Excess Gas, Tsunamis and Belugas...

Today's random links and rants are going to be Alaskan themed.  Yesterday morning's re-posting of a little rant I did two years ago about the corrupted state of affairs in the State of Alaska's resource exploration/development system.  So, let's hop on over to Google News and see what pops up, Shall We?

Let's talk Tsunami's first...
    Of great concern to many Alaskans, particularly coastal residents is the health and well being of the Sea that provides some many of us with inspiration, subsistence and income, is the recent increase in common litter debris washing up on the rocky beaches from Japan.  One only wonders reluctantly about the amount of chemical and radioactive contamination is also floating around out there in the Pacific Ocean.  The Pacific Ocean through it's current patterns and sub surface terrain provides a great wash of warm water to the North Pacific Fishery in the late spring, bringing nutrients to the cold dense water that attracts whales, sea lions and other magnificent sea-life to our beautiful waters.  However... in the wake of last years tsunami and subsequent on-going malfunction at the Fukishima Nuclear Reactor, the future health of the entire North Pacific Fishery is at high risk. 

    So... as the ole' saying goes, "Every cloud has a silver lining." and of course there's this issue.  A few years ago, our FORMER governor, Sarah Palin shoved something called AGIA right up into the State of Alaska's operating budget.  Now, mind you, the declining North Slope production played a role in her decision to whole heartedly pursue this endeavor.  But, that decline wasn't because of a lack of oil/gas by any means, but by the pure and simple fact that producers were holding back their already planned  (and well proven profitable) expansions.  What... wait, what sort of business runs like that?  I can answer this rather easily... the sort of business that is out for profit.  The ones that are being fair to their owners/stockholders.  The producers were holding back on progressing already planned and practically paid for operational expansions.  Why, because they were holding out for a larger corporate tax break from the State of Alaska... and guess what folks, They Still Are.  And these producers are also moving on to participate in the recent "Oil Rush" in the Midwest.  So much so that North Dakota has now surpassed Alaska as the number two American producer of oil and gas.  This happened a year before industry projections and shows how Sarah Palin and Sean Parnell have failed at keeping Alaska moving forward.

    < http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304192704577406493478214670.html?mod=googlenews_wsj >

    < http://www.businessweek.com/ap/2012-05/D9UPS7DG0.htm >

    < http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-05-17/trans-alaska-pipeline-plans-five-shutdowns-work-starts-tomorrow.html >

    So...What do greedy/responsible oil companies and the Japanese tsunami have in common?  The failure of the the "safety" systems in Fukishima has caused the Japanese government to re-evaluate it's stance on domestic-peaceful nuclear power use, as regulated by the United States and it's nuclear power industry.  The major American player in the Fukishima disaster is General Electric.  But... relax folks, all is not lost.  The recent glut in the wholesale American Natural Gas market has a new customer...Japan.  Fortunately the Heat to Power conversion system used in most nuclear reactor plants is the good ole' basic steam turbine.  Today this turbine is more commonly a Rankine Cycle turbine... a turbine that spins from the kinetic energy created by the LT/HP cycle attributed to most organic compounds used in modern refrigeration products. Seriously... no notes and a Genesee Beer. Anyways, back on topic. 

    The Japanese Tsunami may actually be a saving grace to Sarah Palin's 'legacy' in Alaska.  Now, because of the simplistic nature, switching from Nuclear heat to Natural Gas heat, Alaska has a great market just a few thousand miles away.  Since Trans-Canada can't seem to find any viable customers for the gas that We The People of Alaska have now paid almost $500 Million to find... maybe we can establish the Alaskan Gas4Sale Act.  This will allow Alaska to sell Japan a pipeline and processing plant and all the damn gas they need to keep on dominating the American auto and electronics industries.

    <   http://homertribune.com/2012/05/japan%E2%80%99s-nuclear-loss-is-alaska%E2%80%99s-natural-gas-gain/   >

    So... back to the beach trash issue.  I recently spent a week combing across various "beaches" in Southeast Alasks.  I'd never spent any time in Southeast before.  My last and only trip had been in the late 80s when I was flying on a MarkAir flight from ANC to SEA.  That visit lasted all of about 20 minutes on the tarmac of the JNU Int'l Airport.  Oh... the good ole' days when you could call and complain about an airline actually based in Alaska.  While in Sitka, I was struck by the amount of marine life that seemed to be "locally based", or rather... sea-life that didn't disappear for 9 months of the year.  Here in Bristol Bay, we rely upon a harvest cycle that lasts only 2-4 months per year.  This range is totally dependent upon local weather and personal motivation by the way.  But in Southeast Alaska, they are able to harvest something from the Sea almost anytime of the year. 

    The harvest of seafood in Alaska is the largest industry we have.  Our wide variety of fish provide jobs for thousands and subsistence living for even more people. From the world famous King Salmon and King Crab to the little known Herring sack roe and even ground animals like Moose and Caribou...Alaska is a rare and beautiful place that must be protected.  The resource of animals that Alaska so enjoys is the only sustainable industry that we have.  So... what do we do if radiation and chemicals have compromised our food?  

    For those that think that the meltdown at Fukishima could have been avoided and that the US Needs to figure out a way to "get back" at Japan for potentially causing irrevocable damage to the North Pacific Fishery... we may not have to wait too, too long. Geologists and Earthquake scientists are predicting that the fault line that runs just south of the Aleutian islands may be getting ready to "slip".  They are saying that it hasn't moved significantly for almost 300 years and that it would caused quite a tsunami.  Fortunately for those of us living in coastal Alaska, most of the tsunami will head to the south and west... and if large enough will push all that contaminate debris right back at Japan.

    < http://news.discovery.com/earth/fault-in-alaska-tsunami-maker-candidate-120516.html >

    All of this demand for Oil and Gas has now caused a rapid expansion in offshore exploration and development all across the globe and that is no where more prevalent than right here in Alaska.  This summer, several corporations are planning new exploration projects here in Alaska.  Of immediate concern is the exploration of Cook Inlet, where a population of Beluga whales is already threatened.  Then there is whole issue of deep water exploration in the North Pacific Basin by a foreign company.  Recently the somewhat local newspaper that serves Bristol Bay and Dutch Harbor reported that the Coast Guard is planning to increase the amount of 'law enforcement' personnel in Dutch Harbor in preparation for expected increases of environmental demonstrators.  Ya Think?

    < http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/groups-sue-protect-beluga-whales-alaska-16354944 >

    Well... that's all from me for now, Have a great Thursday!