As we approach the release of the Supplemental Environmental Statement for the Ambler Road, many opponents will continue their misinformation campaign about the road and the project. AKHeadlamp will address these false claims and provide you with the information you need to make informed decisions.
False Claim #2 – Because “the State” is financing the road, it will become public.
· AIDEA is an independently governed public corporation of the State of Alaska. Identical to the Red Dog Mine road and infrastructure, called the DeLong Mountain Transportation System (DMTS), AIDEA is able to finance private roads.
· AIDEA also intends to work with the local residents and landowners since the local residents may want to have the private, industrial access road maintained in perpetuity for essential goods and emergency services.
False Claim #4 – The road will kill off the caribou. It will kill off the fish. It will ruin subsistence.
· The project can coexist harmoniously with the environment as evidenced by Red Dog Mine and others.
· Industry can actually improve the environment as in the case of Red Dog Mine with cleaning up streams and spawning areas.
· The Subsistence Advisory Committee is working with the design team for responsible development such as large bridges to minimize effects on water flow and fish migration.
· The Subsistence Advisory Committee is comprised of leaders from the villages closest to the project and is providing meaningful input for responsible development and protection of subsistence.
· Jobs are needed for a subsistence lifestyle (boats, fuel, 4-wheelers).
As we approach the release of the Supplemental Environmental Statement for the Ambler Road, many opponents will continue their misinformation campaign about the road and the project. AKHeadlamp will address these false claims and provide you with the information you need to make informed decisions.
False Claim #1 – The road will become public, just like the Dalton Highway.
The chart below provides import details about the Ambler Road, why it will remain private industrial-access only and how this road is different than the Dalton Highway.
Dalton Highway
Ambler Road
Significance
Federal permit required public use.
BLM Federal permit is restricted to industrial use only.
Federal Permit requirements control access and use across federal lands.
Federal National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Record of Decision did not apply.
NEPA applies and the Record of Decision is restricted to industrial use only.
Federal agencies are required by law to follow the Record of Decision.
National Park Service Right of Way Permit through the Gates of the Arctic did not apply.
National Park Service Right of Way Permit through the Gates of the Arctic applies and is restricted to industrial use only.
Federal agencies are required by law to follow permit conditions.
No crossing of ANCSA Regional Corporation land.
Ambler Road crosses into Doyon and NANA regional lands.
Requires permission and land agreements with Doyon and NANA for authorization to use the road.
Road access and control transferred to a State Agency (Department of Transportation & Public Facilities)
Access and control of the Ambler Road will remain with federal, state, and private ANCSA Corporations that own the land.
Multiple landowners remain in control of the road and the restricted access.
Today’s Key Takeaways: 88 Energy North Slope flow tests. LNG Supertanker certified for environmental performance. Historical copper supply gap. UK green agenda watered down.
88 Energy Ltd. has mapped the recently identified Upper Slope Fan System (Upper SFS) across its Project Pheonix acreage on the North Slope of Alaska. The data will be used for subsequent stimulation and flow test operations.
88 Energy Ltd. has mapped the recently identified Upper Slope Fan System (Upper SFS) across its Project Pheonix acreage on the North Slope of Alaska. The data will be used for subsequent stimulation and flow test operations.
Seismic interpretation and log correlation has revealed that the Upper SFS reservoir is more extensive than originally mapped, correlating over 4 miles to strong shows in the Icewine-1 well previously attributed to be part of the lower SMD-A package (OGJ Online, Apr. 11, 2023).
Resources in this reservoir are not currently included in the company’s resource estimates as they have yet to be assessed. The Upper SFS target remains an untested reservoir in nearby offset wells. The company described the quality and strength of shows recorded during the drilling and logging of Hickory-1 as still among the best it has witnessed to date. Moreover, post-well geochemical analysis of Hickory-1 sidewall core data indicates fluid maturity to be in the early-peak oil window.
Simulation models have been built for each of the target intervals in Hickory-1, with the objective of ensuring a successful stimulation and flow test in each zone. Pantheon Resources reported flow rates of 50-100 bo/d from vertical wells and intervals in the adjacent northern acreage. These vertical test results, although modest, provide critical information in understanding the reservoirs and allow the design of long, horizontal wells that would be employed during development.
