Alaska's state government apparently doesn't want people to forget there's still significant oil and gas potential beneath the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge's coastal plain amid talk of incredible possible domestic supplies in tight shales and deep offshore.
Perhaps its Mar. 13 lawsuit against the US Fish & Wildlife Service in US District Court for Alaska might be considered a friendly—but firm—reminder.
The action challenges FWS's refusal to consider the state's July 2013 proposal to pay for a fresh look at what's down there with 3D seismic imaging that did not exist the last time ANWR's coastal plain was explored.
"The modern technology that we are seeking to use is responsibly utilized all across the North Slope with extremely limited environmental impact, and would dramatically improve our understanding of ANWR's resources," Gov. Sean Parnell (R) said. "The state has filed this lawsuit to ensure all Americans have an opportunity to learn about the vast resource base [they] own in the 1002 Area of Alaska."
Parnell said the state's complaint asserts that the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA) mandated exploration of the area and is still authorized by the law's plain language. FWS Director Daniel M. Ashe asserted in his September 2013 final administrative decision that the US Department of the Interior agency did not have authority to review the state's plan, the governor said.
He said FWS's position primarily was based on a legal opinion a DOI solicitor issued toward the end of the Clinton administration that ANILCA provisions had expired. The agency refused to revisit that interpretation in 2013 despite numerous legal issues the state raised, Parnell said.
Supports decision
Lisa Murkowski (R), the state's senior US senator and the Energy and Natural Resources Committee's ranking minority member, said she supported Parnell's decision to go ahead with the action.
"Any legitimate 'all of the above' energy policy must include all 50 states, especially Alaska," she maintained. "Right now, however, we are being shut out by this administration, with good ideas and great opportunities for needed production rejected out of hand. Congress specifically reserved the 1002 Area for further study and production—but today, we can't even survey the resources located there."
But Alaska Wilderness League Executive Director Cindy Shogan said US Interior Sec. Sally Jewell made clear in her letter to Parnell that any new exploration of ANWR's coastal plain is prohibited under ANICLA and would require congressional authorization.
"The administration has been clear—oil development in the Arctic Refuge is 'off the table,'" Shogan said. "It is time for the state of Alaska to take no for an answer and move on."
