Interior Dept Eases Reviews for Alaska Oil Drilling

The Interior Department is exempting certain winter oil and natural gas drilling in Alaska's National Petroleum Reserve from case-by-case environmental reviews, according to a notice to be published ...

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(Getty) The Interior Department is exempting certain winter oil and natural gas drilling in Alaska's National Petroleum Reserve from case-by-case environmental reviews, according to a notice to be published Friday in the Federal Register.

The change creates what is known as a categorical exclusion under the National Environmental Policy Act, allowing the Bureau of Land Management to approve certain projects without preparing a new environmental assessment for each one.

The exclusion covers bureau approval of seismic surveys, permits to drill and rights of way for wintertime exploration in the reserve, a roughly 23 million-acre area on Alaska's North Slope.

Activities covered include seismic surveys using vibration-based equipment; temporary ice roads, snow routes and ice pads; camps and support equipment; water withdrawals; drilling and testing of appraisal wells, as well as suspending, plugging or abandoning them; and helicopter-assisted cleanup the following summer.

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South Carolina Senate debate Judge halts Trump ads Russia strikes power plant Follow Interior Dept Eases Reviews for Alaska Oil Drilling Solange Reyner Fri, October 9, 2026 at 12:05 AM UTC 2 min read Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google.

(Getty) The Interior Department is exempting certain winter oil and natural gas drilling in Alaska's National Petroleum Reserve from case-by-case environmental reviews, according to a notice to be published Friday in the Federal Register.

The change creates what is known as a categorical exclusion under the National Environmental Policy Act, allowing the Bureau of Land Management to approve certain projects without preparing a new environmental assessment for each one.

The exclusion covers bureau approval of seismic surveys, permits to drill and rights of way for wintertime exploration in the reserve, a roughly 23 million-acre area on Alaska's North Slope.