Compromise energy bill excludes ANWR, wants gas line to Chicago

Bush signs law removing Congressional restrictions on Bristol Bay

The Department of Interior Minerals Management Service said March 11 that blocks offshore the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge will not be included in proposed Beaufort Sea sale 170.

The announcement of the availability of the proposed notice of sale was made at the whaling captains convention in Barrow by MMS Associate Director Carolita Kallaur:

“By not offering any tracts offshore ANWR in this sale, additional time can be taken to further assess the possible cumulative effects on the refuge,” Kallaur said.

MMS said that with the offshore ANWR tracts deleted, the proposed sale 170 area more closely matches the area offered by the state of Alaska last November.

MMS spokeswoman Robin Cacy said this proposal includes 241 blocks, approximately 1.08 million acres. The area deferred for this sale only includes 122 blocks, 618,167 acres.

The sale is planned for August, with a final decision on the sale due in July.

To protect Nuiqsut’s bowhead whale subsistence harvest, industry would be required to obtain certain agreements with the North Slope Borough and the Alaska Whaling Commission for any permanent facilities within 10 miles of Cross Island. That provision is similar to one adopted by the state.

Polar Discovery on its way to Valdez

VECO Operations Inc. has been awarded a five-year contract for operations and engineering support for the Badami oilfield by BP Exploration (Alaska) Inc., BP said in a statement today. During the initial phase of the contract BP and VECO will design a managed maintenance system for Badami and finalize commercial terms of a long-term contract that will include performance measures and a risk-reward system of compensation, said BP. This component, to be completed prior to field start-up late this year, is valued at more than $1 million and is expected to provide about 20 jobs. Long-term support will create about 12 jobs on the North Slope and in Anchorage. The value of this part of the contract, said BP, is more than $3 million per year. BP holds a 70 percent interest in Badami and is field operator. PetroFina S.A. has a 30 percent interest. The field is 35 miles east of Prudhoe Bay and holds an estimated 120 million barrels of oil.