Impacts of Petroleum Exploration, Extraction and Transport
Abstract
Petroleum exploration, extraction and transport has diverse negative impact on the environment, Surveys has shown that the main purpose of including environmental issues is basing on chances of getting hydrocarbon in areas that would be declined environmental gateway in the exploration. In other words, the environmental concern will guide the investors to potential areas of hydrocarbon exploration; there are blocks that will be restricted by the environment authorities.
InterOil Corporation (IOC) has acquired a number of blocks; IOC has reports aligned to the environmental assessment that will be delivered during the bidding season before any efforts of production and exploration activities (Araujo et al, 2012 p. 101). IOC has bid for the Barra Bonita filed block. Some of the details on the block are represented by sedimentary Parana basin in Brazil. Exploration and production (E&P) constitutes acquisition of seismic data in building three dimensional (3D) photos showing the Parana basin, with heavy machineries at work; weathering shothole layer by drilling the rig operation; carrying out geophone operation and vibartor trucks and in carrying out routine operations; an example being refueling.
Introduction
Parana Basin is part of South America at the Central-Eastern area. Parana Basin consists of large sedimentary basin with the areas shared by Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay. Parana Basin got its name from the Parana River that flows through the basin. The area has been exploited for hydrocarbons for years, it has been noted that the bidding processes for the new allocations must follow the regulations of environmental conservation, by acquiring an environmental license (Araujo et al, 2012 p. 39). The environmental license is a pre-requisite to the block tendering and allocation processes.
Main body
Potential environmental receptors in the petroleum exploration, extraction and transport are the lithosphere associated with land, hydrosphere associated with water and the atmosphere associated with air. Land use in Parana basin has experienced massive change of use, a model that has resulted to a number of social, infrastructure, cultural, soil characteristic and economic factors in the region; basing on land exploitation by human beings. There have been land use policies and plans in protecting the land in Parana basin. It is expected that land will be cleared t pave way for roads, due to the negative impact that the roads will create to the direct environment; organizations involved in mining would use helicopters as a model of vegetation mitigation and impact management structure.
Habitats living in the Parana basin and the nature reserves are some of the environmental receptors that have experienced changes with years (Vance & Larson, 2008 p. 77). Hydrosphere relates to water resources and it is one of the environmental receptor, the natural resources at the Parana basin are characterized with ground water and energy reserves identifying with oil shale and coal. It has been noted that Guarani Aquifer is placed as one of the largest aquifer in the world. Guarani Aquifer serves Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay with fresh water supplies. Permeable sandstones are part of the Guarani lithology (Araujo et al, 2012 p. 88). Water mitigation and management structure will call for avoiding dumping wastes in water sources. Water reservoirs must be tampered with hence left intact.
Atmosphere is another environmental receptor, Coal energy reserves are common in Brazil characterized with sub-bituminous and bituminous coal reserves, and it’s expected that exploration of coal will lead to air pollution. Findings indicate that Santa Catarina State and Rio Grande do Sul State are the major producers of coal, with Sao Paulo State and Parana State being the minor producers of coal. Air mitigation and management structure will call for sound including the atmospheric experts in making sure that the gasses released into the air are not hazardous to the environment.
Natural gas is available in the Parana Basin, it has been noted that Barra Bonita field is one of the gas fields, and others are being established. Barra Bonita is found in Parana State as from 1996. Oil Shale was established in 1972, it has a major source of Hydrocarbons. Hydrocarbons are extracted through Petrobras patent and Petrosix process (Castro, 2008 p. 57). The location is rich in liquefied gas, sulfur and also shale gas. Parana basin has been associated with dinosaur many years ago before their extinct. Parana Basin has also been associated with Mesosaurus fossils and Glossopteris flora. Starigraphy at the Parana Basin are divided into six Supersequnces identifying with Rio Ivai, Parana, Gondwana I, Gondwana II, Gondwana II and Bauru (Araujo et al, 2012 p. 61).
Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Principles and Process is very critical in approaching environmental conservation in Parana Basin. It has been noted that EIA is concerned on transparency, certainty, participation, practicability, flexibility; cost effectiveness, credibility and accountability are some of the models that assist in developing a systematic approach in conserving the environment. It is believed that environmental conservation may not have an impact today, but will have a great influence in the future generations (Cairns & Niederlehner, 2001 p. 937).
Participation is concerned with timely access in dealing with issues of environmental conservation; transparency involves accessible and open environmental models; certainty is concerned with advanced agreement in the implementing environmental conservation models; accountability is concerned with responsible decision making models that are result oriented; credibility is concerned with making environmental decisions that have objectivity and professionalism; cost effectiveness is concerned with making affordable environmental decisions; flexibility is concerned with adaptability of the environmental concerns to any arising changes and practicability is concerned with making decision making models that are reliable in planning and executing environmental models (Kusler, 2003 p. 100).
