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Abstract New oil and gas resources are increasingly challenging to access and many are situated in remote areas or require the construction of pipelines over significant onshore lengths to bring products to market. Environmental aspects are usually abundant and are frequently related to socioeconomic and health challenges. For the purposes of this paper, references to environmental aspects will include socioeconomic and health aspects. ExxonMobil is guided by its Environment Policy, expectations from the "Protect Tomorrow. Today." initiative, and management systems. This guidance is supported by processes and tools to ensure that the desired level of environmental performance is achieved when developing and constructing new upstream production/processing facilities. For major projects, significant environmental-related decisions need to be made during initial planning and concept selection. These early decisions can effectively reduce environmental impacts without significantly affecting a project's cost or schedule. Identification of potential environmental impacts early in the planning process can be essential to narrowing the scope of concept alternatives and developing appropriate environmental mitigation approaches. These early decisions help to optimize a project's environmental footprint by addressing energy needs, water usage, land use, air emissions, impacts on sensitive environments, and effects on local communities. ExxonMobil Development Company ("EMDC") manages a challenging portfolio of opportunities. Totaling more than 100 projects, the Company's activities span the globe and cover many segments of the business from LNG to tight gas to oil sands. To consistently manage such a portfolio, EMDC has established an Environmental Management Process that covers the complete life cycle of a new development. This process includes a number of planning and decision-making tools and processes to address identified environmental challenges. Environmental risk assessments, alternatives analyses, and adherence to internal environmental standards provide guidance throughout the project planning and construction process. Once a concept has been selected and approved, an Environmental, Socioeconomic, and Health Impact Assessment ("ESHIA") is conducted. Endorsed environmental impact avoidance and/or mitigation measures are documented in subsequent project documents, most notably an Environmental Management Plan ("EMP"). Included in this plan are the roles and responsibilities of project-associated personnel, environmental-related regulatory requirements, and environmental performance expectations. Upon completion of a project, operations personnel track environmental measurements to ensure that the project delivers the required level of environmental performance. At the end of a project's life, facilities are dismantled and reclaimed. A life cycle approach, from initial project concept to final decommissioning, ensures the proper stewardship of the environmental aspects of ExxonMobil's overall upstream operations.
Introduction In this age of streamlining business processes, people are asked to work in more areas than ever before. This is true in both the public and private sectors, and the safety field is not immune. More and more safety professionals are being asked to address questions about the environment issues, and they are expected to know the answers to continue advancing. Also, the "customers" that these professionals serve often see the fields as one in the same. This natural overlap has been recognized by organizations that were traditionally involved primarily with safety and health issues. The American Society for Safety Engineers now has an active Environmental Practice Specialty. Also, divisions within the National Safety Council address environmental issues, for instance, the Business and Industry Environmental Affairs Standing committee developed the 2004 Environmental Regulations Resource Guide. As someone who faced this challenge years ago, the author shares insights from his own evolution into how to make this transition, including strategies to quickly learn the basics of environmental issues. Also, he explores ways to adapt the strategies used to address safety issues so they can be applied to environmental problems. Common Scenario A common scenario that occurs in organizations is that someone will start out as a safety professional. Eventually, however, due to reorganization, downsizing, and normal attrition, the safety professional finds him/herself answering questions related to environmental issues. Oftentimes, this evolution happens formally and people are reassigned into a different role or acquire a different title. Other times, it is just assumed that the fields are so interrelated that the person will naturally be a good environmental fit. When this happens, the safety professional can react in one of four ways: Accept the new duties enthusiastically; accept the new duties begrudgingly; avoid the new duties; and actively resist. While it is natural to avoid change, it can also limit the professional's future opportunities and perception of value. So whichever strategy a safety professional chooses, it is important to understand the potential upside to such opportunities is that the professional can grow and become even more valuable to an organization. Similarities Between Environmental and Safety Issues One of the keys to removing anxiety about change is to understand the similarities that exist with the current situation. There are numerous similarities between approaches to addressing safety and environmental problems. First, it is important to note that the basics of both environmental and safety issues are memorialized in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), and a proper reading of regulations is essential for appropriate implementation. The safety professional already has a strong background identifying, reading, and understanding regulations, and this is a critical skill for environmental compliance. The safety professional already understands that it is important not only to read regulations, but to read them in context, and seek additional resources such as interpretation letters. Once the basics are covered, the safety professional further understands continuous improvement and the importance going beyond compliance.
