ConocoPhillips Alaska, Inc. is a subsidiary of
ConocoPhillips
ConocoPhillips Company is an American multinational corporation engaged in hydrocarbon exploration and production. It is based in the Energy Corridor district of Houston, Texas.
The company has operations in 15 countries and has production ...
, with its headquarters in
Anchorage
Anchorage () is the largest city in the U.S. state of Alaska by population. With a population of 291,247 in 2020, it contains nearly 40% of the state's population. The Anchorage metropolitan area, which includes Anchorage and the neighboring ...
,
Alaska
Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S ...
. The company has major lease holdings on the
North Slope North Slope can refer to:
* Alaska North Slope, a region encompassing the northernmost part of the U.S. state of Alaska
* North Slope Borough, Alaska, a borough in Alaska whose boundaries roughly coincide with that of the region
* North Slope, Tac ...
and is Alaska's largest producer of oil and gas, employing about 1,000 persons.
Controversy surrounding it
ConocoPhillips Inc. has been involved in a number of controversies in recent years. In 1995, the company was criticized for allowing a
Dutch
Dutch commonly refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands
* Dutch people ()
* Dutch language ()
Dutch may also refer to:
Places
* Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States
* Pennsylvania Dutch Country
People E ...
affiliate to develop two
oil fields
A petroleum reservoir or oil and gas reservoir is a subsurface accumulation of hydrocarbons contained in porous or fractured rock formations.
Such reservoirs form when kerogen (ancient plant matter) is created in surrounding rock by the presenc ...
in the
North Sea
The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian S ...
.
In 2012, ConocoPhillips distanced itself from its refinery troubles by spinning off those operations into a new company called
Phillips 66
The Phillips 66 Company is an American multinational energy company headquartered in Westchase, Houston, Texas. Its name, dating back to 1927 as a trademark of the Phillips Petroleum Company, helped ground the newly reconfigured Phillips 66. T ...
.
In 2013, California Attorney General
Kamala Harris
Kamala Devi Harris ( ; born October 20, 1964) is an American politician and attorney who is the 49th vice president of the United States. She is the first female vice president and the highest-ranking female official in U.S. history, as well ...
sued ConocoPhillips and
Phillips 66
The Phillips 66 Company is an American multinational energy company headquartered in Westchase, Houston, Texas. Its name, dating back to 1927 as a trademark of the Phillips Petroleum Company, helped ground the newly reconfigured Phillips 66. T ...
for failing to properly inspect and maintain underground tanks used to store gasoline at more than 500 service stations in the state.
The case is still pending.
In 2021, ConocoPhillips faced controversy when a gas leak occurred at one of its Alaskan drilling sites. This incident sparked concerns about the safety record of its operations in
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
, where a series of accidents resulted in more than two
dozen
A dozen (commonly abbreviated doz or dz) is a grouping of twelve.
The dozen may be one of the earliest primitive integer groupings, perhaps because there are approximately a dozen cycles of the Moon, or months, in a cycle of the Sun, or yea ...
worker deaths and scores of injuries.
In August 2021, a federal judge reversed the U.S. government's approval of ConocoPhillips' planned $6 billion Willow oil development in
Alaska
Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S ...
due to problems with its
environmental analysis
Environmental analysis is the use of analytical chemistry and other techniques to study the environment. The purpose of this is commonly to monitor and study levels of pollutants in the atmosphere, rivers and other specific settings. Other envi ...
.
This ruling was a blow to the massive drilling project that Alaskan officials had hoped would help offset oil production declines in the state.
In January 2023, ConocoPhillips sued the state of
Alaska
Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S ...
over a road-use dispute with another oil company that plans to develop a giant
North Slope North Slope can refer to:
* Alaska North Slope, a region encompassing the northernmost part of the U.S. state of Alaska
* North Slope Borough, Alaska, a borough in Alaska whose boundaries roughly coincide with that of the region
* North Slope, Tac ...
prospect.
The disagreement between
Oil Search
Oil Search was the largest oil and gas exploration and development company incorporated in Papua New Guinea, which operates all of Papua New Guinea's oilfields. In December 2021, it merged with the Australian company Santos.
History
Oil Sear ...
and ConocoPhillips over the terms for the use of roads dates back well over a year.
ConocoPhillips has also tried to evade controversy by pulling out of controversial exploration activities in the
Peruvian Amazon
Peruvian Amazonia ( es, Amazonía del Perú) is the area of the Amazon rainforest included within the country of Peru, from east of the Andes to the borders with Ecuador, Colombia, Brazil and Bolivia. This region comprises 60% of the country a ...
and environmentally sensitive
Chukchi Sea
Chukchi Sea ( rus, Чуко́тское мо́ре, r=Chukotskoye more, p=tɕʊˈkotskəjə ˈmorʲɪ), sometimes referred to as the Chuuk Sea, Chukotsk Sea or the Sea of Chukotsk, is a marginal sea of the Arctic Ocean. It is bounded on the west ...
off
Alaska
Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S ...
,
as well as suing another state agency to prevent it from releasing well data related to its Willow project.
