RUN Alaskan RUN!

But not so fast, don’t panic, as you have plenty of time to get out of harm’s way without cause for hysteria. Isn't that a disease? And don't drink the water. See, it’s bleeding real slow like, so this attack progresses at a snail’s pace. I am talking the oil leaking out of the Trans-Alaska-Pipeline. Look, you may not see glarbs of goo, like when that John Wayne wannabe went crazy with his piece and back-hand pistol whipped that pipe to failure, thus allowing crude oil to belch for hours upon hours upon the tundra. See, I am talking small fractures in the 35-year old pipe that has endured with some success that same amount of thaw cycles – brutal cold to luke warm then back again. It has taken its toll on the structural integrity which was designed for a 10-year life cycle, now approaching 3-times that design limit and nature wins out in this case no matter how hard man tries to trump normalcy. Sure all those hazardous chemicals injected to thwart off internal erosion have worked to some extent, but it isn't a bulletproof plan of attack and like occurred at Pump Station #1, wherein all the below ground pipe was cast in concrete so leaks would never happen, guess what, that design failed after only 5-years in operation. It wasn't supposed to ever happen! And the entire Atigan Pass followed the same failed design! So let’s be real, of course there are leaks in that line, possibly hundreds of hairline cracks that are today under ideal conditions weeping crude oil day in day out, once again at a snail’s pace car one drop at a time. But it's under pressure, so why isn't it squirting out? True, but when that oil flows to the mountain tops, we find pinch-points wherein the pressure can be equal to the outside pressure, “zero”. So in this case, the oil would be allowed to bleed out one drop at a time and go undetected for, well years! I once worked for the pipeline gang, so have a good idea of the cover-up. Now small leaks would go un-noticed, go undetected by the finest of technologies, with the loose oil getting carried away far and away following the proverbial out-of-sight-out-of-mind mindset - especially when the spring break-up commences. That pipe underneath the SAG river, bye bye oil, see you in the whale calving fiords! And even though contrary to popular attorney client confidentiality wherein the operator tries to convince the regulators – and laughs all the way home after a good day of deceit – it don’t have a working system that can detect leaks. Case in point. Just the other day a tank of reducing agent went missing, crawling down the pipeline like a giant snot. Had the operator had a working system, it would have been detected and something would have been done before the big snot ended up at the Koch Brother's refinery over in Santa's Land. Wait just a minute, maybe this was payback from the Obama office, a giant bugger for Charlie! OK, enough of the childish stuff, as this is serious business. But the “Giant Snot”, it went unnoticed and screwed up all the transport accounts. Yet not to worry, as this circus employs a magician. This guy reminds me of Phineas J. Whoopee on steroids or Viagra as with the stroke of a magic wand and with help from that 3DBB, he can make everything balance out and erase any discrepancies that would warrant shutting down the line – like for a true leak. And that magic wand has been erasing those hair-line crack leaks for years. And the air surveillance to detect leaks from planes or helicopters traversing the 800-mile long pipe from Prudhoe Bay to Valdez with sophisticated eavesdropping instruments, it don’t work any longer because the ground is colder then the stuff in the pipe, and in some places during the year at the same temperature - so it don’t work. It can't work and that was always the operator's trump card, oversight by humans that kept the regulators at bay with respect to questioning the integrity of the system designed to detect leaks and protect the environment. Bottom-line, the TAPS does not have a system that can detect small leaks. And because the leak detection system is “Sectionalized”, it is a loss cause. Many hairline cracks would go about their business of bleeding out the crude as a nasty benzene ridden crapathon, drop by drop and finally be deposited far and away from the pipe proper. So it isn't a Joe Hazzlewood type of atrocity, but a real slow like disease that will some day show its ugly face. Bottom-line, without the oil traveling fast and maintaining enough heat so infra-red technology can pinpoint a leak through “optical temperature difference imaging”, there is no way in hell that the operator can detect a leak unless it is spraying on the tundra. The sad thing, the ROW permit says do or die. So the fact that the pipeline is still in operation without such a system, goes to show who wears the panties in this goat rope! And when I threw this scenario out to the regulators questioning the integrity of the LDS – NOT Latter Day Saints but Leak Detection System - at first they were receptive to a dialogue, until they found out I understood their bluff and that stopped all correspondences. Now there is a simple solution that could have rested my case. See, the operator shall be required to perform a “void test” which is pretty common in the normal pipeline industry – down in the lower 48 where regulators fear not for performing their duties. Basically, it works like this. Oil is directed away from the line at a controlled rate, say from a valve to a tank, or “sucker truck”. Then the regulators watch to see if the “Leak Detection System” catches a leak based on time intervals and loss of product. In this case, the regulations require the system to detect a leak of 1% in a 24-hour time period. If it fails, guess what, the regulators place a “Red Tag” on the line and give the operator some limited time to fix the problem. So if so easy a test to test the integrity of the system that is required by law and state statues, what gives to denying my request to protect the environment, why not go along with a simple “void test”? Because, it doesn't work even when a void test could be accomplished tomorrow by short circuiting the oil through the meters at the North Pole facility, it would amount to almost no effort at all to perform such a test. In fact, it could prove me wrong and work, case closed. And we all know why not by now. Imagine a regulator telling Parnell the money spigot was shut-off! So maybe I should re-title this write, to “Hide Regulator Hide”.