EIA has a number of principles that will influence the environment management in the Parana Basin, some of the critical aspects are screening and scoping. Screening is used in establishing if a project needs EIA from the relevant authorities. A screening opinion takes at most three weeks and it is useful if the screening requests are submitted before the application of the planning phase. Screening is critical in making sure that the E&P project adheres to the environmental conservation. EIA scoping defines the environment statement as per the regulations set by the EIA. The scoping opinion is availed according to the environmental conservation measures. A scoping register contains all the scopes activities as the specifications of the planning officer.
Screening and scoping will be influential in examining alternatives that are environmentally friendly, it will also enable analyze the impact of the E&P, evaluation of the residual compact that is permanent, it will also assists EIA in making sound and relevant decisions and finally screening and scoping is critical in following up on the progress of the project.
Exploration and Production will influence the environmental factors that are needed in Parana basin. There are high needs for environmental conservation (University of Colorado, 2000 p. 111). Environmental protection is critical in the petroleum exploration, extraction and transport. Natural environment must be protected by the organizations at individual levels, organizational levels and at the governmental levels (EAM, 2004 p. 31). Natural environment has diverse benefits to the human beings and other living organisms. In the twenty first century, the natural environment has been facing a number of challenges. Technology and the soaring populations pose a threat to the natural environment (UNEP, 2002 p. 66). Degradation of the biophysical environment is real and the changes are at time permanent.
Governments have been concerned with the environmental degradation, to an extent that restraints are put in place, in the case of the Parana Base, organizations willing to exploit the natural resources must be certified on issues of conservation of natural resources (Kiss & Dinah, 2001 p. 47). Environmental movements have been in place since the 1960s in discouraging environmental degradation among other issues affecting the environment. The challenges facing the conservation of the environment is in that some strong individuals in the society particularly the politicians and the like criticize the moves, indicating that the human activities has insignificant influence on the environment (Robinson, 2003 p. 176).
Academic institutions have noted the importance of environment conservation, to an extent that the institutions have developed environmental engineering, environmental studies and environment management among others (Weston et al, 2000 p. 79). Environment conservation is critical in the management of air pollution, waste production and biodiversity loss among other hazards (Fuji, 2007 p. 6). It has been noted that protection of the environment is made possible through environmental ethics, environmental legislation and environmental education. Findings indicate that the three models interrelate in influencing the environmental decisions made by the relevant authorities.
Organizations of the twenty first century are concerned with going ‘green’ as part of the environmental conservation (Rockefeller, 2006 p. 92). There is a lot to be done on organizations adapting to the ‘green’ perspective. Climate change is a reality not only in Parana Basin but to the whole world. By organizations going green, they are acting to the best possible model in conserving the environment. Climate change has resulted in developing projects that would encourage sustainability of the environment and the planet earth, as well (Pollard et al, 2002 p. 9).
The green movement in the Parana basin is facilitating development of models that will conserve the environment even in and after petroleum exploration, extraction and transport. The concerned organizations, contractors, inhabitants and other stakeholders are concerned in protecting the environment (MacDonald, 2006 p. 99). The main challenge associated with going green is on developing the influential models that will conserve the environment. Green movement around the world is concerned on convincing, teaching, enabling, communicating, encouraging and supporting participation in the global environmental conservation (Spurr et el, 2000 p. 31). Making change happen in the environmental conservation is not easy; it involves engaging people and positioning relevant authorities in delivering the change to encourage environmental conservation (Nevill, 2000 p. 2).
If environmental conservation efforts in Parana basin are not taken seriously, there are possibilities that Guarani Aquifer will be contaminated or depleted all the same. Millions of people depending on the water resources would get sick with water borne diseases or lack water altogether. Water is life, an indication that environmental conservation is critical in Parana Basin. Petroleum exploration, extraction and transport must consider environmental conservation as one of the main goals and objectives (Unescap.org, 2013).
Conclusion
EIA is useful in project management in analyzing and collecting the right information on environmental conservation (Morrow, 2007 p. 93). EIA points at environmental impacts in wait, examines environmental implications which are significance, assists in assessing if environmental impacts have possibilities of being mitigated, the model recommends corrective and preventive mitigating measures on environmental concerns, informs all the stakeholders on the usefulness of environmental conservation and advise on the viability of environmental conservation models (Kadri, 2000 p. 59). There is a need of conserving Parana basin environment.
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