Of. Welcome back sorry for the extra read ted minute delay but we were voting and hopefully we have an opportunity to get through the last panel with the opportunity to conclude the hearing before we have another round of votes. This second panel is more technical with several witnesses present about modern development on the north slope and joining us today we have the president and ceo komen thanks for being here you also brought your seven with zero your son with you. And also bought the ring back the Arctic Program director from the Wilderness Society and then also a frequent flier to the committee the executive Vice President for land and Natural Resources from their Regional Cooperation is good to have you back Richard Perle and then known to many alaskans here in washington d. C. The former assistant to alaska n. Affairs during the previous administration. Welcome back and blast is the biologist and former Research Professor at university of alaska some of us know him as the kerry blue man but he is well versed in the biology of many of these issues we have been discussing for girl banks were traveling the distance today not only for your contribution before the hearing also the good working in your respective areas. Please leave the panel with your comments and stick to five minutes your comments are appropriated to the record. Madam chair and members of the committee it is an opportunity to be here tear testify today i am the president chief executive officer and a trite tribal member and a shareholder of the 13 native Regional Corporations established by congress under the settlement act than spending a good portion of the of anwr lies within our region. So with coastal and Gas Development if it can be shown to be consistent with the protection of the caribou herd many people are shareholders and are here today rely on the subsistence and cultural survival we encourage the images States Government of. Management whether or not it opens to gas and Oil Development. I will focus my testimony on our subsidiary that we operate on the north slope with some of the most indians rigs in the industry designed specifically for the arctic. And over our 40 years of existence were proud of that leadership role with employee safety in sound environmental practices when opened to oil and Gas Development supporters made arguments of the use of new technology to minimize the impact on anwr and these claims have borne out in industry we will share some of those today. A couple were directional multilateralism drilling techniques that have been developed and perfected in that timeframe that allows to be drilled in all directions like the spokes of a bicycle wheel. Directional drilling was in the 70s but at that time did not allow the reach that we can announce you can now draw a couple squaremile and this is the figure shown before a couple square 3 miles using technology from the 70s now fast forward on the far right to a drill rig could cover 125 square miles. See you could space modern development 10 miles apart with no surface impact so that is a dramatic shift in technology during that time period so the impact to those technological changes are not theoretical we have another graphic that recently completed on the north slope that five production wells each is now producing reservoir sand through three different fault lots and that total drilled over 39,000 feet 28,000 is in the production zone. So to develop the same resources 20 years ago like they would have recorded required to drill pads with multiple wells to access the same resources that we can access from a single surface location. Currently building the extended rick rigged that could reach out even further 35,000 horizontal feet and that is the capability that allows it to reach out from the single surface will pad now we can drill from here to capitol hill hitting the target as size of this room certainly at the Convention Center on the Potomac River six and a half miles away. It is developed to allow our clients to develop that untapped resources from the infrastructure so the client will not have to build new pads or pipelines to produce known oil reserves. With the change of Technology Allows more on the slope and with 70 percent smaller and 80 percent fewer pads from the 70s. So that is 19,000 acres is down to just a few Hundred Acres to develop that alpine field on the western side. Finally the impact of exploration on the environment is minimal the difference between exploration and production production, you can save the of location than the summer version of the same location where theres almost no Lasting Service impact. Surface impact. I want to close my testimony to say that we obviously have a large presence in that economy developed because it was the available economy to us in the 70s and we are very proud with our shareholders in the environmentally safe protection of employees is paramount. But to provide income as the single drolled rig to have an impact of 4 million on the rig probe that is the reality we have had for many years. So were proud to be here today and supportive of anwr but only if we can assure ourselves of the protection of the caribou herd that i mentioned earlier. We appreciate the visuals as well. Next to ms. Epstein. They give chairman and also we are here to do senator cantwell and other members for inviting me to testify to this important hearing on a Critical National publicly and issue. And the Arctic Program director for the Wilderness Society