Today Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy praised the U.S. Department of Interior’s publication of the final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for a new National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska (NPR-A) Integrated Activity Plan (IAP). The final EIS selects Alternative E as the preferred alternative, which would open 18.6 million acres for oil and gas leasing.
“I want to thank President Trump, Secretary Bernhardt, and the Department of Interior for working closely with Alaskans to better balance federal land usage in the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska,” said Governor Dunleavy. “My administration welcomes the responsible investment and development that will occur as a result of this action.”
“As Americas only Arctic State, it was refreshing that the Federal Administration considered Alaska’s science and our local understanding of the subtle environmental nuance that is Alaska’s North Slope when making this critical decision in its EIS for the conservation of the environment and the security of this Nation. I feel confident that the oil and gas resources of the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska can be developed in a manner conserves the fish and wildlife resources and their uses,” said Commissioner Doug Vincent-Lang of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.
The NPR-A is estimated to hold 8.7 billion barrels of recoverable oil. The Borough of Land Management (BLM) initiated the EIS in November 2018 to determine the appropriate management of BLM-managed public lands in the NPR-A. The BLM issued a draft EIS on November 2019 and the final EIS comes after a 75-day public comment period. A Record of Decision will follow the publication of the final EIS and impact any future BLM Alaska lease sales within the NPR-A.
