Salazar: Arctic oil drilling must wait

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar is making it clear that he's in no hurry to open the door to new exploratory oil and gas drilling in the offshore Arctic -- not, he said, until more is known about the potential pitfalls.

Winding up a two-day trip to Alaska's North Slope that included a town hall in Barrow, a stop at the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska, and a flight over the Beaufort and Chukchi seas, Salazar said reports on what caused the Deepwater Horizon blowout in the Gulf of Mexico will have to be in before Shell Alaska can be allowed to commence drilling new wells off Alaska's northern shores.

That may or may not happen in time for the oil company to begin operations in time for next summer's drilling season, he added.

"If you look at the Chukchi, nothing, or very little, is known about the reservoir pressures that will be encountered. We know that it would be very difficult to mount the kind of oil spill response that has been mounted in the Gulf of Mexico. And so because those questions are very much part of what we have been dealing with, it also seemed necessary for us to say, until we have answers to some of those central questions, we're not going to allow the drilling of the exploration wells," Salazar told reporters in Anchorage at the conclusion of his trip.

A new poll of regular voters, meanwhile, shows deepening concern for the potential hazards of offshore oil operations, especially in the Arctic, a fragile environment whose ecological balance is little understood, and where an oil spill in a remote, icy sea could be nightmarishly daunting to clean up.

Support for offshore drilling in the Arctic has slipped substantially since last September, according to surveys conducted by David Binder Research, dropping to 46% this year from 58% who in 2009 either strongly supported or somewhat supported new offshore operations.

A total of 70% expressed some level of concern about the risks of offshore operations, up from 52% in 2009. Three-fourths of those polled said it was very important that emergency response capabilities that can handle a blowout be in place before drilling, even if it delays operations or increases costs. Download DBR National Arctic Survey

And 67% either strongly agreed, or somewhat agreed, that long-term success of the U.S. economy depends upon the nation's ability to transition to renewable energy.

"People realize that we use fossil fuels and we're not going to turn off the spigot right away. This poll shows that they want to clearly move to renewables," said Christopher Krenz, Arctic program manager for Oceana, which commissioned the poll.

"They understand there's deep risk in offshore oil activities, especially in the Arctic, and if the nation decides to move forward with oil and gas activities, we must be prepared. We must have the science in place to make informed decisions, and there has to be response capability in place," he added.

At an earlier hearing on Aug. 26 in Anchorage, Shell officials said the shallower waters and lower temperatures in the Chukchi and Beaufort seas would make an oil spill easier to clean up, as opposed to the deep, warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico.

Shell also said that unlike Deepwater Horizon, the rig whose failure in late April caused 4.1 million barrels of oil to spill into the Gulf, its Arctic drilling plan calls for having substantial oil response vessels and equipment on-scene.

"Our system is robust and more than adequate to handle any worst-case scenario we see, and we have considerable additional resources to draw upon," Peter Velez, emergency response manager for Shell, told a panel headed by Michael R. Bromwich, director of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement, which is going to make recommendations on offshore drilling policy later this month.

Salazar, meanwhile, was also asked about this week's drill rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico that did not result in the release of any new oil into the Gulf but raised new alarm bells about the potential pitfalls of waterborne operations.

"Industrial accidents happen," he said. "There's an investigation that is underway ... and we'll find out exactly what happened, but at this point it doesn't seem like there was any oil that was released, so oil pollution is not an issue. It's not another Deepwater Horizon."

-- Kim Murphy in Fairbanks, Alaska

Photo: A polar bear traverses the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, where oil companies have unsuccessfully sought for years to open for oil production. Credit: Subhankar Banerjee / Associated Press

RELATED:

Understanding the Gulf of Mexico oil spill

Comments

[California Solar Engineering]

I think this speaks to the larger issue- we need to start thinking more holistically and less selfishly, who do we mess up when we take? and how can we work to minimize that.

[ned]

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[Andrew B.]

As Peak Oil is probably an imminent reality, it would behoove us to transition away from petroleum for transportation. I would support drilling in ANWR and other areas in the US where oil production is reasonably safe but currently off-limits, but only as a temporary measure to reduce oil imports.