KABOOM!

So SHELL is also in the fire-works display business, on occasion providing a show to the residents of Dutch Harbor. What you mean it wasn't an intentional fireworks display? Well what else can go wrong for this outfit that wants to drill for oil where no man has ventured before? Supposedly when the SHELL flotilla was leaving the Chukchi Sea in a post haste retreat to warmer climates due the ice caving in on its 2012 exploration plans, well the NOBLE Discoverer caused some laughter down at the “Deadliest Catch” docks. The residents call this exploration vessel “jinxed”, after dealing with it early on in the exploration season, wherein there comes more controversy this off-shore drilling program then possible future benefit. According to the public relations mouth-piece; “Upon engine start up at Dutch Harbor, Alaska, the Noble Discoverer last Friday morning experienced a loud engine backfire followed by a small residual fire that was quickly extinguished by the crew”. But here it is, the true story, the “testimonial” facts of this matter and gives a possible answer to the “Kabooms” that were reported during late summer by scouting whaling crews in the area that SHELL was exploring. And since Obama has been re-elected, the cat is out of the bag, almost – this article shell help! It was late August when the flotilla of a gazillion escort vessels decided to make a go at braving hydrocarbon resource exploration where no man has braved before – in an area known for its whale birthing, polar bear denning and a place on earth that has been so far missing any trials and tribulations the oil men. But when the flotilla arrived in Dutch Harbor for the journey north preparation, it was under close scrutiny supervivion and oversight the men & women of the Environmental Protection Agency, or according to Alaska Senator MoanaLisa MurCowpie – the department that frustrates her “Most Wanted” axeman. indeed already a dud, MoanaLisa thinks Congress can do a better job at protecting the environment then can the entire cast of scientists employed by Uncle Sam and so educated on things like “global warming”. See, MoanaLisa knows all about land swindling dealings and nepotism, so that combined experience qualifies her to protect the air and water. It doesn't mean clean, and that “protect” clause is so defined by her constituents - “Big Oil & Mining” interests. Whatever happened to “For the People”? Imagine, crocks controlling the earth's destiny in the category of environmental responsibility. Man, what a crying out loud laugh! Now one of the requirements for the SHELL game while exploring in the Chukchi and Beaufort sea arena was to burn “Low Sulfur” diesel fuels only, the kind one can purchase at a local 7-11 pump, wherein big green lettered signs are posted – for the greening of America mandate – advertising that the fuel dispensed is legal and finds less then 15ppm of sulfur as an additive. And the fine print warns of jail time if this fuel is abused and substituted by the illegal stuff – the high sulfur air polluting crap! The change to “Low Sulfur Diesel” has caused an unbelievable downturn in documented chronic and respiratory diseases, so it works – and this came about through research reported by the EPA scientists, not Congress! So each ship in the flotilla, the fuel from each fuel tank had to be tested before the clearance was given to sail north, as the area that SHELL finds interest to exploit is protected still from outlaw type aggravation. Not a big problem, as I am sure that somewhere along the way, maybe right there in Dutch Harbor, at the pump there came that big green sign I was talking about - advertising for sale “Legal Fuel”. And too assist not contaminating the air, SHELL had installed on their own accord equipment that would scrub the ships' engine exhaust air even more, to make it even better then what was required by law. WOW! But this equipment required the LSD, as anything above the 15ppm could and would contaminate the catalyst used to burn off those nasty and unwanted cancer causing polluting