KUDOS TO ALASKANS WHO ARE BEGINNING TO COMMENT TO SAVE ALASKA'S ECONOMY!

Earlier today, we notified readers (HERE) of the importance of providing a pre-Christmas comment to BOEMRE and how to do it.  Several readers are beginning to respond and we urge a massive response!  Please comment to BOEMRE and Sami Glascottthen send us your comment!

 

Kudos, too, to our Washington hero, Congressman Doc Hastings (NGP Photo), who will be defending America (and Alaska) against Federal overreach from a closer position!

 

 

 

To:  BOEMRE (From Bill Noll-NGP Photo)

 
This email is to support the approval of permits for Shell to explore and produce oil and gas in the Arctic.
 
The reasons for my support boil down to this:  America is increasingly being held hostage by foreign oil producers and thereby putting our own nation at risk of a national energy suicide.
 
Of course, development of the Arctic, as with all such ventures, needs to be done in accordance with all appropriate environmental safeguards.  That can be done and is being done in other Alaska-Arctic projects.
 
It is my belief that the development being proposed in the Arctic -- offshore, in ANWR, and elsewhere -- will inevitably happen.  In the event of an emergency or period of crisis such as extreme shortages due to war or adverse foreign policies, we could see production in these Arctic areas of known resources move very quickly, perhaps under operational standards that befit the relief of national calamity and security for our country.
 
Better by far to explore and produce now, under our current regulated and controlled circumstances.
 
Sincerely,
William C. Noll
Anchorage, Alaska

Re:  Shell Exploration Plan for Alaska  (NGP Photo, Steve Pratt, 11-9-10 BOEM Testimony)

Steve PrattMy family and I have lived, worked, played, and loved Alaska for 31 years.  We are as concerned with protecting the environment as we are protecting a sustainable economic future for our children and grandchildren.

Shell has gone to extraordinary lengths to ensure its exploration program meets the high standards that Alaskans expect - standards lacking in many places of the world that unfounded and unreasonable restrictions are forcing great companies to operate
under.

For the sake of the world's environment, national security, energy security, domestic economic development, and Alaska's future, please approve a plan of exploration for Shell for 2011.  Anything less will be detrimental to the public interest you are entrusted to uphold.

Listen to Alaskans who must live with your decisions.  Others expressing an interest in development within and offshore the state are more than welcome to become citizens of the state, learn first hand about living and working here, and
help us to advance a sustainable economic and environmentally sound future.  They can even comment on how the plan might be incrementally improved as exploration proceeds.  However, denying 2011 exploration would serve no one's legitimate
interest.

Thank you.

Steve Pratt
Anchorage, Alaska

 

Regional Director, Alaska OCS Bureau   (From Reed Christensen, NGP Photo)
Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement
3801 Centerpoint Drive, Suite 500
Anchorage, Alaska 99503–5820
 
Dear Director:
 
I am sending this comment in support of exploration and development on the North Slope – NPRA, ANWR, Chukchi Sea, and specifically the Beaufort sea. A robust oil & gas industry is vital to the state of Alaska as well as the United States of America.
 
Energy is the engine of the entire US economy and Alaska holds abundant reserves, to which we simply need access. Opponents of resource development try to create unrealistic requirements in which development can only occur if any and all risks – both real and imaginary – are overcome. With this misguided thinking and mindset, nothing would ever get accomplished. We would have never has such things such as the trans-continental railroad, the Hoover dam, the Brooklyn bridge, etc.
 
Development should be allowed to proceed in a timely and in a responsible manner. America has the highest environmental standards on the planet, yet projects continue to be delayed through litigation and governmental bureaucracy. Like the off shore drilling moratorium, that supposedly did not include Alaska, and yet drilling permits were and still are still being withheld for activity in Alaskan waters.
 
The federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement should be protecting the oceans and the environment by working together with industry, not by killing the industry through regulatory delays, retroactive rule changes,  and continued permit withholding.
 
