SJR 301: Opposing the recent decisions to cancel future lease sales in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas and to deny the suspension of Shell and Statoil's leases; urging the United States Department of the Interior to continue to promote oil exploration in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas; urging the United States Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement to reconsider and approve requests from Shell and Statoil for lease suspensions in the Chukchi Sea Planning Area and Beaufort Sea Planning Area; and urging the ongoing efforts to develop offshore oil and gas in the Arctic Outer Continental Shelf.
00 SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 301 01 Opposing the recent decisions to cancel future lease sales in the Chukchi and Beaufort 02 Seas and to deny the suspension of Shell and Statoil's leases; urging the United States 03 Department of the Interior to continue to promote oil exploration in the Chukchi and 04 Beaufort Seas; urging the United States Bureau of Safety and Environmental 05 Enforcement to reconsider and approve requests from Shell and Statoil for lease 06 suspensions in the Chukchi Sea Planning Area and Beaufort Sea Planning Area; and 07 urging the ongoing efforts to develop offshore oil and gas in the Arctic Outer 08 Continental Shelf. 09 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 10 WHEREAS the state contains a world-class hydrocarbon basin holding over 30 11 percent of the nation's technically recoverable oil and gas resources; and 12 WHEREAS the United States Bureau of Ocean Energy Management estimates the 13 existence of 4,300,000,000 barrels of oil in the Chukchi Sea; and 14 WHEREAS the state has a rich history of developing its resources in a sustainable
01 and responsible manner; and 02 WHEREAS the state can demonstrate its history of safely developing its fisheries, 03 timber, and oil and gas resources; and 04 WHEREAS it is in the best interests of the state to continue the safe and responsible 05 development of resources in the state; and 06 WHEREAS, before the sale, lease, or other disposition of state land, resources, or 07 property, the state, through the Division of Oil and Gas, issues a best interest finding that 08 considers and discusses certain topics, including the reasonably foreseeable effects of the 09 disposal on the area's fish and wildlife, historic and cultural resources, and communities, and 10 incorporates mitigation measures that are designed to protect the landscape; and 11 WHEREAS the design and evolution of the best interest finding, in many cases, 12 matches or, in some cases, exceeds federal standards imposed in federally controlled areas 13 still available for oil and gas exploration and development; and 14 WHEREAS the state imposes standards to protect the landscape, including limiting 15 the timing and intensity of travel on the tundra so that winter travel on temporary roads will 16 do the least amount of damage; and 17 WHEREAS the state enforces strict requirements for oil discharge and contingency 18 plans for all operators on the Alaska North Slope; and 19 WHEREAS the state has taken proactive measures, including deferring areas in the 20 state's Beaufort Sea lease sale area where subsistence activity occurs, including areas 21 immediately adjacent to Cross Island, where whaling crews from Nuiqsut have set up their 22 whaling camp; and 23 WHEREAS the state will continue actively to address environmental standards, 24 including modern mitigation standards that protect subsistence activities on the Alaska North 25 Slope; and 26 WHEREAS the federal government has developed plans for leasing on a long-term 27 basis, including plans for annual lease sales in the Chukchi Sea and Beaufort Sea Planning 28 Areas in the 2017-2022 Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program; and 29 WHEREAS the United States Department of the Interior published a 2017-2022 30 Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program, which proposes one lease sale each in 31 the Chukchi Sea and Beaufort Sea planning areas; and
01 WHEREAS the federal government has limited immediate opportunities in several 02 areas in the Arctic, including, most importantly, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, the 03 National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska, and the Arctic Outer Continental Shelf; and 04 WHEREAS, on October 16, 2015, the United States Department of the Interior 05 cancelled future Outer Continental Shelf oil and gas lease sales in the Chukchi Sea Planning 06 Area and Beaufort Sea Planning Area, scheduled for 2016 and 2017, respectively; and 07 WHEREAS, on October 16, 2015, the United States Bureau of Safety and 08 Environmental Enforcement denied requests from Shell and Statoil for lease suspensions in 09 the Chukchi Sea Planning Area and Beaufort Sea Planning Area; and 10 WHEREAS, by actively managing its property, the state can induce the federal 11 government to continue to pursue hydrocarbon resources in the Arctic; and 12 WHEREAS the state should form a strategic alliance with the North Slope Port 13 Authority to identify the long-term needs of the state and local entities for rights-of-ways for 14 critical infrastructure; and 15 WHEREAS the Department of the Interior needs guidance from the state on the 16 number of lease sales and the timing of those lease sales; 17 BE IT RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature opposes the recent decisions of 18 the Obama Administration to cancel future lease sales in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas and 19 to deny the suspension of Shell and Statoil's leases; and be it 20 FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature urges the United States 21 Department of the Interior to reconsider its actions and continue to promote oil and gas 22 exploration in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas; and be it 23 FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature urges the United States 24 Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement to reconsider and approve requests from 25 Shell and Statoil for lease suspensions in the Chukchi Sea Planning Area and Beaufort Sea 26 Planning Area; and be it 27 FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature urges the Obama 28 Administration to support ongoing efforts to develop offshore oil and gas in the Arctic Outer 29 Continental Shelf. 30 COPIES of this resolution shall be sent to the Honorable Barack Obama, President of 31 the United States; the Honorable Joseph R. Biden, Jr., Vice-President of the United States and
01 President of the U.S. Senate; the Honorable Paul D. Ryan, Speaker of the U.S. House of 02 Representatives; the Honorable Nancy Pelosi, Minority Leader of the U.S. House of 03 Representatives; the Honorable Mitch McConnell, Majority Leader of the U.S. Senate; the 04 Honorable Harry Reid, Minority Leader of the U.S. Senate; the Honorable Loretta Lynch, 05 Attorney General of the United States; the Honorable Sally Jewell, United States Secretary of 06 the Interior; the Honorable Hilary Tompkins, Solicitor, U.S. Department of the Interior; the 07 Honorable Daniel M. Ashe, Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; the Honorable 08 John C. Cruden, Assistant Attorney General for the Environment and Natural Resources 09 Division; Brian Salerno, Director of the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement; 10 Richard L. Trumka, President of the AFL-CIO; James P. Hoffa, General President of the 11 International Brotherhood of Teamsters; and the Honorable Lisa Murkowski and the 12 Honorable Dan Sullivan, U.S. Senators, and the Honorable Don Young, U.S. Representative, 13 members of the Alaska delegation in Congress.