constituents found in the sulfur additive. Sulfur is used to lubricate the engine pieces, so it can last longer. All was good, until...See when the fuel samples arrived in Fairbanks for the testing, to a local lab that was the closest in the vicinity that could provide the required testing according to ASTM principles, well the samples started showing in excess the allowable sulfur content and indicated that the ships had been loaded with “off-road” diesel designated for farm equipment use only. So, SHELL was already in violation the air permits, as this flotilla was on the move and engines were turning, having sailed “North” from Seattle. Matter of fact, the actual amount of sulfur in the fuel tanks was so significant that the lab personnel had to inform SHELL that is was over 500ppm, as the machine used to verify if “LSD” was loaded in the fuel tanks, well it was off the charts and on “TILT” scale. The machine could not even determine what was actually in this fuel even though it was purchased at a facility that had those big green signs! Suspicious? Well this dilemma was holding up the sailing and the exploration schedule was already critically delayed so time was of the essence. Each day counted, and a delay of a few more days could have canceled the entire show. More samples, same old thing, “Failed”. And so the situation was like this, there rested a major obstacle with contaminated fuel, and with no way to unload the “crap” and then no other way to refuel with the right stuff the amount required to fuel SHELLZILLA, SHELL was you know what! In other words, SHELL was “Palined”. In Alaska we tend to use the latter over the age old “F” word. Now the environmental permit allowed for “LSD” for one and only one reason, to limit pollution. And in efforts to accomplish that feat from the engine heat, like already mentioned and credit to SHELL without Congressional approval to pollute the air, there came millions spent in retrofits to the drilling equipment – specifically the engines by conditioning the exhaust fumes through special filters, which could become contaminated and rendered useless if fuels were burned with higher levels of sulfur, as the yellow-cake chemical attacks the filter catalyst. These devices could not survive for even an hour with fuels registering over 15ppm of sulfur. With the filter equipment on “TILT”, MoanaLisa had her wishes come true, to hell with the environment! So this backfire heard at the dock in late November with SHELL's retreat, it was most likely caused from the fact that the filter equipment designed to keep Moby Dick’s air clean, well it appears to have been broken, and this would be the cause of the “backfires”. Caused from the burning of “illegal” fuel on the high seas! SHELL is gone bye, bye by now, so are the fireworks and things appear to have quieted down at the docks. But comes now before us a real matter of concern. Somehow the earlier test results that failed the EPA approved sulfur content requirements became acceptable and allowed SHELL to go north, when time was about to forfeit their gamble for the 2012 exploration season. Had the flotilla been denied access to the Arctic, they had come prepared, as their backup plan called for taking down the American flag and raising Soviet flags. Only kidding, but we can see Russia from Alaska! But the EPA had no oversight at the site during the contaminated fuel ordeal, only monitoring the entire scenario from the comfort of an office in Seattle. And the lab results that finally showed “acceptable” where kept under tight security, on a need to know basis the actual results. But the “backfires” should sound a warning that something ain’t right. Now it gets into the political arena. Obama was all for drilling in the Chukchi and Beaufort sea, so the EPA had their mandate - “APPROVED”. And since MoanaLisa MurCowpie is adamant at destroying the climate as she wants the EPA mothballed, well the heat was on to get SHELL going north, to Alaska's resource rich ARCTIC in efforts to make some show of success this drilling