my home is an anchorage. We began working in this region in the 30s and has a license in should there i am proud to be part of the of legacy. Anbar is a vast landscape of dramatic mountain peaks and coastal lagoons along the Northern Edge with the weather place like in america. For thousands of years it has spent home to communities and has sustained them to provide vital habitats to live 45 species of mammals including the largest caribou herd will this and sheep and 150 species of birds to migrate from the refuge to breed there from all 50 states it is the crown jewel of the National Refuge system so that coastal plain is widely recognized of the heart of the refuge is as important to the National Heritage of yellowstone in the grand canyon where we choose not to drill. Contrast this pristine place with zero oil and Gas Exploration which is complicated and a lot has not changed over the years to make it less so. Even the most wellfinanced operatives this year bt bp had a blowout due to falling permafrost and a specialist had to fly in to take care of the disaster. This week the state looks at all those of similar design because they are concerned for the potential for additional blowouts. And 2012 there was the exploratory well blowout on the north slope that was 42,000 gallons in adjustments to plug that because of rigid temperatures prevented worked so according to this bill database this week there has been 121 crude oil spills during the past five years with approximately two per month. Study showed almost spills each year over 1,000 gallons it is important to recognize theyre not all small spills. Wailes Development Infrastructure is not confined at 2,000 acres and have some have said. That calculation does not include roads were the five lines except though limited places there is a support post for also yearround air pollution and new ways from aircraft and processinprocessin g facilities with the gravel roads to deters some care before crossing and waste from Drilling Operations requiring dispose of. Directional drilling is not a new technology has the same impact there reduces only one concern of the size. Pipelines are still required and pollution and industrial blaze is still inevitable. Because of higher cost Directional Drilling may or may not be used for exploratory drilling and as discussed in 2011 hearing in this committee will Companies Prefer not to use Directional Drilling four exploratory because that is less reliable information. So in some respects it is a trojan horse to the entire oil production. Neither the provision or Directional Drilling would prevent the entire coastal plain from becoming industrialized the Arctic Refuge drilling is not needed the trans alaska slowed 6 over the past three years and the alaska eddied are expects the pipeline to increase through the late 2020 is in the figure shows that. Significant new discoveries including the National Petroleum reserve will increase production and this technology we have heard about is very useful with existing oilfields to increase production. Notably drilling in the Arctic Refuge is not necessary to insure the trans alaska in pipeline remains viable altered for decades. The cbo said limited documentation that the report estimates 5 billion for the coastal plains between the state and federal government and crude oil prices were twice as high in 2012 as now making Arctic Refuge drilling more difficult today. It is highly unlikely these leases will come any closer to estimates for growth since 2000 the average north slope big has been before dollars an acre. This is less about meeting revenue targets and approving a controversial measure to open the anwr coastal plain to Oil Development without the possibility of day filibuster so for them to destroy and industrialize a unique place thanks for the opportunity to discuss this region him happy to answer your questions. Think you madam chairman in Committee Members to see a the coalition to be here thanks for staying. I and the Vice President of plans for the Regional Corporation created by congress 1971 headquartered on the north slope including go west through the eastern the arctic region. The residents have always developed on subsistence resources as a tribal member , and he and bruce spoke before me and our other than the governor is a tribal member and those comments that said she did not see tribal members. Maybe she just didnt find enough to agree with her position that the majority of support are supportive of responsible development in anwr i am not here to debate the sacred land on either side of the north or the south. For all land is sacred it contains the bones of our ancestors and i dont mean ancient people but in living memory. We did not start to bury our dead until the 1820 cell by great grandparents were the first generation that were buried after the flu epidemic swept through the region the tradition was to leave the Residence Hall temporary when the person died. So them they carried the bones of our people and some of my ancestors bones are in the day. Others are scattered along the coastal plains of the Canadian Border are people other named after places and places are named after the people some est. Landor federal land but it is all equally sacred. Yet we depend on the land for development, food and i wish to do trivialize anyones resources but as a corporation 92,000 acres of land they hold resource potential for oil and Gas Development of a geologist by training tutorial and develop