BLM provides update in review of 2020 Integrated Activity Plan for the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska
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ANCHORAGE, Alaska —The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) will confirm in a status report to be filed today with the U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska that it has selected Alternative A (the “No Action” alternative) from the 2020 Integrated Activity Plan Environmental Impact Statement (IAP/EIS) as its “preferred alternative” for further consideration. If confirmed in a new record of decision (ROD), this preferred alternative would revert management of the NPR-A to the 2013 IAP, while including certain more protective lease stipulations and operating procedures for threatened and endangered species from the 2020 IAP. This decision reflects the Biden-Harris administration’s priority of reviewing existing oil and gas programs to ensure balance on America’s public lands and waters to benefit current and future generations.
The BLM will also advise the Court that it has prepared a draft Determination of National Environmental Policy Act Adequacy finding that the existing 2020 IAP/EIS and its subsistence evaluation are adequate, and that additional analysis is not necessary for the Department to select the preferred alternative.
A new ROD for the NPR-A IAP adopting the preferred alternative may be prepared once consultations under Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act are completed. The BLM also will continue its longstanding engagement and consultations with communities in Alaska about the management of the NPR-A.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.