Public comment on the upcoming environmental impact statement related to the proposed 2019 Beaufort Sea oil and gas lease sale has been extended to Jan. 4 by the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management.
The federal agency had originally set the deadline for Dec. 17, but said that due to disruptions caused by the Nov. 30 earthquake in the Anchorage area they chose to extend it.
One public scoping meeting was held in Anchorage on Dec. 6. More scoping meetings were rescheduled, including Dec. 17 in Utqiaġvik, Dec. 18 at Nuiqsut, and Dec. 19 at Kaktovik.
The 2019-2024 outer continental shelf oil and gas leasing draft proposed program would provide for three OCS oil and gas lease sales in Alaska’s Beaufort Sea, one each in 2019, 2021 and 2023. The program still awaits approval and no sales ca take place unless the program in which such sales are proposed are approved.
Still BOEM notes that the national OCS oil and gas leasing program for 2019-2024 is expected to be finalized in 2019 and, if kept on schedule, would be held later in 2019.
More information about the proposed lease sale is online at www.boem.gov/beraufort2019 along with instructions for commenting online.