Post-well analysis and flow test modelling of the Hickory-1 reservoirs provide accurate design of completion fluids and string necessary for flow test operations. Sourcing and procurement of these long lead items is underway with operations scheduled for early first quarter 2024. Permitting is on track with the Alaskan state authorities, and All American Oilfield LLC’s recently upgraded Rig 111 drilling-workover module has been secured for the flow test program.
88 Energy holds 75% interest and is operator of the Project Phoenix area.
The LNG dual fuel supertanker Antonis I. Angelicoussis has become the first Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) to be certified by the Green Award Foundation for its environmental performance.
The Green Award program offers incentives to ships that exceed industry standards in safety, quality, and environmental impacts, with 37 ports providing discounts on port dues for oil tankers.
The 330-meter-long and 60-meter-wide tanker is managed by Maran Tankers Management, the tanker shipping arm of Greece’s Angelicoussis Group.
The Angelicoussis Group has been participating in the Green Award program for over 27 years. In recent years three Maran Tankers managed oil tankers were certified by Green Award, as well as four LNG tankers operated by sister company Maran Gas Maritime.
The 320,916 DWT Antonis I. Angelicoussis is the first of four new LNG dual fuel sisters’ ships built by Samsung Heavy Industries and delivered to Maran Tankers Management earlier this year. Maran Tankers also has eight new build LNG dual fuel Suezmax tankers on order as part of its fleet expansion program.
Antonis I. Angelicoussis‘certification includes level 1 labels for carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) emissions.
Green Award Foundation is an independent non-profit organization governed by industry representatives. It manages a voluntary quality assessment certification scheme that inspects and certifies ships, qualifying them for financial and non-financial incentives awarded by a global network of a 180 incentive providers made up of ports, service providers and suppliers. To date, over 1,000 ships have been certified.
The organization says it acknowledges the potential of LNG to reduce emissions compared to conventional fuel oil, with the possibility of achieving net zero emissions through the use of bio- or synthetic LNG.
“For that we’ve introduced in 2022 special greenhouse gas labels to strengthen Green Award’s approach towards decarbonization and emissions reduction within our mission to recognize ships that take roles as front-runner,” it said.
TORONTO, Sept. 21, 2023 /CNW/ – The supply of copper, essential for a host of industries and crucial to green technology and the global energy transition, is expected to face a supply gap of nearly 10 million mt within the next ten years according to a new report. The Oregon Group predicts a long-term supply deficit in the copper market, despite the existence of large global reserves.
The report examines key trends affecting global copper supply and demand. These include years of supply side underinvestment, rising geopolitical tensions, and exponential growth of industries connected to decarbonization.
Thanks to the global green economy, copper demand is expected to nearly double by 2030. However, despite stark warnings from major copper producers in recent years, production has yet to recover from more than a decade of neglect. Dwindling ore grades, aging mine infrastructure, higher development costs, and also minimal exploration in prior years means primary supply is badly equipped to cope with a major, sustained rise in demand. According to Bloomberg NEF, the upcoming supply upcoming supply shortfall could be so large that it could “hold back global growth, stoke inflation by raising manufacturing costs and throw global climate goals off course.”1
Rishi Sunak’s decision to water down a key part of the UK’s green agenda represents a gamble that conceding some ground to the climate-skeptic political right will appeal to Britons buffeted by a cost-of-living crisis.
In a hastily arranged speech Wednesday after his planned U-turn was leaked to the BBC, the British prime minister said a ban on the sale of new fossil-fuel cars — a central plank of a legally-binding commitment to hit net zero carbon emissions by 2050 — would be pushed back five years to 2035.
Reports of the sudden shift had sparked a backlash within his Conservative Party over fears it would damage Britain’s international standing and dissuade carmakers from investing. Other moves included easing rules on when some Britons must replace oil and gas boilers with heat pumps, which are unpopular among grassroots Conservatives. Sunak convened a call with senior ministers as he tried to tame what he later called the “flak” he was facing.
When he finally appeared in front of the cameras, Sunak framed his decision as part of his “new approach” to tackling climate change, one that meets targets but puts a “fairer and more proportionate” burden on Britons. He denied being driven by politics, or that he was watering down the UK’s ambitions.
