BLM proposes 60-day decisions for qualifying oil projects in Alaska's petroleum reserve
Sixty days.
That would be the Bureau of Land Management's deadline to approve, or approve with conditions, a qualifying oil production site in the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska under a proposed rule filed Friday.
The proposal would combine production site, drilling and associated right of way approvals. A complete application would identify the pad and anticipated well count, show compliance with the current reserve plan, include the required drilling or right of way applications, and supply information for historic preservation, tribal remains and endangered species reviews.
The agency is still developing the eligibility criteria through an environmental impact statement. It cited the nearly five-year Willow review as an example of the delay the new process is intended to reduce.