NASA cautions on Alaskan offshore drilling

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — The federal agency that oversees offshore petroleum leasing has received comment on Arctic Ocean drilling from a surprise source — NASA.

Alaska's Energy Desk reports that the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management asked for comment as the Trump administration considers a 2019 lease sale in the Beaufort Sea.

A letter from NASA says Beaufort Sea drilling rigs could be affected by launches from its only high-latitude rocket range.

The space administration funds Poker Flat Research Range outside Fairbanks. The high-latitude rocket range for decades has been operated by the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

“What we're known for is doing research on the aurora,” Poker Flat director Kathe Rich said.

Scientists launch rockets that pass through the aurora and sometimes land great distances from the launch site.

“If we’re looking for something that’s fairly far north, it’s going to come down in the Beaufort Sea or the Arctic Ocean, one or the other,” Rich said.

The NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in April sent a letter to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management estimating that 70 rocket parts have landed in the Beaufort Sea since the 1960s.

NASA expressed concern that future oil and gas development in the Beaufort Sea could result in the need to protect additional people and property during launches.

The chance of rocket parts crashing onto oil rigs is extremely unlikely, Rich said. Scientists would not launch them if they thought people or infrastructure would be in danger. What's more likely is that more Beaufort Sea activity could limit research opportunities, Rich said.

Bureau spokesman John Callahan said by email the agency will work with NASA to explore the best options.

STRAY PARTS: NASA has chimed in on a proposed offshore drilling lease in Alaska, saying that parts of experimental rockets have fallen into the Beaufort Sea, where the drilling would take place.