BLM-Alaska Energy Program
Currently, oil and natural gas are the only leasable minerals being produced from federal lands in Alaska. The administration and management of oil and gas on federal lands is subject to specific laws and regulations. These allow and govern the exploration and development of the mineral estate but also help ensure that energy development is conducted in an environmentally responsible manner.
The BLM Alaska Energy Program is responsible for the administration of leasable federal minerals including oil and gas, phosphates, coal, coalbed natural gas, oil shale, and geothermal resources. The BLM reviews and approves permits and licenses from companies to explore for leasable minerals on federal lands. A federal lease must be obtained before development and production of these resources can take place.
The primary responsibilities of BLM Alaska's Energy Program include:
Conducting pre-lease assessments; post-lease sale bid evaluations in the National Petroleum Reserve–Alaska (NPR-A)
Permitting oil and gas exploration and development activities
Protecting federal lands from drainage of oil and gas from wells drilled on non-federal lands
Administering federal oil and gas units
Inspecting industry operations for compliance with regulations, lease terms, and permit conditions
Conducting mineral evaluations and development scenarios for land exchanges, sales or disposals, Resource Management Plans (RMPs), Environmental Impact Statements (EISs), and land use plans developed by other federal agencies.
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We are currently updating this and related Energy pages. You may find some temporarily broken links and URLs. Posted from the webmaster 3-22-2012.