendix B: Issues and Recommendations Raised by the NPR-A Subsistence Advisory Panel
- Appendix C: Subsistence Uses in the NPR-A by Village
- Appendix D: Federal, State and Local Approvals for Oil and Gas Activities
- Appendix E: Cumulative Oil Production on the North Slope
- Appendix F: Map of Units with Ownership Interests
- Appendix G: North Slope Borough Standard Permit Stipulations