British Petroleum/Amoco Admits to Dumping Toxic Waste on Alaska's North Slope

Back to Map Page August, 1999 BP Amoco, the corporation that has applied for exploratory oil drilling in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge, has admitted to the illegal disposal of tens of thousands of gallons of toxic waste in its current oil production grounds on Alaska's North Slope. The waste was poured into drill shafts on an island in the Beaufort Sea. This island is also home to nesting birds and marine mammals. The corporation pleaded guilty to mismanaging waste for three years, and it has agreed to pay $22 million in civil and criminal penalties. BP Amoco controls some 70% of drilling in the North Slope area, as well as tanker loading and shipping in and out of the Beaufort Sea. Pollution in the area results from waste products, such as detergents used in wells and equipment, as well as oil-tainted water that is produced in vast quantities and stored in containment ponds. Also in October 1999 the US Department of the Interior, which manages oil and gas leases, announced that it was considering a 10 million acre offshore lease in the Beaufort Sea. The lease would include areas near the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), which lies east of the North Slope oil fields. The Army Corps of Engineers has estimated that there is a 20% chance of major oil spills in the Beaufort Sea and its coastal tundras and estuaries, as as result of transporting and loading this oil. To read more, see Environmental Science, A Global Concern, Cunningham and Saigo, 5th ed. US oil supplies and imports: pages 470-71 Proposals to drill in ANWR (the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge): pages 472-73 Ocean oil pollution: pages 449-50 Environmental Science, Enger and Smith, 6th ed. Oil resources and reserves: page 145 The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge: page 166 For further information, see these related web sites: Review of proposals for expanded drilling on the North Slope, from the Northern Alaska Environmental Center Review of efforts by Alaska's senators to promote oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge-legal briefs British Petroleum's view of drilling activity on the North Slope General information on the North Slope area Back to Map Page feedback form | permissions | international | locate your campus rep | request a review copy digital solutions | publish with us | customer service | mhhe home Copyright ©2001 The McGraw-Hill Companies. Any use is subject to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. McGraw-Hill Higher Education is one of the many fine businesses of the The McGraw-Hill Companies.