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Earlier this year, the federal government's Bureau of Ocean Energy Management asked the public to comment on the possibility of developing more oil in Arctic waters. The Trump administration plans to sell an oil lease in the Beaufort Sea next year.
The letters came from all the usual places: oil pressure groups demanded greater access to drilling. Environmental groups have expressed concerns about climate change and how oil development could harm wildlife.
But a letter came from an institution that you might not think of having in Arctic oil development: NASA.
That's right, the space agency.
NASA is funding the Poker Flat Range research program near Fairbanks. Managed by the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, this is the only range of high-latitude rockets in the United States.
"What sets us apart is aurora research," said Kathe Rich, director of Poker Flat.
To do this, scientists launch rockets that cross the dawn. According to Rich, research is important because auroras are a visual manifestation of the sun's energy entering the Earth's upper atmosphere and that this energy can affect elements such as cell phone or electrical network communications.
But Rich said that sometimes the rockets they launch to study the aurora can fly very far.
"If we are looking for something that is far enough north, it will spoil in the Beaufort Sea or in the Arctic Ocean, either," Rich said.
In April, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center sent a letter to BOEM estimating that 70 rockets had landed in the Beaufort Sea since the 1960s.
The agency feared that "future oil and gas development projects in the Beaufort Sea will lead to the need to protect more people and property during launch operations."
And as scientists are currently using better-performing rockets, NASA thinks that a growing number of these are expected to land in the Beaufort Sea, just as the Trump administration is gearing up to allow further development oil tanker in this region.
To be sure, Rich said that extremely It is unlikely that rocket parts will crush on oil rigs. This is because scientists would not launch them in the first place if they thought that valuables might be in danger.
Rich said that what was most likely to happen is that more oil activity in the Beaufort Sea could limit research opportunities.
"The low zone we have can look like putting on a needle with all the things we need to avoid," Rich said. "So whenever you have to add something, it can be avoided, it can reduce launch opportunities for us."
But Rich said he was optimistic about NASA's and BOEM's ability to find a solution.
In an e-mailed statement, BOEM spokesman John Callahan said the agency would work with NASA to explore the best options for oil and gas leasing.
"We are pleased that they have contacted us to discuss the safety of operations in the Beaufort area," said Callahan. "This is an excellent example of good lines of communication between federal agencies here."
Callahan added that BOEM recognizes the value of NASA's research, saying "it's not just rocket science, it's extremely important work."
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