Oil in Alaska/ Exxon Valdez Oil Spill

when did oil exploration begin

1950s

what does Prudhoe Bay contain

1/3 of all oil reserves in North America

12% of all gas reserves in North America

what were the two route suggestions to get oil

1. oil tankers through the arctic ocean and around Alaska

2. By pipeline, from prudhoe bay to ice free port of Valdez

why could oil tankers not collect the oil

route is dangerous

not economically practical

when was the pipeline built

1973

when did the first crude oil reach port Valdez

1977

soil problems of having the pipeline

permafrost

in summer the ground is unstable

buildings raise temperature and thaws permafrost

climate problems of having the pipeline

winter reached -50°C

heavy snowfall (1-2 meters in Valdez)

relief problems of having the pipeline

pipeline has to go over 3 mountain ranges

south is an earthquake zone

pipeline crosses 350 rivers

vegetation problems of having the pipeline

tundra ecosystem is fragile

wildlife problems of having the pipeline

caribou crossing and breeding grounds

might affect habitats

wilderness problems of having the pipeline

crosses or runs along national parks

local people problems of having the pipeline

people may be forces to sell land and move

how is the pipeline built

3 meter high stilts normally

6 meters high on caribou routes

12 pumping stations

supports in the ground so pipe can move 1-2 meters horizontally during earthquake

what happens to the pipe at the Antigun Pass

pipeline is underground and encased in concrete so it doesn’t freeze and ground doesn’t thaw

when did the Exxon Valdez oil spill happen

March 24 1989

what happened to the oil tanker

ran aground in near-perfect weather due to human incompetence

why did the oil tanker run aground

captain was drunk and there was no senior officer onsight

what happened by April 2

oil had covered 2600km² and ended up 900km away from wreck

what did Exxon do after the oil spill, and how much coastline was affected

exxon spent $600 million on cleanup but left 60% of the oil behind, impacting 1,700 km of coastline.

how many seabirds were affected

35000

how many sea-otters were affected

3000

how was the local economy affected

it suffered due to the fish shortages

reasons for further oil exploration in alaska

alaskans see oil as a source of income and jobs

income has helped build schools, hospitals and local buildings and improve water supplies and roads

americans like oil from alaska because its so abundant

reasons agains further oil exploration in Alaska

environmental groups want land to be protected from all developments

fears of more oil spillages

some native american groups want to love their traditional life rather than benefit from oil income