Interior Department considers possible permanent protections for portions of National Petroleum Reserve
he Interior Department is preparing to develop its first comprehensive management plan for the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska (NPR-A), a move environmentalists say could permanently remove large sections of the massive reserve from future energy development.
The "integrated activity plan" for NPR-A would take a comprehensive look at the 23.5-million-acre reserve with an eye toward identifying areas suitable for oil and natural gas drilling as well as those areas that should remain off-limits, said Pat Pourchot, special assistant to Interior Secretary Ken Salazar for Alaska affairs.
The planning process could include evaluating sections of the NPR-A for potential wilderness designation, Pourchot said, rendering even more of Alaska's oil-rich North Slope into a permanent wildlife sanctuary.