National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska, Final Integrated Activity Plan

532 Pages·2012·4.91 MB·English

National Petroleum
Reserve-Alaska
FINAL
Integrated Activity Plan/
Environmental Impact Statement
Volume 1
Abstract, Executive Summary, Chapters 1-3
Prepared by:
U.S. Department of the Interior
Bureau of Land Management
Anchorage, Alaska
In cooperation with:
North Slope Borough
U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
November 2012

United States Department of the Interior

BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT
Alaska State Office
222 West Seventh Avenue, #13
Anchorage, Alaska 99513-7504
http://www.blm.gov
In Reply Refer To: October 23, 2012
1610 (9100)
Dear Reader:
We are pleased to present the Bureau of Land Management’s National Petroleum Reserve in
Alaska (NPR-A) Final Integrated Activity Plan/Environmental Impact Statement (IAP/EIS).
This is the first time we have developed a plan describing a range of management options for all
federal lands and oil and gas resources within the nearly 23-million-acre NPR-A entrusted to
the BLM’s care. This document includes the preferred alternative lternative B-2 that
Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced on August 13, 2012.
—A —
Last March, we released the Draft IAP/EIS. This Final IAP/EIS benefited from the comments
we received on that draft plan. We appreciate the thoughtful comments on the draft plan from
the cooperating agencies and other agencies, Alaska Native tribes and organizations,
environmental organizations, industry, and the public.
This plan offers a balance between development of energy resources, including oil and gas
leasing in the NPR-A and onshore facilities to support future offshore oil and gas development,
and important protections for the many other resources and uses of these lands in the
Petroleum Reserve.
The preferred alternative establishes a broad platform for development over the course of the
plan, provides very significant access to known hydrocarbon resources, recognizes the
congressional mandate in the transfer act to protect important and special surface values, and
was fully informed by the viewpoint of Alaskans who live in the region, State and local
governments and other stakeholders.
With release of this Final IAP/EIS, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is publishing a
Federal Register Notice announcing the plan’s availability. The National Environmental Policy
Act requires that the BLM wait at least 30 days after the Federal Register publishes the EPA’s
Notice before we issue a Record of Decision to finalize the plan’s decisions. The Final IAP/EIS
will then guide us in the years ahead as we manage the largest block of land under the BLM’s
management and some of the richest resources among the federal lands anywhere in the
country.
On behalf of the BLM, we look forward to implementing this management plan for all of the
NPR-A. If you have questions about this Final IAP/EIS, please call Jim Ducker, Project Lead at
[phone], or Serena Sweet, Supervisory Planning and Environmental Coordinator (907)
271-4543.
Those who use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Information Relay
Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339 to contact the above individuals during normal business hours. The
FIRS is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to leave a message or question with the individuals
noted above. You will receive a reply during normal business hours.
Sincerely,
/S/ Bud C. Cribley
Bud C. Cribley
State Director
National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska
Final Integrated Activity Plan/
Environmental Impact Statement
Lead Agency: U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management
Proposed Action: National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska Integrated Activity Plan/
Environmental Impact Statement
Abstract: The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is proposing a plan for the
National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska (NPR-A). The NPR-A
Integrated Activity Plan/Environmental Impact Statement (IAP/EIS)
is designed to determine the appropriate management of all BLM-
managed lands in the NPR-A in light of new information about
surface and subsurface resources and in a manner consistent with
existing statutory direction. This plan considers five alternatives.
Two of the five are presented as subalternatives of Alternative B. The
Draft IAP/EIS’s Alternative B is presented as Alternative B-1 in this
Final IAP/EIS. Alternative B-2 is the preferred alternative. The Draft
IAP/EIS did not have subalternative B-2 and did not identify a
preferred alternative. The alternatives propose a range of land
allocations, including designating new or enlarging existing Special
Areas and recommending additions to the National Wild and Scenic
Rivers System. They offer a range of options for the amount of lands
that would be made available for oil and gas leasing, from 48 percent
to 100 percent of the nearly 23 million acres managed by the BLM in
the NPR-A. The preferred alternative would make nearly 52 percent
of the federally owned subsurface of NPR-A available for oil and gas
leasing, while providing protection for surface resources. The
alternatives also include stipulations and required operating
procedures or best management practices to mitigate impacts to
resources and their uses. The IAP/EIS evaluates the potential direct,
indirect, and cumulative effects to air quality, paleontological
resources, soil and water resources, vegetation, wetlands and
floodplains, wildlife, cultural resources, subsistence, sociocultural
systems, environmental justice, recreation, visual resources,
wilderness characteristics, Wild and Scenic River values, public
health, and the economy. Most impacts are related to the potential
development of oil and gas.
Further Contact Jim Ducker at [phone] or Bridget Psarianos at (907)
Information: 271-4208, or via mail at Bureau of Land Management, Alaska State
Office, 222 West 7th Avenue, Anchorage, Alaska 99513-7599.

