The Trump administration is seeking to speed up approval times for oil and gas drilling in Alaska’s National Petroleum Reserve after nine companies bought tracts there this year and want to move forward with their investments.
In a proposal published Friday in the Federal Register, the Bureau of Land Management said it wants to consolidate multiple approval procedures into a single review to expedite project approvals.
By streamlining the process and getting the projects up and running quickly, the BLM estimates it could speed up more than $100 million per year in investment at the National Petroleum Reserve.
The agency said in the filing that the existing permitting process is “repetitive, duplicative, unpredictable and unnecessarily burdensome and in need of streamlining,” adding that the new proposal will “reduce delays in decision-making for oil and gas infrastructure.”
The BLM said the new system would let it approve drilling permits and rights-of-way applications within 60 days, with the two separate approvals consolidated into one assent.
In its filing, the BLM noted that the Willow Project, a multibillion-dollar drilling expedition by ConocoPhillips, took five years for final approval.
The agency is also asking companies to front-load their compliance work, such as endangered species impact studies and cultural items planning, before they submit an application rather than working on those during the review process.
The proposals are in response to a petition by the Alaska Oil & Gas Association, an industry trade group, which petitioned the BLM to streamline the process in March after the companies purchased their tract.
That petition urged the BLM to adopt a “uniform and efficient process to approve production projects similar to those that have already been approved” in the National Petroleum Reserve.
“Responsible development shouldn’t be held back by redundant paperwork,” BLM Director Steve Pearce said in a statement.
“This is about working smarter, honoring the Trump administration’s commitment to energy security and ensuring Alaskans directly benefit from the resources in their backyard,” he said.
The National Petroleum Reserve was created in 1923 by President Warren Harding to serve as an emergency oil supply for the U.S. Navy.
Drilling projects have been approved there, but environmental groups have long complained about the impacts the projects have on climate change and wildlife.
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