|
THE BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT HAS INITIATED AN ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT (EIS) TO EVALUATE A NEW INTEGRATED ACTIVITY PLAN (IAP), FOR THE NATIONAL PETROLEUM RESERVE-ALASKA. THE IAP, A BALANCED 2013 MANAGEMENT PLAN, LAYS OUT THE U.S. BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT’S (BLM) GUIDELINES FOR THE ROUGHLY 23-MILLION ACRE NPR-A, INCLUDING DECISIONS ON WHICH LANDS WILL BE PROTECTED AND WHICH COULD BE OPENED TO OIL AND GAS LEASING, EXPLORATION, AND DEVELOPMENT. THE BALANCED APPROACH PROTECTS ROUGHLY 11 MILLION ACRES OF THE RESERVE AS “SPECIAL AREAS,” OF HIGH ECOLOGICAL AND SUBSISTENCE VALUES OFF LIMITS TO OIL AND GAS DRILLING. THESE AREAS INCLUDE THE UTUKOK RIVER UPLANDS, TESHEKPUK LAKE, THE COLVILLE RIVER, PEARD BAY AND KASEGALUK LAGOON. THE FINAL PLAN WAS A GREAT STEP FORWARD IN THE EFFORT TO FIND A BALANCED APPROACH TOWARD CONSERVATION AND OIL AND GAS IN ALASKA’S NORTH SLOPE. A NEW IAP WOULD OPEN PROTECTED AREAS OF THE WESTERN ARCTIC, INCLUDING TESHEKPUK LAKE, THE LARGEST LAKE IN ALASKA’S ARCTIC.
TELL BLM TO KEEP THE PROTECTIONS FOR THE SPECIAL AREAS INTACT. BY OPPOSING CHANGES TO THE IAP, YOU WILL HELP PROTECT GLOBALLY SIGNIFICANT WETLANDS, MILLIONS OF ANIMALS, AND COMMUNITIES MOST IMPACTED BY SEA ICE LOSS, RISING SEAS, EROSION, AND SEVERE STORMS CAUSED BY CLIMATE CHANGE. READ ON TO FIND OUT WHAT’S AT STAKE AND HOW TO PARTICIPATE IN PUBLIC HEARINGS. SUBMIT COMMENTS HERE. |