venture. So it is more likely then not that the EPA turned a cheek and allowed SHELL to head north with contaminated fuel. The drilling commenced, the pollution equipment worked for a while, went broke from sulfur contamination, all was well, as OBAMA was now looking at another inaugural celebration and didn't get evicted from the Oval Office. Is it true that the maids still find Bill's “used” cigars around the White-House? So suspicions, should be no longer just a question, as this was all out abuse of the system when political aspirations trump the air we breath. But herein exists the bigger problem uncovered with this coverage of SHELL. It costs a whole lot of extra loot to make “LSD”, the “Low Sulfur Diesel” stuff. Refiners make both, the good and the bad, then blend it to conform to EPA specifications. That stuff is then distributed to the pumpers. But who in hell is watching? Look, the retailers are smiling all the way to the bank, as they are charging you and I for the good stuff and in return we are polluting the environment with the unchecked stuff. When the fuels showed above and beyond the required level of sulfur, the EPA should have started an investigation, as it may have pointed to a widespread problem, not the fact that nobody gives a rat’s ass about our air quality, but the fact that we are getting charged at the pump for the environmental friendly stuff when all the time trucks, buses, rail-lines, they are burning the bad stuff. Now you may not use LSD directly, but it effects your wallet, as transportation of goods requires the “good” stuff, wherein the cost are consumed by the “consumers”, that's still us unless MonaLisa gets her way. See, she believes in nothing, so you will end up with nothing! But if it is true that the pumpers are selling “crap” and stiffing us for the real McCoy, what a way to make a profit. My research points to an extra 50-cents on each gallon sold at the pump. Multiply that by millions sold each week, get the point! It’s happening, as the refiners can blend stuff to help the bottom line and if tests are not required but on a randomly sampled basis – which means never if nobody is watching or “book-cooking” if not through close oversight - and allowed through an abusive policy of “trust us” from an EPA friendly mandate, guess what is happening to an LSD pump near you? The intent was good, as a ways and means to limit air pollution. Sulfur causes all kinds of environmental problems. Yet in the end, as when regulators come under the gun by Congressional pressures and see the scalpel approaching with the likes of MoanaLisa at the operating controls, ethics and responsibility runs for cover. And when dedicated scientists go over the edge to bring a shelved concern to the forefront and end up with a crime stamp, for allowing government information to get outside its intended audience, we find a retaliatory environment. Yes indeed, U.S. government scientists can go to jail for doing too good a job! Is this Russia? Again, we can see it from Dutch Harbor! And no matter what the law says, we are the audience so any scientist that goes out of his or her way to blow the whistle then loses that job with benefits, just to bring something “bad” out in the open, you my friend deserve a “Badge of Courage”. Bottom-line, even though that sign spells it out that the LSD fuel is what the law says “SHALL” be consumed by your piston like engine, it appears SHELL has uncovered a conspiracy, and the EPA remains silent. And not only is this a case finding merit an environmental crime, it is a crime also of “fraud”, as we paid more for the environmentally friendly stuff through taxes that were collected by Uncle Sam, in efforts to study the adverse effects of MoanaLisa MurCowpie. Whatever! Anyway, we have been triple-dipped robed, and we wonder what happened to good conscious! KABOOM, the sound of a distressed America! Coming to a diesel fuel pump near you! Thank you SHELL, for uncovering this calamity for the good of America, now if only we had a representative body that gave a damn!