Executive Summary
What is BLM proposing to do in this plan?
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) completed the National Petroleum Reserve-
Alaska (NPR-A) Integrated Activity Plan/Environmental Impact Statement (IAP/EIS) to
determine the appropriate management of the BLM-administered lands (public lands) in
the nearly 23-million-acre Petroleum Reserve. This plan analyzes management options in
the southwestern portion of the Reserve that was not previously covered by a land use plan.
In addition, this new IAP updates and supersedes management plans completed in 2004
and 2008 for the Northwest and Northeast NPR-A planning areas and, depending upon
which alternative is selected, may amend the Colville River Special Area Management
Plan. Among the most important decisions the BLM will make through this plan is what
lands should be made available for oil and gas leasing and with what protections for surface
resources and uses. (For more information, see Chapter 1).
Why is BLM doing this plan?
The BLM developed the plan for the entire NPR-A to address the nation’s need for
production of more oil and gas through additional leasing in the NPR-A, and to protect
surface values consistent with the exploration and development of oil and gas. This plan
addresses the entire NPR-A, and thus provides greater management consistency
throughout the Petroleum Reserve than existing separate plans.
This plan will benefit management by incorporating an updated and consistent analysis of
issues such as climate change, species recently listed under the Endangered Species Act,
updated oil and gas assessments, and ramifications for onshore land management due to
offshore oil and gas drilling. Additionally, on May 14, 2011, President Obama directed the
Department of the Interior to conduct annual oil and gas lease sales in the NPR-A.
Management consistency will better protect sensitive areas while providing development
opportunities through these sales.
How is this IAP/EIS different from earlier plans?
This document analyzes a range of management options for the entire NPR-A, including
the southwestern portion of the Reserve. Consistent management of the entire NPR-A will
provide greater certainty and opportunity to industry while better protecting the
environment, public use of the land, and public health.
Several circumstances changed since development of one or both of the previous plans that
have also resulted in changes in the analysis. They include:
• A change in the price of oil. In this plan, the BLM has based its analysis of
economically recoverable oil and gas from the NPR-A on projections for $180 per
barrel of oil and $8.67 per thousand cubic feet of gas. (See section 4.2.1.2 in
Volume 2.)
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Final Integrated Activity Plan/Environmental Impact Statement i
Executive Summary
• Updated Information on Economically Recoverable Oil and Gas. The U.S.
Geological Survey's (USGS) 2011 report estimates that 604 million barrels of
conventional, undiscovered oil and 17.55 trillion cubic feet of conventional,
undiscovered non-associated gas exist within NPR-A and adjacent state waters at
prices of $180 per barrel of oil and $8.67 per thousand cubic feet of gas. This
estimated volume of oil is based on a 2010 USGS analysis of technically recoverable
oil that was less than 10 percent of the 2002 USGS estimate. The new estimate is
due primarily to recent exploration drilling indicating an abrupt transition from oil
to gas and a reduction in oil reservoir quality 15 to 20 miles west of the Alpine oil
field.
• North Slope Development. The BLM has analyzed a wider range of development
on the North Slope, including unconventional oil and gas exploration and a road to
Umiat, and has updated its understanding of other potential development in its
cumulative impacts analysis.
• Chukchi Sea Development. Chukchi Sea oil and gas resources are considered
some of the most promising in the nation. One of the purposes of this plan is to
provide an opportunity, subject to appropriate conditions, to construct necessary
onshore infrastructure to transport oil and gas resources from offshore leases in the
Chukchi Sea to the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System and proposed gas pipelines.
• Changes to Special Status Species. The U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service
proposed listing the bearded seal and ringed seal as threatened species under the
Endangered Species Act in December 2010. The polar bear was listed as threatened
throughout its range in May 2008, and critical habitat was designated in November
2010. The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service concluded that listing the Pacific walrus as a
threatened or endangered species is warranted due to loss of sea ice and in 2009
listed the yellow-billed loon as a candidate species and has concluded that listing
under the act is warranted. This plan analyzes impacts to seals, walrus, polar bears,
and yellow-billed loons in their context as Special Status Species.
• Additional information. The IAP/EIS's impact analysis has incorporated relevant
new studies related to surface resources, public health, and climate change.
This IAP/EIS also presents potential new mitigation measures to address adverse impacts
to several biological resources and to public health, in addition to the protective measures
incorporated in the alternatives themselves.
What are the major issues and focus of controversy?
The key issues in the NPR-A IAP/EIS are decisions on the location and amount of oil and
gas leasing and protection of surface resources. Of particular interest is the potential
impact of development near Teshekpuk Lake, which is considered to have high oil and gas
development potential, but is also of great importance for waterfowl, caribou (for calving
and relief from insects), and subsistence. The lands near Teshekpuk Lake are currently
