Alaska oil exploration to begin - BBC

Source: BBC News

Last Updated: Thursday, 3 January 2008, 07:42 GMT

Alaska oil exploration to begin
By Warren Bull
BBC News

The US government says it will offer exploration
rights for oil and gas in a north-western region
of Alaska.

The federal Minerals Management Service said it
would take bids next month for concessions in the
Chukchi Sea, which separates Alaska from Siberia.

But environmental groups fear the effects on
wildlife in the region, including the polar bear
population.

There have been no lease sales for over 15 years
and the groups fear further exploration could
damage marine life.

-snip-

Read more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7169144.stm

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Source: Reuters

MMS to hold oil lease sale in Alaska's Chukchi Sea
Wed Jan 2, 2008 5:35pm EST

By Yereth Rosen

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (Reuters) - The U.S. Minerals
Management Service said Wednesday it will offer oil
and gas exploration rights next month to 29.7
million acres in the remote Chukchi Sea off
northwestern Alaska.

The decision to hold the February 6 lease sale, the
first in the Chukchi since 1991, comes days before
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will decide
whether to list the polar bear as threatened and
has drawn fire from environmentalists seeking to
limit oil development in the area.

-snip-

The Chukchi Sea separates northwestern Alaska from
northeastern Siberia. The U.S. portion of the remote,
ice-choked sea is believed to hold 15 billion barrels
of recoverable oil and 76 trillion cubic feet of
recoverable natural gas, according to the Interior
Department.

-snip-

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSN0216697120080102