Offshore Oil & Gas

 

U.S. Seeks Stricter Funding Rules For Abandoned Offshore Oil Wells. According to Bloomberg, “The U.S. is looking to tighten requirements on bonds issued by a growing number of bankrupt oil producers to deal with abandoned offshore wells that could eventually become environmental disasters. The Interior Department is proposing rules to strengthen the issuance criteria after companies have filed for Chapter 11 and escaped financial obligations to cap their non-producing wells, said Walter Cruickshank, acting director of the department’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. The measure, being proposed jointly with the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, will be subject to a 60-day public comment period. ‘Our current rules that were written back in the 1990s have fairly broad criteria and really left it up to our regional directors to interpret and apply them as they wanted, without necessarily getting public input on how we do so,’ Cruickshank said in a phone interview. ‘We’ve come up with a design here that is much simpler than what is on the books now.’ Explorers are projected to spend about $1 billion a year for the next half decade to decommission hundreds of aging oil wells in the Gulf of Mexico that have petered out, according to the industry consultant Wood Mackenzie. The U.S. government is looking to make sure those costs don’t shift to taxpayers as the worst crude crash in history drives more companies to bankruptcy.” [Bloomberg, 9/17/20 (=)]

 

Marine Renewable Energy

 

‘Poison Pill’ Ruling For Lake Erie Wind Farm Will Stand, According To Draft Order. According to Plain Dealer, “The Ohio Power Siting Board is preparing to rule that it will not revisit its decision to allow the construction of Icebreaker Wind, the nation’s first freshwater offshore wind farm, in Lake Erie, with restrictions that backers say would doom the project. According to a draft ruling obtained by cleveland.com, the board is set during its meeting Thursday to reject calls by both supporters and opponents of the six-turbine, 20-megawatt wind farm to reconsider its May 21 ruling. Icebreaker Wind proponents objected to the board’s requirement that the turbine blades can’t move at night between March 1 and Nov. 1, which was aimed at limiting risk to birds and bats. Such a limitation would be a ‘poison pill’ to the entire project, they argued, as it would make the wind farm financially infeasible. Supporters of the project took issue with other things as well, including that the board overrode a recommendation by staff on the Siting Board and Ohio Department of Natural Resources to approve the project without the limit, among other objections. The draft ruling states that the limits on nighttime operation and other conditions set by the board ‘were necessary because of the incompleteness of work that...must be completed to properly identify and mitigate the project’s risk to bird and bat populations.’” [Plain Dealer, 9/15/20 (=)]

 

Ohio Axes 'Poison Pill' For Lake Erie Project. According to E&E News, “The prospects for the nation’s first freshwater offshore wind farm got a lift yesterday after Ohio regulators struck down a permitting requirement that might have slammed the brakes on development. The Ohio Power Siting Board approved the 20.7-megawatt Icebreaker wind farm in Lake Erie on May 21. But the board required turbines be ‘feathered,’ or idled, at nighttime for eight months of the year to protect birds and bats — terms that made the project economically unviable, according to the developer, Lake Erie Energy Development Corp. (LEEDCo). Facing political pressure from dozens of northeastern Ohio elected officials, the board reversed course yesterday and eliminated the condition. Dave Karpinski, president of LEEDCo, a Cleveland-based public-private partnership that’s developing the project with partner and investor Fred. Olsen Renewables of Norway, said the change enables work on the project to move forward. ‘We were really pleased that the poison pill was taken out,’ Karpinski said in an interview with E&E News after the siting board meeting. LEEDCo and other Icebreaker supporters argued the requirement had been improperly adopted at the last minute despite a settlement between LEEDCo and technical staff from the siting board and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.” [E&E News, 9/18/20 (=)]

 

Fishing Advocates: Study Shows Offshore Wind Jobs Overstated. According to National Fisherman, “An economic study commissioned by commercial fishing advocates says predictions of future U.S. jobs from offshore wind energy are overstated. The report contends skilled workers from overseas and specialized foreign-flag vessels will be needed for years to build offshore wind turbine arrays. It’s a sharply contrasting picture to wind developers and supporters, who are backing plans for U.S.-built installation vessels and worker training programs. ‘Although offshore wind projects have a potentially beneficial role to play as part of U.S. energy portfolio, a careful investigation of the employment impact shows a surprisingly low number of positions at the more permanent level of actual operation and maintenance of the offshore wind electricity,’ concludes the paper from Georgetown Economic Services, a subsidiary of Kelley Drye & Warren, a Washington, D.C. law firm that has long worked with commercial fishing groups. ‘In addition, the bulk of the jobs will be created overseas rather than here at home, and total domestic employment in manufacturing and construction is small when compared with employment in the manufacture of conventional equipment for power generation,’ the report says. ‘The claim that the huge investments on offshore wind would provide significant job and economic benefits in the U.S. has been grossly inflated.’” [National Fisherman, 9/18/20 (-)]

