BLM clears way for petroleum reserve development
Source: Associated Press
BLM clears way for petroleum reserve development
By BECKY BOHRER, Associated Press | February 13, 2015
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — The U.S. Bureau of Land Management issued a final decision Friday that it said will open the way for the first oil and gas production from federal lands in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska.
The decision is a shift from the alternative that BLM had earlier selected as its preferred option. But it aligns with the alternative chosen by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
BLM-Alaska spokeswoman Lesli Ellis-Wouters said BLM had indicated it would take into account the Corps' decision in making its final determination. If the two agencies were not on the same page, ConocoPhillips Alaska would not have been able to go forward, she said.
The two alternatives are similar, she said, but the selected alternative provides for a smaller gravel footprint. There also is a "robust" mitigation package that will provide for monitoring and developing a plan for future development in the reserve, she said.
Read more: http://www.chron.com/news/us/article/BLM-clears-way-for-petroleum-reserve-development-6080653.php
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