Alaska State Office
| Contacts: | Karen Laubenstein, 907-271-3318, klaubens@blm.gov | |||
| Thom Jennings, 907-271-3335, tjenning@blm.gov |
EPA Publishes NOA of Final IAP/EIS for National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska
ANCHORAGE — The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published today the Notice of Availability (NOA) of the Final Integrated Activity Plan and Environmental Impact Statement (IAP/EIS) for the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska (NPR-A). Today's publication of the EPA NOA will start a minimum review period of 30 days prior to the issuance of a record of decision by the Secretary.
The Final IAP/EIS is the first management plan that covers the entire Reserve, including 9.2 million acres in the southwest area. Previous plans covered the northeast and northwest planning areas only. This comprehensive blueprint will allow for access to oil and gas resources on 11.8 million acres, which are estimated to hold 549 million barrels of economically recoverable oil and 8.7 trillion cubic feet of economically recoverable natural gas.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land, the most of any Federal agency. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. In Fiscal Year (FY) 2011, recreational and other activities on BLM-managed land contributed more than $130 billion to the U.S. economy and supported more than 600,000 American jobs. The Bureau is also one of a handful of agencies that collects more revenue than it spends. In FY 2012, nearly $5.7 billion will be generated on lands managed by the BLM, which operates on a $1.1 billion budget. The BLM's multiple-use mission is to sustain the health and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. The Bureau accomplishes this by managing such activities as outdoor recreation, livestock grazing, mineral development, and energy production, and by conserving natural, historical, cultural, and other resources on public lands.
Alaska State Office 222 W. 7th Ave., #13 Anchorage, AK 99513-7504