SHELL Update

It appears that it may be the end of the road for SHELL’s fantasy to engage in exploratory drilling in the Chukchi and Beaufort seas – at least for this season. With mishap after mishap for the flotilla heading north through the Bering Sea, then finally making it to Dutch Harbor just to wait out the storm promulgated by stubborn sea ice, it appears that it is not Mother Nature that has thrown a rig wrench into this blunder, but a man-made disaster. Even the courts couldn’t put a kibosh on the “Green Light” to proceed to drill where no man has drilled before, but a stupid mix-up may be the spike in the heart. The environmental groups and Native Alaskans that were adamant that this was bad business, they should be celebrating. No longer is it a rumor that the fuel tanks aboard the Noble Discoverer and the escort fleet have shown unacceptable levels of sulfur – above the limits of the current EPA permit. And since the EPA has not released any “Press Releases” over this latest set-back for Tony the Tiger, or is it the Dinosaur, that silence is almost like a stamp of approval that it’s over! This $2-Billion dollar blunder may be the straw that breaks the camel’s back and may send SHELL packing for good. So who’s to blame? How about the State of Alaska! See, the fuel that was supposed to be used called for a sulfur content less than 15 parts-per-million. Forget about the math, it boils down to the fact that the fuel – thousands of gallons – is not fit for the mission. And most likely the case stands that the EPA will not or should not even entertain a “conditional waiver” over this fiasco in efforts to let SHELL slide by and continue with what appears to be a drilling season already cut way too short - just no time left to bother and disrupt tranquility. And since the EPA has already allowed an amended permit to SHELL, the fact that a high sulfur diesel could wreck havoc the existing hi-tech environmental equipment aboard the fleet makes it almost impossible to move forward this risky venture – unless SHELL was capable of removing, cleaning and finding an acceptable fuel source. But not this far north and time is critical. It won’t happen, no matter how much loot is in that wallet. And since a “Concerned Citizen” has already filed an “Environmental Crime” with the EPA, it trumps what may have been considered a way forward and places the EPA on guard. Basically, the “crime” is a priority and must be addressed before any options. Once again, who’s to blame? Yes, the State of Alaska may be the culprit that has succeeded in making many environmentalists very happy. The fuel was supposedly purchased along the way from a supplier down in Nikiski. It was supposed to be “Ultra-Low” sulfur diesel fuel. It wasn’t. And since this state has been trashed with respect to “regulations”, it is very possible that since the “regulators” are missing in action, that the fuels being supplied throughout this state to meet EPA air quality demands may not be meeting such mandates. And when no oversight comes along and clashes with oversight required, like in SHELL’s permit case, well tests don’t lie. So today we see a man-made disaster that has sunk SHELL’s plan to be the 1^st kid on the block to drill for the “black gold” in an inhospitable place, where only the mighty can still to this day claim as a home. Good riddance SHELL. Hey, maybe when you turn around and head south you can off-load all that crappy fuel along the way, to the villages that have spent $millions$ defending their homeland against “Invaders”, just to soften the blow.

Shell Shocked

SHELL Exploration & Production may be forced to forfeit this year’s attempt to drill exploration wells on the Outer Continental Shelf in the Beaufort & Chukchi seas, due to a fuels contamination problem discovered today aboard its Noble Discoverer Drillship and a similar problem aboard other support vessels scheduled to begin the OCS drilling program next week. This mishap most likely occurred from cross-contamination when the drillship and escort ships’ fuel tanks were filled from various sources along the route from Seattle to the Arctic Ocean. The EPA limit approved by the “Permit to Construct” issued to SHELL limits the sulfur content to less than 15ppm. Recent tests results from a 3^rd party testing lab, a requirement of the permit, indicated a cross-contamination level exceeding 25ppm. Due to this contaminated diesel fuel with higher than normal sulfur content, operating out-of-specifications could damage the technologies designed into the ship’s environmental air quality degradation equipment and used in efforts for the EPA permitting process.  Because of the latter fact, a waiver from the EPA would be an  impossibility at this stage as this mishap has consequences beyond a simple deviation of the permit, with the application of an addendum. The only other option at this late stage in the controversial drilling game would be an exchange of fuel that meets the “permit” criteria.  But to find a convenient place to off load the diesel fuel then purge the tanks of the high-sulfur constituents, it would take time, thus limiting the time available for this year’s drilling season, already shortened due to stubborn ice shows. More to come on this latest set-back for SHELL E&P.

