In Ironic Twist, Thawing Tundra Causes Trouble for Alaska's Oil Industry

Viscous Cycle

Global warming -- brought about in part by the burning of fossil fuels -- has raised temperatures in Alaska and reduced the length of the "frozen season" during which oil-prospecting convoys are allowed to traverse the landscape. The past three decades have seen the season shrink from 200 days to 100. Currently, to protect the fragile plant life beneath the ice, standards require six inches of snow and 12 inches of frozen ground to support heavy oil-prospecting machinery. Funded by the Department of Energy and oil companies, work is underway to create a more "flexible" standard that would allow a longer exploration season. Environmentalists question the wisdom of increasing oil exploration in a region so buffeted by environmental changes -- and the wisdom of using the word "flexibility" every time environmental standards are further denuded.

straight to the source: The New York Times, Andrew C. Revkin, 13 Jan 2004

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	Read more about: Alaska \| climate \| commercial and industry organizations \| Department of Energy \| wildlife \| all of these topics Tools: print \| email \| write to the editor \| subscribe \| RSS Share: digg \| hugg \| stumbleupon \| reddit \| newsvine \| fark \| facebook Bookmark: del.icio.us \| google \| yahoo Viscous Cycle In Ironic Twist, Thawing Tundra Causes Trouble for Alaska's Oil Industry Global warming -- brought about in part by the burning of fossil fuels -- has raised temperatures in Alaska and reduced the length of the "frozen season" during which oil-prospecting convoys are allowed to traverse the landscape. The past three decades have seen the season shrink from 200 days to 100. Currently, to protect the fragile plant life beneath the ice, standards require six inches of snow and 12 inches of frozen ground to support heavy oil-prospecting machinery. Funded by the Department of Energy and oil companies, work is underway to create a more "flexible" standard that would allow a longer exploration season. Environmentalists question the wisdom of increasing oil exploration in a region so buffeted by environmental changes -- and the wisdom of using the word "flexibility" every time environmental standards are further denuded. straight to the source: The New York Times, Andrew C. Revkin, 13 Jan 2004 ADVERTISING POLICY Comments: There are no comments. Be the first to post! You are not logged in. Thus, you cannot post a comment. If you have a Gristmill account, log in below. If you don't have a Gristmill account, well, by all means go make one! Meet you back here in five. Username: Password: Forgot your password? Enter your username and click: The comments of Grist users reflect the opinions of those individuals only, and do not necessarily reflect the viewpoints of Grist, its staff, its board members, their psychotherapists, or their aestheticians. Got it?	Also in Grist Put Up or Shut Up A saucy recipe to help you enjoy your summer tomatoes. Baby Got Back-to-School A roundup of fun, green school supplies. Rot 'n' Roll How composting is like sex, and how to, ahem, do it. Dope on a Soap Are Method cleansers as green as they seem? Umbra investigates. The Week's Most Popular Viewed Commented Emailed Making a stink about green(ish) deodorants Ask Umbra on toxins in your body Amid collapsing fisheries and factory-farmed salmon, how to choose sustainable seafood Ask Umbra on Method cleansers Ask Umbra on eco-conversions From Goode to Bad-ass Prince Charles sparked controversy when he expressed doubt in GM crops Amid collapsing fisheries and factory-farmed salmon, how to choose sustainable seafood Why do more men than women support nuclear power? What it means to put 4.1 billion bushels of corn into our gas tanks Fleet of hydrogen concept vehicles crosses U.S. as part of Hydrogen Road Tour Making a stink about green(ish) deodorants Amid collapsing fisheries and factory-farmed salmon, how to choose sustainable seafood Ask Umbra on diet soda How to start composting Cost of solar cells may be driven down dramatically From the Archives Monday, 12 Jan 2004 Just Stick to Tofu, 09 Jan 2004 Thursday, 8 Jan 2004 Daily Grist Archives