Goo Goo

First it was the “Green Goo” that showed up on Alaska's Northern most western coastline, where the only inhabitants still rely on a subsistence like living, land and sea of the Eskimo. The “Green” monster caused concern, as it was never observed or recorded before and elders are good at passing down historical events - for over 10,000 years the word passed down through generations has been considered accurate as it is an unsurpassed and valuable piece of the survival puzzle. Word of mouth is honored, so when those in the know say it never happened, take that for granted. Now we have the attack of the “Orange Goo” causing yet another concern, once again no such record of this monster like crud ever before making a show in the lagoons of the coastal villages. This is freaky! But is the real monster responsible for unleashing this phenomena lurking below the surface of the Arctic Oceans, the Beaufort and Chukchi? Is something going haywire to cause nature to rebel and cause these goo blooms? It may not be your typical Loch Ness sort of creature, but all possibilities point to an environmental disaster unfolding that will make Love Canal tame in the list of man-made atrocities. If the “man-made” provoked anger or interest, read on. Since science is baffled at these goo-goo occurrence, I offer my take on what is causing this concern - with the goo-goo monsters. For years oil men have been poking holes in the ground up North, through thousands of feet of age-old permafrost then down through thousands of layers of Cretaceous sand-stone, stubborn shale type rock, radio-active zones, normal fault zones and everything else in between the surface and those lucrative oil reservoirs holding out on the “Black Gold”. Now in the beginning, all was good, as the reservoir pressure was high enough to allow oil to flow to the surface without any outside assistance. Like water flooding and gas injection recovery, also known in the oil business as tertiary recovery. But when an operation and infrastructure is paid for after 30-years and oil is selling at $100-dollars more a less a barrel, there comes all kinds of untested or uncontested gimmicks to squeeze the formations dry. And the state of Alaska officials go right along with it, as without oil Alaska is broke. So over the years there has come all kinds of unusual and controversial experiments in efforts to squeeze topside the last remaining drops of hydrocarbon constituents out of the stubborn formations, and once on the surface pumped to markets and made into motor gasoline in what appears to be a huge profit making scheme. Does Ponzi ring a bell? These experiments are making money and lots of it. And today we hear of the controversy surrounding what is called “frac” work, wherein this experiment utilizes toxic chemicals with crazy names and horrendous pressures to basically “prop” open the formation so oil can bleed towards the surface capture equipment. The pressures utilized to split open rock and shove in microscopic wedges thousands of feet away from human activity is mind boggling. Take this experiment as an example. A pea shooter sending out peas at the velocities used in “frac” work would deliver the dried beans at the target in the form of “Hummus”. And nowadays as soon as controversy hits the scene, it becomes creative “fib” telling for the industries involved in this atrocity. I guess “what happens down in the hole stays down in the hole”, they hope! I challenge the Haliburton King – maybe Dick Cheney – and other industry representatives to sit down in front of Congress with their new age environmental food grade “frac” fluid and drink it down, then see how they feel after consuming this so-called safe stuff - a breakfast of champions? The oil industry uses all kinds of nasty chemicals to produce blood out of a turnip. Take drilling salts. I witnessed a few bags of drilling salt ripped open on the tundra and within a few days some caribou came across it. Animals take a liking to licking salt. Now the bags warned” Not for Consumption by Animals”. But nobody cared and within a few days there came pools of blood, hemorrhaging from this salt being ingested and raising havoc the delicate stomach lining of the tundra animals. We are in so much a hurry to produce profitable results that we are not examining or playing out the “What if” scenario. Look “frac” work is not new to Alaska's north slope and we know there exists “faults” along the way wherein these top-side drilling rigs target. “Faults” mean an escape channel. So it is my scientific belief that this stuff deigned to assist “frac” work is not staying in its intended domain – down-hole! And when one considers the concoction of chemicals under pressure entering the down-hole cauldron, there comes the possibility that our experiments have gone “critical” and this stuff, the remains, it could be making its way topside through these faults - depositing the fallout into the oceans. Once free, then nature must take action, and this is what may be occurring up north with the goo-goo phenomenon. It is mind boggling what is being sent down-hole nowadays. Besides thousands of gallons of diesel and waste streams from human crap to “unknown” contaminants, oil men actually send “bugs” into the formations, bugs that eat hydrogen sulfide. And these caverns deep down that are under enormous “natural” pressures and temperatures, it is a science experiment in the making when we contribute to the “mix”. Men working topside have no idea what is going on down below, it is all a big guessing game. And herein exists the possible “goo” experiment origin, from the cauldron. There could easily be a fracture somewhere along the way in the under-ground strata that is leaking “crap” into the oceans' currents. Matter of fact, statistically speaking following “hydraulic” fracturing, there could be many release valves prepared to comfort, as one must realize that the word “hydraulic” has meaning, it means high, high, high pressures. Now these fault fractures could open and close, depending on many variables governing such releases and how we treat and test the Mother Earth's resiliency. So what we may be witnessing with these “goo-goo” occurrences is from a limited release and nature's way of combating an alien form, like a virus that requires corrective action. And since the “goo” is alive, it makes sense as that is nature's way, life for death. And maybe it is but a minuscule amount that it threatens no one, except with “frac” the in thing on the slope with the “Independents” bent on taking over, we should become very proactive this situation of concern. The scientists need to perform a DNA on this stuff and trace it back to its origin, or at least see if it is associated with what is going on through oil development. But in the event that it would show true upon my scientific belief, that the “goo” is a byproduct of nature's way of combating unknown poisonous possibilities from oceanic “fracture” releases attributed upon oil development “frac” work, the results would most likely be forfeited - as “Oil” development takes precedence over anything and everything civil here in Alaska. The health of the environment is but a stumbling block nuisance to some of the newcomers up north, those bent on annihilating the earth's down-hole peace and quiet for a few extra barrels of oil, a peace & quiet enjoyed for well over 10,000 years! And in the meantime, remember food grade quality chemicals are coming to a “frac” job near you, and that could make your water unfit for even animal consumption! With “frac” upon us, we have become the true guinea pigs and the Eskimo way of life is threatened, because “Oil” is King!