Nearly 9 million acres of the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska will be open to oil exploration and drilling under a decision announced by Secretary of Interior Gale Norton on Thursday.

Several Alaska Native corporations own surface and subsurface rights in the reserve. Some of these lands, but not all, will be available for leasing.

In total, 7.23 million acres will be available immediately, with exploration on the remaining 1.5 million acres deferred for 10 years.

Get the Story:
NPR-A lease sales get OK (The Anchorage Daily News 1/23)
Alaska Oil Exploration Approved (The Washington Post 1/23)

Relevant Documents:
Record of Decision | Fact Sheet

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