The US Department of Interior said Thursday it was preparing an environmental impact statement for a 2019 lease sale that would open as much as 65 million acres of federal Arctic waters to oil and natural gas drilling. Receive daily email alerts, subscriber notes & personalize your experience. Register Now While it remains uncertain whether the sale will even take place, commercial interest in US Arctic waters appears extremely limited, according to S&P Global Platts Analytics analyst Rene Santos. “I am sure there will be some interest from some companies to bid on the leases, but not from many,” Santos said Thursday. Santos said that harsh Arctic conditions that will increase drilling costs, coupled with opposition from environmental groups, will likely deter much commercial […]