It doesn't matter if the oil rig appears to be 'holding up,' it won't. There is too much fluid in the rig to insure it will not crash against the rocks. It will crash. The sea will break up the rig. No doubt in my mind.
The other possibility is that the rig will be surrounded by ice and frozen in place. That is a better alternative, except, the ice could put enough pressure on the hull to crush it enough to break a hole in it.
The petroleum industry is trying to be smart in this new environment in that they believe the ice formations will be friendly like 'Ice Road Trucker' ice formations. NOT. Definitely not.
The sea with sea ice and ice formation along the coast are unstable. They many look like they are huge rocks and strong enough to stand up to any forces, but, that is not case. Ice, sea ice and coastal ice is effected by the waters it floats on.
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The wildlife in the entire area of Kodiak Island is at risk. The scientists involved with these species can possibly preserve genetic diversity by transporting the individuals of endangered species into Canada. There is the issue of territorial adjustment which could result in deaths of important individuals, so Canada could survey for isolated areas to place new members of the protected species to slowly incorporate into existing populations.
The petroleum industry needs to be responsible for handling these issues in regard to protecting the wildlife there. Above is an example of what is going to happen to the coastal area where the oil platform is located. Sea ice. These are huge pieces of ice. They have not 'developed' in formation by waves splashing up in the air and freezing. This is sea ice that was once in the water. It received enormous pressures to BREAK into pieces and was then forced a shore. This is what is going to happen to the oil rig. It will not maintain it's integrity. It will be tossed around like a toy and the hull will be breached.
The Steller's EiderThis coastal bird is endangered as well. See, when a species becomes endangered and/or threatened the numbers of individuals fall and the genetic diversity of the species is in danger.
There is also economy in the area for Alaska. Big economy.
FISHING (click here)
Besides tourism there is a huge commercial fishing industry throughout the seas of Alaska.
An Overview of the Alaska Commercial Fishing Industry (click here)
ECONOMIC IMPACT
The commercial fishing industry is a major contributor to the Alaskan economy. The fishing industry supports one-sixth of the state's economy and employs 40,000 of its residents, more than any other of the state's basic industries. The state hosts a large number of fishers from the Pacific Northwest and processing plant workers from throughout North America, swelling the seasonal employment total to 70,000. That employment figure encompasses harvesting, processing, and support services. Alaska
produces 60 percent of the nation's seafood and 2 percent of the world's supply. Of the top 10 U.S. fishing ports in 1990, 6 were Alaskan, including Dutch Harbor/Unalaska, Kodiak, Petersburg, Kenai, Ketchikan, and Cordova. The Aleutian Island port of Dutch Harbor/Unalaska landed more seafood on its docks in 1990 and 1991 than any other U.S. port. (see Exhibit 1-1)...
I can hear it now, Corexit has sent all the escaped oil to the bottom of the sea and the oil is being degraded into a safe form of GLOBS, so "No, worries."
We know those are blatant lies. We know the oil causes loss of seabed for ALASKAN KING CRAB. The shrimp beds in the Gulf of Mexico was the first victim of the oil from the Deepwater Horizon. We know that Corexit creates massive oil spills at the bottom of ocean waters. The Gulf, by the way, is far less turbulent than the waters off the southern shores of Alaska. So, there is a real possibility that Corexit would never work anyway. It would be dispersed and washed ashore.
We know for a fact the chemical impacts of oil, aqueous methane and corexit causes birth defects in marine mammals. And there are plenty of endangered marine mammals in the area, both, on shore and in the ocean. The marine mammals in the area of Alaska are sea otters, seals, whales and dolphins (click here).
So, basically, NOAA needs to evaluate the ocean currents, the path the oil and aqueous methane will take along with any other idiotic chemicals in the water due to the contents of the rig and provide information to the scientists involved with these valuable animal populations so they can take action to protect them and move then if necessary. Canada needs to assess the ocean currents as well to know if the junk will make it to their pristine areas as well.
Fish populations will be lost and contaminated for years. Don't believe me? Look up the recovery of the fisheries at Valdez.
Although the fish and wildlife resources (click here) that appear on the List experienced population-level or chronic injury from the spill, not every species that suffered some degree of injury was included. For example, carcasses of about 90 different species of oiled birds were recovered in 1989, but only 10 species of birds were included on the List.
The Trustee Council recognizes (click here) that a tremendous amount of work had been accomplished over 20 years of research, monitoring and specific activities directed at addressing the goals of the 1994 Restoration Plan. With the information provided by subsistence-resource users, government agency representatives, non-governmental organizations, commercial fishermen, scientists and other stakeholders, the Council is continually evolving to seek better ways to achieve their mission.
Oil Remains: The Persistence, Toxicity, and Impact of Exxon Valdez Oil (click here)
Visitors today experience the spectacular scenery and wildlife of Prince William Sound and the North Gulf of Alaska. However, one of the most stunning revelations of Trustee Council-funded monitoring over the last ten years is that Exxon Valdez oil persists in the environment and in places, is nearly as toxic as it was the first few weeks after the spill.The Petroleum Industry lies. They lie and the government swears to it. The continued drive for drilling by this industry is never based in new technology that guarantees there will never be environmental disasters, it is ALWAYS "It will never happen again." Spills and disaster are always one time tragedies to the petroleum industry. Their industry is so safe the lives lost of employees and the environmental disasters are so very, very rare it is shocking to realize there are disasters at all.
NOT !!!!!!!!!!
There is appreciation of recreation in Valdez, so let me at least validate the fact the Americans living in the area are dedicated to it's restoration.
...Surrounding salt waters (click here) offer opportunities for pink, silver, king, and chum salmon. Pinks and silvers can be caught directly from shore as well as by boat. Anglers who venture out into the adjacent seas will encounter all four of these species, as well as rockfish, lingcod, and Pacific halibut. However, the 700 lb gorilla of the salt-water show is always the pink. Millions return to Valdez during even-numbered years. Some parts of Port Valdez will actually look black due to the unbelievable numbers of fish....
The new Secretary of State to the Obama Administration will receive demands for the Transcontinental Pipeline for Canadian sludge. One of the arguments they will make is that a land based pipeline is far, far better than this mess.
Don't even try it! And this mess never should have been either.
