Swordsmyth
09-12-2019, 09:00 PM
The Trump administration announced a key step toward opening Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) to oil and gas exploration Thursday, rolling out a plan that would see lease sales occur by the end of the year.
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) released its finalized Environmental Impact Statement (https://eplanning.blm.gov/epl-front-office/projects/nepa/102555/20003762/250004418/Volume_1_ExecSummary_Ch1-3_References_Glossary.pdf), which favors the option to offer lease sales across 1.56 million acres of Alaska’s coastal plains.
“After rigorous review, robust public comment, and a consideration of a range of alternatives, today’s announcement is a big step to carry out the clear mandate we received from Congress to develop and implement a leasing program for the Coastal Plain, a program the people of Alaska have been seeking for over 40 years,” Interior Secretary David Bernhardt said in a statement.
Under law, the BLM now has a 30-day waiting period before it can open up calls from fossil fuel companies for tracts to bid on and file its finalized Notice of Decision. Officials say they anticipate holding lease sales before the end of the year.
The agency said the preferred plan to lease the entire program area to oil and gas companies would still provide protection for the “many important resources” within the area. It added that 40 operating procedures would also be applied to reduce potential impacts. Any proposed future drilling projects would be subject to additional environmental scrutiny and permitting.
More at: https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/461161-trump-administration-to-open-alaskan-wildlife-refuge-to-drilling-by
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) released its finalized Environmental Impact Statement (https://eplanning.blm.gov/epl-front-office/projects/nepa/102555/20003762/250004418/Volume_1_ExecSummary_Ch1-3_References_Glossary.pdf), which favors the option to offer lease sales across 1.56 million acres of Alaska’s coastal plains.
“After rigorous review, robust public comment, and a consideration of a range of alternatives, today’s announcement is a big step to carry out the clear mandate we received from Congress to develop and implement a leasing program for the Coastal Plain, a program the people of Alaska have been seeking for over 40 years,” Interior Secretary David Bernhardt said in a statement.
Under law, the BLM now has a 30-day waiting period before it can open up calls from fossil fuel companies for tracts to bid on and file its finalized Notice of Decision. Officials say they anticipate holding lease sales before the end of the year.
The agency said the preferred plan to lease the entire program area to oil and gas companies would still provide protection for the “many important resources” within the area. It added that 40 operating procedures would also be applied to reduce potential impacts. Any proposed future drilling projects would be subject to additional environmental scrutiny and permitting.
More at: https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/461161-trump-administration-to-open-alaskan-wildlife-refuge-to-drilling-by