Seismic exploration would be the first step in planning exploration drilling. There have been no test wells drilled in the region other than a well in the early 1980s drilled by Chevron and BP on the Native corporation-owned lands. Results of the well are still confidential.
The first EIS was for the first lease sale held in 2020 under Trump that has been argued to be too lenient. The second EIS was revised and tightened by Haaland for a second lease sale held last year, which attracted no bids. If Burgum opts to issue AIDEA’s leas- es or hold a new sale under the more relaxed 2020 EIS and lease stipulations — instead of the more recent and re- strictive 2023 EIS and lease terms issued by Haaland — conservation groups will be quick to sue. The practice is usually for the most recent EIS to be used. If it isn’t, the Inte- rior Department will have to explain in court why the lease terms are being re- laxed. This will require scientific expla- nations on the differences in protective measures, for example for species such as polar bears and caribou. Despite these uncertainties, Gleason’s decision to restore AIDEA’s leases was praised by Inupiat leaders on the North Slope.
Native corporation-owned lands. Results of the well are still confidential. While Alaskans hope for major dis- coveries in ANWR, there are mixed views among some geologists. It’s like- ly the regional geologic trend east from state lands, where finds have been made, bodes well for ANWR, and the availabil- ity of infrastructure at the large Point Thomson gas and condensate field just west of ANWR would ease development of any new finds. On the other hand, the region is not located near the Barrow Arch, a large geologic formation that runs west-to-east along the Alaska Beaufort Sea coast. Most of the large North Slope discoveries have been made along this regional structure. It is missing in ANWR. There could be legal and regulato- ry complications, too. One is that there are now differing federal Environmen- tal Impact Statements and sets of lease terms and stipulations on ANWR leasing, which Burgum will have to resolve.
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lease to companies willing to do the work. However, the agency also has pro- posed a regional seismic program to gath- er information on subsurface geology, a proposal the Interior Department under Haaland turned down. It’s likely the agen- cy again will propose the program, this time to new Interior Department leaders more open to oil and gas. This also is likely to encourage Alaska Native corporations that own a 91,000- acre inholding in the refuge to include their lands in regional exploration. Arctic Slope Regional Corp. and Kaktovik Inu- piat Corp., which own the lands, had pro- posed a seismic program on their hold- ings earlier but were denied permits by Haaland. Seismic exploration would be the first step in planning exploration drilling. There have been no test wells drilled in the region other than a well in the early 1980s drilled by Chevron and BP on the
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ALASKA RESOURCE REVIEW SPRING 2025
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