The Alaskan oil & gas development industry is on life-support due to the unfair governmental practice of raising the hurdles each time compliance is achieved and the hurdles are crossed. It is like trying to finish a race in which the judges keep moving the finish line as the runners come close to crossing it. The lease sale took place,  and the next step of development on the leased property should be allowed and even encouraged to proceed. Politics is pushing an entire industry away from the country in which the best environmental safeguards exist into countries where little to no such environmental laws are enforced.
 
How long will the State of Alaska continue to be a net consumer of federal money from the national treasury? For as long as these same federal officials continue to prevent access to the very resources that made it possible for the territory to become a state at all.
 
Reed Christensen
 
Dowland-Bach      
6130 Tuttle Place
Anchorage, AK 99507
ph: (907) 562-5818
direct: (907) 550-5802
fx: (907) 562-5816
www.dowlandbach.com
 

To whom it may concern (Chris Bell, NBP Photo, 1-22-10),

 
I am writing to ask that you please expedite immediate approvals for all permits and activities related to Shell Offshore Inc.’s oil and gas exploration program in the Beaufort Sea.
 
The first steps have been taken to allow Shell to proceed with their drilling plans but the many regulations & permits that will need to be met & in place will take time that we do not have to spare.  The Trans Alaska Pipeline needs the oil.  Alaska & the our Nation need the jobs.  I believe Shell may accomplish providing oil & jobs while protecting the Arctic environment and its communities. Please do not delay further.
 
Best regards,
 
Chris Bell |Account Manager, AK - Fisher Valve & Valve Automation
PCE Pacific, Inc. | 3700 Woodland Drive, Suite 750 | Anchorage | AK | 99517
M +1 907-632-8786 | T +1 907-243-3833 x 2200 | F +1 907-248-0298
An Exclusive Emerson Process Management Local Business Partner
 
Emerson, Consider it Solved! 
Mark NeumanWe received this letter from Representative Mark Neuman (NGP Photo-left), kindly provided by Rex Shattuck (NGP Photo-l)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Regional Supervisor, Leasing and Environment
Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement
3801 Centerpoint Drive, Suite 500
Anchorage, AK, 99503

Good afternoon,

I am writing in support of Shell's current exploration plan. I was planning on cutting and pasting and dragging in all the reasons to go forward, but if you’ve read one you’ve read 10,000.

A lot of people are saying, "no", but they all drive cars. Oil is not going away in the near future. In Alaska we take great pride in the care of our environment, and I believe we do a great job. We need the jobs, we need the oil to keep the flow up in the pipeline.

So give it some thought, read the responses, but let’s keep Alaskans working, and provide a little energy security for America.

Thank you for your time.

Peter Macksey 
STEELFAB
Customer Relations
907-264-2804
907-276-3448 fax
907-440-7423 cell
Regional Supervisor, Leasing and Environment
Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement
3801 Centerpoint Drive, Suite 500
Anchorage, AK, 99503 
Dear Sirs: 

I wish to comment on Shell's 2011 Beaufort Sea Exploration Plan, as proposed to the agency.  Crowley conducts extensive marine operations in Alaska waters, including along the Arctic Coast of the Beaufort Sea.  We provide fuel deliveries to North Slope Borough villages from Point Lay to Kaktovik, and marine support to oil companies in the development, operation and maintenance of their facilities in the oil/gas fields both on-shore and near-shore.  Shell's plan for exploration is the most comprehensive and robust plan ever proposed for this activity and deserves your continued to support, and encouragement.  Please consider the following specific points:
    • BOEM completed a careful analysis of the impacts of Shell’s proposed Beaufort Sea exploration program, including a detailed cumulative impacts analysis of a multi-well program, and determined that Shell’s plan would have no significant impacts on the marine environment or the marine mammal, bird or fish species common to the Arctic.
    • Shell’s 2011 exploration plan has been revised to include provisions to reduce discharges to the marine environment, changes that only bolster the previously approved 2010 exploration plan, which was reviewed and upheld by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. In response to local concerns, Shell updated its plans to include using a barge to collect waste such as drilling cuttings and sanitary waste from the drilling vessel, rather than discharging this waste into the sea, as permitted by law.
    • Alaska OCS Development will sustain and promote job growth during a period of high national unemployment, reduce America’s dependence on foreign energy supplies and create additional federal offshore revenues for state and federal governments. New offshore oil production would also reverse declining throughput in the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System, which is now operating at less than one-third capacity.
    • According to a study by the University of Alaska’s Institute of Social and Economic Research, new offshore energy production in Alaska would produce an annual average of 35,000 jobs and total payroll of more than $72 billion over the next 50 years.
    • In Alaska, approximately 43,454 jobs are supported by the industry. These jobs add $6.1 billion to Alaska’s gross state product, or 16.6 percent of its wealth. The unemployment rate is already up to 8.9 percent in Alaska.
    • New offshore oil and gas development in Alaska would also generate thousands of new, high-paying jobs throughout the 50 states, including steel and pipe manufacturers in the Midwest, shipping on the coasts, advanced computer technology in California and Seattle, and union labor for pipeline construction and maintenance.
    • Oil and gas are vital components of our nation’s economy and will remain so for the foreseeable future, even as we strive to transition to renewable forms of energy. Domestic energy production must be a priority under any scenario. 

