Obama calls for icebreakers for oil exploration while raising climate change alarm

This week Pres. Obama is visiting Alaska ostensibly to push for Climate Change awareness as part of his Administration’s push on mitigating the threat with new policies like the recently announced Clean Energy Plan.  While the Obama Administration has enacted a bunch of great ideas for renewable energy, increased fuel efficiency, electric vehicles and more, there’s also been a huge increase in crude oil production under the Obama Administration, and more importantly they’ve now allowed the first oil exploration in the Arctic.  His last couple State of the Union addresses have seemed hypocritical because he’ll boast about both the massive increase in crude oil production while barely mentioning their policies on clean energy.

So should we be surprised that Obama announced major infrastructure support for oil exploration off Alaska’s coast during the Alaska trip?

Earlier this year his administration approved a Shell Oil plan to begin exploratory oil drilling in the Chukchi Sea, off the coast of Northern Alaska.  Shell’s ships went to the drilling site, but had to return to Seattle and Portland for repairs where they were met by a flotilla of protesters in kayaks attempting to block those ships from returning to the Arctic.

The big concern is that what will happen when (not if) there’s an oil spill?  This isn’t the Gulf Coast with a tremendous amount of oil spill response equipment already in position.  None of that stuff is in place, and it seems the Oil Industry is planning on being allowed to to ramp up arctic oil drilling over the next few years.  What can go wrong?  Lots.  It took 3 months to cap the Deepwater Horizon oil spill off the Louisiana Coast a few years ago, an area with gobs of oil industry equipment already in place.  How long will oil spill response take in the Arctic if the ocean freezes over, or a major storm blows in, and recovery ships simply can’t operate?

J1772 extension cords

What Pres. Obama announced sounds benign — to deploy a new fleet of Coast Guard Ice Breaker ships in the U.S. Arctic.

That sounds simple and non-controversial doesn’t it?  But… what are these ice breaker ships meant to do?  On the one hand we have an Ice Breaker Gap, Russia has a fleet of 40 ice breakers and we have only 2 with another in a drydock being cannibalized for spare parts.  That Russia has much more Arctic territory than the U.S. doesn’t appear in the Fact Sheet.  (repeated below)

Let’s carefully read the text of the Fact Sheet below.

“Climate change is reshaping the Arctic in profound ways.”  Yes it is.  As the Fact Sheet says, the area covered by the Arctic sea-ice-maximum this year was a new low, 1.1 million square kilometers less than the average.  In other words, climate change is drastically impacting the Arctic.

J1772 extension cords Tesla J1772 adapters Open the door to the Tesla Destination Charger network using these Tesla-J1772 adapters

Sponsored

Instead of raising alarm about this, the Fact Sheet looks to exploit this fact:

The growth of human activity in the Arctic region will require highly engaged stewardship to maintain the open seas necessary for global commerce and scientific research, allow for search and rescue activities, and provide for regional peace and stability. Accordingly, meeting these challenges requires the United States to develop and maintain capacity for year-round access to greater expanses within polar regions.

And

One consequence of the warming Arctic is the opening of Arctic Ocean transportation and the dramatic increase expected in oceangoing sea traffic.  Even today, cruise ships are venturing farther north, with routine Arctic marine transit anticipated by approximately 2020.

Most telling is this

As sea-ice cover diminishes because of climate change, marine traffic is expected to increase in the Arctic, including traffic from fishing and mineral exploration to cargo shipping and tourism.

Here we go… the phrase “mineral exploration” is unspecific, but obviously one sort of mineral to explore is crude oil deposits.  The current exploration in the Chukchi Sea is only the beginning, folks.

JLONG - 40 Amp, 40ft, J1772 extension cable EV Everything 20 ft Extension Cord J1772 Cable 32 amp Electric Vehicle Charging TeslaTap 50 AMP J1772 25’ Extension Cable (UL Approved)

Evade blocked charging stations with one of these handy J1772 extension cords.

Sponsored

In another section of the fact sheet a related issue is raised, namely the lack of deep-water harbors in Alaska.  The Army Corps of Engineers is evaluating the deepening of the harbor in Nome Alaska, and the goal is a port “capable of providing shelter to vessels operating in, or transiting through, the U.S. Arctic region.”  One expects that in addition they’ll have ship repair facilities so the oil exploration ships intended to be operating in the Arctic won’t have to sail back to Seattle or Portland (facing the flotilla of Kayak protesters) again.