Battery technology is continuing to improve, and electric vehicle prices will drop. We need to build as many nuclear plants as possible, and use electricity for transportation whenever practical. Biofuels need to play a major role as well.

Reducing our oil imports to zero will provide major benefits to the US economy. Imagine how much more money will stay in the country!

[caribousteaks]

Yes indeed, Salazar is there to do the Prez's bidding, no doubt about it. But regardless of the Prez he has always been anti-industry and anti-fossile fuel. It seems "no" is the only answer the environmental movement will accept. No compromise is acceptable. Even the natives of the Arctic are very open to compromise, Mayor Itta has said so himself many times. They understand far better than NIMBY Salazar that the gasoline they put in their snow machines and the gas they heat their homes with and their monthly dividend checks all come from somewhere. So long as the ultra hypocrites of the environmental movement and biased writers like the above Murphy continue to use plastic, detergents, inks, medicines, drive cars, fly planes and enjoy all the comforts of the modern world without taking responsibility for them, we will be in constant trouble. Their hypocrisy is undefendable and ridiculous.

[Chris Kent]

The stupids posting here would never be take their outrage so far as to drive the smallest cars or turn down the AC. They just whine and gripe and call names. Pitiful!

The fact is WE own the oil in Alaska, and it's value is only going to go UP, so might just as well HOLD ON TO IT. The sane thing to do in such a case is indeed buy foreign oil, not sell our oil cheap then have to buy foreign oil anyway, at a higher price, in the future.

Typical unthinking right wing, just take take take, use use use. Arguments that buying oil supports terrorism are laughable. I am sure terrorists made more cash off of Bush's, "surge of money" to the Iraqi mafia, than they will ever get from Saudis etc. Corruption of US money in Afghanistan accomplishes the same thing, that's why they tolerate us there. Our military leaks so much money it pays the terrorists we fight.

[Robert NO longer in LA]

The Arctic is 1 of 2 places left where fish stocks are REASONABLY health....until some country like Japan, China, Taiwan and Korea pay our politicians to open it up to systemic rape, as we have done virtually everywhere else. With Chinook (King) at great risk, WHY do we allow EXPORTS of Chinook? Why do the Indians use indiscriminate GILL NETS , which KILL EVERYTHING? PAYOLA to the greedy sods on the Left and Right....NEVER interfere with the rapacious greed for a lousy buck....just like a drug-hungry hooker.

[LKF]

Apparently Salazar embraces obama's notion that pixie dust will be the new energy source and the 500,000 jobs created will all be window caulkers. I feel sooooooo happy about the 'hope and change' thing he promised. Wind & solar are all good if they can stand on their own legs. No federal subsidies. Not to worry, when the sun goes down and the wind stops blowing, the pixie dust illumintors will kick in.

[Michael Heffernan]

And before I do like all good Marines and "hit the beach" LOL... I forgot to mention what all that drilling, mining, refining & nuclear power plant construction would bring to everyone in America...JOBS, JOBS & MORE JOBS!

There's a very good reason why the unemployment rate in S. Dakota is 4.4% and the unemployment rate in CA is 12.4%...energy development!

[Y. Garavelas]

By thw way people who are saying that the US should just use its own oil...

While it will be good for the US for the idea of pricing its own oil, the oil countries, the ones that actually selling all the oil today will just go to a different power which will be china. And when they do, then it will be a problem for the US since we wont have a word in whats going on in the world anymore.

Plus, it will not solve the problem of the oil dependency / addiction of the government.

Instead, just moving to alternative liquid fuels will make the "oil countries" weaker and then there will be no such issue as losing the "world power" that the US is currently holding. And if that works, then think about how much can be gained from such a step.

[Y. Garavelas]

I guess the last oil disaster is forgotten.
What difference does it make if it will be "Easier" to clean up because of shallow cold water or not?

"Industrial accidents happen"? Yes they do but they cause everyone to suffer specially when it is with oil spills.

