When ConocoPhillips received federal approval to explore for oil in the Alaskan Arctic last year, environmental groups quickly raised concerns about inadequate protections. Recently, an oil rig intended for this project toppled onto the tundra, igniting a fire and spilling diesel fuel onto the snow-covered ground.
Five days post-incident, severe weather has prevented crews from accessing the site to assess damage, according to Kimberley Maher, the state on-scene coordinator for Alaska’s Department of Environmental Conservation.
“We are coordinating plans to resume cleanup efforts as soon as weather permits,” Maher stated.
This exploratory program extends further into the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska, home to vast wilderness and subsistence areas vital to Iñupiat residents of Nuiqsut.
Last month, Sovereign Iñupiat for a Living Arctic and two environmental groups filed a lawsuit challenging the approval, arguing the Bureau of Land Management ignored potential harm to the tundra and caribou herds, allowing only a week for public comments before approving the project.
ConocoPhillips’ lawyers reported continuing the program with a different rig, claiming no threat to infrastructure or communities. A judge denied environmental groups’ preliminary injunction request, permitting exploration to proceed.
“ConocoPhillips will disrupt caribou migration and damage the Arctic tundra this winter,” said Matt Jackson, Alaska senior manager for The Wilderness Society.
The rig incident occurred on a gravel road, according to a Department of Environmental Conservation report. The cause is undetermined, with investigations pending safe conditions.
The report noted the rig, owned by Doyon Drilling Inc., carried 4,000 gallons of diesel near oil infrastructure and the Colville River tributary. The spill raised concerns about waterway impacts.
Weather conditions were unusually warm, reaching 34 degrees, as per the National Weather Service.
Rosemary Ahtuangaruak, a former Nuiqsut mayor and oil industry critic, said rapid warming can weaken the tundra. She questioned if ConocoPhillips has sufficient backup rigs now that one is out of service.
ConocoPhillips and the Bureau of Land Management provided no comments for this article.
The exploration efforts coincide with policy shifts by the Trump administration to scale back protections for the reserve, contrary to Biden administration policies.
This expansion mirrors concerns raised when the Biden administration approved the Willow project by ConocoPhillips in 2023, now under construction.
“It’s a domino effect,” said Nauri Simmonds, executive director of Sovereign Iñupiat for a Living Arctic. “They keep expanding near Nuiqsut.”
The program is encroaching on dense caribou habitats. Simmonds, with ties to Nuiqsut, expressed concerns about community divisions over drilling. She noted that the incident was not widely communicated due to fear of speaking out against the oil industry.
Simmonds, who transitioned from working in the oil industry to activism, highlighted the community’s struggle to reconcile oil development’s benefits with cultural impacts.
“When protections are removed, the land suffers first,” Simmonds said, “followed by the community.”
Original Story at insideclimatenews.org