The president's visit to Alaska this week highlights the economic opportunity and concern for the future of Arctic people's cultures and the environment in the face of changing climate and increased human activity. Recognizing that nations like Russia and China are moving forward with Arctic economic development, facilitating exploration and development in Alaska would enhance national, economic and energy security, benefit the people of the north and the United States as a whole and position us well to exercise global leadership.
While these benefits are clear, there remain diverse views on how to balance opportunities with environmental stewardship.
Based on centuries of knowledge handed down and decades of research, much is known about the physical, ecological and human environment, and sufficient information and developed technology is available to pursue Arctic exploration.
Realizing the promise of Alaska oil and gas resources requires public confidence that the opportunity can be safely pursued while ensuring environmental stewardship. Industry and government share the responsibility of securing and maintaining this public confidence.
There have been significant recent technology advances in oil spill prevention and response such as the development of subsea shutoff devices that complement blow-out preventers, capping stacks for wells where containment control has been lost and advances in the use of fire booms, herding agents, in-situ burning, dispersants and skimmers in ice-covered waters. Application of these technologies in the U.S. Arctic could improve environmental stewardship.
Adding to the wealth of knowledge we already have, the National Petroleum Council presented a report "Arctic Potential -- Realizing the Promise of U.S. Oil and Gas Resources" to U.S. Energy Secretary Moniz in March 2015 in response to a request for a comprehensive study to consider the research and technology opportunities to enable prudent development of Alaskan resources. The NPC was created in 1946 to advise the secretary of Interior, now Energy, and has about 200 members of whom about one-third are not from the energy industry. About 250 participants from Alaska government, indigenous people and other groups, federal government, nongovernmental organizations, academia and industry were involved in producing the report of whom, less than 45 percent work for oil and natural gas companies.
The study found that the U.S. has large Arctic oil and gas potential that can contribute significantly to meeting future U.S. and global energy needs. The majority of the Alaska's resource is undiscovered and offshore, in relatively shallow water depths of less than 100 meters. The technology to explore for and develop the majority of this U.S. potential is available today, based on a long history of technology development and extensions already applied in the U.S. and global Arctic.
With that in mind the report provides a roadmap for additional research, both to validate recently developed technology for use in the U.S. offshore and to pursue technology extensions that could lead to improved safety, environmental protection or cost performance. It also includes recommendations for policy and regulatory improvements that enable the application of best technology and operating practices, reduce cost, improve environmental performance and enable economic viability.
Some of the council's other recommendations include collaboration between regulators, industry and other stakeholders to perform the analysis, investigation and any necessary demonstrations to validate technologies for improved oil spill prevention and source control and for safely extending the drilling season. Similarly, government agencies should participate in ongoing and future arctic oil spill industry collaborative research programs and regulators should continue to evaluate oil spill response technologies in Arctic conditions.
Long-term population estimates of key species, including Pacific walrus, polar bears and beluga whales, as well as understanding of the interactions of key species with oil and gas activities should be improved to promote prudent development. Finally collaboration among government and industry and coordination of ecological and human environment research should be increased and improved.
No doubt the president's visit to Alaska will spark serious questions about how the U.S. could make the most of its Arctic potential. The NPC's report will hopefully provide some of the answers to those questions.
Jan W. Mares is a senior policy advisor at Resources for the Future. A former assistant secretary at the Department of Energy, he was a member of the Coordinating Steering Committee of the National Petroleum Council's Arctic Potential report. This article reflects his personal views and not those of Resources for the Future.
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