Natural Resources on the north slope. I know of these practices and i have seen the evolution from my own professional life from very simple drilling production to the ornate and deficient diagrams you have seen presented so effectively. The reduced footprint is real and hundreds of square miles senator king asked how many wells are rich talking about . We have real world answers to those questions they are here in the audience. At the west end of the explanation with the delta in trends to the west those that have resource potential 500 wells have been drilled that is 89,000 feet radiating outward as far as 6 miles. With these production wells for basic central facilities covering maybe 300 acres of land so those are real world examples for at its peak hundreds of thousands per day so that is the development we envision moving into the coastal plain of in war. Anbar so the shows dramatic exaggerations if you follow the scale is 2 miles across each and r3 miles i the pipeline is shown on the map it would be onequarter mile wide. That is not realistic if you want to see Realistic Development go to the areas of modern exploration and Development One thing we learned in production is that production declines. So the line in the room with a glass cut production the eight oilfields were supergiant oilfields and on the shoulders of their decline with those new discoveries as simple as i am they cannot match that scope of the decline they can only change the scope the slope. Meanwhile 92,000 acres of the coastal plains of the anbar area have been set aside for the Energy Potential lies fallow and we cannot even test the potential unless Congress Asked tax the landowners from the region cannot realize their right to economic selfdetermination if Congress Fails to lift the prohibition of the coastal plains so Congress Needs to act. My organization was an agreement made between congress and the tribes of alaska. We did not ask for and fought against it but living with the results so in our region we have a relationship of the municipalities better oral will did together like a rope so you cannot separate tribes and corporations or the mothers language of discourse from today i can speak a language of another which is gibberish to you and disrespectful to everybody. The only Indigenous People should be listened to the loudest but todays hearing shows there is a lack of attention paid to them. Listen to what they are saying. They need the economy and development in their area they want the freedom to do what the rest of the country takes for granted with reliable power and water and schools in the ability to use sanitation to keep their kids healthy. I strongly recommend the committee look at the testimony of those from the village and the tribal faults throughout alaska. We do not agree 100 percent but the majority do. We believe wildlife and involvement can and coexist already day already do along the bay to this central heard alaska bnl n and fish and wild game theyre calling the caribou calving in the area of infrastructure and migrating south to the Arctic Village to be haunted by the neighbors to the south. Were already hunting caribou calving in the areas of development. I of one and two words of the north Slope Development we see them there under the pipelines sometimes under the facilities like hotels when they try to get away from the mosquitos table go anywhere. They lay down on the tundra next to the buses the caribou are not afraid. We need you to wrap up. Bernardino hunted they are not hunted there. We look for a safe and expeditious opening for our state and country. Thank you. Of the week we will have an opportunity to ask questions. Chairman and members of the committee thank you for the privilege to testify today on rig im testifying is a retired Public Servant and citizen the last 45 years in alaska us including serving in the legislature as commissioner of the cnr and the Alaskan Federation and most recently a specialist to the secretary of interior i would confess from the onset i have worked for politicians favoring drilling in those that have opposed exploration and Development Since my participation as a congressional staffer 40 years ago i have witnessed decades of debate on the issue permitting oil and gas in the development of the refuge per class and alaskan i appreciate the economic benefit the in negative benefits by have come to the conclusion this last piece is more appropriately left as wilderness to be far more valuable for future generations. I have the opportunity to haikous known as and observe the caribou on the plains looking at the polar bear and look at the snow geese no denying it is one of the most special and spectacular places on the planet as it stretches over 600 miles from the Canadian Border most of the area is available for oil and Gas Development. Those were over 100 miles over the seacoast those are proceeding in those 23 million acres and now it is proposed as our National Heritage. The 1. 5 million acres proposed for development in the refuge represents only a small fraction and it would not significantly impact the refuge but the coastal plain and the intergrowth component in with the care of rupert girl and then issued a 1987 the was the most biologically productive part of the you refuge and so are we al gore for the nations security . Three run and how of gasoline . That leasing revenues will help the state . It is clearly no to all of these and the answer should be a note to allow oil and G