The Bureau of Land Management released plans this week from ConocoPhillips for seismic studies and exploratory wells in the western Arctic, but members of the public will have only a week to comment.
That announcement from BLM — which is part of the Interior Department — is fueling criticism that the Trump administration continues to limit environmental reviews to expedite drilling.
Also this week, Interior officials said that onshore and offshore oil and gas lease sales mandated by the Republican megalaw signed by President Donald Trump in July will not be subject to an environmental analysis during the leasing phase.
The draft environmental assessment released Monday covers Houston-based ConocoPhillips’ plan to conduct a one-year seismic testing program on land within the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska (NPR-A). ConocoPhillips is already the developer of the Willow project, a massive oil project planned in the NPR-A on Alaska’s North Slope.
