In an Executive Order issued today, President Obama indefinitely withdrew 40,300 square miles offshore Alaska from future oil and natural gas leasing. He specifically withdrew the Norton Basin Planning Area, which includes an estimated mean 600 million barrels of oil equivalent, and certain lease blocks in the St. Matthew-Hall Planning Area. The order also establishes […]
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In an article published today, Reuters reported on an agreement between Russia and Norway to obtain new seismic survey data from their adjacent Barents Sea border area “to boost the search for oil and gas.” According to the report, the two nations will engage in additional dialogue to determine how to split up potential future discoveries. […]
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The Interior Department today announced the release of the Proposed Final 2017-2022 OCS Oil and Gas Leasing Plan, which maintains the previously-proposed 10 Gulf of Mexico-wide lease sales and Cook Inlet lease sale but excludes Alaska’s Beaufort and Chukchi Seas in addition to the Mid- and South Atlantic.
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The U.S. Senate today voted 51-47 to close debate on a bill that would have modified and expanded the sharing of federal revenue derived from oil and gas, geothermal, solar, and wind energy developed on federal lands and waters. The vote fell nine votes short of the 60 needed to end debate and proceed to a vote on […]
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In a story than ran today, KUAC-FM (Fairbanks) addressed a meeting of high-level U.S. and Canadian military officials regarding joint operations in the Arctic. U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Ken Wilsbach noted that “we want to maintain the Arctic as a peaceful place, as it’s been for a while…And if anyone was to challenge us […]
In an op-ed published in TIME today, Retired U.S. Navy Rear Admiral and former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Donald Loren wrote about the imperative of not excluding opportunities to explore for oil and natural gas in the U.S. Arctic. In doing so, he noted that other nations “continue to explore for resources in Arctic […]
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The U.S. Coast Guard today announced the Coast Guard Cutter Healy’s return to Seattle following a 127-day scientific research mission deployment to the Arctic. The mission included the deployment of acoustic bottom moorings to collect data on how climate change and reduced ice coverage is affecting the Arctic Ocean. The Coast Guard noted that researchers also discovered […]
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In an op-ed published in the Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman today, Arctic Iñupiat Offshore Chairman and Ukpeaġvik Iñupiat Corporation President and CEO Anthony Edwardsen discussed the negative consequences for Alaska’s economy, local communities, Native people, and environment if the U.S. Arctic is excluded from the federal government’s 2017-2022 offshore oil and gas leasing program.
In an article published today, the Bangor Daily News wrote about how Maine’s economy could benefit from increased commercial opportunities in the Arctic. Over 100 people including maritime lawyers, university officials, and representatives from insurance companies, the shipping industry, and other sectors talked to federal and state government officials and members of the academic community […]
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In a letter sent today to U.S. Interior Sec. Sally Jewell, Alaska Gov. Bill Walker nominated the Beaufort Sea, Chukchi Sea, and Cook Inlet for inclusion in the 2017-2022 OCS Oil and Gas Leasing Program and said that the state would nominate specific tracts in advance of each lease sale. Walker also said that, “to […]
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