Environmental and Socioeconomic Impacts 32 



As previously mentioned the severity of petroleum development 

 impacts depend in large part upon the volume and rate at which oil and 

 gas resources are exploited. OCS impact studies, therefore, must make 

 some estimates regarding future levels of petroleum production. In the 

 northern Gulf, previous studies have assumed high production scenarios. 

 These production assumptions are as follows: 



(1) The Bureau of Land Management in its final environmental 

 impact statement assumed the sale area would produce 2.8 

 billion barrels of oil and 9 trillion cubic feet of gas. The 

 peak production volume was estimated at 550,000 barrels/day 

 for oil and at 1 billion cubic feet/day for gas. 33 



(2) Mathematical Science Northwest's study assumed that a total of 

 five fields would be discovered in the Gulf of Alaska (not 

 limited to the northern Gulf Sale area) with a peak production 

 of oil at 550,000 barrels/day. 3 " 



(3) The CEQ report assumed that peak production in the Gulf of 

 Alaska (not limited to the northern Gulf Sale area) would 

 reach a level of 2 million barrels/day and 7.2 billion cubic 

 feet/day by 1998. 35 



Additional estimates of the rate and type of development are also made 

 by BLM and these are shown in Tables 2 and 3. These tables show that: 



(1) At peak production, 22 platforms would be required, 18 oil 

 platforms and 4 gas platforms. 



(2) There would be from 70 to 100 exploratory wells and approximately 

 800 production wells. 



17 



