Arctic

Oil spill on ice not worth the risk

Dennis Takahashi-Kelso & Jim Ayers , Reuters
May 14, 2010

EXCERPTS:

In a few short months, Royal Dutch Shell is set to begin exploratory drilling in the Arctic—another rich and fragile region.
 

…If a spill occurs in the harsh, unpredictable Arctic environment, it could spell disaster for ecosystems and wildlife, as well as the Native peoples of the region, whose way of life depends upon healthy ocean ecosystems.
 

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Why Birds Migrate to the Arctic

Moises Velasquez-Manoff, Christian Science Monitor
Jan 15, 2010

Excerpts:

Now, a new study in the journal Science emphasizes another reason the long voyage may be worth it for birds: fewer predators.

Titled “Lower Predation Risk for Migratory Birds at High Latitudes," the study finds that, the farther north birds go in the Arctic, the lower the risk of predation. Fewer predators mean that vulnerable young have greater chance of survival.

Even accounting for the huge energy cost of the long voyage, having young in the Arctic improves reproductive success.

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Arctic Ocean drilling draws strong objections

Dan Joling (AP), Anchorage Daily News
Dec 12, 2009

Excerpts:

While some federal agencies are expressing caution on Arctic development, the federal Minerals Management Service continues to forge ahead with petroleum exploration drilling off the shores of the remote northern Alaska coast.

…A day after Salazar's announcement, U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, announced she would introduce a bill to study building a deep water port in the Arctic. That's just one piece of infrastructure missing along some of the wildest coastline of America's wildest state.

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Appeals court rules against Arctic drilling plan

Kim Murphy, The Los Angeles Times
Nov 26, 2008

Excerpts:

Ruling on the first of several major new projects for tapping oil and gas deposits from the Arctic floor, the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals said the federal government should have prepared a more exhaustive environmental review before concluding that harm to whales, caribou and other Arctic wildlife either would be insignificant or could be mitigated.

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Obama Administration Halts Arctic Ocean Drilling

Anonymous
May 27, 2010

The Wilderness Society today lauded the Obama administration’s announcement that it will postpone Royal Dutch Shell’s plans to drill exploratory wells in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas off the coast of Alaska until at least 2011. The administration also announced a number of other strong steps to protect off-shore resources to prevent another disaster like that in the Gulf.

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The Wilderness Society Celebrates 50th Anniversary of Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

Anonymous
Apr 29, 2010

WASHINGTON – Congressional champions, Alaska Natives and conservation groups joined together today to kick off a yearlong celebration of 50 years of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, our nation’s greatest wilderness icon, while calling for its lasting protection.

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Statement on Salazar’s Comprehensive Outer Continental Shelf Energy Plan

Anonymous
Feb 10, 2009

By William H. Meadows, President

“We applaud Department of Interior Secretary Ken Salazar for taking the first step toward restoring sound science and an open process to governing how best to manage our offshore energy reserves. We agree with Secretary Salazar that the Bush administration’s midnight regulations governing offshore leasing and drilling constituted a headlong rush that did not adequately consider science or account for the concerns of states, communities and other stakeholders.

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When a car company helps fight climate change

Sep 15, 2010

There aren’t many times that a car commercial makes you reach for the tissue box. Most feature professional drivers on closed courses, speeding through turns at speeds that look both exhilarating and terrifying at the same time.

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Victory in the Arctic! Oil drilling in Alaska’s Beaufort and Chukchi Seas postponed

May 27, 2010

Polar bears, bowhead whales, and native communities are safe from the oil spill devastation that their Gulf coast counterparts are still dealing with. The Obama Administration has announced that they are postponing oil drilling in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas off of Alaska’s northern coast until at least 2011. That includes Shell Oil’s plans to do risky exploratory drilling this summer.

The decision comes as part of a larger report on the Deepwater Horizon disaster that was delivered to the President by Department of Interior Secretary Ken Salazar.

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Stopping the next oil spill before it happens

May 14, 2010

As I continue to follow the devastating news concerning the oil spill on the Gulf Coast, I am overwhelmed with a sense of deja-vu from the Exxon-Valdez tragedy that occurred in Alaska over two decades ago. It's been more than 20 years, and Alaskans are still recovering from the mess that the historic spill left in Prince William Sound.

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