To avoid the risk that maybe I’m climbing out on a limb and making up bogus stories, let’s take a look at the reporting on this announcement.

NY Times: Quotes Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski describing the plan as “a good first step” and that “We need the assets to ensure we can safely operate in the Arctic. That means icebreakers, aircraft and oil spill response infrastructure.”

Gov. Bill Walker was quoted raising the alarm over a buildup of Russian military presence in  the Arctic while the U.S. is decreasing its forces there.  “It’s the biggest buildup of the Russian military since the Cold War. They’re reopening 10 bases and building four more, and they’re all in the Arctic, so here we are in the middle of the pond, feeling a little bit uncomfortable.”

Politico:  They report that “Nearly a quarter of the world’s undiscovered oil and gas may lie under the Arctic seabed.”  The worlds powers have identified the opening of the Arctic as a major geopolitical power change due to happen, and that ice-breakers are a key element to controlling the Arctic.

Defense News:  Notes that the Coast Guard’s own projections are that they’ll need at least six new icebreakers, three heavy and three medium.  They, and the others, say the big question is funding since each ship will cost over $1 billion, and the whole Coast Guard budget is only $9 billion.

Arctic Newswire: One of the ships brought by Shell to the oil drilling party this summer is an ice breaker leased from Finland.  That ship is the one which had to sail back to Portland for repairs, only to be blocked by Kayakers.  In any case, this demonstrates that the oil companies have to provide their own icebreaker ships on top of whatever fleet the US Coast Guard ends up building, and that icebreaker ships are essential for conducting oil exploration in that region.

That pretty much says it.  This proposal for new icebreakers is to provide cover for expanded oil exploration and oil drilling in the Arctic (among other purposes).

Hat Tip to Bob Tregilus for tipping me off to this.

The White House
Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release

FACT SHEET: President Obama Announces New Investments to Enhance Safety and Security in the Changing Arctic

Climate change is reshaping the Arctic in profound ways. The global Arctic has warmed approximately twice as fast as the rest of the world, resulting in significant impacts on land and sea. Among the most noticeable changes is the retreat of Arctic sea ice, which has experienced significant, sustained declines in both extent and thickness in recent decades. This past February, the Arctic sea-ice maximum reached an all-time record low: about 1.1 million square kilometers – an area more than twice the size of California – below average.  As sea-ice cover diminishes because of climate change, marine traffic is expected to increase in the Arctic, including traffic from fishing and mineral exploration to cargo shipping and tourism.

The Arctic Ocean can be volatile and unpredictable, presenting challenges to safe operations. Arctic ecosystems are among the most pristine and understudied in the world, meaning increased commercial activity comes with significant risks to the environment. Consistent with the priorities laid out in the 2013 National Strategy for the Arctic Region, today in Seward, Alaska, President Obama will announce new steps to accelerate the acquisition of additional icebreakers to ensure the United States can operate year-round in the Arctic Ocean. In addition, the Obama Administration will announce efforts to enhance scientific observations of the Arctic to increase our understanding of this vital region.

Accelerating the acquisition of new Coast Guard icebreakers.After World War II, the United States Coast Guard had seven icebreakers in its fleet – four under the U.S. Navy and three under the U.S. Coast Guard. Today, the United States technically has three icebreakers in its fleet – all under the command of the U.S. Coast Guard.  However, when age and reliability are taken into account, the fleet is down to the equivalent of two fully functional icebreakers and only one heavy-duty icebreaker. Russia, on the other hand, has forty icebreakers and another eleven planned or under construction.

The growth of human activity in the Arctic region will require highly engaged stewardship to maintain the open seas necessary for global commerce and scientific research, allow for search and rescue activities, and provide for regional peace and stability. Accordingly, meeting these challenges requires the United States to develop and maintain capacity for year-round access to greater expanses within polar regions.

That is why the Administration will propose to accelerate acquisition of a replacement heavy icebreaker to 2020 from 2022, begin planning for construction of additional icebreakers, and call on Congress to work with the Administration to provide sufficient resources to fund these critical investments. These heavy icebreakers will ensure that the United States can meet our national interests, protect and manage our natural resources, and strengthen our international, state, local, and tribal relationships.

