The notice said the current project-by-project approach is inefficient, particularly in a region where seasonal limits and severe weather narrow the window for oil and gas work.
Interior Dept Eases Reviews for Alaska Oil Drilling
Solange Reyner, Yahoo! Finance, October 8 2026
The Interior Department is exempting certain winter oil and natural gas drilling in Alaska’s National Petroleum Reserve from case-by-case environmental reviews, according to a notice to be published Friday in the Federal Register.
The change creates what is known as a categorical exclusion under the National Environmental Policy Act, allowing the Bureau of Land Management to approve certain projects without preparing a new environmental assessment for each one. It takes effect upon publication.
The exclusion covers bureau approval of seismic surveys, permits to drill and rights of way for wintertime exploration in the reserve, a roughly 23-million-acre area on Alaska’s North Slope.
Activities covered include seismic surveys using vibration-based equipment; temporary ice roads, snow routes and ice pads; camps and support equipment; water withdrawals; drilling and testing of appraisal wells, as well as suspending, plugging, or abandoning them; and helicopter-assisted cleanup the following summer.
The department said its finding is based on decades of experience with such projects. The Bureau of Land Management reviewed winter exploration projects approved over the past 28 years and found that all 47 environmental assessments resulted in findings of no significant impact.
The notice said the current project-by-project approach is inefficient, particularly in a region where seasonal limits and severe weather narrow the window for oil and gas work.
The exclusion does not apply automatically. The bureau must still confirm that each project fits the category and screen it for “extraordinary circumstances” that could cause significant environmental effects. If such circumstances exist, the agency must prepare a full environmental assessment or environmental impact statement
Also, we know Jonathan wants to raise taxes on oil companies structured as S-corps — specifically, on Hilcorp. But he’s also made clear that he thinks the oil industry shouldn’t be the only thing on the menu: He’s said that individual Alaskans should be part of the budget solution, too, likely through a sales or income tax.
| Opinion: How pro-business Republicans see an impending ‘calamity’ in the November elections Anonymous, Anchorage Press, October 8, 2026 Say what you want about Republican Mike Dunleavy, Alaska’s governor for the past four years. I didn’t always agree with him. He picked some annoying social issues to take stands on, and he was obsessed with the Permanent Fund dividend. But the guy was a great backstop to block bad ideas from the Legislature that would have hurt Alaska businesses. And now, it looks like we’re in for a big change. A Democrat from Southeast Alaska, Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins, is likely to be our next governor. Both the House and Senate look like they’re going to be led by mostly Democratic coalitions. Which means: Tax increases are definitely on the table, with the oil industry on the chopping block. Calamity is the word many of the people in my conservative-leaning, pro-business world would use. Folks are already talking about how they’re going to try to protect themselves in Juneau; lobbyists who have good relationships with Democratic legislators are going to be in demand. I want all Alaskans to know how people in the resource industries see this. And how annoyed I am at the Alaska Republican Party’s inability to develop a coherent strategy for the governor’s race, to recruit viable legislative candidates and to stand up a get-out-the-vote effort to help save U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan. So, I’m writing this op-ed. It has to be anonymous, though — our companies don’t want the exposure or political risk that comes with speaking publicly, and official messaging would have to be formally approved and sanitized. I can also offer some insight into why JKT is likely to win. For one thing, everyone knows many conservatives aren’t going to rank all three GOP gubernatorial candidates, so votes are going to be wasted. But also, some of us can’t really get behind any of the Republicans — myself included. I don’t care much about the social stuff, and I think if you’re out there promising a full Permanent Fund dividend, you can’t do basic algebra. So, I don’t have a home with Bernadette Wilson. Dave Bronson is a nice guy, and I respect his military service, but his time as mayor of Anchorage failed the governance test. Treg Taylor seems like a pro-business, relatively reasonable guy, but he’s also coming from fifth place in the primary and doesn’t seem to be moving the needle. Jonathan makes me uneasy. He’s from Southeast Alaska, where people often take for granted the oil industry’s contribution to the state economy, and the contributions of other non-fishing resource industries. He and his running mate don’t have kids, and I’m worried that will make it hard for them to appreciate the needs of Alaska families. And while he seems like a pretty sincere guy and has picked up some business experience. READ MORE |