Interior to hold April Anchorage meeting

Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar said March 11 that one of four regional public meetings on Interior’s findings on outer continental shelf energy resources and potential environmental impacts will be held in Anchorage April 14.

No times were given for the meeting, an all-day affair scheduled for the Dena’ina Convention Center.

The meeting will include opening remarks by Salazar followed by a presentation of a report being prepared by Interior on offshore energy resources. The department said the rest of the day’s meeting will be devoted to hearing from elected officials and public and private interests.

The meetings are part of a strategy Salazar announced Feb. 10 for developing a new comprehensive energy development plan for the U.S. OCS which included: extending the public comment period 180 days to Sept. 21 on the draft five-year OCS leasing proposal prepared by the last administration; a report by March 30 from Minerals Management Service and U.S. Geological Survey scientists on conventional and renewable offshore energy resources; regional meetings to review report findings and gather input; and expediting renewable energy rulemaking for the OCS required under the Energy Policy Act of 2005.

Other meetings are April 6 in Atlantic City, N.J.; April 8 in New Orleans, La.; and April 16 in San Francisco.

—Petroleum News