Thank you for your good work in supporting responsible development of these critical natural resources. 

Bob Cox 
Vice President 
Sales & Marketing, Supply & Distribution 
Crowley Petroleum Distribution, Inc. 
O: 907-777-5534 
M: 907-229-6395 

December 2010  (From Jeff Jones, NGP Photo)

 
Regional Supervisor, Leasing and Environment
Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement
3801 Centerpoint Drive, Suite 500
Anchorage, AK, 99503
 
RE:  We Need to Develop Oil & Gas Resources in Alaska’s Beaufort Sea
 
Dear Supervisor:
 
I am writing to urge the federal government to approve Shell’s 2011 revised Exploration Plan and proceed with the development of oil and natural gas resources in the Beaufort Sea off the coast of Alaska.
 
With Shell’s revised plan, drilling discharges to the marine environment will be reduced, ensuring that industry can and will drill responsibly. More importantly, this exploration plan is a critical step for energy production and domestic energy jobs not only in Alaska but in the Arctic region as well.
 
It is critical that the federal government brings Alaska’s vast oil and natural gas reserves back online TO AMERICA'S CONSUMERS. Jobs in Alaska and across the nation depend on the opportunities that offshore oil and gas production can and will provide.
 
In Alaska, approximately 43,454 jobs are supported by the industry. These jobs add $6.1 billion to Alaska’s gross state product, or 16.6 percent of its wealth. With the unemployment rate already up to 8.9 percent in Alaska, we simply cannot afford to ignore opportunities that encourage job promotion and economic growth.
 
Furthermore, not developing our offshore natural resources is projected to cost energy intensive industries nearly 13 million jobs and cumulatively decrease the nation’s real disposable income by $2.34 trillion, according to a new report issued by the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners.
 
In conclusion, I strongly believe that the federal government should promote energy policies that will secure a safe energy and economic future FOR ALL CONSUMERS. Allowing for Shell to safely develop oil and gas resources in the Beaufort Sea in 2011 will help do just that.
 
Sincerely,
Jeff Jones
Board Chairman
Consumer Energy Alliance - Alaska
717 K Street
Anchorage, Ak  99501
Senator John Coghill's (NGP Photo-l) comment is here.
Steve Hites (NGP Photo-r) comment is below:                         
 
Regional Supervisor, Leasing and Environment
Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation, and Enforcement
3801 Centerpoint Drive, Suite 500
Anchorage, Alaska 99503
 
December 22, 2010
 
 
Re: Comments for the 2011 Exploration Plan Review
 
 
To the Regional Supervisor, BOEM:
 
 
The BOEM has done a study of the impacts of Shell’s proposed Arctic exploration program in Alaska. This showed that there would be no impact on marine life, or the environment.
 
Revisions were made to the proposed plan to minimize impacts even further. The plan was reviewed and was upheld by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. Further revisions – not required by law - were made voluntarily to address local concerns.
 
This really has become a case where Shell needs to be allowed to go to work. They know how to do this, and unless we let them try, no one will ever believe it can be done.
 
