Map via Alaska Department of Natural Resources/Division of Oil and Gas A map showing tracts available as part of an upcoming state oil and gas lease sale in Cook Inlet.

Map via Alaska Department of Natural Resources/Division of Oil and Gas A map showing tracts available as part of an upcoming state oil and gas lease sale in Cook Inlet.

Feds set Cook Inlet oil and gas lease sale for Dec. 30

The sale comes as the State of Alaska prepares to hold its own lease sale, also in December

The federal government will hold an oil and gas lease sale in Cook Inlet on Dec. 30, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management announced Monday. That sale, called Lease Sale 258, will open about 960,000 acres of seafloor between Kalgin and Augustine islands in Cook Inlet to oil and gas development.

The sale, first announced in 2020, will come after years of back-and-forth between the federal government and others. The sale was paused by President Joe Biden after he took office, which prompted legal challenges by the State of Alaska and 12 other states. As a result of that challenge, federal oil and gas leasing programs were allowed to continue while the federal government appealed.

The sale was again canceled in May due to “lack of industry interest” before being revived by Biden through the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. That legislation, signed in August, directed the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management to hold the sale by the end of 2022.

An environmental impact statement published last month said that some blocks will not be made available for lease in order to mitigate the impact of the sale to local wildlife. Of the 224 blocks outlined in the sale area, 14 are already leased and 17 will be exempt because they are located in beluga whale and northern sea otter critical habitats.

The sale has received consistent pushback from local environmental groups, such as Cook Inletkeeper, which last year organized an art sale to raise awareness about the sale. The group opposes the development of oil and gas in the area because of threats to salmon and halibut fishing grounds and to beluga whale habitat.

Lease Sale 258 will come as the State of Alaska prepares to hold its own oil and gas lease sale in Cook Inlet. That sale, which is being offered by the Alaska Department of Natural Resources’ Division of Oil and Gas, will open roughly 2.8 million acres of Cook Inlet to oil and gas leasing. The department said last month that the state sale is meant to coincide with the federal Lease Sale 258.

More information about Lease Sale 258, including a timeline and supporting documents, can be found on BOEM’s website at boem.gov/oil-gas-energy/leasing/lease-sale-258.

Reach reporter Ashlyn O’Hara at ashlyn.ohara@peninsulaclarion.com.

More in News

A towering Lutz spruce, center, in the Chugach National Forest is about to be hoisted by a crane Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2015, for transport to the West Lawn of Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., to be the 2015 U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree. (Photo courtesy of the U.S. Forest Service)
Tongass National Forest selected to provide 2024 U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree

Eight to 10 candidate trees will be evaluated, with winner taking “whistlestop tour” to D.C.

A slash pile containing non-organic construction debris is seen at the Snug Harbor Slash Disposal site on Sept. 22, 2020, in Cooper Landing, Alaska. (Photo courtesy Kenai Peninsula Borough Land Management)
Assembly OKs concrete lease in Cooper Landing

The vote came amid widespread community opposition to the agreement

Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion
Children hunt for Easter eggs during the Easter Eggstravaganza at Nikiski Community Recreation Center on Saturday.
Easter eggs, bunnies arrive on the Kenai Peninsula

There are plenty of opportunities to grab a photo with the Easter bunny or seek out some eggs

Flier for Bear Awareness and Electric Fencing Workshops. (Provided by Defenders of Wildlife)
Local workshops to focus on managing bear attractants, electric fencing

The series will run Monday through Friday, April 1-5, in Hope, Seward, Kenai, Soldotna and Homer

A person walks up the steps of the Alaska Capitol, Jan. 16, 2023, in Juneau, Alaska. (AP Photo/Becky Bohrer, File)
Some KPBSD schools could benefit from internet bill passed by House

If House Bill 193 becomes law, an additional six KPBSD schools would be eligible for the state’s grant program

Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion
A veterinarian with Greater Good Charities escorts dog Maggie into a free spay/neuter clinic at the Moose Pass Fire Station on Thursday.
Moose Pass rallies behind free spay and neuter clinic

The clinic was put on by Greater Good Charities Good Fix program

Signage marks the entrance to Nikiski Middle/High School on Monday, May 16, 2022, in Nikiski, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
Nikiski student arrested after school shooting threats

The juvenile student faces charges of terroristic threatening

Armageddon waits to be shown at the Kenai Peninsula District 4-H Agriculture Expo on Friday, Aug. 4, 2023, at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex in Soldotna, Alaska. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Bjorkman farm tax relief bill clears Senate

The bill is now up for consideration in the House

Most Read