- Law > Environmental Law (1.00)
- Government > Regional Government > North America Government > United States Government (1.00)
Phase I Environmental Site Assessments were developed out of a need on the part of buyers and lending institutions to identify potential environmental risks associated with a property as a part of the due diligence process. As contaminated areas such as Love Canal, NY and Times Beach, MO made big headlines in the late '70s and early '80s, as people who lived near these sites became ill from their association with them, and as property owners and lenders recognized the associated liabilities and reduction in property values, the Phase I Environmental Site Assessment tool was developed to determine the potential for such liabilities. Like many such efforts in the growing environmental field, the first efforts at Phase I's were fairly primitive. No databases of contaminated properties or hazardous waste generators existed. No standards existed to guide practitioners in what should be included in such an assessment. As the industry grew and the need for such standards became evident, the ASTM E1527 "Standard Practice for Environmental Site Assessment: Phase I Environmental Sites Assessment Process" was developed. The Standard primarily dealt, and still deals, with petroleum contamination, but the methodology it establishes is useful for all types of environmental issues. Such issues are then identified as a "recognized environmental condition" which under the standard is defined as: "…the presence or likely presence of any hazardous substances or petroleum products on a property under conditions that indicate an existing release, a past release, or a material threat of a release of any hazardous substances or petroleum products even under conditions in compliance with laws. The term is not intended to include de minimus conditions that generally do not present a material risk of harm to public health or the environment and that generally would not be the subject of an enforcement action if brought to the attention of appropriate governmental agencies." The Phase I Environmental Site Assessment is now used in securing an "Innocent Landowner Defense" under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA). This defense requires that a buyer make "all appropriate inquiry" into the previous ownership and uses of the property consistent with good commercial or customary practice. Such defense provides the property owner with some relief should the property be identified as a source of a chemical release which occurred prior to their ownership. Phase I The process of conducting a Phase I Environmental Site Assessment starts with a review of current and historical public records regarding the site. These may include building permits, Sanborn maps, topographical maps, aerial photographs and commercially available data bases which map registered tanks, LUST incidents, RCRA generators, disposal facilities, etc. Sources of information may also include the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), state EPA's (or equivalents), local or regional publicly-owned treatment works (POTWs), offices of the State Fire Marshals, municipal water sources, and local departments of buildings, public health, engineering and planning, fire protection, and waste, and commercial waste haulers.
