News Miner
“Feds approve drilling permit in Arctic reserve” by Alex DeMarban written on October 22, 2015. The Bureau of Land Management announced on Thursday it has approved a drilling permit that could set the stage for the first oil production on federal land in the nation’s largest reserve. The Bureau also said it has granted right-of-way access for the ConocoPhillips’ Greater Moose’s Tooth 1 project in the Indiana-sized National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska. “It’s good news. We’re pleased they issued the permit and the right-of-way and now we’re seeking a funding decision,” said Natalie Lowman, communications director for ConocoPhillips Alaska. The reason she believes it’s good new is because ConocoPhillips has said production could peak at 30,000 …show more content…
the lack of oil production from NPR-A has long frustrated Alaska politicians. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska and chair of the Senate Energy Committee, called the approval “good news” but said it underscores the “tortured path Alaskans have been forced to navigate to develop on federal lands in our state.” On the plus side, she said, much of the oil will come from the subsurface estate of ASRC, the Native regional corporation for the North Slope, and revenues will be shared with other Native corporations under a provision in the federal law that created the corporations. BLM characterized its approach in the reserve as balanced, and said it has taken steps to reduce environmental impacts, including establishing a fund to pay for a regional mitigation strategy in the reserve.ConocoPhillips has paid $1 million into the fund for the strategy’s development, said Lowman. Another $7 million would be paid into the fund after construction of the site to help pay for mitigation efforts that benefit local residents and subsistence users, she said. Bud Cribley, BLM’s Alaska director, said the agency will continue working with ConocoPhillips on a “responsible path forward in the development of oil and gas
“Feds approve drilling permit in Arctic reserve” by Alex DeMarban written on October 22, 2015. The Bureau of Land Management announced on Thursday it has approved a drilling permit that could set the stage for the first oil production on federal land in the nation’s largest reserve. The Bureau also said it has granted right-of-way access for the ConocoPhillips’ Greater Moose’s Tooth 1 project in the Indiana-sized National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska. “It’s good news. We’re pleased they issued the permit and the right-of-way and now we’re seeking a funding decision,” said Natalie Lowman, communications director for ConocoPhillips Alaska. The reason she believes it’s good new is because ConocoPhillips has said production could peak at 30,000 …show more content…
the lack of oil production from NPR-A has long frustrated Alaska politicians. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska and chair of the Senate Energy Committee, called the approval “good news” but said it underscores the “tortured path Alaskans have been forced to navigate to develop on federal lands in our state.” On the plus side, she said, much of the oil will come from the subsurface estate of ASRC, the Native regional corporation for the North Slope, and revenues will be shared with other Native corporations under a provision in the federal law that created the corporations. BLM characterized its approach in the reserve as balanced, and said it has taken steps to reduce environmental impacts, including establishing a fund to pay for a regional mitigation strategy in the reserve.ConocoPhillips has paid $1 million into the fund for the strategy’s development, said Lowman. Another $7 million would be paid into the fund after construction of the site to help pay for mitigation efforts that benefit local residents and subsistence users, she said. Bud Cribley, BLM’s Alaska director, said the agency will continue working with ConocoPhillips on a “responsible path forward in the development of oil and gas