More to the point, at the same time that Alaska’s oil and gas resources can now explored for using the highest safety and environmental standards, we need the jobs this work will bring to Alaska. We can drill, create employment, and protect the Arctic, all at the same time.
 
Outer Continental Shelf development is now central to Alaska’s future. The North Slope oilfields are in decline: the Trans-Alaska Pipeline is now operating at only one-third of its capacity. New discoveries of OCS oil could reverse this.
 
Alaska’s economy runs on oil: 43,454 jobs are supported by the industry in Alaska, but with prospects dimming for OCS exploration, unemployment in Alaska is up to 8.9%. New production from OCS development would create 35,000 new jobs in Alaska, with a payroll of $72 billion over the next 50 years.
 
The new jobs and employment generated from OCS development wouldn’t just be in Alaska, either. New development in Alaska’s oil fields will create thousands of new jobs throughout the rest of the United States: shipping jobs, technology jobs, steel and manufacturing jobs, as well as providing a more stable consumer end price for petroleum products for everyone in the country.
 
But most important of all, in the end, is that this is a matter of national security: OSC development will reduce America’s dependence on foreign energy supplies, and at the same time create new revenues for the government.
 
Not developing our resources will cost us dearly. Estimates of a loss of 13 million American jobs, and a reduction of perhaps $2.34 trillion in national wealth caste a dire picture of where this current course will take us if we don’t stop and rethink Alaska’s proper place in America’s energy future.
 
Oil and gas will remain essential to our nation for many years to come. Even as we work to create new sources of energy, and transition into their use, we must maintain the production of traditional energy, and make its exploration and development a top priority for the nation.
 
Thank you for allowing me to make these comments on this important national energy issue.
 
Most Sincerely,
 
Steve Hites
270 Second Avenue
P.O. Box 400
Skagway, Alaska 99840
(907) 983-2908
Senator Lesil Mcguire (NGP Photo-R)
 
December 2010
 
Regional Supervisor, Leasing and Environment
Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement
3801 Centerpoint Drive, Suite 500
Anchorage, AK, 99503
 
RE:  We Need to Develop Oil & Gas Resources in Alaska’s Beaufort Sea
 
To Whom It May Concern:
 
I am writing to urge the federal government to approve Shell’s 2011 revised Exploration Plan and proceed with the development of oil and natural gas resources in the Beaufort Sea off the coast of Alaska.
                                                                                                        
I commend Shell for their work on the revised plan and believe that the changes they made reflect their commitment to working with Alaska and the affected communities to responsibly explore the offshore. Shell’s recent investment in science and partnerships with the North Slope Borough in developing the plan revisions represent a model for stakeholder relations that should be encouraged. I also feel it is important to note that the areas included in the revised plan have previously been explored safely during the last round of offshore exploration in the mid-1980s.
 
With Shell’s revised plan, drilling discharges to the marine environment will be reduced. Further, the reduced scope of the plan will minimize impacts on wildlife. Finally, this exploration plan is a critical step for energy production and domestic energy jobs not only in Alaska but in the Arctic region as well.
 
It is critical that the federal government brings Alaska’s vast oil and natural gas reserves back online. Jobs in Alaska and across the nation depend on the opportunities that offshore oil and gas production can and will provide.
 
In Alaska, approximately 43,454 jobs are supported by the industry. These jobs add $6.1 billion to Alaska’s gross state product, or 16.6 percent of its wealth. With the unemployment rate already up to 8.9 percent in Alaska, we simply cannot afford to ignore opportunities that encourage job promotion and economic growth.
 
Furthermore, not developing our offshore natural resources is projected to cost energy intensive industries nearly 13 million jobs and cumulatively decrease the nation’s real disposable income by $2.34 trillion, according to a new report issued by the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners.
 
In conclusion, I strongly believe that the federal government should promote energy policies that will secure our energy and economic future. Allowing for Shell to safely develop oil and gas resources in the Beaufort Sea in 2011 will help do just that.
 
Sincerely,
 
Senator Lesil McGuire
Dave DittmanSenator Charlie Huggins' letter is here (NGP Photo-r)
 
David Dittman's (NGP Photo-l) Letter to BOEM is here.