AIDEA Board Authorizes Pre-Development Permitting, Planning Budget for Section 1002 Area Oil & Gas Leases

Processed data will be used to define the most prospective locations for recoverable petroleum resources. Properly sited drilling locations along with responsible efforts to prevent negative surface impacts will enhance AIDEA’s compliance with the extensive regional, state, and federal stipulations for a responsible exploration program that co-exists with regional conservation. “From seismic to drilling, significant advancements in technology have facilitated world-class environmental stewardship in Alaska’s North Slope protecting the tundra, our waterways, and wildlife within Alaska’s arctic ecosystem,” says AIDEA Executive Director Alan Weitzner.

“Nowhere will you find better regulated oil fields, and every barrel produced in Alaska is one less that needs to be produced in regions that don’t share our high standards,” wrote Edward Rexford Sr., president of the Native Village of Kaktovik and Governor Mike Dunleavy in a recent Newsweek op-ed. Support for developing the Section 1002 Area comes from a wide cross-section of Alaskans, including the Voice of the Arctic lñupiat (a non-profit coalition comprised of 24 entities including tribal councils, regional organizations, municipal governments, and Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) corporations located in and around the 1002 Area), Governor Dunleavy, Alaska’s Legislature, and all members of Alaska’s congressional delegation since 1980.