SHELL EXPLORATION COMMENT ANALYSIS

Plan of Cooperation Meeting – January 12, 2015 Kotzebue, Alaska

Page 1 of 3

Issues Comments Shell Response Mitigation 

Measures

Operations What’s Shell’s subsea containment system? Shell uses a blowout preventer – two sets 

of shear rams that can close off the pipe in 

the event there is an incident. 

N/A

OSR In regard to Shell’s revised Environmental Impact statement, an 

audience member read a portion of a recent news article stating that 

the “likelihood of Shell having a large oil spill is high,” asked for 

comments on this. 

This projected likelihood is over a 75 year 

long span and is not specific to an 

exploration phase, which Shell is currently 

planning for. The article’s estimate takes 

into account that the project is in a 

production phase vs. exploration. We 

aren’t sure if an incident will happen, 

regardless, we are prepared. 

N/A

Fleet How many vessels are going to be in the Kotzebue Sound? There will be 4 barges and 4 tug boats in 

Goodhope Bay. N/A

OSR What is the response time for an oil spill? We have a vessel staged that will be 

deployed within 60 minutes. Within 72

hours, all OSR vessels will be in theatre.

H

General 

Information 

about Shell

Where can more information be found about Shell – press releases, 

etc.?

A good spot to find information about 

Shell is on our website, 

www.shell.com/alaska.

N/A

OSR/Subsis

tence

What’s going to happen if Shell contaminates the ocean? People in 

Kotzebue depend on marine mammals for subsistence.

While Shell does have increased activity in 

Kotzebue Sound, we will not be exploring

in Kotzebue Sound. If there were to be an 

incident, Shell has gone far beyond any oil 

company in Alaska with oil spill response. 

Our response plans are unprecedented.

N/A

Subsistence How are fishermen going to be affected by the vessel traffic? Through the Subsistence Advisor program, 

Shell will have a subsistence advisor 

reporting twice a day to Shell regarding 

any subsistence activity in the Kotzebue 

Sound. Based off of these daily reports, 

A, E
SHELL EXPLORATION COMMENT ANALYSIS

Plan of Cooperation Meeting – January 12, 2015 Kotzebue, Alaska

Page 2 of 3

Issues Comments Shell Response Mitigation 

Measures

Shell will do our best to avoid any areas 

where subsistence activity is occurring.

General 

Information 

about Shell 

Does Shell have a website about some of the studies you have done, 

like those with the migratory whale’s path, etc.?

The NOAA website is a good resource for 

information like this. N/A

Operations What’s the current depth you will be drilling in? The depth of water at our Burger site is 

130 feet. N/A

Public 

Comments 

taken during 

Meeting

What’s happening with all the public comments? We are taking notes of comments made 

during this meeting. However, we are not 

attributing specific names of those making 

the comments. We then submit those 

comments to our regulators, so they can 

see what the communities are telling Shell.

C

OSR In the 6 hours that the oil will be leaking, it will take 6 hours to get 

to the drill site, where would the oil go?

The response time is within 1 hour 

timeframe. It depends on the weather –

currents and waves – we will also have ice

overflights to monitor the incident should 

one occur.

N/A

Notes:

*Mitigation Measures are only assigned to applicable comments. 

“Not applicable” (N/A) is used to designate comments that do not require mitigation measures as a course of action. See Mitigation Measures Index definitions according to assigned letter.

Proposed Mitigation Measures

A-Communication Plan for avoiding conflicts with subsistence users.

B-Collaboration and Communication with Whaling Associations

C-Plan of Cooperation (will work to obtain a CAA)

D-Will honor Camden Bay blackout dates for Nuiqsut and Kaktovik whaling.

E-Subsistence Advisors based in Chukchi Sea Villages and Kotzebue

F-Protected Species Observers

G-Robust Marine Mammal Monitoring Protocol

H-OSR support vessels on standby 24/7 near drilling location

I-Real time Ice and Weather Forecasting

J-Crew change by helicopter and collaboration on routes to and from shorebase
SHELL EXPLORATION COMMENT ANALYSIS

Plan of Cooperation Meeting – January 12, 2015 Kotzebue, Alaska

Page 3 of 3

K-zero discharge in Camden Bay of the Beaufort Sea: drilling fluids and cuttings after the 26-in casing; gray and treated black waters; bilge and ballast waters