US Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt has approved an oil and gas leasing program in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), opening up part of the 19.3-million-acre protected area in Alaska for the first time amid opposition from environmental groups.
“Congress directed us to hold lease sales in the ANWR Coastal Plain, and we have taken a significant step in meeting our obligations by determining where and under what conditions the oil and gas development program will occur,” Xinhua news agency quoted Bernhardt as saying in a statement on Monday.
“Our program meets the legal mandate that Coastal Plain leaseholders get the necessary rights-of-way, easements and land areas for production and support facilities they need to find and develop these important Arctic oil and gas resources,” he said.
