MMS awards Beaufort Sea monitoring contract

Petroleum News Alaska Staff

The U.S. Department of the Interior Minerals Management Service said July 20 that it has awarded a contract to Arthur D. Little Inc. of Cambridge, Mass., for monitoring near shore oil development in the Beaufort Sea. The contract, awarded June 30, covers phase I of a five-year contract and is funded at $502,458.

The study, “Arctic Nearshore Impact Monitoring in Development Area,” begins a monitoring program for the first federal oil development offshore Alaska, and includes both the Northstar and Liberty units. Northstar is primarily in state waters, but drilling will extend into federal waters. Liberty is entirely in federal waters.

In the first phase, Arthur D. Little will establish baselines for sediment quality, re-suspension and turbidity, and noise levels near Northstar and Liberty — and initial construction effects for Northstar.

Phase II will start one year into the study and will incorporate new monitoring issues as they develop. Arthur D. Little will be the core contractor for the second phase, but individual monitoring tasks may be separately contracted.