 

Fisheries & Marine Life

 

Fish In Oregon Hatcheries Die, Released Early As Fires Rage. According to Associated Press, “As wildfires raged through Oregon, staff at fish hatcheries around the state raced to try to save – or prematurely release – millions of chinook salmon, steelhead and trout being raised in captivity to preserve fragile fish species, state officials said Thursday. About 450,000 fish perished at two hatcheries combined and nearly 1.2 million chinook, steelhead and trout were released into the McKenzie River east of Eugene all at once in desperation as the fire approached and fresh water to the facility was cut off. Other hatcheries lost critical infrastructure, including a hatchery building near the Oregon-California border, and one facility went ahead with a critical breeding period while running on limited power from a back-up generator. State wildlife officials are still assessing the extent of the damage and the impact of the mass deaths and mass releases on the hatchery program and the full situation might not be clear for weeks, said ODFW’s Deputy Director Shannon Hurn. The agency is also bracing for mudslides that occur when winter rains hit the burned areas and push debris into rivers and streams. ‘We are still very much in the emergency response phase,’ Hurn said.” [Associated Press, 9/17/20 (=)]

 

45 Charged With Poaching Marine Life From Fragile San Pedro Tide Pools. According to Los Angeles Times, “A six-month investigation into the poaching of marine life from fragile tidal pools at White Point Beach in San Pedro has culminated with charges against 45 people, the Los Angeles city attorney announced Thursday. The extensive harvesting of edible marine life — including hundreds of pounds of mussels, turban snails and purple sea urchins — ‘has decimated the fragile ecosystem along the coast, and it is uncertain if it can recover,’ L.A. City Atty. Mike Feuer said. ‘We allege these defendants have jeopardized that future by threatening this sensitive ecosystem,’ he added. ‘You can’t just take as many of these creatures as you want. That’s why we’re prosecuting.’ The cases were brought to city prosecutors by California Department of Fish and Wildlife officers. State game wardens were notified in May of crowds — some using garden tools, screwdrivers, crowbars and, in at least one case, kitchen tongs strapped to a man’s foot — who were digging and dislodging enormous amounts of sea creatures from the tide pools and surrounding areas. The activity, which triggered numerous edgy encounters between area residents and harvesters, appeared to be motivated by social media posts encouraging the practice to enjoy life outdoors during a time of coronavirus restrictions and high unemployment. ‘It’s a fun way to spend the day and grab a free dinner,’ Lisa Yan, 55, an unemployed casino card dealer, told The Times in July. ‘Especially for those of us who lost jobs because of the coronavirus pandemic. … All you need is a fishing license.’” [Los Angeles Times, 9/17/20 (=)]

 

Arctic Climate

 

Brouillette Relaunches Office Of Arctic Energy. According to E&E News, “The Department of Energy announced today it will reestablish the Office of Arctic Energy, with a broad mandate to research infrastructure, energy and national security issues. ‘The United States is an Arctic nation, and the region continues to play an essential role in meeting our Nation’s energy needs, as well as those of our friends and allies,’ Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette said in a statement. The office will investigate energy-related issues in the Alaska Arctic, including earth and ocean science, the electric grid, and electrical systems, DOE said. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Chairwoman Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) praised the announcement, saying it would ‘help guide and strengthen the Department’s international engagements on the Arctic.’ ‘The United States is an Arctic nation because of Alaska, and the re-establishment of the Arctic Energy Office in Fairbanks will ensure greater collaboration between our state’s innovators and the Department of Energy’s cutting-edge researchers,’ Murkowski said. The office stems from the National Defense Authorization Act of 2001. It will report directly to the undersecretary of Energy. The office will launch with three interim staff on the campus of the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, with plans to expand over time.” [E&E News, 9/17/20 (=)]

 

