--> Abstract: Environmental Protection: Streamlining Petroleum Exploration and Production, by A. M. Hunt; #91005 (1991).

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Environmental Protection: Streamlining Petroleum Exploration and Production

HUNT, AMANDA M., Dames and Moore, Cincinnati, OH

Buckminster Fuller, author of The Critical Path, pointed out that operative systems resist change through a principle he described as "building the artifact." Often, once existing systems are stressed by changing ambient conditions beyond the point of their elastic return, abrupt and perhaps profound restructuring of the systems occurs in order to successfully adapt to these new circumstances, sometimes resulting in overcompensation. Changes are inevitable; however, the challenge is to always strive to construct a visionary artifact so that the future is one of transitional growth rather than one of traumatically induced chaos. The petroleum industry is inherently subject to a tremendous degree of volatility through fluctuation in world market prices and the vagaries of world politics A more recent stressful demand on the existing domestic petroleum exploration and production system has been the burgeoning number of environmental regulations imposed on this segment of the industry. Prudent and acceptable oil-field practices must now include agency-regulated environmental protection measures. Many independent producers are unfamiliar not only with the regulatory agencies, but also with the jargon and ambiguities of regulations that vary widely from state to state. Whereas some companies perceive only the restrictions and added cost of regulatory compliance, other companies have sought to optimize benefits while minimizing financial burdens by approaching this modern necessity more creatively, thereby discovering numerous means to become even more competitive. The dome tic oil field of the 1990s will be increasingly affected by environmental regulation and public opinion. A number of companies have taken a proactive position on environmental issues. Industry examples include Louisiana Land & Exploration Company's history of wetlands conservation and Chevron's SMART (Save Money and Reduce Toxics) program, and others. Many oil and gas geologists have entered the environmental consulting arena to maintain a livelihood. Such crossover geologists may now provide an ideal interface between oil and gas producers and regulatory agencies in developing company programs, even for small independents, that will mitigate not only their current environmental concerns, but also perhaps eventually lead to the development of a collaborative national energy and conse vation policy that will best serve the national interest. The future of the quality of life of this nation, and indeed the planet as a whole, lies in our capability to deal concurrently with the issues of a petroleum-based economy while protecting the natural environment that sustains life.

 

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #91005 © 1991 Eastern Section Meeting, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, September 8-10, 1991 (2009)