BLM has released a draft environmental analysis of the first proposed commercial oil production project in the Alaska National Petroleum Reserve.
On February 21, 2014, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) published a notice seeking public input on the Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) for the proposed Greater Mooses Tooth Unit 1 (GMT1), the first proposed commercial oil production project in the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska (NPR-A). The Draft SEIS analyzes a July 2013 application by ConocoPhillips, Alaska, Inc. (CPAI) for right-of-way grant and related authorizations to facilitate development of petroleum resources at the GMT1 drill site. The proposed drill site and majority of its infield roads and pipeline route are located on BLM-managed land.
The proposed CPAI project was first analyzed under the 2004 Alpine Satellite Development Plan (ASDP) aimed to establish satellite oil production pads in the Alpine field and is also subject to the 2012 NPR-A Integrated Activity Plan. The Draft SEIS supplements the ASDP Final Environmental Impact Statement to evaluate relevant new circumstances and information since 2004, update alternatives, and address any changes to the proposed GMT1 project. It focuses on surface resource protection and appropriate mitigation measures pertinent to the proposed project.
Location of Proposed GMT1 Unit on NPR-A (BLM)
According to BLM, the proposed drill site would obtain infrastructure support from the CPAI-operated Alpine Central Processing Facility (CD1), approximately 14 miles away. The proposed project includes an 11.8-acre drill pad, an approximately eight-mile access road, above-ground pipelines, and electric power line connecting to a CPAI drill pad currently under development. The proposed GMT1 drill pad, located on a federal lease issued under the Naval Petroleum Reserves Production Act, would hold up to 33 production wells and several injection wells.
The notice will be open for comment until April 22. BLM will also hold public meetings during the comment period.
February 26, 2014 via Energy Solutions Forum.
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