Susan Butcher Petition

Subject: Honoring Susan Butcher

Hi My Fellow Alaskan;
This petition is in efforts to find enough resident Alaskans interested in a rename of the Ted Stevens International Airport terminal, to be changed in "Honor" of Susan Butcher, as the "Susan Butcher International Airport".

That's why I created a petition to the Alaska State House, the Alaska State Senate, and Governor Sean Parnell, which says:

"With the Ted Stevens indictment behind us, with blame and claim from both sides, it is time to place this sad time in Alaskan history behind us by renaming the Anchorage based airport to honor a real Alaskan, Susan Butcher."

Will you sign this petition? Click here:
http://signon.org/sign/honoring-susan-butcher?source=c.em.cp&r_by=4602322

Thanks for the support! S. Pam MaGee

Seal Death Update

The Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission issued a Notice of Proposed Enforcement Action on August 20, 2010 stating Pioneer Natural Resources Alaska engaged in improper fluid injection in Oooguruk Unit enhanced recovery well ODSK-38 (Oooguruk ODSK-38). The Commission proposed specific corrective actions and a $10,000 civil penalty under state law. This is not the end of this story!

I was the individual that brought this criminal activity to the authorities attention, as when I was employed by PNR at the Oooguruk oil development project, there appeared a lazare-faire attitude towards environmental stewardship. So after the company CEO denied my allegations, I produced “proof” that indicated some illegal injection was attempted. But here it is in a nutshell. Even though the “Operator Logbook” was testament that a superior wanted to get rid of the unsellable glycol used during start-up - due the fact it was contaminated - my biggest concern when I did bring forward this illegal disposal to the state authorities and the EPA was the fact that the engineering staff would have been able to convince the authorities that even though the “logbook” indicated a desire to get rid of the stuff, it was an ill-fated mission - due the mechanics of pumping against a deadhead. And that was the case, as the pumps utilized during this scam recycling attempt were inferior, the kind you find at Home Depot and could not produce enough head-pressure to overcome the head-pressure already in the pipelines going over to the island, where it could be injected down into the reservoirs. So the mystery remains, what happened to all that glycol? Once again said, the glycol dumping incident in which Pioneer was fined, all 40000 gallons, it did not make it down-hole wherein it would be somewhat safe while captured in the oil pools. So where did the glycol escape? If it were allowed to enter the environment, then with spring breakup it could easily find a convenient run-off into the pristine waters of the Colville River delta, into Harrison Bay, wherein the ecosystem thrives – glycol could be devastating to the livelihood of the delta and upon all species that rely on the food chain, especially seals. And that would have been the summer of 2010, when the following spring the seal deaths started to alarm the local hunters. See, glycol is considered safe because it breaks down to harmless constituents under normal temperatures associated with disassociation, but we do not find that kind of degradation here in Alaska. So any glycol haphazardly released, instead of being rendered harmless, it keeps on its destructive path, contaminating the ecosystem. I believe that the seal deaths are in part a contribution from the “missing” 40000 gallons of glycol let loose at the Pioneer Oooguruk site due crummy management and a total disregard for the environment, with the sentiment that nobody is really looking. In the below picture, this “yellow” free snow zone area is right under the tanks that held thousands of gallons of glycol. Only leaking glycol could cause the snows to disappear when temperatures were in the minus regime. This land based tank farm that held all kinds of nasty chemicals but not under any regulatory jurisdiction was a “Love Canal” just waiting to happen. Wherein the discharge vales on these huge tanks were not protected, and a slight nudge could release a torrent of glycol, it would go unaccounted for until such time we find the seals dieing off and the researchers puzzled as too why! And when the protective barrier finds no oversight and large holes are allowed, we end up with a cesspool mentality and then it is too late, as it accounts for a scorched earth. More to come.....

