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NPR-A environmental assessment largely reverts to previous plan
Kristen Nelson Petroleum News
The new environmental assessment for the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska integrated activity plan, released June 17, is a step toward a new record of decision for the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska, returning the area available for leasing to an area similar to what it was in 2020, as opposed to the plan under an April 2022 ROD, which was consistent with the plan adopted in 2013.
The Bureau of Land Management is taking comments on the new plan through July 1.
Acreage available for leasing in NPR-A has changed as administrations have changed in Washington, D.C.
In 2013, under a Democratic administration, only some 11.8 million acres, about 52% of the total, were available for leasing. That changed when a Republican administration took over, with the 2020 ROD making 18.58 million acres, 82% of the total 22.8 million acres, available for leasing.
Then in 2022, under a Democratic administration, the area made available for leasing in 2022 was cut back to the 11.8 million acres offered under the 2013 plan.
Under the current Republican administration, the proposal released in mid-June is for 18.7 million acres, 82%, of NPR-A to be offered for lease.
New proposal Under the new environmental assessment, while 18.7 million acres would be available for leasing, new infrastructure would be prohibited on some 4.3 million acres.
Special areas under the new plan include Teshekpuk Lake, Utukok River Uplands, Kasegaluk Lagoon and Peard Bay. The Colville River special area is not included, following BLM's determination in the 2020 ROD that raptor protections specific to that special area now covers all of NPR-A.
All of the Teshekpuk Lake special area would be available for leasing, but with no surface occupancy and timing limitation restrictions making some areas beyond the reach of current drilling technology. BLM said those areas would be kept available for a time when advances in drilling would make those areas available without surface occupancy.
In the Utukok River Uplands a core area would be unavailable for leasing and with a limitation on new infrastructure.
"A new ROD would authorize lease sales but would not directly authorize any on-the-ground activity associated with the exploration or development of oil and gas resources, or other land authorization, in the NPR-A. On-the-ground activities would require separate decisions following additional project-specific NEPA analysis," BLM said in the environmental assessment.
The new ROD would set requirements for lease sales at least through 2045, although not all areas identified in a new ROD would be offered in a first sale, BLM said, with timing and lands offered in following sales depending "in part on the response to the first sale and the results of any exploration that follows."
2022 ROD Under the 2022 ROD, management was consistent with the 2013 ROD, making some 11.8 million acres, 52%, available for leasing, with the 11 million acres not available "including the majority of lands within Special Areas and much of the coastal area of the NPR-A along the Beaufort Sea."
New infrastructure was allowable on some 10.8 million acres, with limited new infrastructure -- such as essential pipeline, road crossing and coastal infrastructure -- available on some 3.3 million acres. No new infrastructure was allowed on 8.3 million acres, including the majority of the Utukok River Uplands and a sizeable area around Teshekpuk Lake.
The ROD said there were exceptions to the infrastructure prohibitions, including single season snow and ice infrastructure -- even exploration pads over-summered; and exploration wells drilled in a single season.
The 2022 ROD reinstated the Colville River special area as it was approved in the 2013 ROD, and reverted boundaries of the Teshekpuk Lake and Utukok River Uplands special areas to those approved in the 2013 ROD.
2020 ROD The 2020 ROD made some 18.58 million acres available for leasing, made lands available for application for pipelines and other infrastructure necessary for potential owners of Chukchi Sea and Beaufort Sea acreage to bring oil and gas across the NPR-A.
The plan adjusted the boundaries of the Teshekpuk Lake and Utukok River Uplands special areas and maintained the Peard Bay and Kasegaluk Lagoon special areas. The Colville River special area was eliminated because protections for raptors in that area were applied to all of NPR-A.
Of the 18,581,000 acres made available for leasing, some 132,000 acres in the northeastern part of the reserve would not be available for 10 years, "when a ten-year deferral established by this Decision in the Teshekpuk Lake Special Area expires," BLM said in that decision.
Some 4.1 million acres, a large majority of lands in the Utukok River Uplands and all of the Peard Bay and Kasegaluk Lagoon special areas were not available for leasing.
New infrastructure would be allowable on more than 13 million acres, including much of the Teshekpuk Lake special area, with limited new infrastructure allowed on some 5 million acres along certain river corridors and in certain parts of special areas.
--KRISTEN NELSON
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