All of you oil companies can think of, is how to get more money and get your corporation bigger. Another oil well here and there, right?
How about finally moving to at least mixed fuels? Ethanol? Methanol? It is cheaper and instead of $600Billion expenses per year, we can actually do something else with all that money?

No, Ethanol is not hard to produce and there is enough of it that we can produce from corn that we have alot of it as well.

But yeah of course, Ken Salazar and people like him will say oh no! that will cause a food issue - NOT! Only 5-10% of the corn goes to human consumption by the way. They are paying alot of money to a campaign that is against bio fuels just so they can get some more gross at the end of the year.

Instead of putting more money into oil drills, how about you guys do something better and think of how to make this world better with other types of liquid fuels? That can be cheaper and more efficient then oil.

And by the way, stop talking about renewable energy. It has nothing to do with the oil. Most people, when talking about renewable energy are thinking of electricity generation / energy, and think of hydro, wind and solar.

Oil is mainly used for transportation! If at all, then talk about increasing the Lithium Battery production to create cars that run on electricity but we are several decades behind from switching 100% to that kind of "Fuel".

But it is not to late, we can start now with stopping the drilling in Alaska from even happening. Pass a mandate law that will make the blenders use alternative fuels or at least a new mix / combination of liquid fuels. Make new platforms for cars that can use combinations of fuels and such as well.

People need to wake up finally and stop with this addiction to oil that the United States is so deep in. If the US will take the first step, then the rest of the world will follow.

It is time for a change, and there is no reason for the oil companies to dictate our life. The bio fuel industry will put an end to the monopoly of oil - we just need to make the first step finallay.

[Michael Heffernan]

Yea, well come 2013 after we send these WH Socialist clowns back to Chicago,
THERE WILL BE MORE DRILLING IN AMERICA!

AMERICANS ARE TIRED OF PAYING FOR THE WAR ON TERROR ON BOTH ENDS EVERY TIME WE FILL UP AT THE LOCAL SERVICE STATION.

And anyone who doesn't like it can pack up and move to Cuba...
I'm sure Fidel will be glad to confiscate your bank accounts upon your arrival in Havana. ARRIBA!

We have enough oil, natural gas & coal to fulfill our energy needs for THREE HUNDRED YEARS.

Californians could be receiving royalties from all the oil & natural gas reserves.

And I won't even get into the nuclear energy possibilities where we could be building offshore cogeneration nuclear power plants on all three coasts that would provide not only all the electricity we would ever need but all the potable water too!

Here we are living in the richest state in the Union, in the richest country on the planet and we're being governed by a bunch of Liberals who haven't ever had to "meet a payroll" or balance a budget in their life!

Remember in November

DUMP ALL DEMS IN NOVEM

"Liberalism is just Communism sold by the drink." P.J.O'Rourke

[Fred]

First of all, Ken Salazar has to oppose ANY kind of oil drilling or Obama will have him out the door in a second.

Second, the "new poll" of "regular voters" referenced in the article is from 2008, two years ago! The "regular voters" are about 1,100 people from California, Oregon, and Washington only. Not quite a cross section of the country. The author of this article then compares these "new" numbers to a study from 2009 to show that support for drilling has dropped. Actually, since the support for drilling is higher in the 2009 study, the level of suppoert for drilling is actually rising from 2008 to 2009, not falling.

This kind of slanted (and dishonest) reporting is why the L.A. Times is bleeding subscribers daily.

[chatmandu]

Salazar as is Obama are trying to destroy the American oil industry. They hope to drive the price of oil so high that the economy will have to switch to other forms of energy. It's part of a global fight against warming that has no solution except the destruction of the American and global economies. Only those countries that continue to us fossil fuels will be able to survive.

[Don]

I say stop all oil drilling in the U.S. and coastal waters. We need to purchase all oil from foreign countries -- especially those with ties to terrorism. Those countries need more dollars to help destroy this wonderful country. We can live under a dictatorship and go back to using horses, bicycles and coal. Then maybe those idiot people who hate this wonderful country will shut up. The rest of us are too old and old fashion anyway, and will soon be gone.

[teleprompter]

And no mention of ANWR which is on land?