Prosperity Alaska FEDERAL

Prosperity Issues	Other Federal Issues

The United States Government controls over 60% of the land in Alaska, has a large and growing regulatory role, and levies taxes on our industries. As such, it plays a key role in determining Alaska’s prosperity.

Here are some of the most important prosperity issues before our federal government. We encourage you to review these and use our simple web tools to contact appropriate federal officials:

Like other NPR-A exploratory wells, the Pioneer 1 well was drilled in winter from a temporary ice pad to protect underlying tundra. BLM photo by Shane Walker.

National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska (NPR-A)

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comment by 6/15/12

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has developed a Draft Integrated Activity Plan/ Environmental Impact Statement (IAP/EIS) to determine the appropriate management of all BLM land in the National Petroleum Reserve‐Alaska (NPR‐A or Petroleum Reserve). Central issues are the potential for, and the impacts of, oil and gas development in the Petroleum Reserve. The plan considers whether more lands in the Petroleum Reserve should be designated as “Special Areas” to protect surface resources and whether the BLM should recommend some additions to the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. There are four alternatives for Land Allocation in the Petroleum Reserve, each allowing for a different percentage of the land be available for Petroleum exploration and development:

Alternative A	Alternative B	Alternative C	Alternative D
57% NPR-A	48% NPR-A	75% NPR-A	100% NPR-A

ALL of the alternatives will honor current deferrals until expiration and provide protection of surface values with a collection of measures contained within oil and gas leasing stipulations and best management practices. Since NPR‐A is a Petroleum Reserve and Alaska has some of the world’s strictest environmental regulations, Alternative D makes the most sense to Alaska’s prosperity. Please let BLM know you support Alternative D by clicking here or on the Take Action box above. See Resource Development Council’s Action Alert to learn more.

	Susitna Hydro Project	Take Action comment by 5/31/12
	The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) is developing an Environmental Impact Statement for the proposed Susitna‐Watana Hydroelectric Project. This project is the best way for the State to reach its goal of 50% of its electrical generation from renewable and alternative energy sources. Hydropower, the lowest cost energy for Alaska consumers, currently provides approximately 24 percent of the electricity used in Alaska. The Alaska Energy Authority (AEA) believes Susitna will provide cost‐effective, reliable power for the Railbelt at a constant price for decades. A single dam would be located approximately halfway between Anchorage and Fairbanks on the upper Susitna river. Construction would get underway in 2017 and under the present schedule it could be in operation by 2023. Please let FERC know you support the project by Clicking here or on the Take Action box above. See Resource Development Council’s Action Alert from the last public comment period to learn more. AEA also has a webpage dedicated to the project.

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