The U.S. Department of the Interior on Friday announced new rules restricting future oil and gas activity in the 23 million-acre Alaska National Petroleum Reserve. The rule modifies existing federal regulations that the Bureau of Land Management uses to protect protected areas from environmental damage and gives the agency authority to curtail oil and gas development.
The agency will not issue new oil and gas leases on its 10.6 million acres of reserves. The agency will more rigorously evaluate 13.6 million acres of existing leases before approving new oil and gas projects. For example, the agency will delay or deny new projects as necessary to prevent “significant negative impacts” on the protected area's environment.
Many public commenters on the proposed rule urged the agency to exempt existing leases from the changes. But it answered:
[W]Existing lease terms and approved development projects or permits are not affected by this rule, so a valid lease agreement does not give the leaseholder an unfettered right to drill where they choose… nor , nor does it give the leaseholder the right to economically produce all the oil and gas recoverable under the lease agreement. Any future development of existing leases will be subject to additional terms and conditions in accordance with their terms.
U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland commented:[T]These decisions will support biological, cultural, historical and subsistence resources and protect the way of life of the indigenous peoples who have called this special place home since time immemorial. ” Environmental groups also welcomed the rule. Earthjustice's Jeremy Reeve “claps''[s] This move and call[s] For the sake of our climate and future generations, we are calling for even bolder action to keep fossil fuel industries out of the Arctic. ”
However, the rule also provoked intense criticism. U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) said the U.S. would become more dependent on foreign oil and gas sources, including Iran, China and Russia. U.S. Rep. Sattler Peltola (D-Alaska) also opposed the ban on new leases on 10.6 million acres. she said:
Conclusion [that area] This is a major setback for Alaska, failing to balance the need for gap oil and natural gas with legitimate environmental concerns, and ignoring the voices of many Alaska Natives in the decision-making process… . Alaska has abundant natural resources. It can be developed responsibly to foster domestic manufacturing and innovation, and ultimately it should be up to Alaskans to decide what they want to develop in their region. is.
The new rules are a reversal from last year, when U.S. President Joe Biden approved $8 billion in oil development. The move drew criticism from environmental groups.