Shell Files Offshore Drilling Plans For Alaska's North Slope. According to Associated Press, “Shell Offshore Inc. has submitted plans to plans to drill for oil in the waters along the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska in the coming years. The Dutch oil industry giant applied to form the West Harrison Bay Unit to explore in state waters off the North Slope region, The Alaska Journal of Commerce reported Wednesday. Documents submitted to the state Division of Oil and Gas said Shell has attempted to find a partner to work on the West Harrison Bay leases for at least a year. Shell claimed to be making progress before the coronavirus pandemic. The company asked the state to validate its exploration plan for five years, which is expected to provide sufficient time for the company to secure a partner and analyze the area’s development potential. Shell holds a 100% working interest in 18 leases covering more than 122 square miles (316 square kilometers) in the proposed unit. The wells would target the Nanushuk oil formation first pinpointed by the Repsol-Armstrong Energy partnership. The shallow Nanushuk formation also forms the basis of the ConocoPhillips Co. Willow oil prospect to the south of Harrison Bay.” [Associated Press, 9/17/20 (=)]

 

Ocean Health & Management

 

Trump Climate Contrarian Hire At NOAA Sends 'Shiver Up Your Science Spine' . According to Politico, “The Trump administration’s decision to install a climate science skeptic atop the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration blindsided staffers and has scientists worried that the newly created position will give a contrarian broad powers to shape the way the federal government studies and talks about climate change. The agency, which has so far escaped much of the climate science politicking under the Trump administration, now finds itself at an inflection point. Staffers are worried that the White House decision to create a new position at NOAA for David Legates, an academic who has questioned how serious climate change is, may signal that the administration will seek to influence the bedrock science the agency performs. ‘It’s obviously very disappointing to see that the administration hired someone like that for a high-level position within NOAA,’ NOAA research chemist Ed Dlugokencky told POLITICO. Legates’ hire comes as the federal government’s fifth National Climate Assessment is at ‘a critical formative stage,’ an administration official told POLITICO. NOAA is the lead for the quadrennial 13-agency, cross-government review of climate change that conveys the sources and effects of climate change on every corner of the country. It is largely considered one of the most sweeping, rigorous and clear-eyed compendiums of the latest climate science and is used to inform federal, regional and local policies.” [Politico, 9/17/20 (=)]

 

Group OKs $15M For Mississippi Coast Restoration Projects. According to Associated Press, “A Mississippi group has approved four projects to restore coastal areas damaged by the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, Gov. Tate Reeves said Thursday. The projects were approved by the Mississippi Trustee Implementation Group, which has representatives from the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality, the U.S. Department of the Interior, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Environmental Protection Agency. The state environmental department will administer the projects. The largest project is $10 million to restore or create oyster spawning reefs in up to six spots in the Mississippi Sound and areas, including St. Louis Bay, Heron Bay, Back Bay/Biloxi Bay, Graveline Bay, Pascagoula Bay and Grand Bay. The next-largest project is $3.1 million for habitat management in the Wolf River Coastal Preserve. The 2,500-acre (1,012-hectare) preserve is near the confluence of the Wolf River with St. Louis Bay. Activities will include prescribed fire, chemical treatment, mechanical treatment, hydrologic restoration, road repair, culvert replacement and prescribed grazing.” [Associated Press, 9/17/20 (=)]

 

The World’s Plan To Reduce Plastic Pollution Is Trash. According to Earther, “In recent years, world leaders have taken steps to curb plastic pollution in the oceans, But a new study, published in Science on Thursday, says these measures are nowhere near enough to get the problem under control. Every year, the petrochemical industry produces millions of tons of plastic, which gets made into everything from soda bottles and shopping bags to medical equipment and the laptop keys I’m typing on now. When we discard these items, a growing portion of that waste ends up in Earth’s oceans, rivers, and lakes, where it chokes turtles and birds, lets off endocrine-disrupting and cancer-causing chemicals, and harms vital coral reef ecosystems. The new study estimates that in 2016, 20 to 25 million tons of plastic waste ended up in the world’s waterways. That’s 11% of the waste generated globally that year, and that doesn’t even include additional pollution from microplastics, discarded fishing gear, or aquatic plastic pollution from the incineration of plastic waste. Without urgent action, that amount will only increase. Previous estimates show that global plastic production is on pace to double by 2040. As awareness of this crisis has grown, civic leaders have taken steps to curb it, signing onto international United Nations treaties, passing national and statewide bans on some single-use plastic items, and banding together to promote more sustainable lifestyle choices and clean up beaches.” [Earther, 9/17/20 (+)]

 

 

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