The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) yesterday issued a Call for Information and Nominations relating to a potential oil and gas Lease Sale 237 scheduled for the Chukchi Sea Planning Area off of Alaska in 2016. 

Charlotte Brower, Alaska North Slope Borough Mayor, Photo by Dave Harbour, NPR-A Federal Cleanup, Helium, Murkowski, Wyden

The Republic — Kevin Sweeney is returning as Sen. Lisa Murkowski's state director.  Sweeney will replace Miles Baker, who will serve as director of government relations and external affairs for the Alaska Gasline Development Corp. That's the group charged with advancing an in-state gas line in Alaska.

 Alaska North Slope Borough Mayor Charlotte Brower (NGP Photo) welcomed news late yesterday that the U.S. Senate has passed federal legislation, the “Responsible Helium Administration and Stewardship Act”, that provides $50 million in new federal funding for the cleanup of oil and gas “legacy” wells within the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska (NPR-A).

 
Knifeblade #1 federal government legacy well, NPR-A, AOGCC Photo provided by Northern Gas PipelinesBetween 1944 and 1982, the U.S. Navy and U.S. Geological Survey drilled 136 wells in Northern Alaska. The wells were abandoned. Only a handful of these 136 legacy wells have been plugged and remediated in compliance with State standards.  (AOGCC Photo; See our 6-13-13 commentary.  -dh)
 
Earlier this week, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) released a plan to remediate 16 of the highest priority legacy wells. “I welcome BLM’s plan,” Brower said. “But for many years, BLM has lacked the resources necessary to clean up and remediate high priority wells in a timely manner. In fact, earlier this year, the Administration proposed a federal budget for FY 2014 that would have diverted Alaska’s share of revenue derived from oil and natural gas activity in the NPR-A to pay for the cleanup of legacy wells drilled by the federal government. This is unacceptable, and in a meeting with Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell this summer, I expressed my dismay that the Administration would take funding away from our communities to pay to clean up a federal mess.”
 
Ron Wyden, Murkowski, U.S. Senate, Energy, Natural Resources, NPR-A, legacy wells, BLM, Clean up, Jewell, Photo by Dave HarbourThe Responsible Helium Administration and Stewardship Act, H.R. 527, authored by Senators Lisa Murkowski, U.S. Senate, Ron Wyden, Energy, Natural Resources, NPR-A, legacy wells, BLM, Clean up, Jewell, Photo by Dave HarbourLisa Murkowski (NGP Photo) and Ron Wyden (NGP Photo), would close the Federal Helium Reserve in Texas, generating $500 million in federal revenue over the next decade. The legislation directs $50 million of that funding for the cleanup of legacy wells, spread across three fiscal years:  (Full release here, thanks to: Richard Camilleri, Office of the Mayor, Barrow)