At the Alpine field on Alaska’s Western North Slope, ConocoPhillips operates the first oil production facility located and developed on Native Alaskan land. As part of the land access negotiations prior to development, ConocoPhillips and the community of Nuiqsut created a Surface Use Agreement that defines the responsibilities and obligations of both parties.
Given Alpine’s close proximity to the village of Nuiqsut, and that fish and game are key elements of local social and cultural traditions, the agreement contains provisions for a Kuukpikmiut Subsistence Oversight Panel (KSOP) to help identify and minimize conflict between Alpine operations and traditional practices.
The KSOP board, comprised of Nuiqsut residents who are active hunters, is charged with monitoring the health of subsistence resources on Kuukpik lands and identifying any impact that exploration, development or production activities might have on those resources. The panel meets periodically with the company and prepares reports on observations, complaints, concerns and recommendations brought to the panel by local residents.
With help from local residents, panel members monitor and evaluate progress on issues such as access for hunters and fishermen; wildlife impact; tundra damage; impact on lakes that supply water for ice road construction; waste and trash disposal; and interaction, communication and cooperation between native residents, ConocoPhillips and its contractors.
KSOP efforts are yielding benefits. The panel’s attention to detail has helped minimize impacts to the environment and reduced misunderstandings with the community. The result is both parties tend to work on solutions rather than problems.