The U.S. Bureau of Land Management has approved a drilling permit that it says will open the way for the first oil and gas production from federal land in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska.
The permit is for the Greater Mooses Tooth 1 project, being pursued by ConocoPhillips Alaska. In a release, BLM Director Neil Kornze said it was a collaborative effort to ensure responsible development in the arctic reserve that will provide a new source of oil for the trans-Alaska pipeline.
A regional mitigation strategy also is being developed.
U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski welcomed the news but noted the “tortured path” she says Alaskans have been forced to navigate to develop on federal lands in Alaska. The project was initially proposed, she says, over a decade ago.
