The U.S. government recently held an auction for the right to drill oil and gas offshore in Cook Inlet, Alaska, for which it received only a single bid.
The auction, held by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) on Friday, offered leases for 193 blocks totaling around 958,000 acres. However, it only received a single bid for one block in the amount of $63,983 submitted by Hilcorp Alaska LLC which covers an area of 5,693 acres.
“Following today’s sale, the bid will go through a 90-day evaluation process to ensure the public receives fair market value before a lease is awarded, and a Department of Justice review of antitrust considerations.”
Administration Flip-Flop
The Biden administration had canceled auctioning off the Cook Inlet region for oil and gas drilling back in May, with the Interior Department claiming there was a “lack of industry interest in leasing in the area.”The decision had triggered strong opposition, especially from former Vice President Mike Pence who questioned the cancellation at a time of elevated gas prices.
According to estimates by the Interior Department, the 193 blocks that were put up for sale could produce almost 300 billion cubic feet of natural gas and 200 million barrels of crude oil during the period of the lease agreements.
Environment, Economy
Environmental groups have protested against leasing the Cook Inlet area for oil and gas drilling. A Dec. 30 press release by environmental group Inlet Keeper claims that the lease fails to take into account issues like climate change, marine life, and the life of various communities.The 958,000 acres that were put for lease are “essential” to subsistence gathering, commercial and sport fishing, and tourism for the local economy, the organization stated.
Hilcorp is a company with “repeated violations” of regulatory and environmental requirements and “should not be allowed” to drill in a “biologically diverse and critical area,” it argued.
“We look forward to continuing to responsibly produce Alaskan oil and natural gas, create Alaskan jobs and contribute to the state’s economy for decades to come.”