 Something melted the snow away?

 What protective liner?

 Scorched Earth a reality.......OTP Spring 2010

Kiss My Ass Rigger

Alaska, April 2012

It is a sad day today in the Alaskan oil patch, in Prudhoe Bay, as we hear the report of the death a rig worker. Look, these “other” guys that get their 60 minutes claim to fame aboard some creepy outlaw fishing vessel, this occupation is nowhere near as dangerous as “rig” work. Rig work is kept tame and in check, due many layers of safety. Violations upon the oil field safety net can find one headed south on the first plane out of Deadhorse, and forget about ever getting back that job, as the word travels fast. Unsafe workers are not wanted, not by management and not by other crewmembers. But there exists a sad culture today unlike yesterday in Alaska’s oil patch – in favor of Governor Parnells’ overzealous attempt to get the Trans-Alaska-Pipeline back up to full strength. Maybe it is common place throughout the “drilling” sector of this industry nowadays, regardless, this dereliction goes on and on and on day after day after day today. Before getting into details this corrupt pathetic culture, sure Doyon Drilling - the rig operator where the death occurred - has cashed in on interviews with the local news’ casts to preach that the company has a safety program second to none and comments from readers have expressed the same sentiment, that safety is first and foremost on rigs working in Alaska – but it is not the case, not any longer! I don’t care how many reams or 3-ring binders of safety policies a company can produce from its corporate headquarters, this stuff only benefits the lawyers when push comes to shove to defend the guilty! Once again, it used to be so, this safety 1^st over guess what? Here is what I witnessed in the “patch” and not afraid to speak out upon, in hopes that this trend can be turned around before injuries and deaths become par for the course. I worked for an “Independent” oil company, just a stone’s throw away from where this recent casualty took place. There is a whole lot of pressure in the oil patch these days, as drilling prospects for these newcomers – the “Independents” – is way behind schedule, because the state has entertained this crash course off course misguided exploration era with the “Golden Carrot” syndrome, through tax incentives and royalty relief.  Basically, Parnell’s plan calls for giving the “refinanced” hen house away.  Of the 32 “wishful thinking” wells that were supposed to be finished by now, maybe 8 have been completed.  Drill rigs are not keeping up with the pace, and this can be detrimental to the “bottom-line”  and place  a hold on development for an entire season, as restrictions are one thing that still remains intact to protect the environment from cowboy like abuse – poke a hole here, poke a hole there six shooter style. Now for instance, with respect to a hurried season this past season in Prudhoe Bay, a “rig” was scheduled to be shared – like in the case of Savant over at Badami – but because of delays due to out-of-control rigs getting stuck in frozen drilling fluids, from “blow-outs” because the AOGCC is asleep at the wheel, it causes those in the boardrooms to freak-out and give ultimatums – you know what I am talking about, get it done or else edicts. So the pressure is on in the drilling world in the land of the cold and dark. When I was a lead spokesperson - for the 1^st Independent to brave a place no other “mom & pop” outfit not fit for duty on the Prudhoe Bay scene showed up after receiving tax breaks and royalty relief from the clowns down in Juneau - I came across numerous violations being performed by the “drilling crew”. Many times they were caught “red-handed” in the act. See, “rig” hands work at the convenience and discretion of the “rig boss”, the so-called “Company Man”. I wrote a book about this once honored position, titled “Alaskan Company Man”, which can be read on my “Reader Free Site” at storylineonline.com. That writing glorifies the position, as back then when I researched this coveted position, it appeared different than what is going on today. If I were to re-write the book, it would not reflect such “glory”. In fact, it would be but a sick novel akin to cannibalism. Dylan once wrote that “the railway men drink up your blood like