Boding badly for Alaska, Interior’s BLM is developing rules for the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska that are based on ‘climate change and the recent listing of polar bears as a threatened and endangered species…."  

We urge Anchorage citizens to attend the September 23 meeting!  -dh

The Bureau of Land Management seeks public input as it begins to develop its integrated activity plan and environmental impact statement for the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska. Previous NPR-A plans dealt with portions of NPR-A. The new plan will cover all of the more than 22 million acres in NPR-A The comment period began July 28, 2010 and ends October 1.

Emerging issues such as climate change and the recent listing of polar bears as a threatened and endangered species will be addressed. The planning effort will identify areas to be made available for oil and gas leasing and measures to mitigate impacts to resources from oil and gas activities.

Meetings will occur in the following locations throughout the state:
Community Date Location
Barrow Thurs., Sept. 9, 2010 North Slope Bor. Assembly Rm
Fairbanks Mon., Sept. 13, 2010 Noel Wien Library
Anaktuvuk Pass Tues., Sept. 14, 2010 Community Center
Nuiqsut Thurs., Sept.16, 2010 Kisik Community Center
Wainwright Mon., Sept. 20, 2010 Community Center
Atqasuk Tues., Sept. 21, 2010 Community Center
Anchorage Thurs., Sept. 23, 2010 Campbell Creek Science Center

In Anchorage and the North Slope communities, an open house will begin at 6:30 PM followed by the scoping meeting at 7 PM.
In Fairbanks, the open house will begin at 6 PM followed by the scoping meeting at 6:30 PM.  For more information and other ways to comment, see www.blm.gov/ak or contact Jim Ducker at 907-271-3130.

Boding badly for Alaska shallow water exploration, Interior’s BOEM shows its deceptive colors in the GOM!  -dh

The Hill (9/13) reports, “Oil-and-gas companies that drill in shallow Gulf of Mexico waters on Monday said they’re at an “impasse” with the Interior Department over permitting policies they allege are bringing the industry to a standstill. The Shallow Water Energy Security Coalition met Monday morning in Louisiana with Michael Bromwich (NGP Photo), who directs Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, but the meeting failed to produce reassurances about speeding up permits the group is seeking. “With 15 of the total of 46 available shallow water rigs now idle without permits, and only five permits for new wells issued since April, we are clearly at an impasse with the regulators. While we share Director Bromwich’s commitment to safety, BOEM must recognize that it cannot continue to shove a square peg into a round hole by treating all offshore drilling operations the same, disregarding history and geological facts,” said Jim Noe, the group’s executive director who is also a top executive with Houston-based Hercules Offshore Inc.