© North Slope Training Cooperative—revised All rights reserved. Offshore Safety Awareness Course Number NSTC-30 Revised

© North Slope Training Cooperative—revised All rights reserved. Module IV: Offshore Environmental Concerns

© North Slope Training Cooperative—revised All rights reserved. Challenges to Offshore Exploration Wildlife-rich Alaskan arctic, high-value habitat and a warming arctic Onshore & offshore cumulative industry activity Organized environmental pressures to reduce access Complex regulations Ability to respond to spills in broken ice Marine mammals & noise impacts Concept of “zero discharge” 3

© North Slope Training Cooperative—revised All rights reserved. Environmental Monitoring Metocean Data Wind speed, direction Air and surface water temperatures Barometric pressure and relative humidity Currents Ice keel development Air monitoring 4

© North Slope Training Cooperative—revised All rights reserved. Wildlife 5

© North Slope Training Cooperative—revised All rights reserved. Complex Interactions in the Arctic Ecosystem Marine Mammals Seabirds Biological Oceanography Benthic invertebrates Plankton Physical Oceanography Currents Water temperature at depth 6

© North Slope Training Cooperative—revised All rights reserved. Complex Interactions in the Arctic Ecosystem Chemical Oceanography Fisheries Passive Acoustics Chemical Characterization of Sediment & Biota 7

© North Slope Training Cooperative—revised All rights reserved. 8 Ongoing Studies Ongoing studies are being conducted to: Understand the existing environment at an ecosystem level. Understand the environmental risks of offshore operations. Reduce regulatory uncertainty. Develop cost effective, credible mitigation measures. Improve efficiency of project development. 8 Photo by Steinar Eldoy, Statoil. 2011

© North Slope Training Cooperative—revised All rights reserved. 9 Non-Interference Policy Report all wildlife sightings or unusual animal behavior. Never feed, approach, or harass any wildlife. This can include loud noises, flash cameras or any interaction that causes a change in behavior. Animals are protected by law and have the “right of way.” 9

© North Slope Training Cooperative—revised All rights reserved. 10 Non-Interference Policy Do not attempt to handle dead, trapped or injured wildlife (including birds). Protect wildlife habitat including feeding areas, nesting areas, migratory routes, calving, breeding or recovery areas. Know your site’s alarm and response procedures for bears and other potentially dangerous wildlife. 10

© North Slope Training Cooperative—revised All rights reserved. 11 A Winged Migration In May and June thousands of birds follow their annual migratory route to nesting grounds on the North Slope. All bird species occurring on the North Slope are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Some, such as the Spectacled and Steller’s eiders, are protected by the Endangered Species Act. 11

© North Slope Training Cooperative—revised All rights reserved. Endangered Species Act (1973) This act prohibits the import, export, “take” or trade of any endangered species (whole individuals or parts). “Take” means to harass, hunt, capture, collect, or kill any marine mammal. An attempt to do any of the above is also a take. “Take” includes the negligent or intentional operation of an aircraft or vessel to disturb or molest a marine mammal. Harassment includes loud noises, flash cameras or any interaction that causes a change in animal behavior. 12

© North Slope Training Cooperative—revised All rights reserved. Marine Mammal Protection Act (1972) The Beaufort and Chukchi Seas provide protected habitat for ringed and bearded seals, Pacific walrus, bowhead whales, and polar bears under the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 (50 CFR 216). The National Marine Fisheries Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service require protocols that avoid, minimize or mitigate human impact on marine mammals. 13

© North Slope Training Cooperative—revised All rights reserved. Access is Important Migration is an important life function in understanding the biological significance of our actions to a marine mammal or seabird. Offshore leases lie in the path of many migrating marine mammals (bowhead whales, beluga whales, walrus, some seals). Access to food resources is important to these animals. Gray Whale Photo by Steinar Eldoy/Statoil Pacific Walrus Photo by Steinar Eldoy

© North Slope Training Cooperative—revised All rights reserved. Whale Migrations Bowhead whales migrate in the spring and fall from Canadian waters to California and back again. The oil industry works with local communities, the North Slope Borough and the Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission to reduce the impact from drilling operations and boat traffic during whale migrations and subsistence hunting activities. 15