Operations
ConocoPhillips Alaska operates the
Kuparuk oil field
The Kuparuk River Oil Field, or Kuparuk, located in North Slope Borough, Alaska, United States, is the second largest oil field in North America by area. It produces approximately of oil and is estimated to have of recoverable oil reserves. I ...
, the Alpine oil field and has interests in the
Prudhoe Bay Oil Field
Prudhoe Bay Oil Field is a large oil field on Alaska's North Slope. It is the largest oil field in North America, covering and originally containing approximately of oil. . In January 2010 the company announced that it was delaying its latest
North Slope North Slope can refer to:
* Alaska North Slope, a region encompassing the northernmost part of the U.S. state of Alaska
* North Slope Borough, Alaska, a borough in Alaska whose boundaries roughly coincide with that of the region
* North Slope, Tac ...
project due to a failure to secure a permit from the
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
, colors =
, anniversaries = 16 June (Organization Day)
, battles =
, battles_label = Wars
, website =
, commander1 = ...
to construct a bridge needed for the project.
In the
Cook Inlet Area
Cook Inlet ( tfn, Tikahtnu; Sugpiaq: ''Cungaaciq'') stretches from the Gulf of Alaska to Anchorage in south-central Alaska. Cook Inlet branches into the Knik Arm and Turnagain Arm at its northern end, almost surrounding Anchorage. On its sou ...
, the company operates the Kenai
liquefied natural gas
Liquefied natural gas (LNG) is natural gas (predominantly methane, CH4, with some mixture of ethane, C2H6) that has been cooled down to liquid form for ease and safety of non-pressurized storage or transport. It takes up about 1/600th the v ...
export terminal, the
Tyonek
Tyonek or Present / New Tyonek ( Dena'ina: ''Qaggeyshlat'' - ″little place between toes") is a census-designated place (CDP) in Kenai Peninsula Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. As of the 2020 census the population was 152, down from 171 ...
oil platform in the North Cook Inlet field and the
Beluga River The beluga whale (/bɪˈluːɡə/) (Delphinapterus leucas) is an Arctic and sub-Arctic cetacean. It is one of two members of the family Monodontidae, along with the narwhal, and the only member of the genus Delphinapterus. It is also known as the wh ...
natural gas field.
ConocoPhillips Alaska has also teamed with
BP on a project to construct the long discussed
Alaska gas pipeline to retrieve
stranded gas
Stranded gas is a natural gas field that has been discovered, but remains unusable for either physical or economic reasons. Gas found in an oil well is generally called associated gas rather than stranded gas but some flared gases from oil wel ...
from the North Slope, but a competing project by
TransCanada Corporation
TC Energy Corporation (formerly TransCanada Corporation) is a major North American energy company, based in the TC Energy Tower building in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, that develops and operates energy infrastructure in Canada, the United States, ...
has some support from both the state and federal government.
Relationship with Alaska and the federal government
Oil companies often have a rocky relationship with the state government of Alaska, as they are a highly valued class of corporate taxpayers who sometimes portray themselves as carrying too much of the state's tax burden. Alaska is one of the few states that does not have a statewide
sales tax
A sales tax is a tax paid to a governing body for the sales of certain goods and services. Usually laws allow the seller to collect funds for the tax from the consumer at the point of purchase. When a tax on goods or services is paid to a gove ...
or
income tax
An income tax is a tax imposed on individuals or entities (taxpayers) in respect of the income or profits earned by them (commonly called taxable income). Income tax generally is computed as the product of a tax rate times the taxable income. Tax ...
, instead relying heavily on revenue from leasing land for energy development and taxing profits on extracted resources such as oil and gas. Conoco Phillips Alaska asked the Alaska legislature in 2010 to reconsider some provisions of the law known as the ''Alaska's Clear and Equitable Share'', which sets a baseline tax of 25% on all revenue from Alaskan oil, which can increase to up to 75% as the price of a barrel of oil increases.
Corporate giving
Oil companies in Alaska are important taxpayers and donors to public and private causes, and CPA is no exception. In 2008 the company donated fifteen million dollars to the
University of Alaska
The University of Alaska System is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Alaska. It was created in 1917 and comprises three separately accredited universities on 19 campuses. The system serves nearly 30,000 full- and part-time stu ...
for construction of new science education facility, the largest donation the University has ever received. The company has also supported athletic competitions in winter sports in Alaska, including sponsoring cross-country skiing competitions in Alaska and supporting the U.S. Olympic cross-country team.
Jim Bowles
On Saturday February 13, 2010, the president of ConocoPhillips Alaska, Jim Bowles, died in an
avalanche
An avalanche is a rapid flow of snow down a slope, such as a hill or mountain.
Avalanches can be set off spontaneously, by such factors as increased precipitation or snowpack weakening, or by external means such as humans, animals, and ear ...
. South-central Alaska had been experiencing an unusually warm, wet winter and numerous avalanches occurred during this time period.
[Fantz, Ashley.]
ConocoPhillips Alaska president killed in avalanche
" '' CNN''. February 14, 2010. Retrieved on February 14, 2010.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Conocophillips Alaska
Companies based in Anchorage, Alaska
Petroleum in Alaska
ConocoPhillips subsidiaries