ASRC is reacting to today’s announcement from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), signing off on its long-awaited Record of Decision (ROD) for an oil and gas program in the non-wilderness Coastal Plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, or ANWR. ASRC looks forward to studying the details of the ROD, as its release will be seen as a major milestone in finally allowing a lease sale to move forward and opening the 1002 Area to safe, responsible development.
“This is certainly an encouraging development when it comes to the economic future of the communities across Alaska’s North Slope, the state of Alaska as well as the rest of the nation,” said Rex A. Rock Sr., ASRC president and CEO. “This area was set aside by Congress some 40 years ago because of its potential for holding significant reserves of oil and gas, and I look forward to the Coastal Plain living up to its promise of becoming an economic driver, both inside as well as outside of our region. I would also like to thank our Congressional Delegation as well as this Administration for their tireless efforts in getting to this point.”
The Coastal Plain, also known as the 1002 Area, is believed to hold a mean estimate of 10.6 billion barrels of recoverable oil. ASRC and the Kaktovik Iñupiat Corporation (KIC) are landowners in the 1002 Area, with the village corporation owning surface acreage and ASRC owning subsurface title to the KIC lands.
You can find additional information regarding the ROD on the Bureau of Land Management’s website here.