(WO) – The American Petroleum Institute (API) urged the Biden administration to support Alaskan communities, the economy and U.S. energy security by allowing for essential oil and natural gas production in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Reserve (ANWR). In comments submitted to the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) on the Notice of Availability of the Draft Coastal Plain Oil and Gas Leasing Program Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS), API joined with the Alaska Oil and Gas Association (AOGA) in arguing that the Biden administration was unwarranted in cancelling the initial leases on Alaska’s Coastal Plain issued in January 2021. The associations urged BLM to immediately reinstate the cancelled leases and to conduct the necessary environmental impact work to hold future sales in the region.

“The United States is a net exporter of liquid petroleum fuels. To maintain this benefit to the American economy, including the competitive advantage it provides for American manufacturers and the budget relief it provides for American families, developing secure access to areas of great energy resource potential like the Coastal Plain is vitally important,” the comment letter states.

In the comments, the associations highlight the benefits that continued oil and natural gas production brings to Alaska’s economy, supporting more than 77,600 direct and indirect jobs and providing critical funding for the Alaska Permanent Fund. The comments also reiterate the strategic importance of continued oil and natural gas production in the ANWR region. According to data from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), the development of Alaska’s Coastal Plain is projected to produce as much as 1.45 MMbpd, bolstering U.S. energy security and leaving Americans less dependent on foreign sources to meet their energy needs.

“The oil and natural gas industry has a 50-year track record of safe and responsible energy development on the North Slope of Alaska while respecting and often supporting reasonable stipulations to protect the Alaskan environment and wildlife,” the comment letter states. “We look forward to continuing to partner with Alaskan communities and policymakers to leverage innovative technologies and best practices to safely develop oil and gas resources on Alaska’s North Slope under the congressionally-mandated Coastal Plain oil and gas leasing program.”