Public Comment Opens on Draft Environmental Impact Statement on NPR-A Integrated Activity PlanBy MARY KAUFFMAN
November 21, 2019
“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,” said BLM Alaska State Director Chad Padgett. 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. As part of our commitment to ensure robust public input and Alaska Native stakeholder participation over the holiday season, we are allowing for a 60 day comment period on this draft.” The BLM initiated the Draft EIS in November 2018 to develop a new management strategy for all BLM-managed public lands in the 23 million-acre NPR-A as directed in Secretary’s Order 3352 (Order), 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. The State and Borough seek to balance economic growth, preservation of a healthy environment, and a vibrant traditional subsistence culture.
In addition to advances in technology, a 2017 USGS survey 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. The Draft EIS outlines four alternatives providing a range of options for leasing and development. The Final EIS will be informed by public comments received and identify a preferred alternative that can be a combination of different aspects of the range of alternatives. The 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:
The EIS identifies new management alternatives that consider different land allocation combinations, opening new areas to leasing, new or revised lease stipulations and best management practices and examining current special area boundaries. U.S. Sens. Lisa Murkowski, Dan Sullivan, and Rep. Don Young, all R-Alaska, today issued statements after the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announced the draft Environmental Impact Statement for an updated Integrated Activity Plan for the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska. “This is a significant step toward a new plan that is more consistent with the legal purposes of the petroleum reserve, which holds the potential for billions of barrels of recoverable oil that can help refill the Trans-Alaska Pipeline,” Murkowski said. “We have recently learned a great deal about the abundant resources of the NPR-A, and updating the deeply flawed 2013 IAP to provide greater access is necessary to reflect our opportunities for responsible development. We will review the draft EIS closely and encourage Alaskans to provide comments and participate in the public process.” “Today’s announcement is welcome progress towards evaluating how to best realize the potential of Alaska’s vast energy resources,” Sullivan said. “The previous administration was dead set on locking up the NPR-A which, in turn, stunted our economy. The Department of Interior’s efforts to provide a new activity plan furthers our goal of responsible exploration and development, ensuring that Alaska’s resources help the U.S. remain an energy superpower. I encourage Alaskans to share their views throughout the comment period.” “An updated NPR-A Integrated Activity Plan is not only good news for Alaska, but is an encouraging development for our continued push to make America truly energy independent,” Young said. “The resources available in the NPR-A are vast, and very frankly, the Obama Administration’s 2013 IAP was an overly-restrictive disaster for Alaskans who know our lands can be responsibly developed. I look forward to reviewing the newly-published EIS and continuing my work with the Delegation and the Administration to ensure that Alaska’s resources can be utilized to meet the energy needs across our great nation.” The NPR-A is administered by the Bureau of Land Management under the Naval Petroleum Reserves Production Act and other federal laws. It covers more than 23 million acres on the western North Slope of Alaska, an area larger than the state of Indiana. Quoting a news release from the Alaska Delegation, in 2013, the Obama administration issued a highly restrictive IAP for the NPR-A that withdrew roughly half of the reserve from energy development. In 2017, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated that the NPR-A area contains an estimated 8.7 billion barrels of undiscovered, technically recoverable oil. The public will have 60 days to provide comment on the Draft, 15 days more than required due to the holidays, closing on January 21, 2020. Public meetings are scheduled in Anaktuvuk Pass, Anchorage, Atqasuk, Fairbanks, Nuiqsut, Point Lay, Utqiagvik and Wainwright, Alaska, to afford the public an opportunity to provide input on the process. 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. The dates, times and locations of the meetings will be announced in advance through public releases, the BLM Alaska website at http://www.blm.gov/alaska/NPR-A-IAP-EIS , and social media. The BLM may hold additional public meetings in other communities if there is strong community interest. Those unable to attend one of the meetings are encouraged to read the Draft EIS and make comments via BLM’s project website at http://www.blm.gov/alaska/NPR-A-IAP-EIS, which includes a project area map and frequently asked questions. Before including your address, phone number, email address, or other personal identifying information, be advised that your entire comment, including your identifying information, may be made publicly available at any time. While you may ask the BLM in your comments to withhold your personal identifying information from public review, the BLM cannot guarantee that they will be able to do so. Comments on the Draft EIS should be specific to the document itself, referencing sections or pages. Comments can be submitted at any of the public meetings or by the following methods:
Formerly known as Naval Petroleum Reserve No. 4, the NPR-A is a vast 23-million-acre area on Alaska's North Slope. In 1923, mindful of the land's conceivable petroleum value, President Harding set aside this area as an emergency oil supply for the U.S. Navy. In 1976, in accordance with the Naval Petroleum Reserves Production Act, administration of the reserve was transferred to the Department of the Interior's Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and renamed the NPR-A. Oil and gas leasing in the NPR-A is required under the Naval Petroleum Reserves Production Act of 1976 (42 U.S.C.6501 et seq.), as amended.
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