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Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 148 / Thursday, August 5, 2021 / Rules and Regulations Specific Ongoing and Planned Activities at Existing Oil and Gas Facilities for 20212026
During the regulatory period, exploration and development activities are anticipated to occur in the offshore and continue in the current oil field units, including those projects identified by Industry, below.

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Badami Unit The Badami oilfield resides between the Point Thomson Unit and the Prudhoe Bay Unit, approximately 56 km 35 mi east of Prudhoe Bay. No permanent road connections exist from Badami to other Units, such as Prudhoe Bay or the Dalton Highway. The Badami Unit consists of approximately 34 ha 85
ac of tundra, including approximately 9.7 km 6 mi of established industrial duty roads connecting all infrastructure, 56 km 35 mi of pipeline, one gravel mine site, and two gravel pads with a total of 10 wells. The oilfield consists of the following infrastructure and facilities: A central processing facility CPF pad, a storage pad, the Badami airstrip pad, the Badami barge landing, and a 40.2-km 25-mi pipeline that connects to Endicott.
During the summer, equipment and supplies are transported to Badami by contract aircraft from Merrill Field in Anchorage or by barge from the West Dock in Prudhoe Bay. During winter drilling activities, a tundra ice road is constructed near the Badami/Endicott Pipeline to tie-in to the Badami CPF
pad. This winter tundra ice road is the only land connection to the Dalton Highway and the Badami Unit. Light passenger trucks, dump trucks, vacuum trucks, tractor trailers, fuel trucks, and heavy equipment e.g., large drill rigs, well simulation equipment travel on this road during the winter season. This road also opens as an ADNR-permitted trail during off-years where Tuckers a brand of tracked vehicle or tracked Steigers a brand of tractor use it with sleds and snow machines. Activities related to this opening would be limited to necessary resupply and routine valve station maintenance along the oil sales pipeline corridor.
Flights from Anchorage land at Badami Airfield N70.13747, W147.0304 for a total of 32 flight legs monthly. Additionally, Badami transports personnel and equipment from Deadhorse to Badami Airfield.
Approximately 24 cargo flights land at Badami Airfield annually depending on Unit activities and urgency. Badami also conducts aerial pipeline inspections.
These flights are typically flown by smaller, charter aircrafts at a minimum
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Tundra travel at Badami takes place during both the summer and winter season. Rolligons and Tuckers off-road vehicles are used during the summer for cargo and resupply activities but may also be used to access any pipelines and valve pads that are not located adjacent to the gravel roads. During periods of 24-hour sunlight, these vehicles may operate at any hour.
Similar off-road vehicles are used during the winter season for maintenance and inspections.
Temporary ice roads and ice pads may be built for the movement of heavy equipment to areas that are otherwise inaccessible for crucial maintenance and drilling. Ice road construction typically occurs in December or January;
however, aside from the previously mentioned road connecting Badami to the Dalton Highway, ice roads are not routinely built for Badami. Roads are only built on an as-needed basis based on specific projects. Other activities performed during the winter season include pipeline inspections, culvert work, pigging, ground surveillance, geotechnical investigations, vertical support member VSM leveling, reconnaissance routes along snow machine trails, and potentially spill response exercises. Road vehicles used include pickup trucks, vacuum trucks, loaders, box vans, excavators, and hot water trucks. Standard off-road vehicles include, but are not limited to, Tuckers, Rolligons, and snow machines.
On occasion, crew boats, landing craft, and barges may transport personnel and equipment from West Dock to Badami from July through September, pending the open-water window. Tugs and barges may also be used depending on operational needs.
These trips typically go from Badami to other coastal Units, including Endicott and Point Thomson.
Badami performs emergency response and oil spill trainings during both openwater and ice-covered seasons. Smaller vessels i.e., zodiacs, aluminum work boats, air boats, and bay-class boats typically participate in these exercises.
Future classes may utilize other additional equipment or vessels as needed.
Currently, 10 wells have been drilled across the lifespan of the Badami Unit.
Repair and maintenance activities on pipelines, culverts, ice roads, and pads are routine within the Badami Unit and occur year-round. Badamis current operator has received a permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to permit a new gravel pad 4.04 ha 10 ac located east of the Badami Barge
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Landing and a new gravel pit. This new pad would allow the drilling of seven more deployment wells at Badami. All new wells would be tied back to the CPF.
Duck Island Unit Endicott Historically called the Endicott Oilfield, the Duck Island Unit is located approximately 16 km 10 mi northeast of Prudhoe Bay. Currently, Hilcorp Alaska, LLC operates the oilfield.
Endicott is the first offshore oilfield to continuously produce oil in the Arctic area of the United States and includes a variety of facilities, infrastructure, and islands. Endicott consists of 210 ha 522
ac of land, 24 km 15 mi of roads, 43
km 24 mi of pipelines, two pads, and no gravel mine sites. The operations center and the processing center are situated on the 24-ha 58-ac Main Production Island MPI. To date, 113
wells have been drilled in efforts to develop the field, of which 73 still operate. Additionally, two satellite fields Eider and Sag Delta North are drilled from the Endicott MPI. Regular activities at Endicott consist of production and routine repair on the Endicott Sales Oil Pipeline, culverts, bridges, and bench bags. A significant repair on a bridge called the Big Skookum is expected to occur during the duration of this ITR.
Endicotts facilities are connected by gravel roads and are accessible through the Dalton Highway year-round via a variety of vehicles pickup trucks, vacuum trucks, loaders, box vans, excavators, hot water trucks. Required equipment and supplies are brought in first from Anchorage and Fairbanks, through Deadhorse, and then into Endicott. Traffic is substantial, with heavy traffic on routes between processing facilities and camps.
Conversely, drill site access routes experience much less traffic with standard visits occurring twice daily within a 24-hour period. Traffic at drill sites increases during active drilling, maintenance, or other related projects and tends to subside during normal operations. Hilcorp uses a variety of vehicles on these roads, including light passenger trucks, heavy tractor-trailer trucks, heavy equipment, and very large drill rigs. Ice roads are only built on an as-needed basis for specific projects.
Air travel via helicopter from an established pad on Endicott to Deadhorse Airport is necessary only if the access bridges are washed out typically mid to late May to the start of June. During such instances, approximately 2030 crew flights would occur along with cargo flights about once a week. Hilcorp also performs
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