Enabling safe marine operations and transportation in the Arctic. Climate change is readily apparent in the Arctic, especially with the rapid loss of Arctic ice.  One consequence of the warming Arctic is the opening of Arctic Ocean transportation and the dramatic increase expected in oceangoing sea traffic.  Even today, cruise ships are venturing farther north, with routine Arctic marine transit anticipated by approximately 2020.  In response, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) will take action to promote safe marine operations and transportation in the Arctic through mapping and charting efforts in the Bering, Chukchi, and Beaufort Seas, regions with newly open waters for which existing maps and charts are nonexistent or outdated. This will include a joint NOAA/USCG survey of a transit route through the Aleutians and Bering Strait, as well as a joint effort among NOAA, USGS, and the State of Alaska to use satellite data for shoreline and near-shoreline coastal mapping, critical to observing climate change in action.

Additionally, north of Dutch Harbor, located on the Aleutian Chain, there are no deep-water harbors in the U.S. Arctic capable of providing shelter to vessels operating in, or transiting through, the U.S. Arctic region. In February 2015, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began a process to evaluate the feasibility of deepening and extend Nome’s harbor capabilities. Such a project could potentially enhance the region’s ability to shelter ships from the Arctic weather and serve as a safe standby location for vessels involved in operations farther north.

Ensuring continued subsistence fishing, healthy ecosystems and safety is critical to these efforts. To that end, the Administration, with DOI in the lead, will continue to consult with Alaska Native communities with respect to shipping issues and climate-induced impacts.

In the near future, NOAA will modernize and install additional instrumentation on the Arctic coast to monitor the effects of climate change and enable safe marine operations and transportation—including a permanent National Water Level Observing Network station to monitor sea-level rise, and up to six temporary water-level stations—and in 2015, NOAA will announce the availability of a new operational Arctic sea-ice thickness satellite product.

Launching a demonstration project for Arctic marine-biodiversity observing. This year, the Arctic Marine Biodiversity Network (AMBON) will launch the first of three sampling cruises (with others to launch in 2016 and 2017) as part of a five-year demonstration project. These cruises will gather a broad range of Arctic marine-biodiversity data, including bird and mammal observations, water-column analysis (temperature, salinity, chlorophyll-a extraction, nutrients, etc.), and information on microbes and small eukaryotic plankton, zooplankton, sediment cores, and fishes.

Hosting an international workshop on community-based ecological monitoring. Communities in the Arctic and other Northern regions depend on healthy and productive ecosystems for food and cultural value. Community-based observing has emerged as an important tool in expanding understanding of topics such as human and ecological health, food systems, and weather and climate at local and regional scales, and for providing a mechanism for the Federal Government to partner with non-Federal entities to understand each other’s perspectives and information needs. Federal agencies, including the National Science Foundation (NSF), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), NOAA, DOI, and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), have all supported community-based observing projects over the past decade. Building on this work, the U.S. Government will work with the Arctic Council’s working groups and other international entities to support a session on community-based observing at the upcoming Arctic Observing Summit to be held in Fairbanks, AK in March 2016. The session will explore best practices for developing and sustaining community-based observing, and how community-based observing projects can foster youth engagement and science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education, technology development and adoption, and appropriate handling of culturally sensitive data.

Celebrating the National Parks centennial. In conjunction with his visit to Kenai Fjords National Park, President Obama is announcing the transmittal of draft legislation to Congress that would help the National Park Service prepare for its upcoming 100th anniversary by revitalizing national parks, upgrading park facilities, and connecting a new generation to the great outdoors.

As the National Park Service (NPS) approaches its centennial anniversary in 2016, the Administration is working to ensure that our national parks, facilities, and educational programs are of the highest quality.  We are also working to ensure that our parks and historic sites fully represent our nation’s ethnically and culturally diverse communities, and that all Americans, regardless of their background or where they live, are able to access and enjoy these remarkable places.  If enacted, the “National Park Service Centennial Act” would support these goals and establish, clarify, or expand a number of key authorities to enable NPS to better serve the American people.  The Act will also promote volunteerism and help connect the next generation to the outdoors.

About David Herron

David Herron is a writer and software engineer living in Silicon Valley. He primarily writes about electric vehicles, clean energy systems, climate change, peak oil and related issues. When not writing he indulges in software projects and is sometimes employed as a software engineer. David has written for sites like PlugInCars and TorqueNews, and worked for companies like Sun Microsystems and Yahoo.

About David Herron

David Herron is a writer and software engineer living in Silicon Valley. He primarily writes about electric vehicles, clean energy systems, climate change, peak oil and related issues. When not writing he indulges in software projects and is sometimes employed as a software engineer. David has written for sites like PlugInCars and TorqueNews, and worked for companies like Sun Microsystems and Yahoo.

Leave a Reply