North Slope LNG plan, water regulation and political action discussed at resource conference
Resource development industry leaders and representatives shared valuable insights related to a new North Slope LNG plan, clean water regulation and political action at the Resource Development Council’s 40th Annual Alaska Resources Conference in November. Former Alaska Lt. Gov. Mead Treadwell pitched a new plan for getting North Slope natural gas to markets, saying that environmental, technological and market changes give hope to new possibilities. Additional presentations told how changes in the Clean Water Act impact development projects and how political engagement can influence ocean policy.
Here are presentation summaries:
The New Alaska LNG Export Project
Mead Treadwell, chairman and CEO of Qilak LNG, presented a new approach to an old plan for marketing North Slope natural gas — shipping liquefied natural gas by tanker. Qilak’s estimated $5 billion project would utilize ice-breaking tankers and a near shore LNG plant to ship natural gas year round, initially, to Asian markets. Treadwell said changing markets, sea ice conditions and technology make this a more practical project than earlier proposals. Qilak, a Lloyds Energy Company, has a Heads of Agreement with ExxonMobil to supply gas from the producer’s Point Thomson field.
Learn more about the project at https://qilaklng.com/
Recent Developments in Defining WOTUS Under the Clean Water Act
Duncan Greene, partner with natural resources law firm Van Ness Feldman, LLP, gave an overview of the Clean Water Act. He tracked the act’s often ambiguous and unpredictable definition of Waters of the United States (WOTUS) to show how this parsing of words determines federal regulations that can add to project and land development costs. Contributing to the confusion, Greene illustrated how rules designed for the Lower 48 present challenges for Alaska with its unique waterways and permafrost.
Greene provided a simple history about one aspect of this landmark environmental legislation, but he also made clear the complexities of this contentious law – complexities debated in Congress for almost 50 years. Greene held out hope, however, for greater clarity and predictability in the foreseeable future. He prognosticated, telling the audience that passage of a proposed 2018 WOTUS Rule is on the horizon.
U.S. Ocean Policy: Past, Present and Future
The head of a national coalition created to influence ocean policy took advantage of his time with RDC members to remind them of Alaska’s vast coastline and the state’s No. 1 ranking for jobs created by commercial fishing, seafood processing and aquaculture. Brent Greenfield, Executive Director of the National Ocean Policy Coalition, used his pulpit at the RDC conference to criticize the 2010 Obama administration executive order that created the National Ocean Policy. Greenfield said the mandate’s sweeping changes created a burdensome bureaucracy, confusing policy, undue constraints and uncertainty on ocean economic activity. In sum, he said the order “appeared to be a solution in search of a problem.”
Greenfield noted how action by Alaska’s congressional delegation has influenced new policies under the Trump administration to roll back much of 2010 mandate. This, he said, has created a new policy that is more balanced and focused on promoting the ocean economy and environment.
With political leaders growing attuned to concerns about climate change and evolving forces in Washington, Greenfield advised his audience to be united in promoting mainstream ocean policies and engaging decision-makers. “Elections have consequences,” he said.
Learn more about the National Ocean Policy Coalition at http://oceanpolicy.com/
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