© North Slope Training Cooperative—revised All rights reserved. Mitigation Measures for Offshore Operations Minimize noise from operations to reduce the potential for impact to behavior that could result in changes to feeding, reproduction or migration Drill during ice-free conditions Have biologists and local residents onsite to monitor for potential disturbance to marine mammals during operations 16

© North Slope Training Cooperative—revised All rights reserved. Mitigation Measures for Offshore Operations Modify lighting (shading, lower wattage) on drill rig to minimize outward radiation and mitigate potential for bird strikes Monitor during drilling to document effects (or not) of discharges on marine life Water sampling Benthic invertebrate sampling Plankton sampling Currents monitoring 17

© North Slope Training Cooperative—revised All rights reserved. Prevent Human/Bear Encounters Keep your worksite free of food and garbage. Don’t leave shop or building doors open. When leaving a building, check to see if it is safe. If a bear is in the work area, a bear ‘watch’ will be established. Always be aware of your surroundings. Use the buddy system. Establish a safe area. If you see a bear, notify Security immediately. 18

© North Slope Training Cooperative—revised All rights reserved. Polar Bears Polar bears roam the pack ice and come ashore during the summer months. They are predators and pose a threat to humans. Polar bears are now listed under the Endangered Species Act and are also protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act. 19

© North Slope Training Cooperative—revised All rights reserved. Polar Bears Only trained personnel are allowed to “haze” or “harass” polar bears. Personnel must be familiar with the Polar Bear Avoidance and Interaction Plan. Some personnel must also be familiar with the Industry and Denning Polar Bear – Human Interaction Plan. Copies are available from the local Environmental Coordinator. 20

© North Slope Training Cooperative—revised All rights reserved. Other Environmental Concerns 21

© North Slope Training Cooperative—revised All rights reserved. Air Quality Air quality control permits regulate the emission of carbon, sulfur, nitrogen compounds, and particulate matter. Permits often include limits on operating hours, fuel usage, and visible emissions. They contain requirements for maintenance. Regulated equipment includes turbines, rig engines, generators, heaters, incinerators, flares and storage tank vapor collections systems. 22

© North Slope Training Cooperative—revised All rights reserved. Water Quality Federal and state permits regulate liquid discharges for drilling operations. Allowable waste streams have rate and toxicity requirements governed by the permit. No free oil or solid waste may be discharged from a vessel as part of offshore drilling operations, unless permitted. Discharge permits often include numerical pollutant limits, as well as requirements for monitoring, sampling, reporting, and best management practices. 23

© North Slope Training Cooperative—revised All rights reserved. Oil Spills Take proactive steps to prevent spills. Report all spills immediately to your supervisor. Spill response and contingency plans are required. Additional training will be required for oil response personnel. 24

© North Slope Training Cooperative—revised All rights reserved. Marine Debris Marine debris is any object or fragment of wood, metal, glass, rubber, plastic, cloth, paper or other man-made item or material that is lost or discarded in the marine environment. Marine debris, such as plastics, may litter the ocean floor or float with the currents for hundreds of years without decomposing. Regulatory agencies, such as the USCG and EPA, prohibit the intentional or accidental disposal or discharge of any solid wastes or equipment into offshore waters. 25

© North Slope Training Cooperative—revised All rights reserved. Marine Debris Hazards Injury or death to marine wildlife Ingestion of debris, such as cigarette butts and small objects, causes internal injury and starvation. Marine mammals, turtles, fish, and seabirds become entangled in fishing line, nets, ropes, strapping bands and plastic six-pack rings. Fouling of boat propellers and clogs water intake ports on engines Fouling of beaches, shorelines and open water 26

© North Slope Training Cooperative—revised All rights reserved. Marine Debris Prevention Properly secure all materials, equipment, and personal belongings. Recover any objects lost overboard from boats, docks, offshore structures as safety permits. Make sure all trash containers have tight-fitting lids and are closed when not in use. Do not put trash, rags, tie-wraps, soap, paint, oil, or foreign objects in skid pans or drains. Keep buckets, tote tanks, drums, and other containers over skid/drip pans. 27

© North Slope Training Cooperative—revised All rights reserved. Waste Management Offshore operating companies are constantly working to reduce waste generation and improve waste management practices. Our goal is to minimize our impact on the environment, improve efficiency, and control costs. Follow your company’s waste management plan. Additional training will be required for personnel transporting or handling waste. Do your part to eliminate waste and marine debris. 28