5.2.1 PCS Impacts in Alaska 



Strong opposition to the Department of Interior's accelerated 

 leasing program has mounted in Alaska because many fear that negative 

 environmental and socio economic impacts will outweigh the beneficial 

 effects of OCS development. 7 Many Alaskans are irritated by what they 

 regard as the insensitivity of Federal officials responsible for the OCS 

 leasing program to the problems of coastal and onshore impacts. 



There are some good reasons for believing that substantial impacts 

 may result from OCS operations in Alaska. First, extensive petroleum 

 operations will occur in pristine but hostile environments. Second, 

 adjacent to future OCS drilling are some of the world's most productive 

 and valuable fisheries and an abundance of birds and wildlife. Third, 

 onshore support operations will locate along sparsely settled coastal 

 regions where even moderate increases in population will tend to overwhelm 

 present community services and lifestyles. Finally, over half of all 

 domestic offshore petroleum operations will occur in a state that is 

 woefully lacking in planning expertise and management authority. 



However, for several reasons it is very difficult to predict precisely 

 the magnitude and location of OCS impacts. First, no one is sure how 

 much petroleum exists on the Alaskan OCS and where it is. The existence 

 of petroleum cannot be known with assurance until exploratory drilling 

 has taken place. As noted earlier, USGS high and low resource estimates 

 in Alaska vary greatly. Since onshore and offshore development activities 

 are directly proportional to the amount of petroleum found, it is uncertain 

 how severe OCS impacts may be. In addition, there are other factors 

 important in determining impacts. These include the rate at which 



