BLM closes tundra travel season in NPR-A

Alan Bailey

Petroleum News

On May 11 the federal Bureau of Land Management announced the closure of winter off-road tundra travel in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska. As previously reported in Petroleum News, the Alaska Department of Natural Resources has already closed all Arctic state lands for off-road tundra travel - the Lower Foothills area closed on May 6, while the Eastern and Western Coastal areas closed on May 8.

Unlike the state, which sets opening and closing dates for tundra travel based on parameters for ground temperatures and snow cover, BLM issues federal off-road permits for NPR-A on a case-by-case basis, using performance-based standards for protecting the tundra. But, while BLM’s approach does not require the agency to set any specific start date for winter tundra travel, the agency’s regulations do require the agency to set an end-date, by which time off-road operations must finish for the season.

- ALAN BAILEY