Formerly known as the Naval Petroleum Reserve No. 4, the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska is now a vast 22.8-million acre area on Alaska's North Slope. In 1923, mindful of the land's conceivable petroleum value, President Harding set aside this area as an emergency oil supply for the U.S. Navy. In 1976, in accordance with the Naval Petroleum Reserves Production Act, the administration of the reserve was transferred to the Department of the Interior, more specifically the Bureau of Land Management, and was renamed to what is now known as the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska (NPR-A).
Oil and gas leasing in the NPR-A is authorized under the Naval Petroleum Reserves Production Act of 1976 (42 U.S.C.6501 et seq.), as amended including the Department of the Interior and Related Agencies Appropriation Act of 1981 (94 Stat. 2964). Regulations for NPR-A oil and gas leasing, exploration and operations are found in 43 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Parts 3130, 3150, 3160, respectively. The Mineral Leasing Act of 1920, as amended and supplemented (30 U.S.C. 181 et seq.) and related regulations do not apply to leasing in the NPR-A.
Seven lease tract sales have been held by the BLM, in both the Northwest (NW) and Northeast (NE) Planning Areas. Lease tracts were offered in the NE in 1999, 2002, and 2010, in the NW in 2004, and 2006. In 2008 and 2011, lease tracts in both the NE and NW were offered. The BLM will be holding annual oil and gas lease sales for the NPR-A. The next lease sale is scheduled for November 2012. The BLM currently administers approximately 186 federal oil and gas leases.
Updates
UPDATED! Nov. 7, 2012 NPR-A Oil & Gas Lease Sale Documents>
NPR-A Active, Relinquished and Expired Lease Information
Effective November 2, 2009, the BLM increased the Application for Permit to Drill (APD) processing fee to $6500.
Topics
Regulations
View the Code of Federal Regulations part 43 specific to both the NPR-A and the Cook Inlet/Kenai Peninsula, Alaska.
Lease ownership (RTIs) and operator rights often get transferred. View a list of the updates from 2005 - present.
NPR-A Oil and Gas Activity
View a list of the most current NPR-A oil and gas exploration activities.
View a list of pending APDs and NOSs for both the NPR-A and the Cook Inlet Basin/Kenai Peninsula.
Legacy Well Program
Provides links to the Legacy Well Report, information on legacy well achievements and a brief history of NPR-A.
Arctic Field Office Planning Home Page
This link takes you to the BLM's Arctic Field Office planning homepage, which includes announcements of proposed plans, lists of ongoing projects, and links to recently published NEPA documents for NPR-A and other BLM lands on the North Slope.
