The Interior Department took another step Monday toward new oil and gas leasing in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
Interior’s Bureau of Land Management is taking nominations on what tracts of land to open for drilling “this winter” in ANWR’s Coastal Plain, an area of the Alaska reserve that borders the Arctic Ocean. Last year’s Republican megalaw requires four lease sales in the coastal plain by 2035.
The lease sale process “provides a clear path forward to finally unlock the Coastal Plain’s resource potential,” said BLM Alaska State Director Kevin Pendergast in a statement.
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BLM’s call for nominations will be open until March 5, according to a Federal Register notice published Tuesday.
