This book identifies accumulated environmental, social and economic effects of oil and gas leasing, exploration, and production on Alaska's North Slope. Economic benefits to the region have been accompanied by effects of the roads, infrastructure and activies of oil and gas production on the terrain, plants, animals and peoples of the North Slope. While attempts by the oil industry and regulatory agencies have reduced many of the environmental effects, they have not been eliminated. The book makes recommendations for further environmental research related to environmental effects.
In 1977 oil began to flow south from the Arctic through the controversial Trans-Alaska Pipeline System (TAPS). This study considers the TAPS proposal and controversy as an extension (even a culmination) of established processes, policies, and attitudes within Alaska history, American environmental history, and the history of conservation. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR
U.S. Arctic waters north of the Bering Strait and west of the Canadian border encompass a vast area that is usually ice covered for much of the year, but is increasingly experiencing longer periods and larger areas of open water due to climate change. Sparsely inhabited with a wide variety of ecosystems found nowhere else, this region is vulnerable to damage from human activities. As oil and gas, shipping, and tourism activities increase, the possibilities of an oil spill also increase. How can we best prepare to respond to such an event in this challenging environment? Responding to Oil Spills in the U.S. Arctic Marine Environment reviews the current state of the science regarding oil spill response and environmental assessment in the Arctic region north of the Bering Strait, with emphasis on the potential impacts in U.S. waters. This report describes the unique ecosystems and environment of the Arctic and makes recommendations to provide an effective response effort in these challenging conditions. According to Responding to Oil Spills in the U.S. Arctic Marine Environment, a full range of proven oil spill response technologies is needed in order to minimize the impacts on people and sensitive ecosystems. This report identifies key oil spill research priorities, critical data and monitoring needs, mitigation strategies, and important operational and logistical issues. The Arctic acts as an integrating, regulating, and mediating component of the physical, atmospheric and cryospheric systems that govern life on Earth. Not only does the Arctic serve as regulator of many of the Earth's large-scale systems and processes, but it is also an area where choices made have substantial impact on life and choices everywhere on planet Earth. This report's recommendations will assist environmentalists, industry, state and local policymakers, and anyone interested in the future of this special region to preserve and protect it from damaging oil spills.
The story behind the greatest oil discovery success of last century and the building of the Trans Alaska pipeline. This book details and celebrates a colossal oil exploration feat and a world-class engineering and construction project. Discovery at Prudhoe Bay - is the story behind the greatest North American oil discovery success ever the Prudhoe Bay discovery in Alaska and the building of the Trans Alaska pipeline. Author and geologist John Sweet was a district explorationist with the company that made the discovery, and his book details and celebrates the colossal oil exploration feat and world-class engineering and construction project. Sweet's writings offer a first-person account of oil exploration work in interior Alaska and the inherent difficulties involved, including freezing cold temperatures, permafrost and unusual geography. The book also gives insight into the operations of large oil companies and the resourceful ways that they worked, often together, to ascertain the existence of the huge oil reserves. Sweet's narrative also establishes the area's historical and geological background. The book begins with a look at the topography and geology of the region, and discusses the early geologic studies that were done, particularly the surveys done by the USGS in the early part of the twentieth century. It examines the explorations of hermit explorer Dr. Leffingwell, who became an icon in the history of geologic studies of Arctic Alaska. Chapter three looks at the first oil activity in the region, which occurred in 1915 to 1921, surrounding the investigation of oil seepages in the area. Chapter four examines the activities in the mid 1920s, during which time the Bureau of Engineering in the U.S. Navy invited the United States Geological Survey to begin to explore and document the geography and geology of the recently established Naval Petroleum Reserve No. 4. The next significant activity occurred around 1944, when World War II and the need for fuel for ships became the catalyst for an unprecedented effort to evaluate the petroleum potential of Naval Petroleum Reserve Number 4. Chapter six goes into when the Richfield oil company discovered the Swanson River Oil Field on the Kenai Peninsula in 1957. Chapters seven, eight and nine look at the various oil companies who were doing exploration into the region, following the Swanson discovery. Chapter ten further focuses on oil exploration. Chapter eleven goes into ARCO's decision of whether to drill or not, following the lack of success by other companies in that area. Chapters twelve, thirteen fourteen detail the events that occurred with the drilling of the first Prudhoe Bay wells; and chapter fifteen focuses on the building of the pipeline. There are virtually no other books in publication that offer readers such a personal glimpse into the discovery at Prudhoe Bay. John Sweet offers clear and complete accounts of the historical goings-on at the time. There are maps, figures and photographs throughout the book. And the book also includes an extensive index, an appendix and a list at people involved with the discovery. This book will appeal particularly to Alaskan buffs, historians, adventure seekers, geologists as well as those with no knowledge of the Prudhoe Bay discovery story.
On March 27, 1964, at 5-36 p.m., the biggest earthquake ever recorded in North America--and the second biggest ever in the world, measuring 9.2 on the Richter scale--struck Alaska, devastating coastal towns and villages and killing more than 130 people in what was then a relatively sparsely populated region. In a riveting tale about the almost unimaginable brute force of nature, New York Times science journalist Henry Fountain, in his first trade book, re-creates the lives of the villagers and townspeople living in Chenega, Anchorage, and Valdez; describes the sheer beauty of the geology of the region, with its towering peaks and 20-mile-long glaciers; and reveals the impact of the quake on the towns, the buildings, and the lives of the inhabitants. George Plafker, a geologist for the U.S. Geological Survey with years of experience scouring the Alaskan wilderness, is asked to investigate the Prince William Sound region in the aftermath of the quake, to better understand its origins. His work confirmed the then controversial theory of plate tectonics that explained how and why such deadly quakes occur, and how we can plan for the next one.
Thirty years ago, our global energy landscape did not look remarkably different from what it does today. Three or four decades from now, it certainly will: dwindling oil reserves will clash with skyrocketing demand, as developing nations around the world lead their citizens into the modern energy economy, and all the while, the grave threat of catastrophic climate change looms ever larger. Energy worries are at an all-time high—just how will we power our future? With The Powers That Be, Scott L. Montgomery cuts through the hype, alarmism, and confusion to give us a straightforward, informed account of where we are now, and a map of where we’re going. Starting with the inescapable fact of our current dependence on fossil fuels—which supply 80% of all our energy needs today—Montgomery clearly and carefully lays out the many alternative energy options available, ranging from the familiar, like water and solar, to such nascent but promising sources as hydrogen and geothermal power. What is crucial, Montgomery explains, is understanding that our future will depend not on some single, wondrous breakthrough; instead, we should focus on developing a more diverse, adaptable energy future, one that draws on a variety of sources—and is thus less vulnerable to disruption or failure. An admirably evenhanded and always realistic guide, Montgomery enables readers to understand the implications of energy funding, research, and politics at a global scale. At the same time, he doesn’t neglect the ultimate connection between those decisions and the average citizen flipping a light switch or sliding behind the wheel of a car, making The Powers That Be indispensible for our ever-more energy conscious age.
"Nothing has changed Alaska as swiftly or as traumatically as the discovery of oil. In Extreme Conditions: Big Oil and the Transformation of Alaska, Pulitzer Prize-winner John Strohmeyer writes a riveting account of how it all happened. From the icy North waters, Strohmeyer takes the reader to the inside world of post-oil Alaska and shows what tumultuous changes--for good and bad--this gusher of money and influx of people have had upon America's last great frontier. The enduring relevance of this work makes it indispensable reading in understanding the current tensions among environmentalists, businesses, and Natives that characterize Alaska today."--Back Cover.
