THIS SITE HISTORICAL:
In 2008 through 2010, an "Independent mom & pop" oil company violated the "Alaskan Public Trust" doctrine, allowing malfeasance and environmental atrocities upon the "Last Frontier". This "blog" is dedicated to follow the outcome of the illegal activities that have now become front and center attention before the regulators in charge of making sure the "Public Trust" is upheld, as a centralized forum to make sure Alaskans and others are kept abreast of penalties and fines upon those that feel Alaska is the "Last Frontier Dumping Grounds".

The above image depicts a crude oil well flow-back test, wherein for days hydrocarbon saturated "wet" natural gas was allowed to vent to the atmosphere out a safety relief valve, with temperatures and ambient conditions such that the "wet" vapors most likely condensed and fell upon the pristine waters of Harrison Bay of the Colville River delta, a place so far removed from man-made pollution. This image is also the cover photo of the report called "Alaska's Deadliest Sin", a culmination of malfeasance and environmental corruption evidence upon this Independent, collected by an ex-employee who has made it a personal "mission" to make sure this kind of irresponsible behavior is stopped and never again repeated on this "Frontier". To date, the company – Pioneer Natural Resources - has attempted to deny all allegations, but the evidence allowing denial is too strong. With that, the company has started to admit true so serious these violations. They have admitted their actions are indeed a violation of "Public Trust". With a 3rd party ongoing investigation following the submittal of the "Sin", the end result should be stiff fines and penalties upon the perpetrators, that which sends a message to those that want to "Go North" for oil exploration and exploitation.

"Drill Baby Drill" is upon us, thanks to Sarah Palin and others, and we must stand up against this all out blitzkrieg assault upon the ecosystem, to protect the environment from continued malfeasance and environmental atrocities, as it is not worth another Love Canal!
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Saturday, August 21, 2010

Another Endicott/Doyon Waste Fiasco?

Much, much worse off than the 1998 Endicott illegal waste disposal scenario by Doyon drilling, which realized stiff fines and jail time for those involved. When Pioneer Natural Resources was first made aware of inappropriate waste disposal concerns by a former employee at this oil company’s Oooguruk project up north, a company investigation team flown to Alaska from Texas gathered information in efforts to protect the company. Being the 1st “Independent”, it was prudent that the operation was squeaky clean, as the Alaska legislature caved in on this project, with royalty and taxation incentives. Such fallout in concert to Sarah Palin’s legacy, “Drill Baby Drill”. So the company was supposed to mind the P’s & Q’s. According to documents on file at the Alaska Oil & Gas Conservation Committee, the oversight police, it is recorded that “The investigation team was able to determine wastes are properly indentified at Oooguruk as hazardous wastes and to confirm that records are maintained as the waste is manifested for disposal. The investigation found that operations and HSE staff are able to correctly identify non-exempt non-hazardous wastes. Pioneer’s investigation found no evidence of non-exempt non-hazardous waste being slipstreamed into the production stream. In addition to the regulatory requirements for management of these wastes, and the ready availability of a Class I disposal well for this purpose, there are significant operational and commercial disincentives to placing non-exempt non-hazardous waste into the crude oil production stream.” Of course if one wanted to get rid of waste, by placing it into the crude oil production line, it would fetch the going rate of oil, like $80-dollars a barrel! So there is an incentive. And even though Pioneer would deny such, and even though Pioneer admits that its staff can correctly identify and manifest waste for proper disposal, well this company’s own reports side differently the truth of this matter. And they document it: “Flowback tank is all Class I waste, slipstreamed 400 barrels to ConocoPhillips”. Caught in the act! One thing for sure, they indeed keep good records! So this Independent gets to send this stuff to Conoco, where it fetches some $32-thousand bucks and is eventually sent along towards the Trans-Alaska-Pipeline, contaminating the entire industry! If this is what to expect from the “Independents” then maybe it is time for jail time!