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U.S. mulls oil, gas lease offshore Alaska

Federal agency to review possible environmental impact of work.

By Daniel J. Graeber

WASHINGTON, Oct. 22 (UPI) -- The U.S. federal government said it plans to prepare an impact statement in support of a possible oil and gas lease sale in Cook Inlet, off the Alaskan coast.

"We need to hear from residents of the communities along Cook Inlet on how the proposed leasing area is currently being used and what specific areas need extra attention," Walter Cruickshank, acting director of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, said in a statement.

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The BOEM said its planned environmental impact statement will focus on what impact, if any, leasing, exploration, development and production of oil or natural gas in the region would have on the regional ecosystem.

The agency said Tuesday the potential lease sale avoids areas designated as critical habitat of sea mammals and excludes areas used by aboriginal communities for subsistence.

There were 13 exploration wells in the federal waters of the Cook Inlet area from 1978-85. There are no current or active oil or natural gas exploration facilities in the area.

The Interior Department's BOEM didn't provide an estimate of the potential reserves available in the Cook Inlet planning area.

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The last federal lease sale in Cook Inlet in 2004 received no bids.

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