and cumulative pollution from oil spills and sewage, (2) changes in 

 currents, inshore ice action, salinity and the sedimentation of nearshore 

 areas from development (particularly gravel islands and causeways), and 



• • • 9 4 



(3) disturbances of wildlife from acute or persistent human activity. 



The most likely sources of risk to bird populations include disturb- 

 ance or elimination of island-nesting terns, gulls, and eiders, and 

 direct mortality to waterfowl and seabirds from oil spills. Mammals 

 most likely to be affected are polar bears, which den in the area, 

 and ringed seals. Fish populations risk mortality from seismic detonations 

 and oil spills, and may suffer habitat losses from gravel removal and 

 siltation. Plankton and invertebrates, basic food sources in the marine 

 ecosystem, could suffer temporary or long-term losses from large oil 

 spills, cumulative buildup of oil and other toxic compounds in muds or 



• • 9 5 



waters, and changes in nearshore currents and salinity. 



OCS development in the Beaufort Sea would continue the present 

 trend of substituting a modern cash economy for the more traditional 

 lifestyle of many north slope residents. Major community infrastructure 

 and economic impacts may arise from the creation of a permanent, residential 

 community in the Prudhoe Bay area. 



Alaska has argued that several factors favor leasing in the Beaufort 

 Sea over leasing in the Gulf of Alaska or Cook Inlet. Governor Hammond 

 listed these factors as: 



(1) An existing transportation system--the trans-Alaska pipeline-- 

 which could speedily move oil and gas resources to market. 



(2) The avoidance of massive community and regional impacts both 

 economic and social. 



56 