We have been telling in our reports for months that the climate narrative is changing and COP28 might produce a more practical narrative https://t.co/Ur6D42wpWr
Today’s Key Takeaways: Santos acquires partners on North Slope exploration leases. Fundamentals or momentum driving oil prices? Japan needs more LNG. No quick fix for the energy transition.
Consistent with its Alaska strategy to focus on the Pikka development, Santos today announced it will farm-down half of its working interest in 148 exploration leases (more than 270 thousand acres of State of Alaska lands) on the Alaska North Slope in an agreement with APA Alaska LLC1 and Lagniappe Alaska LLC2.
The leases are located on the eastern North Slope with multiple prospects in the late Cretaceous Brookian and Schrader Bluff formations. Under the terms of the farm-down agreement, initial activities during the exploration phase will be undertaken without cost to Santos.
Santos acquired the acreage as part of its merger with Oil Search in 2021. The farm-down is subject to customary government approvals.
Santos Managing Director and CEO Kevin Gallagher said he was delighted that Santos has been able to optimise its working interest in its Alaskan acreage in line with the strategy to focus on development of the Pikka project.
“I am pleased we’ve reached this agreement to farm down our exploration assets in Alaska. This transaction demonstrates the continued level of interest in exploration and development projects in the region, a tier one jurisdiction with supportive stakeholders and prospective undeveloped acreage,” Mr Gallagher said.
“We look forward to working with our partners on the North Slope and continuing to build strong relationships together as we continue to develop and optimise our Alaskan business.”
Following execution of the farm down agreement Santos working interest will be 25 percent.
1. APA Alaska LLC is a subsidiary of APA Corporation
2. Lagniappe Alaska, LLC is a subsidiary of Armstrong Oil & Gas.
The surge in oil prices caught some by surprise, but many observers had been warning for months of such an outcome, especially as the IEA repeatedly forecast market tightening in the second half of the year. Post-pandemic economic growth is expected to raise demand, OPEC+ quotas are restricting supply, war in the Ukraine has made Russian exports uncertain, and U.S. shale production appears to be slowing. What perplexed many is that all of this has been forecast for months but prices did not respond until recently.
Of course, things have not played out as predicted by the IEA (note, they never do and never will, and not just for the IEA but everyone). The table below compares the IEA’s forecast from the January and September Oil Market Reports for Russian oil supply and Chinese oil demand and the revisions are significant—but offsetting. Russia supply is running about 1 mb/d ahead of earlier expectations, while Chinese demand is also about 700 tb/d higher.
Japan’s liquefied natural gas inventories dropped to the lowest level in over a year-and-a-half and could push the nation’s utilities to buy more fuel ahead of winter.
Storage held by Japan’s power suppliers fell to 1.62 million tons as of Sept. 17, according to data compiled by the trade ministry. That’s the least since March 2022.
The country’s utilities have already started to stock up on gas ahead of winter with some LNG purchases from the spot market over the last few weeks. Any more prolonged effort to buy additional cargoes would help to tighten the global market and likely send prices higher.
Lingering hot weather has helped drain Japan’s stores of natural gas. The country’s Meteorological Agency forecasts temperatures to be warmer-than-normal across most areas through Oct. 15.
Spot power prices in the nation on Wednesday rose to the highest since February as utilities limit some electricity sales to help conserve gas supplies. Electricity sales volumes dipped 15% on Tuesday from a day earlier, falling well below demand, according to data from the Japan Electric Power Exchange.
POLITICS:
Peak oil demand view ‘wilting under scrutiny,’ Aramco CEO says Bloomberg, September 19, 2023
Continued usage makes it “dangerous” to try to phase out fossil fuels too quickly, Amin Nasser said.
Saudi Aramco CEO Amin Nasser said forecasts that oil usage will peak soon have been proven to be unrealistic.
“This notion is also wilting under scrutiny because it’s mostly being driven by policies rather than the proven combination of markets, competitive economics and technology,” Nasser said at the World Petroleum Congress in Calgary, Alberta.
Oil demand will rise to a record of 103 million to 104 million barrels a day in the second half of the year, he said. That continued usage makes it “dangerous” to try to phase out fossil fuels too quickly, he said.
“There is no quick fix” for the energy transition, Nasser said.
