BLM extends NPR-A plan comment period

Kristen Nelson

Petroleum News

The Bureau of Land Management said Jan. 21 that it has extended the public comment period for the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska integrated activity plan/draft environmental impact statement by 15 days to Feb. 5.

The comment period had been 60 days; it is now 75 days. BLM said the comment period was extended because of stakeholder requests.

The draft EIS for a new IAP for NPR-A was released Nov. 21 and includes four alternatives, ranging from Alternative A, the status quo, with 11.8 million acres offered for development under a 2013 record of decision, to Alternative D, which makes 18.3 million acres available for leasing, including the entire Teshekpuk Lake special area.

Former Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke issued on order in May 2017 requiring a rework of the existing NPR-A plan to determine if more land could be opened for oil and gas leasing and the agency issued a notice of intent to prepare a new plan in November 2018.

BLM said the secretary’s order responded to requests from the state and the North Slope Borough “to increase opportunities for infrastructure and to help build capacity to support their aligned goals in light or recently increased activity on Alaska’s North Slope.”

“With advancement in technology and increased knowledge of the area, it was prudent to develop a new plan that provides greater economic development of our resources while still providing protections for important resources and subsistence access,” BLM Alaska State Director Chad Padgett said when the draft EIS was released.

- KRISTEN NELSON