deferred from leasing until 2018, and all alternatives will honor the leasing deferrals until
their expiration. The plan examines a wide range of alternatives for oil and gas
development, while offering a range of surface protections. Additionally, this plan considers
wilderness characteristics, consistent with BLM policy.
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ii Final Integrated Activity Plan/Environmental Impact Statement
Executive Summary
What are the major changes between the Draft and this Final IAP/EIS?
The Final IAP/EIS clarifies and expands upon the analysis in the Draft IAP/EIS in
response to new studies and information that have become available since the Draft was
printed. The Final IAP/EIS also identifies a preferred alternative, discussed below.
The Final IAP/EIS also incorporates changes based on comments received from the public
during the comment period. BLM-Alaska received over 400,000 comments from
stakeholders including tribes, Native corporations and other Native organizations,
government agencies, elected officials, industry and business organizations, conservation
organizations, and individual citizens. The majority of these comments were form letters
from interested organizations. The commenters argued for the full spectrum of land use in
NPR-A. Some argued that the entire area should be made available for oil and gas leasing;
others urged that no oil and gas leasing should take place anywhere in the NPR-A. Also,
BLM Field and State Office staff gathered comments at nine public meetings in North
Slope villages and other locations.
What alternatives are being considered by BLM?
The IAP/EIS contains five alternatives that provide a broad range of oil and gas leasing
availability, surface protections, and Special Area designations. (For more information on
the alternatives analyzed, see Chapter 2, particularly section 2.3 and Table 2-3.)
Alternative B-2 is BLM’s preferred alternative, which was not identified in the Draft
IAP/EIS.
Alternative A, the no action alternative, would continue the management established in the
current RODs for the Northwest NPR-A IAP, Northeast NPR-A Supplemental IAP, and
decisions made as part of the Colville River Special Area Management Plan. There are no
current BLM IAP decisions effective for the southern portion of the NPR-A. Under this
Alternative, 57 percent of the NPR-A subsurface would be available for oil and gas leasing,
while maintaining the four current Special Areas covering 8.3 million acres.
Alternatives B-1 (formerly Alternative B in the Draft IAP/EIS), B-2, C, and D would make
between 48 and 100 percent of the total subsurface of the NPR-A, including unleased and
currently leased lands, available for oil and gas leasing. These alternatives would make
roughly two-thirds to all of the economically recoverable oil production possible, and nearly
half to all of the economically recoverable gas production possible from BLM’s subsurface
estate in the NPR-A. The alternatives would also add zero to 7.2 million acres in designated
Special Areas, and recommend zero to 12 rivers within the NPR-A for inclusion in the Wild
and Scenic Rivers System.
How does the preferred alternative compare to the alternatives in the Draft
IAP/EIS?
The preferred alternative—Alternative B-2—is within the range of alternatives considered
in the Draft IAP/EIS. It is most similar to Alternative B-1 (Alternative B in the Draft
IAP/EIS), as it makes similar lands unavailable for oil and gas leasing and adds many of
the same lands as Alternative B-1 to Special Areas. The preferred alternative offers
opportunity to lease oil and gas resources in nearly 52 percent of the NPR-A; Alternative
B-1 offers 48 percent of NPR-A lands for lease. The preferred alternative would add
approximately 1.9 million acres to the Teshekpuk Lake Special Area (100,000 fewer acres
National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska
Final Integrated Activity Plan/Environmental Impact Statement iii
Executive Summary
than Alternative B-1) to protect caribou calving and insect-relief areas and waterbird and
shorebird breeding, molting, staging, and migration habitats. It creates a new Peard Bay
Special Area, though both it and the Kasegaluk Lagoon Special Area would be smaller than
in Alternative B-1.
There are two major contrasts between Alternatives B-1 and B-2. The former would
recommend designation of 12 rivers for Wild and Scenic River designation, while the
preferred alternative would not recommend any river designation. Also, Alternative B-2
does not prohibit the construction of new non-subsistence permanent infrastructure,
including pipelines and other infrastructure that would be necessary to transport offshore
oil, in most of a large area of lands east of Barrow or in Kasegaluk Lagoon and Peard Bay.
This would allow an opportunity for a pipeline to come ashore from the Beaufort Sea, which
Alternative B-1 does not, and provides greater flexibility for landfall locations for a pipeline
from the Chukchi Sea than in Alternative B-1.
How long will this plan direct BLM management of NPR-A?
The dynamic nature of public land resources and uses requires that BLM maintain, amend,
and when necessary, revise its land use plans. This plan will remain in place until it is
determined that the underlying analysis, including this Final IAP/EIS, is no longer
adequate under NEPA, or until the agency determines that it is appropriate to consider a
different approach to management of the Reserve.
What is next?
The BLM will make no decision until at least 30 days have elapsed after this Final IAP/EIS
has been issued. The agency would then issue a record of decision stating its decision.
Based on that decision, BLM may conduct one or more lease sales in the NPR-A, with the
first most likely occurring in 2013.

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iv Final Integrated Activity Plan/Environmental Impact Statement