The US Bureau of Land Management reported it will begin a 60-day public scoping period to assist in preparing an environmental impact statement for oil and gas leasing on the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge’s coastal plain.
“Developing our resources there is an important facet for meeting our nation’s energy demands and achieving energy dominance,” Assistant Interior Sec. for Land and Minerals Management Joe Balash said.
Members of Alaska’s congressional delegation—Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chair Lisa Murkowski, Sen. Dan Sullivan, and Rep. Don Young—issued a joint statement supporting the action. All are Republicans.
BLM said the public scoping process is designed to help identify relevant issues that will influence the EIS’s scope and guide its development. Public meetings will be held in Anchorage, Arctic Village, Fairbanks, Kaktovik, and Utqiagvik, it said. Public comments on scoping issues for the proposed EIS will be accepted through June 19, BLM said.
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