Environment: IG investigators still hounding Arctic scientist

Posted on February 22, 2013 by Bob Berwyn
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A published article on polar bears has been an unending source of woes for a BOEM scientist. Photo courtesy USGS.

BOEM again rejects calls for renewed scrutiny of Charles Monnett

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — Government investigators just don’t want to stop scrutinizing an Arctic scientist who reported on sightings of drowned polar bears a few years ago.

Since publishing a peer-reviewed observational note in 2006, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management scientists Dr. Charles Monnett has been hounded by indirect allegations of scientific and professional misconduct related to the article and to his handling of contracting duties with the agency. (more…)

Filed under: Arctic, endangered species, Environment, global warming | Tagged: , , | Leave a Comment »

Environment: Probe of Arctic scientist ends inconclusively

Posted on September 29, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

A June 2012 image shows sea ice breaking up in the Beaufort Sea, targeted by energy companies for oil drilling.

Investigation ends with letter of reprimand for leaking emails

By Bob Berwyn

SUMMIT COUNTY —A Kafka-esque federal probe of a polar biologist ended inconclusively this week, as biologist Charles Monnett got a mild slap on the wrist for an alleged breach of policy that was unrelated to the focus of the 2.5-year investigation.

No charges will be brought against the Monnett regarding his high-profile research on polar bears, according to documents released today by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, but according to the Alaska Dispatch, the federal government still maintains that Monnett and a co-researcher may have used incomplete and perhaps even false data in writing a report about polar bear drownings.

According to the Alaska Dispatch, the Inspector General report also suggested that Monnett “intended to manipulate data to meet a personal agenda, including influencing the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s decision to list the polar bear under the Endangered Species Act.”

To this point, Monnett has received a letter of reprimand for allegedly improper disclosures back in 2007 and 2008 which helped reveal that Bush administration suppressed scientific information about oil drilling impacts.

(more…)

Filed under: Arctic, energy, Environment, gas drilling, oil drilling | Tagged: , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Feds taking input on proposed offshore wind farm

Posted on August 14, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

Proposed facility off the coast of Maine could show feasibility of floating turbines

Offshore wind turbines near Copenhagen, Denmark. Photo courtesy Leonard G via Wikipedia and the Creative Commons.

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — Offshore wind power is already a significant part of the energy portfolio in countries like Denmark, Holland and Germany, and the U.S., with extensive areas of coastline, has the potential to become a major producer of offshore wind energy.

Developing the resource isn’t without challenges, as some communities have objected to the visual impacts of wind turbines near shorelines, and there are also concerns over impacts to wildlife, primarily birds. Infrastructure is another issue, as the offshore facilities require transmission lines to bring the power to shore.

On the positive side, offshore turbines could be sited near coastal urban areas with dense populations, where the energy is needed the most. But for now, many of those questions are still hypothetical, as offshore windpower is still in its infancy in this country.

That may start to change, however, as the Department of Interior starts to scrutinize a proposed project that could demonstrate floating offshore wind technology on the Outer Continental Shelf  of the coast of Maine. (more…)

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Environment: New Gulf oil leases challenged in court

Posted on June 24, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

A massive oil slick from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil disaster spreads across the northern Gulf of Mexico, visible in this NASA satellite image as a sheen on the surface.

Conservation coalition says feds are ignoring painful lessons of Deepwater Horizon oil disaster

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — New deep water drilling plans in the Gulf of Mexico won’t go forward without a legal test, as a coalition of environmental groups last week challenged the Department of Interior’s decision to proceed with new permits without fully addressing the risks to wildlife and the environment.

While drilling regulators believe they have developed a robust new set of safety and environmental regulations, the conservation community thinks otherwise, claiming in the lawsuit that the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management dismissed the lessons learned during the Deepwater Horizon disaster and failed to obtain essential information about the status of species and resources still suffering from the 2010 oil spill. (more…)

Filed under: biodiversity, BP Gulf oil spill, Environment, oil drilling | Tagged: , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

NOAA issues draft study for Arctic Sea oil drilling

Posted on December 27, 2011 by Bob Berwyn

A bearded seal pup on the Arctic ice. PHOTO COURTESY NOAA.

Obama administration under political pressure to permit new drilling in fragile Arctic Ocean ecosystem; public comment taken through Feb. 13

By Bob Berwyn

SUMMIT COUNTY — Federal officials say plans to drill for oil in the Beaufort Sea and Chukchi Sea off the coast of Alaska will cause only “minor to moderate” impacts to rare bowhead and beluga whales — despite the potential for another  spill on the scale of the Deepwater Horizon disaster and no good way to clean it up.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released a draft environmental impact statement on the drilling plan just before Christmas, outlining the potential impacts, as well as mitigation measures that could be implemented to minimize effects on the marine environment. The draft EIS is open for public comment through Feb. 13. All the documents for the project are online here. (more…)

Filed under: endangered species, energy, Environment, federal government, Marine biology, oil drilling, Summit County news | Tagged: , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Alaska oil-drilling plan draws immediate fire

Posted on November 9, 2011 by Bob Berwyn

Parts of the Beaufort and Chukchi Sea would be opened for oill drilling under an Obama administration plan announced this week.

Interior Department proposes 3 offshore Alaska lease sales and 12 in the Gulf of Mexico

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — The Obama administration this week cautiously moved toward increased oil leasing, exploration and drilling in the Arctic Sea off the coast of Alaska, as well as more drilling in the Gulf of Mexico.

The proposed Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program for 2012-202 includes 12 potential lease sales in the Gulf of Mexico and three in Alaskan coastal waters. According to the announcement from the U.S. Department of Interior, the program makes available for exploration and development more than 75 percent of the undiscovered technically recoverable oil and gas resources in federal offshore. The draft Environmental Impact Statement is available here as a PDF document.

President Obama has been under enormous political pressure to develop more onshore and offshore domestic energy resources, with Republicans in Congress leading the charge as they advocate for increased drilling as a way to help the economy.

The proposed lease sales in the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas are scheduled late in the 5-year period to enable more scientific study and data collection, and longer term planning for spill response preparedness and infrastructure. The proposal is subject to a series of public hearings and maps are online here. (more…)

Filed under: energy, Environment, oil drilling, Summit County news | Tagged: , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

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