Corps ROD selects Conoco’s GMT1 alternative over BLM’s

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has selected ConocoPhillips Alaska’s alternative for the Greater Mooses’ Tooth 1 project as its environmentally preferred alternative and the least environmentally damaging practicable alternative.

In its final supplemental environmental impact statement, issued in October, the Bureau of Land Management selected another alternative. BLM is the lead agency for the Greater Mooses’ Tooth 1 development, which is in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska; the Corps is a cooperating agency.

In a record of decision issued Jan. 16, the Corps said Alternative A, ConocoPhillips’ proposal, “would result in: the smallest footprint impacts to aquatic resources; no direct fill in streams/fish habitat; smaller overall impacts to wildlife habitat; and presents drier wetlands to construct access due to its location in the watershed.” Alternative A would have “the least fill footprint in waters of the U.S.,” the Corps said.

GMT1 is one of the discoveries announced in NPR-A by ConocoPhillips Alaska’s predecessor Phillips Alaska in May 2001. The NPR-A discoveries included Spark No. 1 and No. 1A, Moose’s Tooth C, Lookout No. 1, Rendezvous A and Rendezvous No. 2.

GMT1 was originally proposed for development as Lookout CD-6; the name and scope were changed after it was determined it was not within the reservoir of the Colville River unit.

BLM selected Alternative B. The Corps said that alternative was based on keeping all GMT1 permanent oil and gas infrastructure outside the three-mile setback from Fish Creek.

Alternative B is similar to Alternative A, the Corps said, but would result in a slightly larger fill footprint, “primarily wetlands, as compared with Alternative A. Construction and maintenance of the Alternative B road route may be more technically challenging due to the extent of thaw basins composed of marshes, and flooded areas within the Crea and/or Barley Creek headwater areas.”

In its final SEIS, BLM said Alternative B “focuses on keeping road and pipeline outside of the BLM-established Fish Creek buffer, and has two fewer stream crossings than Alternative A.”

BLM has not yet issued a record of decision. Both alternatives include an 11.8-acre gravel pad, 33 wells and gravel supply from the Arctic Slope Regional Corp. mine.

BLM said the main differences between Alternative B and Alternative A include moving the drilling pad some 700 feet to the southwest; routing the access road and pipeline from GMT1 to the CD-5 drill site south of the Fish Creek setback; a new tie-in pad for the pipeline east of the CD-5 drill site; and eliminating a bridge over Crea Creek and a culvert at Barley Creek.

The access road in Alternative B is a mile longer, 8.6 miles compared to 7.6 miles for Alternative A, and would require 18.2 miles of elevated pipelines on vertical support members compared to 17.9 miles for Alternative A.

In a Jan. 21 email, ConocoPhillips Alaska spokeswoman Natalie Lowman said ConocoPhillips supports the Corps of Engineers decision.

“The alternative they have selected as the LEDPA has the least environmental footprint and requires the least amount of gravel. However, we still need a ROD from the BLM.”

Lowman said the BLM record of decision must agree with the ROD from the Corps.

ConocoPhillips has not yet sanctioned development of GMT1.

“The BLM mitigation measures must be acceptable in order for the project to move forward for consideration by our senior management,” she said.

Following BLM’s release of its final SEIS at the end of October, and BLM’s selection of Alternative B, ConocoPhillips noted that the Corps had not yet selected the least environmentally damaging practicable alternative and said it “expects that the BLM has the flexibility to approve the alternative selected by the Corps.”

- Kristen Nelson