National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska Working Group to Meet in Fairbanks
Organization
Media Contact:
ANCHORAGE -- The National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska (NPR-A) Working Group will meet at the Westmark Hotel in Fairbanks on February 27, 2014. This is the first regular meeting of the group, which was established by the Secretary of the Interior in the 2013 Record of Decision for the NPR-A Integrated Activity Plan/Environmental Impact Statement.
The Working Group is comprised of 19 members representing the North Slope communities of Anaktuvuk Pass, Atqasuk, Barrow, Kaktovik, Nuiqsut, Point Hope, Point Lay, and Wainwright and also includes representatives from the Inupiat Community of the Arctic Slope (ICAS), the North Slope Borough, and the Arctic Slope Regional Corporation. The Working Group is intended to increase the Bureau of Land Management (BLM)’s understanding of the economic, subsistence, and wider social impacts of activities in the NPR-A. The BLM is facilitating the formation and meetings of the group.
The Working Group will meet from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and is expected to hear briefings on NPR-A issues and begin work on a charter. Additional information can be obtained from Lon Kelly at 907-474-2368.
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.