Alliance Pres. Kathleen Sgamma today corrected @AOC over #climate disinformation she repeatedly uses…
"She claimed that oil and gas production on federal lands is responsible for about a 1/4 of greenhouse gas emissions. That's a complete falsehood.
Today’s Key Takeaways: Oil has “no chance of becoming an orphan source of energy”. Oil key to energy transition. Debate on amendments to LNG bill. 50-year mining ban in New Mexico. American trust in political system at all-time low.
It has been a trope that oil is going to become an ‘orphan asset’ and that its use would end, and it would become an obsolete energy source. This is because of the gigantic efforts to halt ‘climate change’ caused by human CO2 emissions.
The thrust of so much change to get to ‘Net Zero’ is to end the use of hydrocarbons.
The end of oil is not going to happen, and the implications are huge.
Let’s start with why
According to the IEA, the International Energy Agency:
“China, India and Southeast Asian countries together are expected to account for three out of every four tonnes of coal consumed worldwide in 2023.”
From the article: “Global coal demand set to remain at record levels in 2023.”
This implication is obvious; developing countries are not going to crucify themselves on a cross of sustainability. After all these years of accords, dramatic predictions, plans and – in the developed world – giant shifts in policy, developing countries have embraced cheap energy with both hands as a guarantee of their ascendancy.
It’s hard not to slip from being dispassionate about this situation but the magnitude of the facts speak for themselves.
The heads of Saudi Aramco and Exxon Mobil Corp. took to the stage at a major industry event Monday to voice support for the global transition to cleaner forms of energy, but one in which oil continues to play a major role for decades to come.
Both chief executive officers touted capturing and storing carbon — a climate solution viewed skeptically by environmentalists — as one of the best way to significantly reduce emissions from burning fossil fuels. They also stated that cutting oil usage too quickly would be dangerous, given the growing global demand for energy.
“There seems to be wishful thinking that we’re going to flip a switch and we’ll go from where we’re at today to where it will be tomorrow,” Exxon Chief Executive Officer Darren Woods said during a panel discussion at the World Petroleum Congress in Calgary. “No matter where demand gets to, if we don’t maintain some level of investment in the industry, you end up running short of supply, which leads to high prices.”
The comments come as the oil and gas industry hits back against its critics and fights for control over the narrative surrounding the global energy system’s transformation to limit the impact of climate change.
The sector is a natural magnet for criticism from clean energy advocates, environmental activists and pro-green politicians. But after a tough spell at the height of pandemic, when demand and profits collapsed, the industry has bounced back amid higher oil and gas prices, and landed on a common approach: Yes, climate change is real and carbon emissions must be cut, but Big Oil is still essential in meeting world energy demand, and it can do that while engineering a solution to aggressively slash pollution.
House to debate Democratic amendments to LNG bill Manuel Quinones, E & E Daily, September 19, 2023
The Rules Committee blocked other Democratic and Republican amendments to the measure, which aims to speed up export approvals.
The House will debate Democratic amendments to a Republican bill meant to accelerate U.S. liquefied natural gas exports.
On Monday, the House Rules Committee made in order the amendments to the “Unlocking Our Domestic LNG Potential Act,” or H.R. 1130. The legislation is part of the GOP effort to put Democrats and the Biden administration on the defensive on energy policy. House leaders are also looking to score wins amid Republican infighting over government spending bills.
The Democratic amendments are unlikely to prevail. But they are also key to the Democrats’ opposition to the LNG bill.
Rep. Bill Johnson (R-Ohio), chair of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Environment, Manufacturing and Critical Materials, introduced H.R. 1130, which seeks to accelerate natural gas export approvals.
Specifically, the bill would eliminate the requirement that the Department of Energy approve liquefied natural gas exports to non-free-trade agreement countries. That would leave the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in charge of permits.
The Rules Committee made in order an amendment from Rep. Katie Porter (D-Calif.) to remove a section of the bill eliminating public interest reviews for gas exports.
Similarly, the panel made in order an amendment from Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) that would prevent the bill from taking effect until DOE studies the effect of waiving public interest considerations.
The White House released a statement of administration policy Wednesday opposing the bill on domestic policy and national security grounds.
