Selected Major Oil spills: platforms and tankers

1

• Selected Major Oil spills platforms and tankers
• 1969 Santa Barbara platform
• 1989 Exxon Valdez Alaska
• 1999 Erika France
• 2000 Petrobras floating platform toppled
• 2002 Prestige Spain

• International Convention on Oil Pollution
  Preparedness, Response and Cooperation (OPRC),
  1990
• U.S. Oil Pollution Act, 1990
• EU Legislation, 2002
•  Safety Standards and Liability

2
Preventative Laws OCSLA

• DOI prepares leasing program
• Bidding ? grant lease
• Exploration
• Development and production

CZMA NEPA ESA
3
OCSLA Process

• DOI prepares leasing program
• Bidding ? lease
• Exploration
• Development and production

Only grants preliminary exploration
rights These stages cannot go forward without
prior DOI approval
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U.S. Offshore Oil Development
OCSLA CZMA NEPA

• DOI prepares leasing program
• Bidding ? lease
• Exploration
• Development and production

State coastal zone mgt plan Consistency
determinations
Significance determination EIS or FONSI?
ESA
CEQR (mini-NEPA in California)
NPDES permit (CWA)
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Offshore drilling moratoria in states like
Florida and California are respected by the
Federal Government. Need they be? Should they
be?
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ANWR 1923 Naval Petroleum Reserve 1960
designation of wildlife range 1968
Discovery of Prudhoe Bay field
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ANWR Drilling Why is there a moratorium on
drilling in ANWR? What would it take to
reverse that prohibition?

• 1980 Alaska National Interest Lands
  Conservation Act (ANILCA).
• 1002 Area

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Source US FWS
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• ANWR Drilling
• What are the pros and cons of drilling in ANWR?
• How would you rate the energy benefits of
  drilling there?
• On what factors does your answer to that question
  depend?
• Is the likely amount of recoverable oil a lot, or
  a little, in the larger scheme of things?

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6-11 billion barrels of oil. Production peak
about 1 million b/d Is that a lot of oil, or a
little?

• Prudhoe Bay production estimates of about 18
  billion barrels. (1-2 mln bpd)
• U.S. consumption approaching 20 million barrels
  per day.

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Is that a lot of oil, or a little?
Source USDOE
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ANWR Drilling What are the potential
environmental impacts?

• Nesting migratory birds
• Migration and calving of caribou
• Large mammals (polar bears, whales, wolves)
• Can animals adjust to development? Should they
  have to, in your opinion?