The impact of oil in Alaska - publié le 17/05/2008

Résumé du document

Alaska's basement is rich in oil gas, coal, gold zinc and others ores. But above all, the state guarantees 17 % of the American production of petroleum: 90 % of the Alaska's budget comes from hydrocarbon. The north of the state, also called North Slope constitutes an important stock of petroleum, particularly harnessed (exploited) by companies like British Petroleum, Exxon, or Arco. It is called as the National Petroleum Reserve. Oil is also exploited in off-shore (in the sea) despite difficult climatic conditions. Prudhoe Bay area affords half of the Petroleum in Alaska: 400 000 barrels a day, which represents 8% of the American production.

Extraits

[...] The secretary of the California Environmental Protection Agency, added that transportation fuels accounted for more than 40 percent of greenhouse gases emitted in the state. Moreover, an oil spill could be a disaster for a place with hurricane-force winds The partisans of the moratorium said that it is welcome news for people who live and work in the Bristol Bay region because imported farmed salmon, high energy costs, and the area's remoteness have limited economic development and contributed to high poverty in the region. [...]

[...] The impact of oil in Alaska Petroleum in Alaska Alaska's basement is rich in oil gas, coal, gold zinc and others ores. But above all, this state guarantees of the American production of petroleum : of the Alaska's budget comes from hydrocarbon. The north of the state, also called North Slope constitutes an important stock of petroleum, particularly harnessed ( = exploited) by companies like British Petroleum, Exxon, or Arco. It is called National Petroleum Reserve. Oil is also exploited in off-shore (in the sea) despite difficult climatic conditions. [...]

[...] For instance the company Shell found support from the federal government in its quest to drill in Alaska. Over the summer, Shell's plan was blocked as the request of various environmental groups. But now governments lawyers filed papers arguing that challenges should be thrown out of court that have prevented Shell from executing its plan. But there are still protectors of environment like Arnold Schwarzenegger who announced a plan to boost alternative fuels by requiring a 10 percent cut in the carbon content of vehicle emissions by 2020. [...]

[...] A solid majority of Americans opposes to drilling. The public rejected the idea: Congress has received hundreds of thousands of emails, faxes and phone calls from citizens opposed to drilling in the Arctic Refuge. Impact on the environment Despite the fact that many environmental associations like Alaska Wilderness League are fighting again the enlargement of the drills, organizing campaign (like the Boycott of Exxon), Industrialization of Alaska's North Slope has inflicted significant damage to the air, water, and wildlife of America's Arctic. [...]

[...] This amount is twice the amount spewed by Washington, DC. Plumes of pollution from Prudhoe Bay have been detected almost 200 miles away. Although the impact of these air pollutants remains largely unknown, some arctic species are known to be especially sensitive to air pollutants. North Slope oil facilities release greenhouse gases, which are a major contributor to global climate change. Waste For years, old reserve pits mines), littered to put waste) the North Slope. They contained a variety of toxic metals as well as petroleum hydrocarbons and other harmful substances. [...]