The statement, which did not include a veto threat, focused on the public interest issue. It said the bill would “strip vital consumer, domestic manufacturing, and energy security safeguards, and would eliminate an important check that export to non-FTA countries will be consistent with U.S. law and policy.”
The Rules Committee did not make in order an amendment from Rep. Eric Sorensen (D-Ill.) to make sure increased exports wouldn’t raise prices.
Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-S.C.), chair of the Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Energy, Climate and Grid Security, said the bill would increase jobs.
“This bill is a win-win for the American people,” he said.
The Rules Committee also blocked a proposed amendment from Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) against the administration’s plans to halt LNG transport by rail pending further study.
The House is scheduled to take up the bill as soon as tomorrow. However, opposition to a Republican stopgap spending bill may delay the LNG measure. That’s because the Rules Committee lumped debate parameters for both bills in the same resolution.
A similar dynamic happened last week with H.R. 1435, the “Preserving Choice in Vehicle Purchases Act.” In that case, the Rules Committee returned to session to sever the bill from a doomed spending measure.
Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Colo.), ranking member of the Energy Subcommittee, noted how Republicans have approved the LNG bill in broader packages, including H.R. 1.
It’s back on the agenda because, said DeGette, Republicans “have nothing else to put on the floor.”
The US government is proposing to ban mining and oil drilling in northern New Mexico for up to 50 years, as part of the Biden administration’s ongoing efforts to protect Native American lands and promote responsible mining in public grounds.
According to the Department of the Interior (DOI), the proposal would ban new mining claims, as well as oil and gas development across more than 4,200 acres within the Placitas area in Sandoval County.
“We’re responding to call from Tribes, elected leaders, and community members who want to see these public lands protected,” Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said in the statement. “We look forward to hearing more from the public to inform decisions about how activities, like gravel mining, may impact these lands, including the important cultural and natural resources.”
The announcement marks the beginning of a 90-day public comment period to gather input on the proposal.
Americans’ views of the U.S. political system have reached new lows, according to a survey that reveals near-record distrust of the government, disgust with both political parties and general exhaustion over all the divisiveness.
Why it matters: The survey by Pew Research Center reflects the growing distaste with the nation’s politics as congressional infighting threatens a government shutdown and the 2024 presidential race appears headed toward a Biden-Trump matchup most Americans don’t want.
Four times as many Americans have unfavorable views of both parties today than they did in 2002 — an all-time high, with Republicans and Democrats equally unpopular, the survey found.
Trust in the government is near a 70-year low, with just 16% of the public saying they trust the federal government at least most of the time.
Two in three Americans say they always or often feel “exhausted” when they think about politics. The top two words they use to describe U.S. politics are “divisive” and “corrupt.”
Zoom in: The problem could get worse as younger generations make up greater shares of the population.Younger people are far more likely to be critical of both the Republican and Democratic parties.
37% of 18- to 29-year-olds had unfavorable views of both parties, compared to just 16% of those 65 or older.
A growing number of younger voters are rejecting the two-party system and claiming to be independent, as Axios has reported.
Between the lines: A third-party solution is not so straightforward, however.
68% of Americans overall say they at least somewhat wish there were more parties to choose from, but they’re not convinced that having more than two major parties would make it easier to solve the nation’s problems.
Only about a quarter think so, while another quarter say more parties would make solutions more difficult.
The big picture: There is broad bipartisan agreement on what Americans view as the system’s biggest problems.
For example, 87% of Republicans and 85% of Democrats agreed withthe idea that politicians in both parties “are more focused on fighting each other than on solving problems.”
Americans want limits on those in government: 87% want term limits and 79% support age limits — a proposition that has gained widespread attention in the face of congressional health scares and concerns about President Biden’s age and acuity.
But Democrats were about twice as likely as Republicans to say “the federal government does more for ordinary Americans than people give it credit for.” That description of the federal government had the largest partisan gap on the list.
Americans have becomedeeply cynical of those who run for office, the survey found.
When asked to use their own words to describe the biggest problem with the political system, Americans’ most common answer (31%) involved “politicians.”
Support the transition to wind and solar power? That means you have NO CHOICE but to support mining. See these infographics and tell me where we should mine for all the needed copper, zinc, other base metals, and rare earths? I say right here in Alaska where we do it right! #TGDLpic.twitter.com/HQ5CnjYw0D