- Law > Environmental Law (1.00)
- Government > Regional Government > North America Government > United States Government (1.00)
- Energy > Oil & Gas (1.00)
- Health, Safety, Environment & Sustainability > Safety (1.00)
- Health, Safety, Environment & Sustainability > HSSE & Social Responsibility Management > HSSE standards, regulations and codes (0.57)
- Health, Safety, Environment & Sustainability > Environment > Remediation and land reclamation (0.52)
- Health, Safety, Environment & Sustainability > Environment > Waste management (0.35)
Abstract Since 2003 a new approach to conduct the environmental permitting process for oil & gas activities offshore Brazil has been negotiated with the Brazilian environmental federal authority (IBAMA). The new model is based on the concept of geographical areas, where an operator can develop a set of drilling or production projects considering just one administrative process, instead of carrying out individual ones which usually led to more prolonged permits. This model has been successfully applied by Petrobras in the drilling permits (LO) for the Geographical Areas of Campos and Espírito Santo, which respond for almost 80% of the total drilling activity carried out by the company in Brazilian waters, nowadays. The model was also applied to license a production area in the northern part of Campos Basin called Parque das Baleias. In this area, a Preliminary Permit (LP) was granted and for each new project (platform, pipeline) there are just a few steps to follow to get the Installation (LI) and Operation Permit (LO). Before using this innovative model, for each individual permitting process there were a need to prepare a different Environmental Impact Assessment Study (EIA) that, considering the characteristics of the locations, usually contained the same environmental diagnosis and the same drilling rigs and fluids descriptions. Not only repeated work was been done by operators, but also the Environmental Authority had the same effort in analyze all the documents. As a consequence, the use of the new model reduced the number of processes and allowed the establishment of unified mitigating and compensating environmental projects (environmental education, environmental monitoring and social communication programs). Finally, the unification of environmental projects, contracts and reports allows a better HSE planning and management of the activities by the operators. It is important to stand out that such environmental projects are more comprehensive and complex. On the other hand, allows an integrated vision aggregating value to the actions derived form the environmental permitting processes.
- Energy > Oil & Gas > Upstream (1.00)
- Government > Regional Government > North America Government > United States Government (0.74)
- South America > Brazil > Rio de Janeiro > South Atlantic Ocean > Santos Basin > Caravela Field > Guarujá Formation (0.99)
- South America > Brazil > Campos Basin (0.99)
- South America > Brazil > Brazil > South Atlantic Ocean > Santos Basin (0.99)
ABSTRACT Thank you for this opportunity to present the environmental viewpoint of the oil and gas industry. But I must warn you: I hope to shatter forever your stereotype of environmentalists in the same manner that we at the National Wildlife Federation are attempting to shake up the environmental movement's view of the business community. If there is one major message -- one penetrating question -- that I want to leave with you today. . . that I want to travel far beyond this room it is: "Why do environmentalists and business people keep repeating the mistakes of past decades? Why do we insist on being adversaries, fighting the same battles over and over again? Aren't we bone weary of drawing battlelines when r we could chart an effective and positive strategy for both economic development and environmental protection? Unfortunately, an event just two weeks ago proved again that the answer is "no". That's when Interior Secretary Hodel announced his five-year program for the Outer Continental Shelf. And, as predictable as the sunrise, industry dashed to its corner, shouting "resource lock-up." And what did the environmental community do? What else? Some of my most vocal colleagues screamed "They're going to rape our resources" as they ran for the opposite corner. Who won with that kind of rhetoric? Absolutely no one ! Why should the environmental and business communities always approach issues from such predictable and adversarial positions? How can we -- working together -- break the stereotypes that bind us to outdated thinking and outrageous fears? How can we in the environmental community and you in the oil and gas industry move beyond a discussion of motives to a consideration of merits? I challenge you to initiate the change -- here and now -- first by erasing the skepticism that makes business people and environmentalists too leary of one another. I'm reminded of a story President Kennedy used to tell. Shortly after his election, Kennedy had some run-ins with the steel industry about prices. As a result, he earned a reputation for being "anti-business." To counter this perception, Kennedy invited industrial leaders to the White House -- where he spoke enthusiastically about his administration's work on behalf of industry. As he ticked off his accomplishments, he became more and more excited. Finally, he got a little carried away and declared, "Why, if I weren't President, I'd invest in the stock market right now." In fact, your opportunity is here now as the Federal government opens thousands of new acres to offshore energy development and as onshore exploration becomes more widespread. We urge that corporate and governmental decisions regarding oil and gas development be based on solid scientific and economic information. Such information should clearly lay out the benefits of development and the inherent environmental risks.. There is no such thing as a risk-free society. But we must have enough thorough and objective data to assess those risks and weigh them against economic realities and national needs.
- Law > Environmental Law (1.00)
- Government > Regional Government > North America Government > United States Government (1.00)
- Energy > Oil & Gas > Upstream (1.00)