Bristol Bay Naives ask Stevens to pull OCS drilling moratorium from bill

A moratorium on Bristol Bay outer continental shelf oil and gas development has been a feature of U.S. Department of the Interior appropriations bills in recent years, but it is not included in the appropriations bill for the upcoming fiscal year, FY ‘04, which begins Oct. 1.

“At the request of the Bristol Bay Native Corp, Sen. Stevens did not include that moratorium this year,” Melanie Alvord, press secretary for U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, told Petroleum News July 17. She said the bill is out of committee and awaiting action on the Senate floor.

The U.S. Minerals Management Service handles leasing on the outer continental shelf. In addition to the removal of the moratorium from the Interior appropriation, presidential action would be needed (see story page 1).