(SitNews) Anchorage, Alaska - Governor Sean Parnell today announced an exploration proposal for the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) 1002 Area, which the state has developed and is offering to help finance.

“Accurately defining the oil and gas resource potential is a critical part of understanding the value of the 1002 Area to the nation,” Governor Parnell said. “The federal government has the responsibility to do this under federal law, but is clearly reluctant to do so. Therefore, we are stepping forward with our expertise and financing to provide a detailed resource evaluation and exploration proposal.”

Governor Parnell outlined the proposal in a letter sent to Interior Secretary Sally Jewell, and he and Department of Natural Resources Commissioner Dan Sullivan rolled out the 187-page document during a press event at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce headquarters in Washington, D.C.

Also speaking at the Monday event in support of the proposal were Charlotte Brower, mayor of the North Slope Borough, and Rex Rock, president and chief executive of the Arctic Slope Regional Corp., a regional Alaska Native corporation based in Barrow.

In his letter to Secretary Jewell, Governor Parnell offered to request up to $50 million from the Alaska Legislature to support the seismic program contained in the proposal. Such a budget request will be contingent on the federal government indicating its interest in partnering with the State of Alaska on the seismic program.

The proposal, called the “Oil & Gas Resource Evaluation & Exploration Proposal for the ANWR 1002 Area,” was produced by the Alaska Division of Oil & Gas, and it is being shared with Alaska stakeholders, the U.S. Department of the Interior and members of Congress this week.

The report details a seven-year seismic and exploration program to provide a much more definitive assessment of the magnitude of the oil and gas resources within the 1002 Area – thought to be one of the most prolific regions for undiscovered oil in America. This assessment will provide Congress and the federal government a much clearer understanding of the best way to manage this small portion of ANWR for the benefit of all Americans.

“We hope that the Department of the Interior and Congress will partner with the state in adopting and implementing this exploration proposal,” Governor Parnell said.

“This is a reasonable proposal based on Alaska’s high standards for responsible resource development and environmental protection,” Sullivan said. “Implementation of this proposal will have negligible impacts on the environment and should be acceptable to a wide range of stakeholders.”

The Alaska House of Representatives Resources Committee Co-Chairs commented on Governor Sean Parnell’s Oil and Gas Exploration Proposal for the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge 1002 Area.

The Governor’s proposal includes a seven-year seismic and exploration program to provide a more definitive assessment of the amount of resources within the 1002 Area, and a pledge to request up to $50 million from the Alaska Legislature to help fund the seismic program if the federal government showed interest to partner with the State of Alaska.

“We welcome the news from Governor Parnell on exploring and developing oil and gas in the 1002 area of ANWR,” Co-Chair Dan Saddler (R-JBER/Eagle River) said. “The President’s own National Strategy for the Arctic Region calls for cooperation with the State of Alaska and a key component of the strategy is to provide for energy security through the responsible production of oil, gas and renewable energy. The time to act is now; we need to move forward with the development and keep Alaska in the forefront of the decisions.”

“This is a great move by the Governor, it demonstrates that if the United States Congress isn’t moving forward on production in the Arctic then Alaska will; Alaska is ready to put our money where our mouth is,” Co-Chair Eric Feige (R-Chickaloon) said. “We must have a definitive idea of what resources are available in ANWR. The federal government needs to know what they’re passing up if they continue to turn ANWR into a wildlife refuge. We have a significant natural resource that should be developed.”

The 1002 area of ANWR includes 1.5 million acres of land including wildlife, fish, subsistence resources, as well as enormous hydrocarbon potential that could rival the Prudhoe Bay oil fields.

Edited by Mary Kauffman, SitNews

On the Web:

The Oil and Gas Resource Evaluation & Exploration Proposal for the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge 1002 Area (104 pages)
http://gov.alaska.gov/parnell_media/resources_files/ANWR_051713a.pdf

Oil Y Gas Exploration Program; Impacts & Suggested Mitigations (86 pages)
http://gov.alaska.gov/parnell_media/resources_files/ANWR_051713b.pdf

Source of News: 

Office of Gov. Sean Parnell
www.gov.state.ak.us

Alaska House Majority Caucus
housemajority.org

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