Oil and gas development is often touted as the economic driver of rural western communities, in spite of the important economic role of amenity-based development, which includes retirees, entrepreneurs, recreation, tourism, and hunting and fishing.
As we have learned (time and again), the boom and bust cycle that occurs with oil and gas development comes with a cost in terms of the quality of life for towns in proximity to development.
Substantial economic costs are likely to occur if air quality in the areas surrounding BLM lands continues to deteriorate as the result of proposed actions and developments such as increased oil and gas exploration and production.
This map breaks down Alaska's North Slope by sold, deferred, active, and potential leases, as well as Barrow Native Lands and Arctic Slope Regional Corporation Surface and Subsurface Lands.
IM 2010-117 (issued May 17, 2010) establishes, among other oil and gas reforms, a new oil and gas leasing process for public lands. This flowchart describes the stages of the new process.
This fact sheet summarizes the process by which the Bureau of Land Management issues leases for oil and gas development and then permits drilling of those leases.