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US Bureau of Land Management Seeks to Simplify Oil Lease Rules for Alaskan Reserve

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The US Bureau of Land Management will undertake a public consultation with a view to streamlining the permitting process for new projects in Alaska's National Petroleum Reserve, the bureau said on Friday.

The streamlining effort comes in response to a request by the Alaska Oil and Gas Association for the BLM to create a new and simpler development permit program in the 23 million-acre reserve.

Announcing that BLM would undertake to introduce the changes, Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum said that industry had been demonstrating for years that responsible development in the Alaskan reserve was possible.

"The Trump administration is building on that record by giving companies the certainty they need to invest, create good-paying jobs, strengthen Alaska's economy and keep America Energy Dominant," he said.

The BLM's consultation will provide feedback for an environmental impact statement for production site development, with a 45-day window open for the public to offer input.

The BLM said that about 1.6 million acres in the reserve have already been leased with more to follow after the lease sale that took place in March, raising $163.7 million in bids for the 187 tracts on offer.

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