wine”, well a “the Company Man eat up your independence like candy”. This “I’m the boss you  bowel weevil”, this abuse is today threatening the once safe North Slope oil patch. Case in point. Operation’s had commenced venting volatile gas from the annulus of a producing well, through the use of a bleed trailer positioned outside the multi-well housing bay. The area had been flagged off the required distances, fast away from any heat or spark generating equipment and the “venting” process was broadcast over the loud speaker as well as the local radio system. Soon, the barrier was trespassed upon by a giant sized Cat forklift, to within 2 feet of the escaping gas that was blowing out and creating a vapor cloud that could not be miss-read, and the escaping gas was giving off a whistle like warning! This “grave violation” just so the “rig” crew could deliver a tool piece at a critical time in the drilling plan – this is what I was told in haste when looking for handcuffs to arrest these guys. When I shut-down the CAT and asked them if they were stupid and trying to blow this entire man-made island to smithereens, I was told they were sorry but quickly realized they were under orders, “or else” type of orders. I felt sorry for these guys, to have to work under such “Deliverance” type slavery. So I gave them a break, as they asked me down on their knees not to report them. When I approached the “Company Man”, with a smile he ignored me and went back to stuffing his fat face with a triple patty burger. This kind of attitude will pollute the environment and send young rig workers home in coffins. And when I reported this laissez-fairy attitude to upper management that is supposed to be on my side, I was told the same thing, that time is money and they were losing money, as the drilling program was way behind schedule and way over budget - so the Company Man had a carte blanch license to “Kill”, more than just a well it appears. I quit in protest! It is a bazar mindset, like it is OK to kill workers, as a human body is worth far less then lost production – just so Parnell can get the pipeline filled?  This is what’s coming from the corporate boardrooms, because of what the shareholders expect! Kill a worker, pay his surviving spouse some loot to get by and the kids get by without a dad - pennies on the dollar retribution. And while mom suffers the pain such a loss, the rig gets on with making oil to push up the investors’ portfolio. If this is what is going on, it is but a pathetic human weakness that addicts one to the greed factor that is indeed turning us all into disposable slaves, at any expense, even that of the loss of a human. If I were the family member of this latest victim – yes victim of negligence – I would sue the hell out of the bastards. And if any family out there needs information on what I saw go on when a Nabors rig was operating out at Oooguruk Island under the control of the parent company’s “Company Man”, respond for my help this site. Wow, it paints a pretty sad picture of what was once! Maybe it is time to shut it all down as all I can see is a “Kiss My Ass” rigger mentality! Sidebar: Alaska saw a “blow-out” this past drilling season. And the well was so messed up that it was abandoned in place. This accident occurred from a shallow gas pocket. The AOGCC has repeatedly allowed PNR at Oooguruk Island to “waive” the “diverter” requirements, because of no known shallow gas pockets? What gives? Sarah Palin gave us “Drill Baby Drill”, with Parnell its “FAST, FAST, FAST”!

Nabor's Drilling - Good Neighbor

Seal Die-Off

Finally, an expert witness journey that reveals what may be causing the bearded seals off Alaska's North Slope to die off in record numbers – the Natchiq are threatened! Is it from near-shore oil development toxic waste dumping, illegally discharged into the waters of Harrison Bay? Are the regulators being held off, by a “Drill Baby Drill” mandate? This is a True Story, with some of the names changed to protect the innocent. Due out April 1^st on this site. Documentary film to follow.

Watch Oooguruk Island Drill Site under attack!
Note: This "attack" that wasn't supposed to happen left its scar, an environmental nightmare. What happened to all the drilling chemicals?
 www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxcxOEiGboY