The number one reason most environmentalists protest the drilling efforts of oil and natural gas corporations such as Triple Diamond Energy Corp. is misconception that major drill sites will have negative impact on the local environment.  Environmentalists are concerned about the potential harm that can be done to the creatures that live in the area or migrate through it. 

One area that has caused a great deal of debate between oil and gas drilling companies and environmentalists is the Artic National Wildlife Refugee. Much of today’s fears about drilling in the area are based on the state and conditions of drill sites in the early 1900s. 

How Oil Drilling Sites have Changed Since the 1900s

Until the 1970s, the average drill site was in very poor condition.  The primary concern of most oil companies was to get the largest amount of the natural resources possible for the lowest operating cost.  The average drilling operation required many acres just to compensate for the large machines that were needed for production. 

In the early 1970s, the Prudhoe Bay oil field was erected just west of the Artic National Wildlife Refuge.  This oil field required 5,000 acres to compensate for the creation of roads, production facilities, and drilling.  Most of this acreage was not used for the drilling itself. However, oil and gas drilling companies later changed their strategies and as a result, decreased land usage required for during a drilling project by 60%.

A More Environmentally Friendly Drilling Process

The change in the way in which oil companies drill has made drilling more efficient and environmentally friendly.  The drills used today are more directional and their reach usually extends to reservoirs three miles from the surface drilling location.  In the past, drills could reach only about half of this distance – even in premium conditions. The old way of doing things meant that more roads needed to be constructed so that drill sites could be moved around in order to completely explore the entire area. 

In addition to being able to extend further below the surface, new technology has made it possible for oil companies to construct many individual oil wells within close proximity of each other in order to avoid disturbing excess virgin soil.  Prior to this change, drill pads and wells could be no less than 100 feet apart.  Now oil wells and drill pads can be built just 10 feet apart so that wells that once required 65 acres of land now need only nine acres.

Oil drilling companies have also made advancements in the process of road construction.  In past decades, the process of creating roads in the Artic meant placing mounds of gravel onto the frozen surface.  Today, the roads are built from existing ice in the area in order to avoid disrupting the natural environment.  When the exploration is complete, these roads are left to melt and return to their original landscape.

Triple Diamond Energy Corp. is a proponent of using and discovering environmentally friendly drilling techniques. At Triple Diamond Energy Corp., we believe in leaving as little of a footprint as possible on the environment during a drilling project.