Norway’s state-owned oil and gas company, Statoil, announced Tuesday it is pulling operations out of the Alaskan Arctic.
“Since 2008 we have worked to progress our options in Alaska. Solid work has been carried out, but given the current outlook we could not support continued efforts to mature these opportunities,” Tim Dodson, executive vice president for exploration, said in a statement.
The company — one of six that recently called for a price on carbon — will be closing its Anchorage office. It is giving up on 16 leases in the Chukchi Sea, as well as partial stake in 50 others held by ConocoPhillips. All the leases expire in 2020.
“The leases in the Chukchi Sea are no longer considered competitive,” Statoil said Tuesday.
And that is how it goes.
One by one they fall, until the day we are finished with them all.
However this should also serve as a wake up call to Alaskans that our days of suckling at the teat of big oil are rapidly coming to an end.
If we don't come up with viable replacements for the millions, or perhaps billions, of dollars that flowed into our state from oil production, we are going to be in a world of hurt.
There was never a clearer sign the Palin Curse is real! It doesn't appear The god that lives rent free in Sarah's is slamming shut every door she approaches.
ReplyDeleteKeep the oil in the ground for future generations when they will really need it.
ReplyDeleteWhat happened to Drill Baby Drill?
ReplyDeleteTodd stopped 'drilling' with his tiny drill.
DeleteNot really related, but last night Rachael Maddow raised the question of how many bombs were made by the terrorists and are others still out there. No one else has considered this issue which is of obvious importance.
ReplyDeleteCan Alaska go Solar. In Eastern Ontario there are farms of them -- and our climate is v. similar to Alaska's, esp. lately with global warming.
ReplyDeleteIf Germany can go solar, Alaska can go solar.
DeleteBesides oil there is tourism, hunting and fishing, etc. Not to mention loss of snow and glaciers. I think we have to start thinking far ahead of just losing the oil industry. We need to do more than find ways to power all our stuff. People's lives will change dramatically, and not just in Alaska.
ReplyDeleteWe have a lot of work to do!
Mildred
What are viable alternatives to replace that revenue?
ReplyDeleteef'in socialist Norway...just look what they did with their energy $ windfall:http://www.nbim.no/en/the-fund/
ReplyDelete"The Government Pension Fund Global is saving for future generations in Norway. One day the oil will run out, but the return on the fund will continue to benefit the Norwegian population."
Just one more boom, eh Alaska? I bet this time you'd all swear not to piss it away.
"If we don't come up with viable replacements for the millions, or perhaps billions, of dollars that flowed into our state from oil production, we are going to be in a world of hurt. "
ReplyDeleteActually we already have that but the Rethugs and big oil are doing everything in their power to stop us from getting it. It's called LNG and the gasline from Prudhoe to Valdez has been approved by the voters THREE times since 1974. Murkowski screwed us, Palin screwed us BIG TIME because she promised to build that line and it would have been nearly finished by now if she hadn't sold out to TransCanada. It's the largest SHOVEL READY project in the world but because big oil can't make immense profits on it until the technology exists to go over the polar ice cap (leaving Alaska with ZILCH) they will continue to come up with all these FAKE gaslines (see Denali, AGIA, bullet line etc.)
The blame lays squarely on Alaskans and the fact they would rather elect criminals (Bill Walker excepted) than anyone that actually cares about the state and it's people. As long as the criminals run the legislature and they're all taking money from big oil, Alaska is in a world of fucking hurt when everything should be so easy
AK has a lot of wind. Both in in nature and in the legislature. Nature's wind could be the energy of the future in AK.
ReplyDeleteElect people who want to change the state/country/world for the better. Income streams for the state will follow in the wake of such elections.
Dump the false prophets.
Quick, someone put a turbine on the Capital Building. Problem solved
DeleteOMG,you all may have to actually not get that Socialist check every year! Watch the average family size decrease then.
ReplyDeleteYears ago, our son did a paper on Norway's eurotrash to power program. They meticulously separate their waste into five categories, then incinerate using filters and catalytic converters, Some is delegated to steam, with the pipes under roads and up driveways (no shovels, plows, salting) Some becomes burnable pellets for supplemental heat, and some becomes fertilizer. The citizens get a check for the extra effort of separating their trash. Combined with wind and solar it was supposed to be the next wave of the future. It had to be scrapped because they couldn't generate enough trash, and people got lazy with separating their trash, gummed up the catalytic converters, and made the pollution problem worse.
ReplyDeleteI hope this trend continues in Alaska, and the world. We need to be good stewards of the environment. The way things are, we're clueless on what's being transported on our railways and semi trucks.