The US Bureau of Land Management released a draft environmental impact statement of a new integrated activity plan for the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska on Nov. 22. BLM's Alaska State Office said the public will have 60 days to comment on the draft, 15 days longer than normal because of the December holidays. Comments will be accepted through Jan 21, 2020.
Public meetings will be held in the Alaska communities of Anaktuvuk Pass, Anchorage, Atqasuk, Fairbanks, Nuiqsut, Point Lay, Utqiagvik, and Wainwright to give the public additional opportunities to provide input. A public hearing on subsistence activities will occur in conjunction with the public meetings in the potentially affected communities of Anaktuvuk Pass, Atqasuk, Nuiqsut, Utqiagvik, Point Lay, and Wainwright.
“With advancements in technology and increased knowledge of the area, it was prudent to develop a new plan that provides greater economic development of our resources while still providing protections for important resources and subsistence access,” BLM Alaska State Director Chad Padgett said.
“This is one of several actions we are taking to further expand responsible energy development based on substantial input, and we will continue seeking public input in this phase of the analysis,” he indicated.
BLM initiated the draft EIS in November 2018 to develop a new management strategy for all acreage the US Department of the Interior agency manages in the 23 million-acre NPR-A as directed in a secretarial order from then-Interior chief Ryan Zinke, which envisions clean and safe development in the NPR-A while avoiding regulatory burdens that unnecessarily encumber energy production, constrain economic growth, and prevent job creation.
The order responded to requests from the State of Alaska and the North Slope Borough to increase opportunities for infrastructure and to help build capacity to support their aligned goals in light of recently increased activity on Alaska’s North Slope, BLM Alaska said. The state and borough seek to balance economic growth, preserve a healthy environment, and create a vibrant traditional subsistence culture, it noted.
It said that in addition to advances in technology, a 2017 US Geological Survey study calculating a significantly higher estimate of technically recoverable oil required developing a new management strategy for the NPR-A. New information from caribou monitoring reports not available in 2012 also informed this new analysis, BLM Alaska added.
BLM is required to include the status quo as an alternative, “Alternative A,” which maintains the 11.8 million acres for development under the 2013 record of decision. The other alternatives include:
- Alternative B, which decreases the land available for leasing and new infrastructure to 11.4 million acres and designates all special areas as unavailable,
- Alternative C, which increases the land available for leasing and new infrastructure to 17.1 million acres and keeps a core area around Teshekpuk Lake as unavailable,
- Alternative D, which increases the land available for leasing and new infrastructure to 18.3 million acres allowing for the entire Teshekpuk Lake special area, as well as parts of the Utukok River Uplands special area, to be available for development.
BLM said that the draft EIS identifies new management alternatives that consider different land allocation combinations, possible new leasing areas, new or revised lease stipulations and best management practices, and an examination of current special area boundaries.
Contact Nick Snow at [email protected]